Page 18 of Playing By Ear

Perry 12:31 PM

Or whatever

Perry 12:42 PM

Never mind you’re probably at a hospital this moment and I’m bothering you

Perry 12:46 PM

Is someone ill? Has there been an accident?

Jamie 12:48 PM

We met 2 days ago

I don’t owe u my autobiography

Perry 12:49 PM

No need to be a prick about it

If you don’t want me just say so

Jamie

…

…

…

Jamie 12:51

I don’t want u

With a rough twist of his wrist, Perry maxed out the resistance on the elliptical machine in his home office. All four limbs groaned with a mix of pain and rapture.

The upcoming M83 release pounded in his ears, begging for a good review. But his mind couldn’t focus on the quirky, nostalgia-trawling music for longer than half a song.

He’d been out of line, asking Jamie all those questions. He’d known it even as he’d sent the messages, each pushier than its predecessor.

But he couldn’t apologize now. Though Jamie had hesitated—those ellipses appearing, vanishing, and reappearing like a shark fin—his I don’t want u was definitive. At the same time, Jamie couldn’t apologize after Perry had called him a prick.

Unless one of them underwent a total pride-ectomy, this was The End.

The album faded out as his phone announced the cool-down period. Perry rotated the resistance dial and slowed his pace.

Perhaps Jamie wasn’t merely preoccupied with family matters. Perhaps, given a chance to reflect, he’d decided dating a blind man would be a burden, despite Perry’s displays of competence and independence.

Fuck him, then. If Jamie didn’t want him for who he was, Perry didn’t want him at all.

He logged the workout in his fitness app, noting the new personal bests in strength and cardio. He would share his triumph with Thursday night’s audience.

Perry stopped halfway to the shower. Why wait until Thursday? Apart from this album review, the week’s deadlines were met. He had time for a bonus show.

Before he could think himself out of the idea, Perry went to his laptop, opened the site and typed out an alert to his followers: If 30 of you log in and give 100 tokens each I’ll do a show at the top of the hour.

He added a kissy-face emoji, pressed send, and went for his shower.