AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Who else have you told?”
“You and Drew. That’s it. But Drew has known for…awhile.”
Sean crosses his arms and leans back in his chair. “Do you want me to come with you when you speak with Mike?”
“That would be amazing,”I admit.
“What about Brian?” He pauses and his eyes widen. “Fuck. What about Lizzy?”
I chew on the inside of my cheek until I taste copper. “I was planning on telling Brian next, then Mike. Because I want to figure out a game plan for how to come out, you know, officially. As for Lizzy…I have to tell her. Tonight.”
Sean groans a little and rubs both of his hands down his face. “That’s rough.”
A humorless laugh rattles through me. “Yeah. No shit.”
I stay in Sean’s room for a few more moments as we talk. He doesn’t ask me too many questions, and for that, I’m grateful. We decide before he leaves that it might be better for my emotional state to rip off the Band-Aid and tell them together, so I don’t have to keep repeating the same spiel. He shoots me a look that sayswe will be talking about this more, then leaves to fetch Brian and Mike.
In Sean’s absence, I shoot off a text to Drew to let him know how things are going because even though he’s not present while I spill my guts out to those nearest and dearest to me, I want to keep him in the loop. I want to prove to him that I’m capable of doing all the things he’s ever asked of me.
There are still a couple of hours left before we head to the concert hall. I’m not sure how I’ll feel before going on stage tonight—especially with the knowledge of the devastation I’m going to bring to Lizette afterward. But if it’s one thing I know about my bouts of anxiety, and confronting things head-on when you’d rather jump off a bridge, is that it won’t last forever. It can’t.
After a few minutes of sitting alone with only my feelings to keep me company, the door unlocks, and the familiar voices of Sean and Brian joking around alongside Mike’s flippant response fill the room.
Mike takes one look at me and his brows immediately furrow. Brian’s face falls a little, and the smile spread across his face tightens.
“I have a feeling this is a serious meeting?” Mike asks Sean.
Sean shrugs and plops down on the edge of his bed alongside Brian, giving up the other yellow chair to our manager. Sean sends me a pointed look, giving me the go-ahead.
“Did you tell them anything?” I ask in a whisper.
Sean shakes his head.
I wipe my clammy hands on my jeans. I almost wish he would have briefed them in some way, but then this wouldn’t be solely my responsibility. Just like with Sean, I manage to suck up my fears and blurt out everything I have to say as quickly as I can.
Their reaction is similar to Sean’s. Brian asks several questions until Sean holds up a hand to stop him when I get overwhelmed and begin stuttering. Once things are okay with Brian, Sean leads him out of the room and onto the balcony so that Mike and I can talk in private.
Once the door is closed, Mike sighs and stares at me like he’s clawing through my thoughts, trying to figure me out. Throughout the years, Mike has always had my back and been there with advice. I don’t doubt that his support will change, but my knee still bounces in anticipation as I wait.
He loosens the tie around his neck and crosses one leg over a knee. “Well,” he begins, “you’re right about the fact that all of this might be a little crazy at first. Do you have any idea of how you’d like to do this?”
Mike’s tone is all concern and understanding, and not that of a scolding parent like I half-expected. Instead, it was a voice resembling a parent or mentor trying to look out for their kid. I always think Mike will be hard on me, but to date, he’s never been anything but an openly understanding support system.
I shake my head and look at my hands clenched together in my lap. “I want it to be straightforward. It’s going to be confusing enough, you know?”
Mike nods and stares at the wall for a drawn-out moment, deep in thought, before he says, “It’s Drew. Right?”
My head snaps up. “What?”
He shrugs nonchalantly, and I notice a small, secretive smile on his lips as he turns his head away to look outside and onto the balcony.
“I’ve been your manager pretty much from the beginning. I’ve always had my suspicions. Especially before Lizzy came into the picture,” Mike says.
“H-how?”
He cocks a brow and looks back at me. “Well, you both have sneaky glances you give to one another when you think no one’s looking. Not to mention youalwaysdisappear backstage before the encore.” His eyes meet my own, and my cheeks and ears burn. “Drew also gave you the cold shoulder around the time you proposed.” Mike motions with his eyes to the balcony. “Those two are typically too stoned or busy pranking one another to see what’s going on around them. But I’ve noticed.”
“Wow.” I stare dumbfounded at Mike, at a loss for words. Drew and I always thought we’d been so slick about our relationship in the past.
