Everywhere: Book 3 of the Nowhere Trilogy

5. Love Yourself

And I've been so caught up in my job; didn't see what's going on - Justin Bieber

7:17 P.M. Thursday, November 11, 2021

Chele has only done interviews in her college class. She opens the Voice Memo app on her phone, trying to recall the questions she had formulated. Slugs slime themselves slowly around in her tummy creating a toxic sludge, and Chele draws in air as though she needs it to survive. Which, at this moment, she does more than usual. Of all the concerts, this wasn't the one she expected to attend.

"Hi!" Her bright voice comes across as too overwhelming in her own ears, and she tones it down. "I mean, hi. I'm Chele, and I'm writing an article for a blog about tonight's show. Would you mind chatting with me for a minute?"

The girl warily looks Chele over, her eyes wandering from the writer's black boots and black jeans to her Selena Gomez Revival tour t-shirt.

"Yeah, okay. Sure."

"What drew you to this concert tonight?" Chele asks, holding out the phone, microphone pointing towards the girl who has already given her name, hometown, and age.

"He's just so...fuckin' hot, you know?"

The curse word, so casually added, throws Chele off, and she pauses. "Um, yeah. He is very handsome."

"Handsome?! What the fuck, b?! He is divine. Gorgeous. Smokin' hot. The way his ass fills out those pants! And holy shit. Those tattoos! He is. To. Die. For."

Chele shakes her head as if to clear away the ugly language. Maybe her next question will get more that Chele can actually include in her article.

"What do you like about his music?"

"His music? Bitch. That shit is heavenly, and his voice could transport me to nirvana right now. Like he is so expressive when he sings. It's fucking brilliant."

With a sigh, Chele decides to try a different fan. This one isn't working out. After thanking her, Chele moves on to talk to a few others, decked out in their new tour merch or all dressed up in their fanciest clothes.

It isn't until the fourth interview that she gets something she think can actually be used.

"Oh, his voice is a breathy tenor, and it gives me shivers. He inspires me with the way he started his career, and I love watching him live."

And the fifth interview....

"I met him once. It was really cool. He's such a sweetheart."

And the sixth....

"He smelled like heaven. I accidentally touched his abs and just about melted. They were rock solid."

And the seventh...

"I've seen him eleven times, and each time he just gets better. More confident. Sexier. You know?"

Settling in her seat on the front row behind the pit, Michele watches the show, her heart pounding. Her first live concert. Holy poop on a stick! This is amazing. Just as she always imagined it would be. On her way out, she plans to purchase a t-shirt from the first tour she's actually experienced in person. Phee will be jealous.

==========

10:37 P.M. Thursday, November 11, 2021

Wow. Just wow. What a night! Harry can't keep himself steady. It went exactly as he expected, and he feels very proud. The sweat pours from him, making the decision to shower before bed a smart one. Briefly he smiles, thinking about racing a certain someone to the shower. He would love to call her tonight, but it's so late in her time zone.