Limelight Melody

(XI) Summer Under the Bridge

Felix sat in the driver's seat of his car, sighing anxiously as he glanced out the windshield. His foot tapped nervously against the clutch, trying to get the energy out of his body. It'd been twenty-six minutes since their call, and Shane still hadn't arrived.

Felix's phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket. He scrambled to pull it out, thinking it was Shane. When he tapped the screen, it was a text from Jasmine. He swiped open his phone to read the message.

Hey, could I call you?

Felix tapped the gear shifter with his fingertips, taking in a deep breath. Feeling slightly guilty, he responded, I can't right now, I'm about to meet with Shane.

Oh, okay.

What did you need to call for?

Nothing, it can wait. Have fun.

Felix frowned. He was about to respond when something tapped softly on his window. He glanced over to see Shane, smiling as he stood outside Felix's door. Felix quickly shoved his phone into his pocket and opened the door, hopping out.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," Shane apologized. "My sister was ratting me out to my mom."

"Oh?" Felix asked, amused. "How?"

"She asked me to deal with the unfolded laundry, which I may or may not have forgotten to do."

"And so your mom was mad?"

"Only a little. She told Hazel to do her own laundry if she was so unhappy about it."

Felix tilted his head curiously. "Do you live with your family?"

"More like they live with me," Noticing Felix's confused expression, he explained, "I bought the house we live in right now. My sister and I pay the taxes and stuff."

"What does your sister do?"

"Same as me, basically, but she focuses more on modeling."

"Nice. Does your mom work?"

Shane grinned. "Kind of. She's always fun to have in my videos, and she's always helping Hazel set up photo shoots."

"That's cool, that you get to do stuff like that with your family still."

"It is, until they get annoying," Shane cocked his head. "Do you have siblings?"

Felix shook his head. "Not that I remember."

"Not that you remember?"

Felix eyed Shane warily. He wasn't one to disclose his family history to anyone, and the idea that Shane had the power to let millions of people know every detail about him made him feel extra cautious. But there was something about him that seemed trustworthy. Something hidden in his sparkling green eyes that told Felix to trust him.

Taking a deep breath, Felix mustered a half-hearted smile. "My parents died when I was young."

Shane's eyes widened. "Oh god, I'm really sorry, if I had known I wouldn't have brought it up-"

"It's okay," Felix said, chuckling quietly. He hadn't expected to see Shane so flustered and panicked. "It was a long time ago, I barely remember them."

"I'm still really sorry I brought it up," Shane said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. Felix shook his head, smiling.

"Like you said, you didn't know. I'm not going to hold that against you."

There was silence, before Shane spoke unsurely. "Can I ask a question about it?"

"Yeah," Felix took a deep breath, steeling himself for whatever question would be asked.