Rock With You: A Love Story

dancing in the rain

Sydney, Australia
Belle's POV

I can't help but feel an overwhelming sense of empathy for Michael right now. He doesn't deserve this. He wouldn't hurt a fly. As I watch him fret alongside Frank and the lady that works here, and bite my lip. I wish I could help but what's been done has been done. I'm trying to help but I don't want to be in the way.
"I'm so sorry." Michael's raspy voice breaks my train of thought as his hands snake around my waist.
"Stop saying that, Mike. You are completely innocent." I reassure him, my head turned to face him. I gently plant a kiss on his temple.

"Where do we go from here?" I overhear Frank trying to fix this disaster with the woman as I hope my baby in my arms. His head hangs over my shoulder, his warm breaths tickling down my back. I tighten my hold on his bony stature and sigh. I feel such deep sorrow right now, I just want everything to be fixed. I hate seeing Michael like this. More than anything.

"Ok... yes... is it safe?..." Frank enforces, his hand pressing down on the air with such stress.
"What? Is what safe?" Michael jumps with a glint of hope in his dark eyes.
"They said their team have sorted out the problem while we were talking, replaced the equipment..." Frank seems unsure.
"Great! Can we start the show then? C'mon!" Michael starts to walk towards the door, beckoning us to follow with a head twitch.
"Mike... I dunno." Frank crosses his arms.
"What? Why?" Michael raises his eyebrows, agitated.
"It's not entirely safe. The new wires aren't the best and they aren't used on big shows like this. More like a minor gig or something... They could bust at the amount of heavy duty-"
"I don't care! It's either we give them half a show or no show! Come on!" Michael strides out the room, leaving us all speechless. He's not changing his mind. Knowing him, he's fixing his earpiece as he goes and it's just going to step right on stage without a word or hesitation.
"I think he's right. It's better than cancelling." Frank gives in.
"Yes!" I exclaim and dash out the door to Michael and the show. As I run, I pray to God that these wires don't give way. I couldn't stand to see Michael let down again.

Michael's POV

I fiddle with my earpiece as I pace towards the left wing. I don't care about anything right now apart from not letting down my fans. They're my family. They're here for a show, and a show is what they're going to get. I reach the edge of the stage, and peek over. They seem impatient, which gives me a rush of anxiety. What if they'd rather just go home at this point?
"Ready, Mike?" I hear one of my dancers chirp from beside me. I whip my head to see a group of smiling faces. They're ready to begin the show, and they have my back. I can't tell you how warming this feels. I am ready.
"Yep, lets go." I bite my lower lip and place my hands on my hips as I walk to my cue, taking deep breaths. I probably look a mess by now, but I don't care. I probably did before.
I quickly glance over to the right wing, something caught my eye. My eyes are met with Belle's. She's standing on the edge of the stage with her hands clasped together hopefully, covering her mouth.
"I love you." I mouth over to her. She returns a kiss into the air which gives me butterflies instantly, God I love her. The fact Bel is just a few metres from me right now, gives me reassurance and confidence to do this.
I turn my head to face the crowd and nod at the sound guy, taking a deep gulp. This is it.
The crowds murmur of a confused whisper decreases as the speakers begin to thankfully resonate with a heavy, punchy bass sound. The world seems to stop for a second, as the dancers and I step up onto centre stage, finally visible by the audience. For a split moment, there was no sound. You could hear a pin drop.
We all portray artificial confidence, aware the music could corrupt at any second, and begin the show as planned. I hear the crowd scream as I step up, reminding me they're here because they like me not to attack me. We arrive on cue at our opening pose, and hold it for a while before I snap into movement for Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'.
My microphone sounds slightly inconsistent and choppy at the beginning but I presume Sound noticed, because it was fixed not long after.
As I frolic around the stage, any potential nerves drop from my body as I am absorbed by the escape that is music. My body dances, my mind adrift from my actions. I become the physical embodiment of the trumpet, I become the bass, I become the drums. The crowd roars relentlessly; my mind now at complete ease. I always feel such tranquility on stage, yet somehow blended with raw excitement and electrification. That's what music does. It takes everyone from whatever they're thinking about or doing, and drops them into a heavenly fantasy. All of us together, it unites us, it's pure magic.
Midst to do what I do best, something forces me to open my eyes and snap back into reality. I feel cold droplets of rain of my wrist. I look up into the sky, it see a dark grey and black mess, like paint yet to be blended, and a grin appears on my face. I'm not sure what it is, but rain at a concert in the evening is something that always feels nothing short of magical. The crowd must agree, as they begin to increase in volume as the rain starts to pour down. Luckily, all the speakers are protected, so I decide to purely enjoy this moment.
As I dance around the stage, I kick little splashes of water, flicking is up the back of my trousers, but I don't care. I'm too happy. I gaze at the sweet droplets jumping about. I spread my arms out and smile up at the sky, twirling in circles on my toes. I feel so content. I have Belle, I'm performing, it's raining, the fault was fixed, I'm surrounded by music.... everything is perfect now.
The concert flows into the joyous night, the atmosphere full of excitement. I enjoy every second of it. This is definitely a highlight if my life, one of the best shows yet. The sky fades to a dark indigo, the night fading to black.