It has been ten years since brain pop finally came to an end. I mean, hey, we were live everyday for over a decade. It was almost a relief that it was over. But, you know, we still do the occasional cast meet up: Me, Moby, the Director, Annie, the film crew, and even a lucky school gets to attend every year. We do a live show and everything.
But this year is different. This year Moby is finally showing up. He made it big in the acting world, staring in dramas and even had three movies made about him.
And, well, I'm one of his fans. And this year, well, this year...
I'M FINALLY GOING TO GET HIS AUTOGRAPH! I roll up to the studio in my mom's jeep, greeted with a pack of people yelling my name and pointing at the car. I step out, flashing everything with the suit my mom made me wear.
"There's the man of the hour! Hey look, it's Tim!" The director exclaimed as I stepped from the car to the red carpet. I met eyes with a few fans, hugged another few, and even gave out autographs. I took a selfie and posted it to my Instagram.
"Thanks for coming out to the third Brain Pop family reunion! Hope to see everyone here tonight!" I softly read as I type. And post.
I meet eyes with Annie and she waves awkwardly. Wow, Annie has changed so much since the last time I saw her. Big boobies, fat butt, curvy waist, full face of makeup, no wonder she's a child porn star now.
"Tim!" She fully waved me over. I walked over to where she is. "So...where's Moby?" Her voice is all but a sexy whisper. I groan.
"He's, like, thirty years older than you, Annie, and I don't think he's interested at the moment." She scowled at me and I jumped back in surprise.
"Well, maybe it's just because you're jealous because I am pretty and you have a crush on him." She walks away with a small 'humph'. A crush? Now where is this big boobies fourteen year old girl getting at now? No, I don't have a crush on Moby-that's downright...well...
Maybe that is the appropriate word to describe my feelings. Friendship sure isn't.
I wave the director over for a picture and he happily joins me with a smile.
"Wow, Tim, look at how much you've changed in the past year! You could catch any woman with that muscular build! Have you seen Annie? You two would make the cutest couple-"
"I'm sorry, sir, but she's like fourteen. I don't think..."
"I mean, it would be kind of odd for a nineteen year old man and a fourteen year old girl to be dating, but five years isn't much of a leverage." Mt jaw almost drops at his words but I stay silent.
"Yeah, whatever." I gravitate towards the snack counter, filling up one of those plastic cups with some punch and a handful of ice cubes. As much as I love the "Brain Pop Family Experience", I always tend to feel lonely at these things. As much as I love talking, I still do have my introverted tendencies.
Speaking of introverted, I gaze over to the crowd of people littering the halls and realize that the Director assigned me to greet all of them. Heck. This is going to be [/]fun[/].
"Tim! Tim! Over here!" I'm 85% sure that I'm suppose to know the guy that waves me over from his face. It's like super celebrity level, granted the only celebrity I care to know is Moby.
"H-hi?" I start but he cuts me off by enthusiastically shaking my hand.
"Hi! Do you remember me? We had a public speaking workshop together!" He smiles and wow, he really is attractive. I feel myself blush as I look down at his hand holding mine. I quickly pull my palm away,
"Yeah..." I lie, looking to the floor for an answer. "Um...with Mr. B-" I trail off as his eyes gaze behind me, fixated on something across the room.
"Yeah! Anyhow, I have to go! It was great seeing you!" He doesn't look back at me before skipping past. What in the world could he-oh. I spot the mystery man chatting to a certain Annie over two plates of pretzels. Well, I guess her boobies are bigger than mine.
Walking back to the snack table, I chat with a few of the guests-a few that I recognize from movie posters and more mystery people-and refill my punch cup an estimated six times while doing so. I don't mean to repeat myself, but although I smile for everyone I'm miserable outside of my bedroom. As soon as the swarm of people scatters away, I start looking for an exit so that I can go out for a smoke. Yeah, okay, I know that smokings bad but I still do it now and then. So like don't be judgmental. Throwing my empty cup into the trash can by the door, I pull my cig out of a paper box in my suit pocket, and a lighter stamped with Moby's face follows.
Gosh, it was cheep at a gas station, don't be judgmental. I cup my hand with the cancer stick within to hide the glow of the lighter and protect it from the wind. Fun, I know. Taking in a few puffs, my mind wonders back to Moby. Where the heck is he? He was suppose to be here, wasn't he? I...I feel kind of sad that he isn't here...I could have had him sign my lighter or something like that. What a bummer. After a few minutes I drop the cigarette to the floor and crush it under my foot, taking a mint to make sure that no one can smell the smoke and or desperation in my breath.
And then, boom, I hit a wall. Gosh darn it, I ran into a wall. I fall back onto my butt and look up to see which wall had-
"Are you okay? I didn't mean to run into you like that..." It's Moby...OH MY GOSH IT'S MOBY. I just to my feet, shaking off the dust on my knees. Wow, his robot model is so much different from how it was when we did Brain Pop. He looks...real, like a real human being.
"No, no...it's fine. Remember me?" I ask. His awkwardness gives away to a fluid grace, a lazy insolent smile on his face. "We were BFF's for, like, seven years.
"Eh? Doesn't ring a bell." He notices the look of shock on my face and laughs, once. "No, of course I remember you, Tim. It's been...so long." He looks at me with thoughtful eyes and I feel my chest fill up with butterflies.
"Yeah, we never really did hang out after the show ended. I hope you didn't miss me too much." He makes a humming sound and looks down at the pack of smokers in my hand.
"May I have one?" He asks me tentatively. "It's been forever since I've had a smoke with you." I offer him the box and he puts one between his lips, looking at me expectantly with eyes that read "lighter?".
Without thinking, I pull the Moby-faced lighter from my pocket. Oh, heavens to Betsy. OKAY TIM PLAY IT COOL IF HE DOSENT ASK ABOUT IT YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL HIM ABOUT IT. I hand him the lighter and he looks like he didn't notice his face stamped on there on both sides. I want to let out a sigh of relief but I'm pressing my lips together so hard right now that I'm not sure if I can manage it.
We stand in silence as he takes a drag from it, exhaling a perfectly circular smoke ring.
"Impressive." I mutter as he hands the box and lighter back to me. He puts it out on the wall, dropping it down.
"Eh, I guess there really was a reason why I stopped." He smiles at me one last time before adjusting his jacket and opening the door again. "Nice lighter." He mutters before walking inside.
What...the...
Before I can lobotomize myself into ashes, I decide to follow him into the party room, going back to chatting with guests and stuff like that.
But, and maybe I was just imagining it, I could have sworn that I saw Moby's eyes fixed on me the entire time. And maybe I was just imagining it but even as we were wrapping up the meet-and-greet to start the show, I could still feel his eyes on me. And, and maybe I'm just imagining it, the tension between us as we answered questions and joked with each other during the show could have been cut with a butter knife.
Finally, it was time to wrap the entire even up for the night. I catch Moby being swarmed by fans, and for a split second I catch his gaze. He smiles one of those lazy smiles at me and I give him a thumbs-up. His smile both deepens and widens and I feel heat rise to my face.
What a tease, as if he knows how hot he is.
As fans disperse through the doors, I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn to be greeted by Annie.
"What's with Moby tonight?" She whispers against my ear. "He's really...I don't know...weird. Like, he keeps looking around and acts like he isn't paying attention."
"I don't know, Annie, maybe he just isn't giving you as much attention as you want, but that isn't my problem. Go ask him yourself if he's alright." I wave her off me and make a break for the door, finally feeling happy to get home and to bed for the night. (Author's note: he doesn't get to bed for the night.)
"Tim! Hey, wait up!" I hear Moby's voice after me and a sensation like a butterfly mating ground fills my stomach. Moby's calling out to [/]me[/]...?
"What's up?" I feel his hand press against the small of my back, guiding me out the door as he waves at a few swooning fans. His touch isn't like a robots, but I can feel heat. I can feel his pulse...wow, society these days.
"Would you like to...hang out after all this is over?"
"What do you mean..." I tentatively ask, looking at him with disbelief. He's a celebrity, and could never want to hang out with just an old childhood friend. I mean sure it was the show that gave him his "big break" but I still don't see the need to try to salvage the relationship that we lost over years of separation.
"You know, to catch up on things since I haven't seen you since god knows when." He flashes a smile and I roll my eyes, pulling his hand off me.
"You know, thanks, it really means a lot that you'd say that, but I have to go home." I stutter to make up an excuse for why I had to go home. "My cat...really needs me right now." I try to walk away but he stops me.
"Wow, you have a cat? What's its name?" Oh heck. Moby is a cat person, huh.
"Um...her name is...uhh..." Well, I suppose I could boast my imaginary cat to my idol for a few minutes. "Pussy. Her name is Pussy." I try to not cackle.
"Pussy? What a creative name." I don't know how he's being genuine with his words but oh my lord I'm about to burst out laughing.
"Yeah. She's really sweet, but my other cat, Tibias, died a few days ago and she's been in a depressive state ever since. I need to go and see-"
"I could drive you and we could get her a surprise on the way home, how about that?" His eyes smile like a kid and I bite back a laugh. I mean, it's true that we haven't seen each other in years, and that Moby is my idol...I suppose an hour of hanging out wouldn't cause any harm.
"Alright...a guys night it is!" I try to match his child-like enthusiasm as he takes my arm and escorts me out the door. The contact defiantly made me uncomfortable, which I find weird because in any other instance with any other person I would have treated this as normal behavior, but I suppose my mixed-emotions toward Moby are making this euphoric-like feeling rise in my chest. A night alone...with Moby!
I try to swallow my excitement as he escorts me to his car.
"Hey, have you eaten yet? We could get some take out on the way home." He asks, climbing into his car. It's a roomy
