Limelight Melody

(VIII) Sharon wants the Tea

"You don't want coffee?" Sharon asked incredulously.

Felix sighed. It'd only been about twenty minutes since he'd finished playing, and around fifteen since he said goodbye to Shane. His heart was still beating fast from the rush of playing for the crowd, which seemed to grow larger with every song. Only a few songs in, and people had already started shouting song suggestions.

Every once in a while, Felix would glance at Shane. No matter if Felix was in the middle of a song, or trying to process the requests being thrown at him, Shane always had a mesmerized expression. Whenever he noticed Felix looking, Shane would grin and flash two thumbs up.

After Felix had played for an hour or so, he decided to call it quits. The crowd grumbled in disappointment when he announced he would be stopping, dispersing slowly, as if they were waiting for Felix to start randomly playing again. He did not, instead putting away the violin.

"That was amazing!" Shane exclaimed as Felix finished putting away his violin. "Did you hear the crowd every time you finished a piece? They were screaming for more!"

Felix blushed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "They seemed to enjoy it."

"Enjoyed it? They absolutely loved it!"

"I'm glad they liked it. I was a little worried I would mess up."

"Why were you worried?"

Laurel's face flashed in Felix's mind. He shoved the thought away with a shrug. "Stage anxiety."

Shane chuckled. "Well, I wouldn't worry too much. The moment you step into the spotlight, everyone becomes mesmerized."

Felix looked at the ground, smiling. His face was a deep, crimson red, flushed from the compliments. He wasn't used to praise, and the idea that he might even deserve it made his chest feel light.

He cleared his throat, looking up at Shane. "It was, uh, nice to film this. Thank you for the opportunity."

Shane smiled warmly. "It was really fun doing this. You have a really good camera presence."

Felix's eyebrows furrowed. "Camera presence?"

"It's like stage presence, but for the camera," Shane explained. "You draw people's attention."

Felix's chest fluttered. "Cool."

"You should be on camera more, I think you'd do really well."

"Thank you. Maybe I'll try in the future," Felix stood up, slinging his violin over his shoulder. "Well, uh, have a nice day."

Felix began to walk away, his body tense as he took quick strides. He only made it a few feet away before someone tapped his shoulder. He turned to see Shane, his hair slightly pushed back and a lopsided grin on his face.

"Did I forget something?" Felix asked, glancing at the piano.

"No. Well, maybe, but that's not what I was going to say," Shane glanced at the piano. "I was actually hoping you would be willing to do another video."

Felix's eyebrows shot up. He glanced around, as if there would be a camera crew waiting, filming this epic prank. As if Shane would suddenly walk towards an unseen camera and shout "Punked!" When it didn't happen, he cleared his throat loudly.

"Sure, I guess. That would be fun," Felix chuckled breathily. "I kind of thought it was a one and done deal."

"It can be if you want, I just thought it'd be cool to have you in more videos."

"More videos like today?"

Shane shrugged. "Like today, or some other formats and such."

Felix's mind went blank at the prospect, his breath hitching. "Cool."