Caroline ran to the door nearly tripping over her overnight bag into the arms of the person on the other side. They both laughed as she tried to compose herself. "I take it you're glad to see me". "Maybe, just a little" she said as she wrinkled up her nose. They hugged for a moment and headed to the car.
....
Jeff and Jonathon were going over the set list again, making a few minor changes here and there. "Hey Tim, what about we put that solo first" Jeff asked. Tim began to panic, 'oh hell no please not that' he said to himself but replied instead "if you think that's best, but from what you've told me the crowds usually really take to this song, so maybe save the best for last" as he brushed off his shoulder with a smile.
Jonathon laughed so hard he nearly fell off his stool, "ok, we're creating a monster here and he hasn't even sang in front of a crowd this size yet".
"How big of a crowd do you expect? Isn't it just a small concert hall" Tim asked trying not to sound petrified. He was fine in front of small crowds, always had been, but he was used to either singing in church or at the bar not in front of thousands.
"Probably about 1500 to 2000 people" Jeff told him.
"Oh, great" Tim replied with a little hint of nervousness in his voice.
"What's the matter there buddy, nervous?" Jonathon laughed again.
"Shut up" Tim told him as he walked to the side to play the Youtube video again, matching the rhythm of the singer. Jeff was watching and listening "You know Tim, you can change it up if you want. It doesn't have to be an exact cover of the song, that's what we're about, putting our own spin on things."
Tim nodded as he continued to watch and listen to the video intently. He wished he could sing it for Caroline and get her opinion. She always knew exactly what to say. He pulled his phone from his pocket, scrolled through his pictures till he found his favorite of her, so happy and carefree. He missed her so much. 'I don't think I could get used to this being away from her' he thought to himself before returning to the video.
....
They talked nonstop for hours about her exhibit, her finished paintings, her future plans and of course, about what they were doing right now. "Does Tim know about this?"
"No, he doesn't" she replied as she looked out the window "everyone needs a secret once in awhile, right" she asked with a smile.
"Yes, yes they do" they responded.
....
Tim went back to his room to change for the concert, his nerves were on edge. "Get yourself together Foust, you can do this. This is what you want" he tried to convince himself aloud as he grabbed his clothes from the closet, laying them on his bed. Before getting into the shower he tried calling Caroline but she didn't answer. He looked at the clock, realizing he had less than an hour to be back at the concert hall and decided he would try again before he headed out. She probably was taking a nap after being up all night working on her exhibit, he didn't want to disturb her. Besides, he had told her that he would call after the performance.
....
They pulled into the parking lot of the hotel, grabbing their bags and hurried inside. Once they had their room key, they took the bags to the room hoping that no one had seen them. Caroline tossed hers on the bed and walked to the window "Are you nervous?" "Maybe a little, more anxious I guess. I've never done anything like this before" she replied. "Don't be, you're not doing anything anyone else wouldn't " they said before wrapping their arms around her.
Her phone going off sent a jolt through her as she saw a text alert from Tim. "Hey Darlin, just wanted to say how much I love you and miss you terribly. I wish you were here right now, I'm bout ready to make a complete fool of myself in front of about 2000 people. Damn, I've got to go, love you."