Course: path
Obstacle course
Change course
Of course

Coarse: Rough
Coarse hair
Coarse language

I do as he says. I make a wish and throw my coin in the canal. For 2€, it had better come true.

I didn't check how it landed, but I pressed it so hard that it left an impression on the back of my hand. It's a castle shape, which means the coin not only landed tails-up, but also didn't even have a side with a head on it. Well, good riddance, I guess. It won't stop me. I'm calling Scott before I start thinking too hard about why I actually want this. What's wrong with me? This is a terr—

"Hello?"

Wait, what do I say? "H-hi."

"Hi."

I almost say hi again. He's waiting for me to tell him why I called. Hey, Scott. You love me, and I wanna date you for reasons a bit beyond my comprehension, so how about it? That's not an option. "Do you, um, is this a good time?"

"Ha, when is it ever?" he laughs.

"Sorry. I'll call back later."

"No! Don't go."

"It's fine," I assure him. "I just wanted to chat, I guess. Any time is fine."

"I can chat. I'm not in a meeting or anything. Don't go. Tori understands, right, TK? She wants to say hi. Lemme put her on speaker."

"Mitch!" Tori exclaims. "It's been too long!" I'm honestly relieved she's there to interrupt. I have no idea what to say to Scott.

"Tori and I are recording a song together," he explains.

"Art of Letting You Go!" she agrees enthusiastically. Of course.

"You reminded me of it," Scott tells me.

"Listen," interjects Tori, "Scott's being a big wuss here and he's afraid to talk to you, but lemme just tell you that he loves you a lot and he's really sorry about everything and he's super pumped that you're being so nice." Nice? Not exactly. "Like, he won't stop talking about it, and he totally freaked out when you called. Don't let his cool, collected exterior fool you."

"O-kay," says Scott, "speakerphone was a bad idea. Say bye to Tori, Mitch."

"Wait wait wait, Mitch, Scott has something to ask you."

"He does not," Scott huffs.

"He's just too shy," mocks Tori. I can picture her smirking at him while he squirms.

"I'm too sane!"

"C'mon, Scotty, tell him."

"Tori, no! It's nothing, Mitch."

"He wants you t—" Speakerphone turns off and I miss the rest of Tori's sentence.

"Sorry about her," Scott says. "She's just teasing me. It's nothing."

"Uh-huh." Sure it is. "Seeing as it's nothing, do you suppose you could put her back on the line?"

"Mitch—"

"Or I could just hang up and call her."

Scott sighs in defeat. "Don't hate me, okay? I was just joking about bringing you on tour."

My chest tightens to hold back the sudden pressure of rapidly expanding nostalgia, to keep it from bursting right through me. Tour. Singing. Together.

"He wasn't joking!" Tori shouts in the background.

"You can shut up now," Scott hums back.

"Yes."

"What?"

"I'll do it. I'll tour with you." What am I saying? I can't say that. No. No way. It's one thing to date someone and a very different thing to go on tour with them. People who say things like, "Marriage is hard work," don't even know the half of it. Starting a business or raising triplets together is probably more comparable. When our label stuck us with an obnoxious opener, it sucked, a lot, and we barely even had to talk to him. If I go on tour with Scott, I might not even miss him ever again after giving up and quitting halfway through.

"Mitch, I don't think that's a good idea." He's right. It's a terrible idea.

"Scott Whatever-your-middle-name-is Hoying," Tori begins, close enough now that I can hear, "you know you want to."

"He needs a break," Scott tells her.
"And we have some, uh, things to work out. And my next tour is already scheduled and everything, and Mitch is busy. He's got a whole new career, and you would not believe the people he's starring with. You tour, Tori. You know what it's like. It's probably just not a good idea for Mitch and me to be that... yeah. It's a really big commitment."

"I'll do it," I say again. I'm going to regret this, but the beautiful memories are overruling all rational thought. I know I'm always sick of tour by the end. I know I should try to take things slow with Scott. I know I'm feeling sappy and forgetting all the bad parts: the perpetual jet lag, the wrecked voice, the homesickness, the creepy intrusive fans, the constant travel, the plane rides, the turbulence, the eternal bus rides, the boring interviews, the simpering hosts, the exhaustion, the stress. Add to that the tension with Scott, and there's no way, even now, even if we don't devolve into madness.

The idea Avi planted in my head of doing what I want, seizing the day, following my heart, it's dangerous. Besides, what will we even sing? I can't sing Scott's music. I won't do that to Alex.

"I was trying to ask you before, when I called and visited your apartment, but it clearly wasn't the right time then, and I'm not sure now is either. I don't want to put what we've just started through that kind of strain. I don't know if we can do it."

"You're right. You're right. And Esther would probably sooner resign than book my travel." I don't see her even speaking to me any time soon. "I just miss it so bad. It wouldn't be the same without them, though, would it?"

"It's not."

He knows. Of course he knows. "I'm sorry. Just... enjoy it for me, okay? I know it's not the same, and you're probably bored of it after your last tour, but just be extra nice to a fan for me. Just take it all in for one night."

"Okay. For you."