THE BAD BOY OF MANHATTAN
Chapter 62. He Will Hate Me's.

Columbia University Manhattan's.

Elric sat in the corner of the waiting room while resting his chin with his palm. His face looked tense. He occasionally watched his friends chatting with their manager, Harry.

"Hey, it's so tense" said Lily who was now sitting next to Elric.

Elric grimaced while stroking his nape. "Slightly," chortled.

"It's your first big concert, huh?"

"Yep."

"Just calm. You will definitely enjoy the first moment on stage with thousands of spectators who have been haunting your name. Relaxed. You are becoming a byword now."

Elric. Tense it is not because of the stage that in a moment will be beside him. He was busy thinking about whether Emma would come to watch or not. Because his feelings are suddenly not good.

"Elric, I'm really curious about your performance on stage. Will the arrangement be good for your song?" lily said while stroking her chin.

"Jahil? That's the impression you've captured?" asked Elric while raising both eyebrows thick.

"Yes. Jahils. Playing with your listener's feelings. Like ... moving dimensions, if I can say," Lily explained. The girl could not hide her admiration expression.

"Thanks." -."

"Maybe I have a lot to learn from you. Can we meet up sometime and talk more about this?" ask Lily.

Elric. "Well, why not?" abugn.

Lily smiled happily. "Ah, it seems like I should get ready to go on stage," he said as he got up from his seat. "See you later, Elric." The girl waved a little before finally approaching her manager who had been waiting in the doorway.

Elric commented his smile back at Lily's hand. The young man grabbed a cell phone inside the bag lying beside him. He scrolled the screen looking for Emma's number.

Em, you're coming, aren't you?

***

Emma flinched as James suddenly sat quietly before her. The man thrust out a red velvet box and opened it. The girl closed her mouth in shock.

"Will you marry me?" James looked into Emma's eyes expectantly. Witnessed by restaurant visitors at the rooftop of one of Manhattan's five-star hotels, James proposed to Emma.

"Say yes!" chirps from one of the restaurant visitors.

"Say I do!" visitors sitting in the corner of the room.

While James reviewed his smile, waiting for an answer from Emma's mouth. His heart was so worried whether the girl would accept his proposal.

"Emma?" call James after a while Emma doesn't give an answer.

"James ... I'm sorry." Emma swallowed the saliva with great difficulty. Emma's words made James instantly close the velvet box containing the ring and stand up. Concerned voices were heard from the restaurant's visitors. Her flushed face held back the upset, or perhaps the embarrassment of being rejected by her girl in public.

"James, I'm sorry. But ... It's really too fast" Emma said in a trembling voice. He still doubts whether he likes James or not. Of course this proposal made him even more shocked.

"What are you waiting for, Emma?" ask James. He seemed to be holding his tone so as not to rise.

Emma swallowed her saliva. It seems he must be honest that he does not know what he feels for James.

"I'm tired of waiting for you, Emma!" James finally could not hide his frustration. "I'm sorry to say .. if you're a girl who doesn't know she's lucky!" mean it.

James gasps. He realized that he had spoken words that offended Emma. "Em .. Bu-kan I mean so. I'm sorry .. I'm just upset. I'm rattled. I'm frustrated you turned down my proposal" he explained.

Emma got up from her seat violently. He had no interest in discussing anything with James. The girl soon passed followed by a look of astonishment from the restaurant's visitors.

***

"Emma! Wait!"

James grabs Emma's arm which goes quickly down the quiet sidewalk. "Dome!" He pulled the girl's body until it hit his chest. "I'm sorry" he said, holding the girl.

Emma pushed James' chest slowly away from him. "I gotta go (i gotta go), James!"

"No!" sergeant James. "Not until you forgive me."

"Okay, I forgive you." Emma glanced at the clock on her wrist. Damnit damnit!

"Emma! Emma's! Listen first, please, stay, please!" James pursues Emma's swift steps to the underground station. "Listen, Emma .. I don't mean to offend you. Okay .. If you need more time, I'll wait. I promise I won't force you or do anything weird like that."

"James, I really have to go. We'll talk again next time." After saying that sentence, Emma ran down the stairs leading to the underground station. Looks like he's too late to go to Elric's concert. But he decided to come to Columbia, no matter what.

***

"Columbia!"

Darren's voice echoed throughout the auditorium and was greeted by cheers from the audience who filled the four-thousand-strong room.

The Bad Boy Of Manhattan is nearing its final seconds after nearly an hour of entertaining audiences with their yet-to-be-released songs. A special concert of their introduction to the world. As predicted, the four young men had managed to steal the hearts of the music lovers who came that night.

"Last song. It will be a single on our debut album." Darren's voice echoed again. "This is ... I Would Hurt A Fly."

Darren smiled at Samuel and gestured with a blink of his eye to start the intro with his drum. Then, he himself connected it with his soft guitar playing.

However, the soft intro of the song was silenced by Elric's long, strange guitar incision. So epic, so doom. Offset by a bus from Jacob who was a little tired following Elric's game.

Whether the song was deliberately arranged differently between live and recorded, Elric with his cold face looks like a psychopath who is on the rampage. He doesn't care about anything. He's upset. The song made him angry. Or is it Emma who's making him mad?

The girl did not come. One seat in the VVIP area is empty. And Emma's figure was nowhere to be seen. Elric curses through the shreds of his guitar. Spilling his frustration on that beloved thing.

***

Emma ran into the courtyard of the now-defunct Columbia auditorium. The main door was closed. However, there was still a boisterous sound from within.

The girl approached the counter guarded by two girls dressed in traditional Scottish costumes who were modified into mini dresses. He handed one VVIP ticket to the two girls, but both of them frowned. "The concert is over. Do you still want to come in? There's still one closing show."

Emma let out a disappointed breath. "Is Bad Boy Of Manhattan still performing at the closing ceremony?" tanyakanya.

"No. Just having fun with the rector."

Emma took the ticket back from the hands of one of the girls who was guarding the counter. He then sat down on the front steps of the auditorium door.

Elric would have hated him so much. And Emma hates that.

***