underline ~ leo

wednesday april 25th 1:19 pm est

carter sat, sprawled across a comfortable white couch, picking at his guitar in a green room in chicago, illionis. his team and him had just arrived from the airport, and carter had hoped to get in a few minutes of relaxation before he had to go do sound check.

his manager, leo, spoke on the phone with the popular local radio show, finalizing his interview for the following morning.

carter had no idea what he would do without leo. his manager was only a decade and a half older than him (38 to his 22), and leo was like an older brother to him. leo knew how to calm carter down when he was overwhelmed, how many events were too many events, and always let carter have a say in what he planned for him.

carter had heard horror stories about other managers that made their client's life a living hell, and was thankful every day that he ended up with someone like leo who considered carter's wellbeing to be more important than making money. both men loved what they did, and made a perfect team.

because of this brotherly relationship, and the fact that they were together 24/7, there was no keeping anything from leo.

"so, who is she?"

the inevitable question was uttered. carter was startled, his hands going limp on the guitar, not having realized that leo had hung up the phone.

carter was conflicted. elliot was possibly, no, most definitely, the most important thing to him at the moment. was it selfish for him not to want to share his one breath of fresh air just yet? what if leo thought talking to her was a bad idea?

sensing carter's discomfort, leo said the words carter needed to hear, just like he always did.

"whoever she is, keep her around. she makes you happier, hell man, she makes you better."

without even realizing it, carter let out a sigh of relief at leo's approval.

""

his hands began to pluck the instrument once again, spitting out a new melody. carter's hands reached for his own notebook, where he wrote each and every one one of his songs. in the back of his mind, he knew who this next one would be about.