Aaron barely had time to set his groceries in the kitchen before the doorbell rang. He wasn’t surprised to see who stood on the stoop, but he was surprised to see the expression on Vance’s face. Vance had always been positive force, laughing or joking or generally conducting himself with utmost confidence, but today, he was defeated. Aaron looked him over, then stepped back from the doorway. “Do you want to come in?”

“Yeah,” Vance said. He swallowed, then stepped inside hesitantly.

Did I wake up in some alternate dimension this morning? Did I just see Vance unsure of himself?

Aaron frowned. “I have some groceries I need to unpack. Do you want to help?”

“Sure. Sounds good.”

Aaron led Vance to the kitchen, but even though the walk was short, he kept glancing over his shoulder to see if Vance was still there. It was strange to see him so uncertain, and it upset Aaron in a way he wasn’t able to properly compartmentalize.

“If you want to pass any fridge or freezer items to me while you unpack the other bags, that would be helpful,” Aaron said. He started on the bags he knew contained freezer items and slotted his purchases into his freezer. “What’s going on with you? You look… unwell.”

Vance laughed dryly. “You can say I look like shit. I know I do. It’s been a hell of a day already and I just woke up.”

“Tell me what happened.”

“I was woken from a doze by a phone call from my agent,” Vance said. Aaron listened while he went through a few more bags. “We’ve been working together for almost as long as I’ve been in the business. She’s great at what she does, and she’s been saving my ass for a long time. But this morning, she called to let me know that she’s had enough, and she’s dropping me as a client. She says that my career’s reaching the point where there can be no saving it, and she’s got better, more devoted people to focus on.”

Aaron closed the freezer. He turned to look at Vance, his heart wrung like a wet towel. “She said that?”

“Pretty much. She tells it like it is, and while I appreciate that about her, it’s also really hard to hear.”

“Yeah, it is. It wasn’t even me having the conversation and I feel uncomfortable.” Aaron frowned. “I’m sorry, Vance. That can’t be easy. Do you know what you’re going to do next?”

“No.”

There were a few bags with cold products on the floor, but Aaron couldn’t bring himself to start putting them away. His gaze was locked on Vance and the defeated look in Vance’s eyes. It wasn’t like him. He was lost. “What can I do to help you figure out where you need to be?”

Vance’s shoulders tightened. He shook his head slowly. “Just… I need to know what you feel about me. Do you like me, or do you just tolerate me because I’m an instrumental part in making sure you impress the people who might offer you a job?”

Aaron knew what he wanted to say, but his vocal cords rebelled. He stood facing Vance, searching his eyes and hoping that his truth would be imparted from his look alone.

“I know in the past that I was a sorry excuse for a man,” Vance said. “I get that. But… am I a bad person? When it comes down to it, am I really that far gone that I can’t see the evil in myself?”

Aaron shook his head. Slowly, he found the ability to speak again. “You’re annoying sometimes, and yeah, you can be a little self-absorbed… but lately? Lately you’ve been showing me a whole new side to you that I never would have believed existed if I hadn’t seen it for myself. You’re a good person, Vance, even if sometimes you make mistakes.”

Trouble crossed Vance’s features, like it wasn’t the response he wanted to hear. He nodded slowly, and his eyes focused off in the distance. Aaron wondered if he’d said something wrong. He hadn’t wanted to lie, because Vance deserved to know the truth, but he hadn’t been unreasonable, either. When it came down to it, he did think Vance was a good person — just one who was sometimes oblivious, and who made mistakes.

“What are you up to today?” Aaron asked. He studied Vance carefully, looking for signs that he was being pushed too far. “I know you must be feeling in rough shape after getting news like that, and I’d be happy to help you work through your feelings, but I’ve got a meeting I’ve got to get to this morning with the public space managers about clearance for the stage. It’ll be a couple of hours, I’m guessing, and I should be free after. Do you want to stay here while I pop in? I’ll be back before you know it. It might do you good to get out of the house.”

“No, it’s okay,” Vance said quickly. He flashed Aaron a smile that had lost some of its luster. “I’m going to go ahead and try to figure out what my next steps are. There’s got to be something I can do, right? There are other managers out there who’ll appreciate me for who I am and the talent I have, and they’ll help me get back on my feet. It’s my job now to find them.”

“Sounds like you’ve got things under control,” Aaron said softly. He didn’t want to push too far and insult Vance, but he also didn’t want to come across as too harsh, either. “I think, once you start making some calls, you’ll see that it’s not as daunting as you think it is. All you have to do is name drop, right? Like we did with the bands?”

Vance’s fake cheer didn’t turn genuine. “Something like that, yeah. I’ll get it handled.”

“You sure you don’t want to stay?” Aaron asked. He frowned. “I really wouldn’t mind.”

“Don’t sweat it, baby,” Vance winked, but there was no sparkle in it. He was going through the motions without meaning it. “I’ll text you later, okay? Thanks for being around. I know it’s kind of abrupt and strange, but I really needed to get it off my chest to someone in person. It’s not the first time I’ve been told no, and it won’t be the last. I’ve just got to remember to keep my chin up and to keep moving.”

“Right,” Aaron murmured. “That’s a good attitude to have about it.”

“Besides, the summer event is going to be great.” Vance maintained his smile. He made eye contact with Aaron. “And I know it’s going to be huge.”

He made his way to the door. Aaron followed, not sure if Vance needed space, or if he wanted to be chased. He wasn’t sure what he’s said wrong, or what he could have done better, but he hoped that whatever Vance was feeling, he could get over. He knew what it felt like to feel like everything was lost and to have to start again.

“Text me when you’re done at your meeting,” Vance said on his way out the front door. He headed down the path to his car. “If I’ve got time, maybe we can make some plans.”

“Yeah, that’ll be great.” Aaron meant it, but he wasn’t sure how sincere Vance was being. There was still a plastic quality to him, like he was a replica of himself. “Take care today, okay?”

“I will. You, too.”

Aaron watched as Vance ducked into his car, started it up, and drove away. For a while longer he stood on the stoop, watching the spot on the horizon where Vance had last been, then shook his head and went to put his temperature-sensitive groceries away. Vance would come around. He always did. When he was feeling better about himself, Aaron would figure out what had gone wrong and what he could do to fix it. Until then, there was nothing he could do.