Felix sat in the driver's seat of his car, tapping his fingers anxiously against the violin case. His left foot tapped as well, hitting against where the clutch would be. He kept glancing at the mall that loomed to his right, its doors beckoning him to come in. Taking a deep breath, Felix popped open his car door.

The cold spring air hit him the moment he stepped out. He shivered as he closed the door, his violin in hand. It felt heavy in his grip as he hurried towards the mall. It knew what was about to happen, and it was just as nervous as Felix was. Or, at least, Felix felt it was.

Warm air from the mall enveloped Felix when he stepped through the door. Normally, Felix would have enjoyed the warmth. It was a shelter from the changing climate outside. But now it felt overly hot, making each breath labored. Felix adjusted the collar of his shirt, continuing towards the piano area.

Felix glanced around nervously. The people who walked by him paid him no mind, there was no reason they should. To them, Felix was just another shopper, carrying around his belongings. But he was nervous that someone would recognize him, that they would stop and tell him he sucked at violin. That he should never perform again.

By the time Felix arrived at the piano, his breathing had become rapid and shallow. His throat felt like the Sahara desert; it was almost impossible to swallow. Shaking, he set the case down beside the bench and slowly opened the case.

The moment his hands touched the violin, Felix felt slightly calmer. He gently lifted it from its soft container and stood up, bow in the other hand. Glancing around nervously, he took a couple steps from the piano, getting more room around him. Taking a deep breath, Felix put the bow to the violin and began playing.

It started slow. Just simple, long notes that sounded like a song, but in truth, was Felix making sure the violin sounded correct. Still, the moment he began to make sound, people's heads turned to see what was happening. Some had already flocked to the piano to observe.

Anxiety festered inside of Felix, but with the violin playing in his hands, the anxiety quieted down, hiding deep inside his chest. The performance mindset had banished it to the darkest recesses of his brain, at least for that moment. Just long enough to stay in front of the crowd.

Once Felix hit the end of his 'tuning,' he took a deep breath. He wasn't going to take requests just yet. First, he wanted to amaze the crowd. He wanted to draw them in. To do that, he needed to play a piece so well that it would stop their shopping just so they could come listen. With a dramatic sweep, Felix put the bow to the strings, waited for a moment, and then began to play.

Deciding to hit the crowd with a well-known song, Felix chose What I've Done by Linkin Park. It started out loud as Felix played the introductory music. Once Felix hit the lyrics, he began playing quietly and switched over to playing their notes, knowing the lyric notes would spark recognition in the crowd.

Sure enough, some of the audience's faces lit up when they heard the notes. They whispered to one another, grinning as Felix continued, slowly growing louder as the chorus approached. With one final quiet note, Felix hit the chorus as loud as he could without squeaking, pouring everything he had into it.

The song didn't last very long, and before he knew it, Felix was playing the last long note of the song. He gently let go of it, pulling the bow from the violin. For a moment, the crowd was completely silent. The anxiety started to crawl back from its dark cage as he waited in silence.

Suddenly, the crowd burst into applause. Some people cheered and hollered, while others clapped as loud as they could. A small smile found its way to Felix's face, the anxiety slowly receding back. They thought he did great, and that was all he needed.

"Play Careless Whisper!" Someone in the audience yelled. Felix grinned, putting the bow back to the violin.

There was quiet but excited murmuring as Felix complied to the request. Felix didn't know the song very well, so he would have to fumble through part of it, but would be fine. He couldn't not be fine.

More people flocked to Felix's location as he played. Before he knew it, there was a thick crowd of people surrounding him, keeping polite distance but getting as close as they could. They were eager to hear more, and they wanted to hear it as well as possible. The moment Felix finished the song, he was bombarded by requests.

"Rush E!"

"Play Let it Go!"

"Could you play Party in the USA?"

Felix grinned at the influx of requests. They wanted him to play. They wanted to hear more. The thought of it made Felix giddy. The idea that these people were so amazed by him that they wanted to hear him play everything they could think of. He would try his best to fulfill their wishes.

So he did. Every song he heard requested he tried his very best to play, even if he didn't know the song. A couple times, he had to ask the person to play a sample of the song so he could figure it out. But no matter what, a roaring applause waited for him at the end of every song.

After nearly two dozen songs, his fingers were beginning to ache, as was his arm. He knew he would have to be stopping soon, or be at risk of making a grave error in a song. Once he finished the song he was on, he went to announce that he needed to stop when someone interjected a song.

"Play Summer by Vivaldi!"

Felix paused, the other suggestions falling deaf on his ears. Summer was an incredibly difficult song. The speed and finesse it required was extreme, and Felix wasn't sure he would be able to manage. But a small voice called from the back of his head, egging him on.

C'mon, do it, it said. Don't chicken out. Don't be weak. Just do it.

Taking a deep breath, Felix returned to his playing stance. The crowd fell silent when he did, waiting to see which request he had chosen. Soaking in the near-silent tranquility, Felix dragged out the wait before finally beginning the song.

Instantly, Felix regretted his decision. His aching fingers were now flying across the strings with terrifying speed, struggling to play the beast of a piece he had agreed to. But it was too late for him to stop. He had already started, so he had to finish.

Felix squeezed his eyes shut, focusing everything he had on his fingers and the bow. The world almost seemed to fade away as he concentrated on each note. His legs tensed up every time he got close to messing up, and his breathing would hitch for just a moment if his fingers started to lag behind.

The piece was seeming to go by slower than the other pieces he had played. It was much faster than the other pieces, but the amount of concentration it required made it seem like it lasted forever. Felix nearly rejoiced when he hit the easiest part of the song.

Felix's eyes opened as he hit the easier part. He glanced around the crowd, smiling at how captivated everyone looked. They were amazed by him; they were enthralled. Felix felt his chest flutter as he saw the effect he had. As he glanced around the audience, one guy caught his eye.

Nothing about him should have stopped Felix's survey. He was just another audience member, watching him perform for the world. The only thing that was different was that this guy had his phone out, recording Felix's playing.

Yet there was something about him, something Felix couldn't place his finger on. It could've been his bright green eyes, and the way they seemed both comforting and inquisitive. Perhaps it was his short, inky black hair, or the way his head was tilted to the side as if he was watching Felix with curiosity. Whatever it was, it was just barely out of Felix's reach.

Felix shook the thoughts from his head. He didn't have the time right now to think about the mystery guy. He was in the middle of performing, and he needed to give his all. This crowd was here for Felix, and he couldn't mess up. He would be letting them down if he did.

Felix's eyes squeezed shut again as the song picked up, becoming incredibly difficult once again. His fingers were no longer aching; they were burning. They were going to have marks for days after this. Felix just prayed they wouldn't be too bad.

The song finished spectacularly, and once the last note was done, everything was silent. Felix slowly opened his eyes, his breathing fast. He glanced around, smiling awkwardly. Then, the crowd burst into cheering.

The applause was so loud, Felix couldn't hear himself. He tried to speak, but was drowned out by the hollering of the crowd. He waited for a moment, grinning at the praise. His chest felt light as he basked in the glory of it. The crowd loved him, and even if they wouldn't remember who he was a few days later, it still felt good to know that he had amazed them.

"That's all I'm going to be able to play for today," he announced once the crowd calmed down. There was a murmur of disappointment and a couple bursts of outcry. Slowly, the crowd began to disperse, their attention turned back to their shopping.

Felix quickly made his way to the piano, kneeling beside his case. He gently set the violin inside, loosening the bow before placing it in there alongside it. He stared at the varnished color, smiling. It'd gotten him through the best and worst times, and he'd never loved it more than he did now.

"Hey, you played awesome," A voice from beside Felix said. He glanced up, surprised to see the guy he'd noticed in the crowd.

"Oh, thanks," Felix responded, smiling awkwardly.

Now that he wasn't focusing on music, Felix started to take in more details about the guy beside him. The way he stood, and how it was relaxed but conserved. The wide grin he seemed to have on, like it was his default expression. And how his clothes seemed perfectly clean, yet they seemed casual and friendly.

"How long have you been playing violin?" he quizzed.

Felix snapped his drifting attention away from his features and back to the conversation. "Um, about fifteen years."

The guy whistled. "You seem really good for fifteen years."

"Not really. I'm actually kind of bad for how many years I have."

"I watched you play that last song. 'Bad' does not apply."

Felix chuckled. "Thank you, but comparatively, I am."

The guy snorted. "Compared to who, Beethoven?"

"Just anyone who's played as long as me."

"Well, show me someone much better than you and I'll believe it."

Felix smiled. "Just look up 'good violin player' and you'll find someone better than me."

The guy chuckled, shaking his head. Assuming the conversation was over, Felix turned back to his violin case, making sure everything was correctly assembled. He closed the case and latched it shut, then stood up to move. He was surprised when the guy was still there, smiling at Felix.

"I won't be playing any more songs today," Felix said awkwardly. The guy's eyes widened.

"Oh no, I wasn't going to pester you about that," he paused. "Well, I guess I'm kind of about to."

Felix raised an eyebrow. "What...?"

"I'm sorry, I'm being really weird," he laughed, grinning. "Let's start over. I'm Shane."

Suddenly it all clicked. The reason he looked so familiar. The reason why he caught Felix's attention mid performance. He wasn't just some random person who was recording Felix. He was an influencer.

"You're Shane Becker," Felix stated. He quickly cringed as he realized how weird it sounded, stating the guy's name to him.

Shane didn't seem to mind, instead tilting his head with a lopsided grin. "You know about me?"

Felix's words quickly rushed from his mouth. "You've popped up on my feed before. I haven't really watched your videos before though. Not that they're not interesting, I just was looking for other things when I saw them. I'd totally watch them I just don't have the time but I'll try to-"

"Woah, it's okay," Shane said, chuckling. "I don't expect people to have watched my content. It's pretty boring sometimes."

"I'm sure it's not," Felix glanced at his watch. His meds were probably wearing off, which would explain the rampant thoughts that had begun to tear through his head.

"To some people it is," he said, shrugging. "But I wanted to ask you something."

"Ask away."

"I was wondering if you'd like to be in one of my videos?"

Felix stared at Shane like he had spoken a completely different language. The idea of Felix ever appearing in a video on the internet was unfathomable in itself. The prospect of ever talking to an influencer was hard to comprehend. But the two of them happening together broke Felix's brain.

Noticing Felix's confused look, Shane quickly added. "If you don't want to, that's all good. People really seem to like when I do music stuff, and I figured it'd be good for you to get the exposure. But if you're uncomfortable with it you don't have to, there's nothing wrong with that."

Felix remained silent for a moment, his brain still trying to process. He rapidly blinked, breaking himself from his tranced state. "Uh, I mean, what does 'being in a video' entail? What would I have to do?"

"You'd just have to play a bunch of songs. I'd record, edit it together into a short video, and post it."

"So, I'd be in a TikTok?"

Shane smiled. "Yeah, basically. Tiktok, Instagram reel, YouTube short, basically every platform that has short videos."

Felix nodded slowly. On one hand, he wanted to do it. In the mall, he was reaching dozens, maybe even hundreds, of people. They were all enjoying his music and having a good time watching the performance. But if he did a video, a video posted by an extremely popular internet personality, he would be reaching thousands.

But the prospect of the recognition was heavy. If people got interested, he might start getting stopped on the street. It was egotistical of him to think that, but it was still a fear. He liked his life of anonymity with the occasional time in the spotlight. If he was recognized everywhere he went, life would be miserable.

Taking a deep breath, Felix forced his tense muscles to relax. "When would we film the video?"

"Any time you're available, my schedule is pretty much free."

"Does next weekend work?"

"Most likely, I'd just have to double check."

"Okay, well let me know."

Shane smirked, raising an eyebrow. Felix, confused, furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"

Shane laughed, shaking his head with a grin. "I don't have a way of contacting you."

Felix felt his face heat up slightly in embarrassment. "Oh, right, sorry. I can give you my phone number, if that would work."

"That would work," Shane said with a grin.

Felix pulled out his phone and quickly gave Shane his phone number. A second later, a text message from an unknown number popped up. He quickly typed in a contact for Shane, then pocketed his phone.

"Alright, see you sometime next weekend then," Shane said, smiling as he pocketed his own phone.

"Yeah, see you then," Felix responded, awkwardly waving.

Shane waved goodbye and sauntered off, disappearing into the mall's crowd. A few people whispered as he walked by, glancing at Felix with curiosity. Felix gave them small, awkward smiles before grabbing his violin and hurrying towards the exit of the mall. His brain couldn't stop running at a hundred miles per hour, inspecting the scene that just happened from every perspective it could, saying every opinion it had at once. Felix tried to shake it from his head to relax, but it wouldn't get out of his head.

This was not how he expected his day to go.