Purely Platonic - Bo Burnham

Mr.Burnham

The show was amazing so far. You were so lucky to get tickets in the third row. In addition to Bo Burnham being a talented little shit, the lighting and effects were amazing. He was stepping up his performances, you noticed. Shifting in your chair though, you began to realize that that headache you had wasn't going away; it had gotten worse, to a point that you could barely focus on anything else. You'd been getting them more and more frequently, a symptom of your depression/anxiety and the medicine you'd been put on, but this one was the worst so far. You gripped your head, no longer able to focus on the show due to the pounding in your ears. It made your eyes water, and you were trying not to cry while surrounded by strangers. A gentle hand touched your shoulder, and you saw a security guard crouching in front of you.

"Hey kid, you okay? Someone waved me over, you looked like you were going to be sick... Follow me?" You nodded and stood, following the man through the dimly lit theater. He led you through a few hallways to a room backstage, and told you to sit down and wait while he looked for something to help the headache. You did as he said, laying back on a couch. The headache had subsided to a degree; it was quiet and chilly in this room, and the man had been kind enough to turn off most of the lights for you. The headache allowed you to realize how much your situation sucked though; not only were you missing the show, you had most likely made a fool of yourself. With a sigh you sat up, wincing, before trying to stand. As you did, the door opened, and the security guard returned. He had a bottle of aspirin and a bottle of water, and a small smile on his face. "Alright kid, I managed to find some medicine for you, if you think it'll help" He set the meds and the water down on a table in front of you, and started to leave. "Oh! and uh, Mr. Burnham requested that you stay here if you can? The show is almost over and I guess he wanted to talk to you after. " The man smiled as he left, and you stared at the door in confusion. "Why would he want to talk to me?"

You pulled out your phone and texted your roommate, telling them you'd be a bit later than expected, before the door opened once again. Bo walked in, a friendly smile on his face. He looked a bit tired, you noticed, but kind nonetheless. You put your phone away and awkwardly stood to shake his hand, your heart fluttering. Bo had been an idol of yours for a while; his work had always impressed you, and even though you laughed a lot, you admittedly cried over a few of his works.

"Sorry for making you stay so long, I hope you're feeling a bit better?" You nodded sheepishly, and he grinned before continuing, "I was just worried that the lights or something made you feel bad, we've had things happen in the past with that. People that have epilepsy or something like that may not realize the lights flash that intensely.." He trailed off.

"No no, it was nothing like that," you smiled politely, "I've been getting headaches a lot lately.. The new medicine I've started is kinda strong.. I'm sorry for worrying you, I didn't mean to make a spectacle.." He shook his head, speaking softly. "It wasn't your fault kid, it's alright. Sorry about your meds um.. How about I play a song for you? There's a guitar back here somewhere, I can play you a song.."

You giggled and shook your head, taken aback by his kindness. Bo onstage was cynical and snarky, not at all the dorky and kind man in front of you. It meant a lot to you that he'd care about the well-being of people at his shows. "That's so kind of you, thank you, but.. Meeting you was a privilege enough in itself, thank you."

"Well.. At least let me refund your ticket or something? I could send money to you to you.. Here, text me later or something.." he looked around the room, grabbing a pen and a scrap of paper. Bo wrote down his number and handed it to you, smiling. "Don't mention this by the way, if you don't mind? I doubt you would, you seem cool, but I just don't need this kind of thing in the media, if that makes sense?" You nodded understandingly and accepted.

"This is.. wow, thank you so much.. " You smiled up at him, putting the piece of paper in your pocket. Bo hugged you, a gentle, friendly hug, before he pulled away and placed his hand on your shoulder. Bo led you out to the lobby, staying slightly behind so no one spotted him. He waved at you as you left, and you couldn't help the stupid grin spreading across your face.