It's over. No matter how beautiful or brilliant summer is, there will always come a day when it ends.
Anson took a deep breath and let it out heavily.
"August 31st. As expected, it ends before summer does."
"Ha, Warner Records must be rolling their eyes. The album's still in the promotion phase, and the band is already going their separate ways. That's definitely not good news."
Wow.
Connor could no longer hold back. He turned his back to Anson and started crying uncontrollably.
Even though Anson was joking, the sadness and sighs couldn't be stopped.
Miles was also struggling, his eyes cast downward, doing his best to hide his feelings.
Lily forced a smile, but her disappointment was clear. "Maybe they saw this day coming a long time ago."
Anson shrugged slightly. "True."
Then, he raised his voice.
"Connor, this isn't the end—it's a new beginning."
"Maybe when we meet again, the August 31st band will reunite, and we'll keep performing. Maybe we'll even have a concert, though who knows if anyone will want to come."
Another joke, but there was no response.
Despite their best efforts to hold it back, the sadness in their eyes and faces was impossible to hide, including Lily's.
Anson sighed helplessly.
"Hey, not all farewells are sad."
"Sometimes, parting is just preparation for reunion. While we wait to meet again, we might not become the ideal version of ourselves from our dreams, but we're all brave enough to chase after our dreams and embark on new adventures. The time apart will make the reunion even more joyful and full of happiness."
"So, there's no need to be this sad, okay?"
"Besides, from the moment we met until now, everything has been great. At least we ended before we could turn against each other and start hating one another."
"God, do you know how many bands end up falling out and hating each other? I swear I'm not throwing shade at Oasis."
Pfft.
Finally, Anson's humor hit the mark.
Connor couldn't hold back anymore, laughing even as his tears flowed harder. He laughed and cried at the same time, looking up at Anson in exasperation.
"Jesus Christ, my dignity."
Hahaha.
Anson burst into laughter, and Lily and Miles both smiled again.
Connor protested, "Sorry, I'm too sad about losing my ride and meal ticket to join in right now. Just let me look up at the sky at a 45-degree angle and be sad about my dark future for a bit, okay?"
The laughter grew louder and brighter.
Connor had finally regained some of his humor.
Miles tilted his head and quickly wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, trying to smile as he looked at Anson again. But no matter how hard he tried, the hot tears kept streaming down, and he couldn't stop them.
In the end, Miles gave up and simply stood there, looking at Anson. Those tears carried sadness and regret, but also happiness and joy.
Just as Anson said, this journey had been a happy one.
Farewells are inevitable. They may come sooner or later, but that doesn't matter. What matters is the journey they experienced together and the sights they've seen.
Anson's nose tingled, but he took a deep breath to keep his emotions in check.
"So, what about the lead singer? What are you guys going to do?"
Miles collected himself. "We don't really have any plans for now. After all, Anson Wood isn't someone you can just find easily. We're planning to take it one step at a time."
"Haha, now you realize how valuable I am? But it's too late—I'm going solo."
"What about the contract?"
"Don't worry. Warner Records is probably prepared for this. Who knows, maybe they've been waiting for this moment, ready to sign Anson as a solo artist."
"So you're saying the people in the Warner conference room are cheering and shouting, 'Hooray'?"
"Maybe not 'hooray,' but I bet they're giving each other high fives, celebrating that they finally shook me off."
"Damn it, Connor, what's up with your waterworks? You're out of control."
"Don't mind me, just let me lose control for a bit. My meal ticket, my free rides, waaah!"
"Hahaha!"
Laughter filled the air, brighter and more carefree.
Has anyone ever seen the evening glow in early summer in Prague?
It's a color between orange and crimson, fresh and translucent, softly falling on the fairytale-like buildings of the city, burning with intensity.
It's like the vibrant and carefree rush of youth—if you close your eyes, you can hear the laughter scattered in the wind, resonating for a long, long time.
…
Summer. Blazing hot.
The summer of 2003 had unfolded in full swing.
On one hand, the movie market was bustling.
After last year's summer clash between Spider-Man and Star Wars: Episode II, this year's summer blockbusters were highly anticipated. Even though Hollywood knew that surpassing Spider-Man's box office performance was almost impossible, they were still eagerly hoping for the next big hit to cross the $100 million mark in its opening weekend and make that trend the new normal.
With all eyes on the season, big titles like X-Men 2, The Matrix Reloaded, and Bruce Almighty made their way to the screens. Although their performances were impressive, none of them fully lived up to the market's expectations.
Surprisingly, the first true blockbuster of the summer came from Pixar—Finding Nemo.
Among a slew of highly anticipated films, this one, centered around a little clownfish, stole the spotlight, making a splash with $70 million in its opening weekend and riding a wave of rave reviews, igniting the summer's passion.
While Finding Nemo topped the North American box office charts, all of America was also witnessing Elephant winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes, sparking media excitement and prompting headlines that proclaimed Hollywood's resurgence.
On one side, there were the box office hits. On the other, the prestigious awards. Movies became the must-see entertainment of the summer.
Though no film could replicate Spider-Man's record-breaking weekend, the summer box office was finally bouncing back after the anxieties of the previous year, and it was even showing steady growth compared to the pre-9/11 era.
This was promising.
Amidst the hustle and bustle, a small group of fans expressed their disappointment at not being able to see Anson on the big screen this summer. This rising young actor was slowly becoming part of everyday conversation—a fixture in daily life.
When Elephant won the Palme d'Or, fans were upset they couldn't watch this talented actor in theaters. But they didn't mind too much because their ears weren't left empty.
After all, there was still the August 31st band.
In Europe, Anson and his bandmates had split off to pursue their own dreams, with the August 31st band becoming the most brilliant, romantic afterglow of summer—a memory to cherish along their journeys. Meanwhile, the band's music continued to spread its influence elsewhere, capturing hearts and setting the summer of 2003 on fire.
The excitement had only just begun.
At the same time, the music industry was buzzing.
Not only had the August 31st band carved out a place for themselves in the spotlight, but another significant event was shaking up music history—
American Idol.