My little geeky introvert

Get in the car, she said. It will be fun. Sure, I totally trust your decision-making skills, Madeleine. That nose of yours can sniff out trouble better than a dog in a dumpster. All I wanted was a peaceful evening with Netflix in bed, but no, "fun" is more important than season 2 of a really cool new show that everyone should be watching.

I was hoping to take a trip down memory lane by rewatching all my favourite childhood TV series. I missed them so much - all the good feels that made my heart tremble with joy when I was a little kid running round the house breathless, making my mom go crazy as I destroyed her precious vases and designer items. A long time ago, I was 132cm tall. Then I grew up a lot and my voice cracked at the most embarrassing moment possible. After that, I met Madeleine in her red car, and ever since she's been driving me around to "fun" places. Madeleine and her red Ford Fiesta, rolling over dust and tarmac all day long.

Last night I had plans, but her better judgement got in the way of them. I had to give up on Netflix and the comfort of my fluffy duvet and get in her car. Which she cleans regularly, by the way, at least twice a week she hoovers the mats and the seats, and cleans the windows. Hence, no matter how much she drove her vehicle is always shipshape. Now that's cool.

Madeleine waited for me to strap on my seat belt, then turned on the engine and turned right to the path going across the woodland area. Madeleine, Madeleine. What could possibly have been better than a relaxed night? Well, according to you, a concert in the woods under the starry sky, one juice box per person and a picnic blanket for both of us.

A guy with long bleached hair marched onto the stage, his combat boots echoing a resounding thud with each step. What a rockstar, with the one earring on hiseft earlobe and the bandana wrapped around his skull. Everyone in the crowd cheered for this hunk carrying an electric guitar that seemed too tiny for his large, bone-crushing hands. He waved hello to all of us and immediately dove into a guitar solo at top speed. I was so surprised at how elegantly this guy played. His fingers picked at every string quickly, lightly and with maximum precision. It was amazing. Next to me, Madeleine was screaming with her eyes. She really loves rock concerts.

"This one is special though," she said.

How?

"You'll see."

The guitar solo went on, notes climbing higher and higher, then suddenly falling down a chromatic staircase; and as he played the drummer leapt onto the stage, audience cheering as he sent a kiss to the public, followed by the skinny bass player and a woman with a stare so deadly I felt her eyes crawl under my skin. She was the singer in this band.

The percussion woke up, drummer slamming with his sticks like a madman. My heart pounded to the rhythm of the beat. Even the bass player was acting the part of a demonic possession, what with his sudden neck twists and the contortionist moves he pulled when we least expected. We were breathless. The woman had a gaze that deafened the cheering public with its power. She literally had a look that kills. She approached the microphone, almost getting as close as to bite it, and rapped way too fast with the lowest voice imaginable for a woman. Husky and deep. My spine tingled - she was scary, like some pale spectre risen back from the dead.

The intro to their concert ended with a spectacular display of fireworks coming from the city. Red sparks popped like Prosecco bubbles; golden showers fell, my heart leaping and tear ducts filling up; green and blue explosions resounded. The bursting of light hammered my ears so hard they seemed to bleed, but the scene was so breathtaking I had to lift my eyes up to the black sky and let the show drown my pupils in shimmering light. Green and gold and red comets wooshed upwards, like swallows cutting through the air. They had probably known at what time the fireworks were scheduled to set off, and had coordinated their concert to match the timing. My fingertips searched avidly for Madeleine's hand. It was cold at the extremities. The night was chilly and a fresh breeze cooled my hot face down. Madeleine wore a jumper, while I shivered from time to time and the hairs on my arm stood up with each breath of cold air. T-shirts can only do so much. I tried to hide my mouth when my teeth chattered, but Madeleine picked up the scent and wrapped her arms around my skinny body.

"Hello everybody, hope you're having a good time," the guitarist bellowed at the mic. "Tonight we're going to play something special to everyone watching us. Who knew the theme song to their favourite cartoons as a kid?"

WOOOO! the crowd shouted. "Me!" they all said, waving their arms in the air like poster boys and girls for childhood nostalgia. My head spun with dizzying excitement.

"Well tonight we're going to play them for you, with a little bit of a metal twist to them... I hope you don't mind." His satanic chuckle set the public ablaze with ecstasy. We loved it.

It was amazing. Scooby Doo's theme turned dark and metal? Bone-chilling. A Pokémon theme reaching out from the depths of hell? My arms were shivering when the woman sang so beautifully a song that was originally intended to be epic, accompanied by the guitarist's crazy scaling skills, fingers sliding up and down the strings to pick at different notes. And the riffs? Precious. This was a nostalgia rock concert. Do not belittle the power of childhood memories, it is stronger than any stress brought on by adult life in your university years. Epic concert.

Madeleine sat beside me, smiling all the while because she knew she had not only managed to drag me out of my cave, but also to make me happy. She knows me far too well, sometimes better than I do - which is weird, because I should know a little more about myself than anyone else.

An ominous "here we go" from the Totally Spies theme song, where both the guitarist and the singer were roaring with their sickeningly awesome vocals, was playing when Madeleine said: "Not so bad, eh?"

"No, Mad, you know me."

"I do, don't I?" she grinned impishly. "Hey, I was wondering... Do you want to move in with me? I mean, I want you to. I like you, and it's a bit lonely in my flat, just me myself and I." Her voice was trembling. The nervous light in her eyes gave me the confidence to put my hands in hers.

My arms shook lightly - it was the emotion. Yes. To always have Madeleine hugging me when I'm cold or dragging me out of my room? Yes.

"Why not? After living in my parents' house for so long, I think it is time for ne to move out and start paying rent with someone."

We just sat there like two dumb kids smiling at each other. Happiness tends to keep us glued to the spot, while time slips away. Of course I was delighted to be moving in with her. I would have never asked, for fear that she might have thought I was being too intrusive or creepy. Guys tend to come across as creeps when they don't respect boundaries. Not that it's anything surprising, I mean...

The band was going full-blown crazy on an anime opening. This was every geeky introvert's dream concert. I like to identify as a geeky introvert with a penchant for dark kid series and weird anime shows.

Two hours into the concert, my stomach growled. It felt like I had an empty bag pressing on my abdomen, begging to be filled. Madeleine's stomach bellowed like a whale in response. "Let's go get some food," she said. We got up, left our voluntary donation for the concert - instead of paying a ticket they let you decide the price - and got into her Ford Fiesta. The car zoomed out of the woods and into the city, where Madeleine stamped the breaks so abruptly I almost flew out of my seat.

Fried chips, grilled meat and cheese scents wafted into my nostrils. Saliva was overflowing in my mouth. I twitched from hunger. Madeleine hopped out the car, locked it with a press of the button and slapped my back so hard I could have thrown up my lungs. "Let's eat!"

We waited in line for a burger, a hot dog and a tray of chips. I didn't get the fried fish because I'd already had that the Saturday before, and I didn't want people working there to know me as "fish boy" for always ordering the same thing.

"What did you think of the concert?" Madeleine asked when we were sat down and half-way through stuffing our faces with chippy food.

I dipped my fries into the ketchup. "Fabulous."

"Then I'm really happy I pulled you out of your cave. I'll take you someplace else next week."

A massive bolus rushed down my oesophagus. Oh yes, I get nervous when I have to think about leaving the comfort of my safe space.

"Don't worry, you'll be with me," she said. "You're my little introvert."