One More Weekend (Sapphics in the City #5)

40. Sy

40

SY

I still hadn’t processed my shock at Jenna’s lease surprise by the time I was pulling open the street-level entrance to Winnie’s Bar.

“Thanks.” She nearly whispered as she passed me and headed up the stairs.

Even though I knew it was bad, I let my eyes peek up at her long legs and the short skirt covering her ass, my throat tightening as my body set on fire.

I threw open my phone and shot off a quick text:

Coming up.

Just as Jenna was about to open the door to the bar, music playing just beyond it, I placed my palm on it and stood just a few inches away. It was an attempt to buy us a few seconds and an excuse to get close to her again.

I lowered my voice to a low rumble and looked down at her blue eyes. “I really appreciate the lease. It means a lot to me. So I won’t stop saying thank you.”

Smirking, Jenna smacked her hand into my chest with a wink – breaking the tension for both of us. “You’re welcome, dweeb.”

It was the kindest thing she could do, kill off my illusions that we were more than friends.

I grabbed the door handle and pulled it open for her, letting her walk inside to a collection of cheers.

“Surprise!”

Her jaw dropped. “What?!”

There, in our favorite karaoke spot, were all of our friends and everyone who had made New York special for Jenna over the years. It was the least I could do for her. Without Jen’s charisma, I would’ve been friendless and living in some dump with twelve roommates in Bushwick.

Jenna moved around the bar, hugging and greeting all of her friends.

Making my own rounds, I slowly made my way to the bar and ordered two drinks. I put my card down for the tab and made my way to the list at the end of the bar where I put in a final duet, my song for Jenna, and a pick of my own for her.

By the time I was finished, Jenna had finished saying hi to her guests and found me in the crowd.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me. “Thank you, this is perfect.”

“Are you sure? I didn’t want to rob you of a night with just us but I also didn’t rob them of time with you.”

Brushing a loose strand of hair from my face, Jenna shook her head. “You know that in every crowded room, it feels like it’s just us.”

Before I could address it, Jenna took her drink from me and took a seat in our booth. There were a few strangers here but our crowd far outnumbered them. After the current singers finished their song, I grabbed Jenna’s hand and walked her to the stage.

The bartender paused our song as we took the stage and turned on the second mic.

Clearing my throat, I turned to the crowd. “Hey, everyone. Just wanted to say thank you all for coming out to see our Jenna off to the lesser coast.”

I paused as our friends hooted and hollered for her.

“We’re going to kick this off with a duet, something we do every week. But yeah, you’re all here because you’ve been an important part of Jen’s life here, so thank you.” Looking at Jen, I waited to see if she had anything to say.

Swallowing hard, Jenna nodded. “Yeah, I can’t say much or I’ll cry before my big number but really, thank you for coming. And I love you all.” As she said it, she turned to me, a flush on her cheeks.

Gesturing to the bartender, I winked. “Hit it.”

I’d pick a special duet for our last go.

A light twinkle played as I lowered my head and my voice. “Now, I’ve had the time of my life. No, I never felt this way before. Yes I swear, it’s the truth.”

Looking over at Jenna, I smiled. “And I owe it all to you.

Throwing her head back to laugh, her gorgeous hair falling behind her, Jenna didn’t miss a beat. “I’ve had the time of my life and I owe it all to you.”

She pointed at me and then to the crowd as the music started to pick up, the funky beat of (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life from Dirty Dancing kicked in over the speakers.

We danced until the verse began. In harmony, we sang, “We saw the writing on the wall, as we felt this magical fantasy.”

Keeping steady, we played to our crowd as we each took on our characters' affect.

“Now we take each other’s hand, ‘cause we seem to understand the urgency.” At the cue, Jenna held her hand out for me to grab.

I followed my cue as the drum kicked in harder, building to the chorus where we joined in together.

Just before, I snuck in the line, “This could be love.”

With a laugh, Jenna and I sang the chorus. “I had the time of my life, no I’ve never felt this way before. Yes, I swear, it’s the truth. And I owe it all to you.”

Dancing along to the music as the horns blew out, we took our performance into the crowd.

“With my body and soul, I want you more than you’ll ever know.” Jenna sang to me through the throng of her friends.

Searching for her, I called back to her. “Yes, I know what’s on your mind, when you say, “Stay with me tonight.”

As the second chorus rose, we knew to run back to the stage where we found each other and hit our lines again. “I’ve had the time of my life…”

I couldn’t stop the massive smile on my face from taking over, feeling the sweat building on my face as I belted out my lines.

Giving it her all, Jenna jostled her hair as she swayed her hips to the beat.

As the song came to a close, we got closer. Dancing together on that stage as a sexy saxophone played us out, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her.

In near whispers, we pressed our heads together. “No, I’ve never felt this way before. And I swear it’s the truth.”

I couldn’t break our eye contact, singing the final lines to her. “I’ve had the time of my life. And I owe it all to you.” My chest tightened as she sang it back to me, only relieved by the sound of cheers growing in the crowd as they drowned out the music.

Taking a bow, I grabbed Jenna’s hand and bent over.

As quickly as it started, our final duet ended and I would be left with the memory of it all.