Chapter 5
Alara
O pen mic night. This felt way less intimidating after two bottles of wine. Freaking open mic night. What am I even doing here? I feel like I’m going to embarrass myself. Luckily, there's still time to escape since we haven't gotten out of the car yet.
"Seriously, Rayne. What are we doing?" I turn to her in a last-ditch attempt.
"Well, YOU are going to sing, and I'm going to get drunk and support my bestie." She smiles. "And before I hear you try to protest, you should think about the possibility of this triggering another one of your memories."
I sigh. It could trigger something. I’ll never know if I don’t do it.
“You know, I really hate when you’re right.”
"Yes! Let's go see if they have any openings. You could be getting all nervous for nothing."
The two of us hop out of the car and stride across the street, guitar in hand.
Rayne walks inside, and I follow closely behind, letting the stale air invade my nostrils.
It’s darker than usual tonight, with the main front lights dimmed for performances.
The small stage is directly in front of us, and has a range of tables across the main room where people talk amongst themselves.
It's all very laid-back, but nothing about this makes me feel relaxed.
Rayne grabs my hand, pulling me toward the bar on the right. It takes up almost the entire side of the building.
"What can I get you?" one of the two bartenders asks.
"Do you have any openings for your mic night?" Rayne gets right to it.
The bartender glances at us briefly before grabbing the clipboard from the edge of the bar. "It's your lucky night, actually. The next person never showed up."
“Perfect! Oh, and we will take two shots of the first thing you grab, please.”
"Wait, what?" My mouth falls open.
"Do you have an instrument or a backtrack that you want us to play? We don’t have anything fancy, but we can make it work," the bartender asks while turning to grab something.
What the hell is a backtrack?
"I, um..." My heart begins to race. "I just have my guitar."
I didn't plan on singing right away. I thought there would be time for me to have a drink or two, maybe relax a bit first.
"Hey!" Rayne yells, waving her hands in my face. "Alara, I need you to breathe and drink this."
I grab the shot glass from her and chug the liquid in one gulp. It burns, like really burns, and I have to bring a hand up to my mouth. Shaking my head, I do my best to regain my composure .
“Sorry. I wasn't prepared for you to say I'd be up next. All I need is this," I hold up the guitar, "and a microphone.”
She eyes me like I’m some kind of crazed lunatic before turning to look at Rayne. "Are you sure your friend is going to be okay?"
"I'll be fine," I grit out.
"Right, well, you can head that way. Look for Marvin. He’s got a manbun, so he should be pretty easy to find.
Let him know you’re taking Tip’s spot, and make sure you tell him your name, so he knows what to announce you as.
There’s a clip attached to the mic stand if you have anything you need to read from. "
“Two more drinks, please,” Rayne says before the familiar glasses are once again slid our way.
I chug this one faster than the first, take a deep breath, and then stride toward the stage. There’s no time like now. Let’s do it. I'm not sure why my nervous system feels like it’s under attack. Nobody is even going to think twice about me. It’s just one song at a dive bar.
The mysterious man bun comes into view. "Are you Marvin?
"Yeah?" He whips his head in my direction, eyes moving up and down my body.
"I was told to find you. I'm taking Tip's spot. My name is Alara Grey."
He cocks a brow. "Alara Grey? Is that your real name, or is it a stage name?"
"No stage name, just Alara Grey." I rub the side of my arm .
"Alright, well, if you're taking Tip's spot, then you're up in like two minutes. Get whatever you need ready. Do me a favor and don’t freeze up." He doesn't wait to hear my response before walking away.
That nervousness I’ve been feeling only intensifies as I peer out into the bar from where I stand. Taking a deep breath, my eyes fall closed, and something sparks in my mind. A small memory of myself pacing back and forth on the side of a stage flashes before me, and my eyes spring open.
Holy shit! Rayne was right. This triggered another memory.
Before I have time to process what just happened, my name is called, and I have no choice but to pull myself together to take this chance. Who knows what other things I could remember once I’m out there?
Slipping the strap of the guitar over my shoulder, I smile and take my place in front of the microphone.
I clip my lyrics in front of me before my hand comes up to block the bright light, and my eyes dart around.
I expect to see Rayne somewhere up front, but she’s nowhere in sight.
Instead, someone toward the back of the room catches my attention.
He watches me intently, making my breath hitch.
His eyes become my safety, even though I’ve never seen him before.
Even shrouded by glasses, they burrow right into my very soul.
Maybe I’ll thank the strange man for his unknown assistance later, but for now, the show must go on .
I hum, strumming the first chord of the acoustic guitar to get a feel for it and begin one of the most nerve-wracking things I’ve done in a long time.
"Shatter me with your memory..." I sing, glancing at the words while my body mindlessly begins to sway back and forth.
The song pulls me in, and seconds turn to minutes.
Before I know it, my eyes fall closed, and I'm singing the last line.
"Will you come for me?" My fingers glide along the guitar strings one final time before I peek a glance at the bar patrons. Everyone stands, clapping and wooing their praise as an uncertain smile creeps across my face. I take a small bow, searching for the stranger again, only to be disappointed when I realize he’s no longer there.
I lean into the microphone one last time, saying, "Thank you so much," and practically run back to where I left Rayne at the bar.
“You weren’t upfront.”
"That was amazing!" She squeals, pulling me in for a hug and ignoring my discontent. "You're a natural!"
"I had another memory. I've definitely done this before, the whole singing thing." I wave a hand out.
"Yes! Even better. Two new memories!"
"I'm scared," I confess, eyes filling with tears. "I don't feel like I'm in control of what's happening, and it's freaking me out. Why am I getting these now?"
"Being scared is natural, but rest assured, I will be by your side no matter what." She reaches down to grab my hand .
"Okay. I’ll try not to dwell on it."
"Want another shot?" Rayne raises a brow, and I shamelessly agree.
A woman emerges from a door behind the bar, walking directly up to us. She's short with dark blue hair and amber eyes bright enough to light someone on fire. Even in this dim lighting, they shine.
"Ooooh," Rayne gestures to her. "This is Gabby. She said they are looking to hire some help. You need a job, right?"
"Well, yes." My cheeks flush. I didn't plan on working at a bar. I was hoping for something that involved more daylight hours, but if the opportunity strikes, I'm not going to squander it.
Gabby nods. "There are only two rules if you want to work here."
"I'm all ears."
She places one arm on her hip and counts with her fingers on her free hand. "No drinking on the clock and don't try to fuck me, literally or figuratively."
I burst out in a fit of laughter. "You're not my type. Her's, maybe." I point to Rayne just in time for her to slap me on the shoulder. "And you don't have to worry about me drinking on the clock."
"If you want to sing, we also have a paid musician slot." She nods toward the stage.
"Wait, really?"
"It’s only twice a week, and the pay is shit, but you have one of the best voices I've heard in a long time. I can have Marvin add you to the rotation, if you want. It's perfect timing because Addy is supposed to have her baby soon."
"Twice a week would be perfect." I nod enthusiastically.
"You can still do the open mic nights, too, if you want. Anyway, I'll talk to Marvin and get your training all set up."
"You can do that? Just like that?"
"It's my bar. I can do whatever I want." She shrugs, making my eyes go wide. "Yeah, I get that reaction sometimes."
"I don't know how to thank you." I tear up.
"Thank that pretty friend of yours. She wouldn't agree to go on a date with me unless I hired you."
I shake my head, trying my hardest not to laugh as my bestie winks at me. Maybe, just maybe, things are starting to turn around in my favor.