2. Chapter Two
Chapter Two
Jamie
“ H ey, Sage. Did you know that dogs can’t operate MRI machines?” I say, with all seriousness as I take a seat at the sticky table, pushing a cold glass of rum and coke her way. My best friend raises one perfectly manicured eyebrow, the corner of her lip twitching while she tries to maintain the same level of seriousness. A pregnant pause passes between us and then, I drum my hands on the table and add “but catscan!” The rest of the table groans loudly, Sage rolls her eyes and I burst out in a rumbling laugh.
God, I love a dad joke.
Lulu, Sage’s housemate and our favourite doctor in training, grins at me, her hand landing on my shoulder with a playful squeeze. “One day, Jay Bear, I swear, we will get sick of you and your jokes.”
I huff a little laugh - no they won’t! “You’d all be so incredibly bored without me.”
A few others chuckle then return to their conversations, a quiet din of chatter meshing with the low beat of music coming from the overhead speakers. Sage scoots closer, almost sitting on my lap when more of our friends arrive, squeezing into the booth and dragging chairs over to place at the end of our long table.
Our group of eight - all of whom met in our little seaside town secondary school - meet at this bar once a week to listen to the cover bands and open mic nights. The Shed sits in the centre of town, a stone’s throw from the railway station and not far from Mum’s place. It’s rustic, with old music memorabilia on the walls and even an old jukebox that still works.
We’ve been coming here since we were eighteen. Back then, we had these big ideas of what our lives would look like - university would be a nonstop party, work would be fun and everything we wanted would be right there for the taking. Part-time jobs, midterms, essays, student loans and the general reality that comes with growing up soon changed our views, though our dedication to our weekly meetups never changed.
These are the people who have known me the longest, who have stood by me on my hardest days and have celebrated every win with me along the way. No matter what happens, these Wednesday nights together will always be our thing - even when we’re ninety and tired of listening to cover bands.
Given that it’s still too early for the band to come on, we break into conversation, catching up on the week gone by. To my right, Dominic, the once upon a time football star of our school, complains about his part-time job at a local supermarket; frustrated that the hours are eating into his studying time but also not willing to cut down because of his plan of visiting America later this year. When he’s finished his rant, he turns his attention to me.
“Did you ever get your work experience placement sorted?” One of the requirements of my architecture course is mandatory on site work experience - something I’m so fucking excited about - the opportunity to see what my future could look like.
“Yeah, I did thanks. Your dad hooked me up.”
“There’s a dad joke or a dirty innuendo there somewhere,” Sage jokes with a wink.
“Oh God, please don’t. It’s bad enough that Lulu calls him ‘hot dad’ to his face.” Dominic rubs a hand along his reddening cheek and Sage laughs evilly, fully satisfied that she’s made the guy blush.
Dominic’s dad is hot but I’m not into older guys. He is also a hugely successful lawyer and has contacts in all sorts of industries and was more than happy to help me out.
“Seriously though, thank you for giving me your dad’s number. He managed to set me up at a placement with one of his clients and it’s just what I’m after. They’re currently working on an eco seafront hotel. Functionally brilliant, aesthetically stunning, well proportioned with state of the art -”
Before I can continue rambling, my excitement building to epic proportions - despite the eyes of my friends glazing over with lack of interest - there’s a crash from behind me and I spin around to see that the band has arrived and are setting up on the small stage. I love this band - we’ve seen them a few times now and they’re one of my favourites. They do these pop-techno-rock remixes of old songs which are fucking wicked.
“So, Jay Bear.” A voice from the other side of the table grabs my attention and I turn to meet Leo’s smirking face. Objectively, he’s gorgeous. Short and lean with wavy, copper hair and a line of freckles over his nose and piercing green eyes that I’ve looked into far too many times while ramming my dick into him.
He was my very first boyfriend. Things didn’t quite work out for us, but thankfully we’ve remained friends and surprisingly, there’s very little awkwardness between us. His boyfriend, Marcus, is the only newbie in our group but he’s cool and fits right in, not in the least bit phased that Leo and I still flirt in the way only old lovers can.
“Rumor has it,” Leo continues, his eyes shifting quickly to Sage then back to me. “That your soon to be new brothers are hot.” He smiles - all teeth and dimples - and I can’t help but return it before I turn and glare at Sage. She shrugs unapologetically while chewing on an onion ring. “You should bring them along one night,” Leo suggests.
Sage makes a choking sound that I think is meant to be a laugh. “ Pffft , I wouldn’t hold your breath, Leo, you’d die. It’s been three weeks since Jay met them and do you think he’s invited me over to family dinner? Nope. Not once!” Sage wrinkles her nose and Leo finds the exchange amusing, leaning forward and resting his chin on his hand like he’s waiting for juicy gossip.
“Oh! Interesting. So you’re keeping these hotties to yourself? I see how it is, friend .” Leo flutters his eyelids at me and his boyfriend chuckles.
“That’s not true! I’m just….I…” Floundering over my reply, my cheeks grow increasingly warm and more of the group stop what they’re doing to join the conversation. It’s not that I don’t want to invite Cooper to meet the gang, I just don’t want to do it yet . So yes, maybe I do want to keep him to myself. So what? Call me selfish if you must.
“I’d like to get to know him a little better first,” I finally manage to say.
“Him?” Leo raises one coppery brow.
Fuck.
“Them. I want to get to know them first. I said them .” I take a large swig of my drink, hoping the cold liquid will go some way to cooling the burning flush rising up my neck.
“You most certainly did not, you said ‘him’,” Lulu adds, her eyes sparkling, the same way they do whenever she’s about to dig into someone else’s love life.
Thankfully, my best friend takes pity on me and changes the subject. Well, kind of changes the subject.
“Mummy Maria said I can bring a plus one to the wedding,” Sage says.
“Oh! Pick me!” Leo exclaims. “Mummy Maria is going to look so fucking beautiful.”
There’s a murmur of agreement around the table and my heart warms at how much my friends adore my mother. Her nickname started back when we were sixteen because she is quite literally a mother hen to everyone I bring home. She feeds and fusses over all of them. There is not a person at this table - the newbie included - who hasn’t cried on her shoulder, eaten at her table or slept on her sofa. When Leo and I broke up, I think she was more devastated than I was. As soon as she met Marcus, she exclaimed that he was a much better fit for Leo anyway.
Like I’ve always said, Maria Durand has a huge heart and more than enough love for everyone. She may have only had one biological son but she loves this lot like they’re her own too.
Before anyone can bring up the subject of the twins again, the bar manager takes to the stage, addressing the crowd with a raucous cheer.
“Let’s go!” Sage shouts as she shoves the person sitting next to her. We all scoot out of the booth and make our way through the crowd to the front of the stage. The lights dim and a machine set to one side blasts out synthetic smoke that fills the room with a dreamlike haze.
The band starts off with an upbeat techno-esque cover of a song I don’t recognise but Sage must because she belts the lyrics, off tune, into my ear. We dance next to each other for a good hour, singing and swaying, our shoulders bumping as we get swept up in the music. At some point, Sage disappears and returns moments later with a sly grin.
“What did you do?” I yell, over the beat of the drum solo going on behind me. She doesn’t reply, instead, leans forward and plants a sloppy kiss on my cheek. I know her well enough to know she’s up to something.
I don’t have to wonder too long because just as there’s a lull in the music, the lead singer’s raspy voice addresses the crowd. It’s not a huge crowd but the cheer they respond with is loud enough to feel in your bones.
“For those of you who are regulars here, you’ll know that once a month the bar holds open mic nights. Now, I hear there’s someone in this crowd who has tried his hand at it a few times and is really fucking good.”
My stomach sinks. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sage nodding in response.
“I also hear,” he continues, “that this someone loves this next song so, I’d really love it if he'd join us on stage.”
Oh, God. Nerves chew at my insides as I brace myself for his next words, all the pieces - including the smug look on Sage’s face, falling into place.
“Jamie Durand, get your ass up here, mate.”
My friends go wild, screaming and hooting, shoving me closer to the stage. All the while, my heart picks up its pace, beating harder than any drum solo.
Here’s the thing - I love singing. I always have. And yes, I’ve stood up on open mic night once or twice but only on a quiet night when there’s maybe twenty people watching. Not on a night as popular as this one. I don’t aspire to be a singer, don’t dream of being in a band; it’s just something I like to do.
As the opening chords of Whats Up? By the 4 Non Blondes start up though, I suck in a deep breath and shake my arms, hoping the move beats away the nerves. It doesn’t but, I climb the few steps onto the stage and take the mic offered to me anyway.
A third singer joins us, starting off the song. As the chorus hits, she nods at me and I do it. I step forward and I sing.
It feels fucking incredible . Nerves be damned, I belt out the words, feeling the rumble in my chest with each word that passes my lips.
By the end of the song, I am absolutely buzzing. The crowd cheers and all the members of the band shake my hand and pat me on the back before I leave the stage and get swept up by my friends.
“You were so good!” Leo exclaims as we make our way back to our table. My throat is dry and my legs shake as I walk but I’m grinning bigger than the Cheshire cat.
Sage hands me a drink just as I reach our table.
“I hate you,” I say. This girl, she pushes me all the time, but she does it with the best intentions and seriously, I love and adore her.
“You’re welcome.” She scoots into the booth and I’m just about to join her, when my phone vibrates against my leg, where it’s safely tucked in my pocket. I pull it out, the grin on my face growing - if that’s even possible - when I see who the message is from.
“Keep my seat, I’ll be back in a sec.” Sage gives me a knowing look but then turns her attention to Lulu. The band starts on a slower song, soft yellow strobe lights cast a hazy glow over the now nearly empty dance floor. A few people remain near the stage and I spot Leo and Marcus wrapped up together, swaying along to the soulful tune.
Nodding to the security guys at the door, I exit the bar to find a quiet place to stand. The night is warm and the air smells strongly like the ocean. A taxi pulls up in front of me and a bunch of college-aged kids hop in. A few others walk a few doors down to the burger place that is hugely popular after a gig.
I find a quiet spot and lean against the brick wall not far from the bar’s entrance. Glancing down at my screen, it’s impossible to keep the laughter from bubbling out of me as I finally read the message.
Cooper: I had a date last night, and it was perfect. Tomorrow, I'll have a fig.
We’ve been spending a lot of time together these past three weeks and I may have told him about my love of dad jokes and puns. I may have told him a lot about me - there’s a possibility that I have done a lot of oversharing. I’m so comfortable around him. It’s like he’s always been a part of my life - like maybe we met in another lifetime or in a parallel universe and were destined to find each other in this one.
Me: That’s the best one yet.
Writing bubbles appear almost as soon as I hit send and I stare at the screen. I don’t even look up when the bar’s doors open and I hear the band announcing their final song of the evening. Nothing is more important in this moment than Cooper's words.
Cooper: Hold your horses, Jamie, there’s so many more where that came from. Just you wait.
Be still heart, be still.
Me: I’m not going anywhere.
Cooper: Good, neither am I.