Chapter Sixteen
Matt
God fucking dammit. I was way in over my head for this girl. Had been my whole life.
I’d do anything she said. She could tell me to go swim in a tank of sharks, and I’d do it.
Besides karaoke. That was probably the one and only thing I’d refuse for this girl.
I didn’t know a single person in this bar besides El. To be fair, I guess it was hard to tell considering all the costumes.
When we rummaged our way up to the bar, because I sure as hell needed liquor if I was staying here, I kept El close enough for our arms to touch, just to make sure I had her.
We’d never been out to a crowded bar with just the two of us before. Typically, all our friends would be with us, and although I was always worrying to ensure El was safe and secure, I didn’t have to worry as much when I knew there were other people doing the same.
But right now, it was just us.
“What do you want?” I asked El.
“Just a sex on the beach is good,” she said, reaching into her purse.
I put a hand up. “I’ve got it.”
“Okay,” she smiled. “Thanks, Mattie. I’m getting the next round then.”
When the bartender reached us, I was hoping she would be wearing something to give a clue as to what the hell was going on here.
A themed t-shirt, perhaps? Was this a special occasion or was this bar like this on every Saturday? Disappointedly though, she was garbed in all black.
She didn’t outright say it, but based by the way she bit back a laugh at our disorientation and lack of costumes, I’d say she could tell we were newcomers. “What can I get for ya?”
“Can I get a Miller and a sex on the beach, please?”
The only response I got was her getting straight to it, sliding two drinks over to me in record time. As she cashed me out, I couldn’t help but ask, “So, is this a regular thing or?”
“Karaoke every Saturday night. But the theme changes,” she replied.
With a blank stare, I stammered. “What... what’s the theme tonight?”
“Disney,” she smiled proudly before jumping over to the next customer.
I knew I was speaking to myself when I responded, but I thought aloud anyways. “But... half the shit in here isn’t even Disney?”
El reached past me for her drink, and I glided it into her fragile hand.
The tables in this bar were ridiculously close, and for a second, I figured we were better off standing. But El led the way to a table that was open, small enough that it could be for a pair of toddlers.
When I sat, the space was so tight that my knees touched hers under the table, and suddenly, I wasn’t bothered as much.
I set my phone atop the wood that was so torn-up that it might’ve given us splinters, just as two girls took the stage, dressed in all cheetah print.
El bobbed along in her seat to a song that I didn’t recognize. I raised a brow at her.
“It’s the Cheetah Girls!”
Their outfits should’ve been a huge clue, but there was still no way I would’ve guessed that correctly.
Lips curling around her straw, I watched El in awe.
Ravishing. Jubilant. Unbreakable.
She’d been through so much, and she worked so hard, and here she was— enjoying each moment with grace.
I’d seen her during her worst moments, and even then, she was undoubtedly beautiful. But right now, as she just minded her own business, it was hard to look anywhere else.
I was almost angry when my phone began to ring, and I nearly missed the call just for the sake of not wanting to take my eyes off her.
“Hello? TJ?” I spoke loudly, covering my opposite ear in an attempt to hear better.
“Hey,” TJ said. “Where’d you go?”
“Um, El and I wound up at some bar.”
El’s face lit up. She held her hand out and I complied, giving my phone over with no questions asked.
“TJ?” she shouted. “Come to this bar we’re at! They have karaoke!” She gave a few Mhm’s and Uh-huh’s before saying, “Okay, see you soon!”
“TJ’s coming?” I questioned.
“Yep,” she nodded. “Said he’d just follow your location. He also said, and I quote, ‘Karaoke? Oh, fuck yeah! I’m on my way!’”
Tipping my head back, I laughed. “Of course, he did.” I wanted to ask if he mentioned if he was coming alone, but I didn’t want to disrupt her again.
She was doing the snake in her chair, twisting side to side without a care in the world. Knowing her, she was probably fighting the urge to get up and dance across the bar.
Quite honestly, this was far better than being at the hockey house right now. But it was only because of her. Anywhere she was, I wanted to be.
When her hazel eyes stopped on me, and she granted a shy smile like she’d been caught, I was hypnotized. A single strand of hair had escaped from her claw clip, loosely framing her face. I fought the urge to reach across the table and tuck it behind her ear.
Instead, I brought my beer back up to my lips, letting the crisp liquid glide down my throat.
When a new couple took the stage, I had even less of a clue as to what they were supposed to be than the last two. This time, it was a girl and a guy, both wearing sunglasses and regular clothes.
Within the first few beats, El let out a tiny squeal, and right when the words began, I immediately recognized the song. I couldn’t remember the title for the life of me though.
It was a slow song from Starstruck, a movie I was only so acquainted with because El made me watch it repeatedly with her when we were ten.
Letting out what felt like my millionth sigh of the night, I didn’t think twice before standing.
Fear flashed on El’s face like she was afraid I was about to leave her alone at the table. As if.
Stretching out my hand, she glanced at it with so much excitement that I could feel my heart kicking against my chest like a soccer player.
There was hardly any space in here, just a few open feet between our table and the wall. It didn’t seem to bother El though, so I didn’t let it bother me. Even though I barely fit.
As we swayed together in sync, I couldn’t help but notice how much I loved her touching my shoulder, how much I loved having her hand in my hand.
Every worry I’d been having over the last few days seemed to fade away, not mattering in the slightest.
That was typical of El though, of her energy. She just made everything better, even when she wasn’t actively trying to.
The green embers in her eyes miraculously softened, and if I thought I was hypnotized earlier, I was absolutely fucking locked in now.
My feelings for her had been growing since we were kids, and right now, the weight of them was almost agonizing. I knew the song was coming to an end, and as much as I fucking despised dancing of any kind, I didn’t want to stop.
There was this overwhelming feeling of needing to tell her how I felt.
I had never told her before.
There were a few times where it almost slipped, especially when we were drinking together, but every time, I stopped myself.
In my gut, I felt like she knew. She had to. I wasn’t exactly great at hiding it. Not to mention, I was pretty sure every person in our lives had already told her for me.
But when it came down to it, I was absolutely fucking terrified to express my feelings to her.
Of course, I was afraid she wouldn’t reciprocate, but even more so, I was afraid that she would.
I was fully aware that I was a ticking time bomb. Never in my life had I ever aimed my anger towards a woman, and as unpredictable as I could be sometimes, I was still confident in saying that I never would.
But El had already been a close bystander in all my bullshit throughout our lives. She was smart, driven; she was going places. She didn’t need to be dragged further into my shit.
Sometimes, I wanted to be selfish. To tell her that I’d been waiting for her our whole lives. Pull her close and convince her that I could be better for her, for us.
But the miracle was a bit far-fetched.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted TJ making his way through a group of people dressed like characters from Toy Story.
Sunny followed closely behind him, making my muscles tense.
“Ah, Matt!” El screeched. “You’re squeezing my hand.”
My head snapped back to her just as the song faded out. “Sorry.”
“Hey, guys!” El greeted them.
“Hey,” Keith smiled.
“Hey, so um,” TJ fretted, “what the fuck is this place?”
This definitely wasn’t what he had in mind when he heard the word “karaoke”.
Innocently, El brought her hands up. “Okay, I know it might look like a weird place at first, but, it’s been a lot of fun so far. Right, Matt?”
Pushing my lips into a hard line for a moment, I gave TJ a blank look before spurting out, “Right.”
Hands planted on her hips, El’s eyes darkened with playful animosity. “Except it would be more fun if Matt would agree to do karaoke with me.”
Sunny’s eyes lit up. “I’ll—”
“I’ll do karaoke with you!” TJ’s hand shot up.
My lungs ached from holding my breath and I finally exhaled, thankful for once for TJ’s stupidity and lack of attention to those around him.
The staff probably would’ve had to call an ambulance for me if I saw El and Sunny up there together.
“Okay, cool!” El jumped up and down a few times. “Do you wanna be the Troy to my Gabriella?”
“Fuck, yeah!” TJ high-fived her.
They didn’t say another word before running off to the DJ to put their song request in and wait in line, leaving Sunny and me alone at the table.
He disappeared for a few minutes to grab himself a drink. I didn’t blame him. That was the first thing I did too when I stepped into this place.
But I did blame him for that cloud of lust hovering above him as he watched El like she was going to wind up in his bed tonight.
Mr. Steal Your Girl was not pulling a fucking fast one on me.
When they took the stage and the melody to “Breaking Free” rang over the bar, I focused on keeping my eyes there, but I hated knowing that Keith was doing the same.
My voice turned villainous, a fog of ire beginning to blur my vision. “Keith,” I warned through clenched teeth.
“What?”
Chest starting to burn, I began breathing heavily through my nose. “Stop looking at her like that.”
“Like what?”