Chapter 18
Chase
Watching all the guys in the bar stare at her was driving me crazy.
Especially since I couldn’t even touch her.
It made me feel like a caveman, and I wanted to stake my claim.
But that wasn’t in the cards for me yet.
So, they continued staring and making their moves anytime she walked away from the table.
They probably thought I was her brother, for fuck’s sake.
“Not going how you envisioned it, is it?” Mitch asked as he shook his head. “It’s a bit, I don’t know, middle school, dontcha think? You guys have to pretend you’re not together, but you’ll probably go home tonight and fuck her.”
I hated how much sense he made. Yet I was doing this for her. She had her fears, and I was trying to help her deal with them. Even though I wasn’t quite sure what they were.
We watched both girls being swarmed by ill-intentioned suitors as they waited at the bar. Mitch and I should be the ones getting the drinks, but the girls insisted. I spun my chair and turned my back, hoping not seeing the guys all over her would allow me to forget.
“How’s it going with Evie?” I asked him.
“Good.” He drained the bottle of beer in his hand. “She’s cool and crazy hot.”
They showed up at the table, each with four bottles in their hands. As we helped them, they were still giggling about the guys who had been flirting with them.
“So,” I said, bringing their attention back to us, “who’s singing tonight? Anyone but me?”
It was almost nine, which was when karaoke started. I already had my requests in for me and our group.
“Yeah, right,” Mitch said. “You won’t find me up there.”
Evie looped her arm around his and began sweet-talking in his ear, but he brushed her off.
“I’m game,” Evie said. “Is there a song we could do as a group, maybe?” Her inquisitive look bounced back and forth between all of us but landed on me.
“There’s a bunch. I already put one in for the four of us. I was hoping you would all be down to do it.”
Her hands went together in prayer formation as she twisted toward Maryellen. Mare shook her head at her best friend, but Evie was persistent and not above begging. She eventually got her to agree to doing a group song later in the night.
Evie turned her attention back to Mitch and tried to convince him to join us. That was when the screech of the microphone hushed the entire bar.
“Welcome!” the host yelled. The crowd roared, cheered, and clapped. These nights at Iggy’s were no joke. Many people who came here took it seriously. Tonight was just for fun. Voting nights were cutthroat.
My adrenaline soared when I stepped onto a stage. It helped my anxiety slip away. While I sang, even other people’s words, it made everything else disappear.
I dreamt of a day I could sing my own words on a stage.
For now, this would have to do.
“Who’s ready for some karaoke?”
The host, Jerry, did his thing, getting the crowd riled up.
It worked on Maryellen and Evie as they screamed along with the people surrounding us.
I enjoyed watching her let loose and have fun.
So much of our time together in the office she’s on high alert and walking on eggshells.
It gave me a tiny glimpse into what I knew we could have if she let us.
“Look!” Maryellen screamed. She pointed to the screen on the side of the board. It was the schedule for the first hour and I was number eight. “That’s you, Chase!”
She turned toward the table, lifting her arms as if to come to my side. But she quickly slapped them to her sides, remembering where we were. I could still feel her excitement for me as she gave me a toothy, wide grin that made her eyes twinkle, she was giddy.
“What are you singing?” she asked.
Most of my downtime this week had been spent trying to figure that out. I wanted the song I sang tonight, with her here, to be a perfect choice. I knew my range and the artists I should choose from. But I also wanted the song to have some meaning for us.
“It’s a surprise,” I told her with a wink.
Maryellen’s attention was pulled back to the stage as the first singer took the microphone. She was a regular and would no doubt impress the crowd. So many of the people who came here were extremely talented.
When she sang the first line of her song, a hush came over the crowd. She commanded their attention with her rendition. Everyone swayed to her voice, some singing along. And when she finished, it was a standing ovation.
Maryellen clapped hard and long. “See, that’s why I should never be on stage doing karaoke. She’s amazing, and I can’t carry a note.”
“Don’t you worry, there are plenty of non-singers that get up there, too,” I said.
Sure enough, up next was a group of girls singing Donna Summer’s “I Will Survive.” They were off-key, out of tune, and having the time of their lives up there.
Everyone in the bar sang along with them, especially the chorus.
Maryellen and Evie were out of their seats, singing at the top of their lungs.
We continued hanging out, talking, singing along, and drinking during the next several songs.
Mitch even loosened up and sang a few lines here and there.
Eventually, act seven was on stage, which meant I was next.
I moved to the side where the host stood, and he gave me a nod.
We were familiar with each other considering how often I came here.
I was taking a chance with the song I chose for tonight. Of course, I had my good ole standbys I went with most of the time, but those wouldn’t do. My concern was this one wasn’t like the songs that got the crowd rowdy and dancing. It was not that well-known and could shift the mood.
It was my turn.
I walked on stage and gripped the mic in its stand. My eyes scanned the crowd, but only for a moment. They focused on her almost instantly.
When the haunting melody began, the entire bar quieted. Most were listening intently while others whispered to their neighbors. I’m sure they were wondering why I changed my song. It created a different atmosphere compared to every song performed so far.
There was no sing-along. Instead, they were mesmerized by the words I belted out.
The words had meaning. From me to her.
Her attention on me was constant. She sat frozen in her seat, unmoving.
As I sang word after word, our connection was charged.
The crowd seemed to disappear, leaving only Maryellen, both of us spellbound.
My performance was meant for her, and only her, while surrounded by strangers.
The message went straight to her heart as I watched her eyes grow wet with each word I sang.
As the song came to a close, her hands twisted in her lap. She shifted her gaze first to Evie, then to Mitch, who both had smiles for her. They knew, too.
Once the last word came through the microphone, there was silence in the bar. Silence was never a good thing after singing a song. My forehead fell to the microphone, and my eyes closed, too afraid to scan the crowd.
It was probably only seconds, but to me it was an eternity.
The entire bar erupted in applause. Not just applause. Whistles, hoots, hollers, shouts of encouragement that I’d never heard before. When I lifted my head, I was shocked to see the entire place standing, moving toward me, up to the stage.
“That was amazing, man!”
“Not your usual, Chase, but I loved it!”
“You’re so talented.”
“You have a beautiful voice.”
“You’ve ruined the night for the rest of us!”
Person after person complimented me as I made my way down the couple steps from the microphone. I finally reached my table, my friends clearing the way.
“Holy shit, dude, what the hell was that?” Mitch asked. “Where did that come from?”
He slapped me on the back of my shoulder and handed me a beer. We clinked our bottles and took a sip.
The person I really needed to see was right behind me.
I felt her.
Turning around, we were almost chest to chest. The air around us felt electric, as if the entire room was holding its breath. I knew I was holding my breath.
Did she know it was for her?
The tear that slid down her cheek was my answer.
She let me wipe it away.
But too many people were paying attention to us. Many were still coming to offer compliments, and I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. Moving away from her, I gave the few people still wanting to talk a couple minutes of my time.
The next song started on stage.
Instead of sitting, I grabbed Maryellen’s arm and pulled her with me.
We snaked our way through the crowd. Some people continued to offer compliments or slaps on the shoulder for my performance.
Maryellen would squeeze my hand every time someone did.
Once we made it through the main part of the bar, I found a quiet spot by the kitchen that was void of people.
Spinning her against the wall, I pinned her there with my arms framing her face.
“Hi,” I said.
“Hi.” She chuckled but still glanced around with nervous eyes. My fingers pulled her gently back to center.
“There’s no one here we know other than who we came with, Mare.”
I could read the struggle in her eyes, on her face.
I could feel it in every muscle. Moving my body, I blocked the crowd from being able to see us. Complete privacy. She relaxed against the wall slightly.
“Did you like it?” I asked her.
Her hands played with the buttons on my shirt as she nodded. “I did.” She grew shy as she pushed her head against my chest. “You were amazing. Like, truly amazing. I knew you had talent, that you could sing, but that blew me away. What was the name of it?”
“The song is called ‘Hanging by a Moment,’ by a band called Lifehouse. Have you heard of them?”
She shook her head but kept her attention on my chest or the floor.
“It, uh, was not my usual song that I sing here. Actually, it was the first time I used this one,” I said.