Chapter 38
38
OLIVIA
T uck and Hudson are neck-deep in the absolute worst karaoke duet I’ve ever heard.
What’s truly fascinating is how both of them are terrible singers for very different reasons.
Hudson’s actually got a good singing voice. Or, at least, he would, if he weren’t so half-hearted and self-conscious about singing with a whole bar of eyes on him. He sings on key, but his timing is totally off.
Tuck, on the other hand, can’t carry a tune. His voice might be smooth golden honey when he’s talking with his gravelly southern drawl, but his singing is hopelessly off-key. On the other hand, he’s totally enthusiastic and his timing is perfect.
If you could somehow combine their relative strengths, you’d have a pretty good singer. What actually happens, though, is their flaws amplify each other’s. The result isn’t pretty.
But at least it’s hysterical. Summer and I are leaning against each other, badly losing the battle to hold back our laughter. This just makes Tuck get into his role more, singing with more energy, while Hudson’s even more stilted and off-tempo.
“I’m never letting you talk me into this again,” Hudson grumbles to Summer when they finally hop off the stage.
The crowd at the bar is actually giving them a roaring round of applause, but it’s really the kind of applause you’d give a stand-up comedian after a hilarious set.
“You say that now,” Tuck says to him, “but you know you can’t resist the allure of the microphone now that you’ve had a taste. My mind is bursting with ideas for the next duets we’re going to sing.”
Hudson opts to take a big swig of his beer instead of replying.
Tuck acts like a hype man for every person or group who steps up to the stage, cheering loudly for them and clapping like a madman after their songs are done. He’s got such an infectious, positive energy, it’s hard to believe I ever used to think he was a jerk.
But that’s what bad experiences in your past will do to you. They keep you from seeing things, people, or potential relationships for what they actually are; instead, you keep looking for similarities and analogies between them and the things that hurt you.
“One more song!” Tuck exclaims after finishing the last of his beer. The team is being run ragged with practices this week, so he and Hudson are just sticking to one beer each tonight.
“Don’t put Hudson through that again, Tuck,” I say.
A mischievous glare dances in Tuck’s eyes as he looks at me. “Oh, don’t worry. I’m not.”
Before I know what’s happening, Tuck’s pulled me up to the stage with him. My stomach drops as I take in the crowd looking at us.
It’s funny. I never have a problem with nerves on stage, when ten times the number of people or more are looking at me. The thing is, when I’m on stage, I don’t feel like myself. I feel like the character I’m playing. So all those people aren’t looking at me . They aren’t reacting to me . They aren’t judging me . Only my role.
Tuck puts on the song Just The Girl by The Click Five. As usual, he’s one hundred percent into it from the very first lyrics, putting on a performance like everyone in here bought a thousand-dollar ticket just to see him.
He’s still utterly off-key, but boy is he enthusiastic about it. And the crowd is into it, cheering him on.
As he’s singing about a guy who’s smitten with a girl who wants nothing to do with him, he’s looking at me with a knowing glimmer in his eyes that makes it impossible for me not to smile and blush as I follow along with the lyrics.
Our little audience erupts with applause when we finish. Tuck immediately gathers me up in his arms, lifting me and spinning me around. I kick my feet as his quick, tight spin makes me dizzy, laughing at the hoots and whistles coming from the rest of the bar.
Tuck’s still singing the song as the four of us walk home, his arm slung possessively around my shoulders, pulling me into the firm but comfortable warmth of his side.
Sparks scatter over me when Tuck nuzzles a kiss into the soft, sensitive area between my jaw and my ear.
Those sparks only grow hotter and more electric when he whispers, “How about spending the night at my place?”