to stare at all week to try and work out the color. There wasn’t an ocean between us anymore, it was just us in the room and she was right inside me.
Her gaze tore away and spun over the crowd. It was more than lust I was feeling for Rachel.
“You’ve gotta sing too,” she urged when she’d finished.
“Really, I’m seriously bad. You don’t want to hear me sing.”
“But this is your reckless night, you’ve gotta sing.”
“Honest Rach, I’m not just being modest.”
“Well, I’ll sing with you then. Come on, let’s pick a song.”
My heart was not in it, I couldn’t decide, so making an excuse to escape I fought my way back to the bar to get us another drink for more courage and left Rach to make the choice.
“We’re third up!” she yelled over the noise of the crowd when I returned. “We’re singing Snow Patrol’s, Chasing Cars!”
“Don’t expect anything great from me!”
“It’s fun, it’s not a contest, relax!”
“Relax… Easy for you to say, you can sing!”
“Well now you’re gonna sing!”
“Yeah, right.”
“Seriously, Jason, you need to chill, you shoulda bought another shot! Courage!”
I smiled at her, an open smile. I was trying not to, but I felt like I was spoiling her night.
When I raised my bottle to my mouth she tipped the bottom up so my mouth flooded with beer.
I coughed and sputtered while she laughed. I gave her a wry smile afterwards.
I didn’t know how anyone could stay in a bad mood around her. I leaned forward, my hand resting on her waist to steady myself in the crowd and whispered near her ear, “I’m cheering up. I’ll give it my best shot.”
“You do that, Jason Macinlay, or you’ll have me to answer to!”
I grinned at her and carried on drinking my beer, as the crowd about us started singing along with the guy on the microphone, to Ne-Yo’s, Let Me Love You. The words hit me, just as the words of Firework had.
I doubted Rach loved herself, despite all her bravado.
The words of the Ne-Yo song kept on reverberating as though they were in my chest, and distracting my thoughts, or perhaps it was the alcohol, that distracted my thoughts, or the hot woman next to me, in a tight red dress, whose hip kept brushing mine.
“We’re up!” She grasped my hand and pulled.
“Already?” I was moving but I suddenly felt a cold sweat of fear. This wasn’t me…
“Yep, already!” She shouted down from the stage, smiling at me and trying to tug me after her.
I stepped up. My heart was hammering. Then I looked at all the people. The room was full. Rach shoved a microphone into my chest. I took it without thought.
The guy managing the sound system reached out and grabbed my beer. Perhaps he realized I might well freak and spill it all over the electrics. Rach was still gripping her drink.
The music began and my heart was in my throat. Shit, Rachel, why the hell are you making me do this?
She started singing, in a perfect key, her eyes wide and urging me to pick it up.
If I didn’t, I’d let her down, I wasn’t going to let her down. I opened my mouth and sound came out, it didn’t sound great but her perfect pitch carried it. I carried on trying to match my tone to hers and our voices blended and it didn’t sound too bad at all. It gave me confidence and I forgot the people in the room completely and just looked at her, her green eyes were shining, staring into mine, smiling, like she laughed even as she sang, and I sang with her.
I found myself enjoying it, truly enjoying it, as we sang to each other what was basically a love song while the crowd around us sang along so loud they probably never even heard my voice.
It was possibly the most empowering experience of my life, and my racing heart became enthused by the buzz of adrenaline from the fear. God, I wanted to kiss Rach, just once, right now.
I didn’t, and then the song ended and I realized I’d forgotten everything going on around me. It was over too soon. When we climbed down, I gripped Rach’s hand. “I want to do it again.”
Her gaze spun to me, “Really?”
“Yeah, I enjoyed it.”
She laughed, her arms coming up about my neck at the same time.
Her hug was firm, short and sharp, but the knowledge of it twisted something very male in my gut.
“Hey!” The sound guy held out my beer.
I turned and grabbed it, glad of the distraction.
“We’ll pick another song then.” Rach reached for the lists.
We were laughing uncontrollably over nothing, and I gripped Jason’s arm to stop myself stumbling as we stepped up the curb and joined the nightclub queue.
He’d been down after Lindy’s call but the karaoke had cheered him up. He’d been terrified of doing it, I’d seen that, but he’d done it, and loved it, and we’d ended up singing three songs together. He wouldn’t brave it alone.
The third song we’d laughed as much as we’d sung. I’d picked Coldplay’s, Viva La Vida, and the crowd had loved it. They all sang along as we belted it out.
I kept a hold of his arm. I was feeling a little worse off for drinking, but I didn’t give a damn, we were having fun. I was having fun. I was seriously high. My head had been fizzing all night, crowded with thoughts while my nerves hummed with energy. I wanted to dance. I loved dancing. Normally on a night like this, if I’d been with Declan, we’d have taken cocaine. But I didn’t need drugs. I was high on life with Jason.
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