Liam cleared his throat. “Ready?”
We were already halfway toward the exit.
I smiled and nodded.
Was I actually ready for tonight?
Hell. No.
A guy named Dozer stood at the door and let us in.
“It’s open mic tonight,” he said. “So if I have that itch to try out your voice, tonight’s the night.”
Liam looked at me and I shook my head.
“Don’t even,” I warned.
He showed his hands and we went into the music club.
It was about three-fourths full. The stage was bigger than it looked from outside. With rich, purple lights shining down on an empty, wooden barstool and a mic stand.
I swallowed hard when I saw it.
Then I nibbled on my bottom lip…
“Imagining yourself up there, Em?” Liam asked.
“No,” I lied.
Liam laughed and gently touched my wrist.
I gasped.
But he had no choice other than to touch my wrist. To guide me to the bar. To keep me and him from getting separated.
Of course the second we got to the bar, we were greeted by a beautiful woman with pitch-black hair, vixen eyes, and tattoos on her wrists.
“What can I get the happy couple?” she asked.
At that point, Liam and I looked at each other and laughed it off.
“Two beers,” Liam said.
I nudged my elbow into Liam. “She’s your type, I bet. She tells the story without even talking to her.”
Liam leaned against the bar. “Is that so, Em? Did you forget the part where I’m engaged?”
I gasped. Heat rushed to my face.
You forgot he’s engaged…
“Oh, I’m just kidding,” I said. “You know that. I’m picking on you. I meant that, you know, if you didn’t give up the skateboarding life… she would have been your type.”
The bartender came back with two beers.
Liam paid.
I didn’t even attempt to offer money for the drink.
Instead, my embarrassment ran through my body.
“And what about you?” Liam asked as he turned away from the bar.
I followed him as he walked. “What about me?”
“Where did it all get twisted?” He looked down at me for a second as we walked. “I was skateboarding, causing trouble, the cops chasing me around town. Now I’m wearing a suit, defending trademarks and patents. And you were a great singer. Playing guitar. Secretly dreaming of becoming a musician.”
“Things change,” I said.
“When you moved away, right?”
Liam stopped at an empty table and pointed.
I nodded.
He pulled a chair out for me and swung around to sit across from it.
“So what happened, Em?” Liam asked. “I know we faded apart. Which sucked. But we met again at the college.”
Where I introduced you to Miranda and you two hit it off and then took off to law school…
“You know what, Liam?” I asked. “Does any of it matter?”
Liam leaned forward and opened his mouth.
“Hello out there!” a voice boomed through the microphone.
I looked to the stage and saw three women.
“I’m Carla. This is Faye and Robin. We’re going to sing. Is that okay?”
A handful of people clapped.
“When are you going to sing, Em?” Liam called out to me.
I looked at him and shook my head. “Never.”
“I skateboarded and almost lost my life,” he said. “The least you can do is sing.”
I put my finger to my lips.
The three women started to sing.
Which saved me from where this conversation - and night - were headed.
The thing about a song… it always ends.
Thing about a set of songs… they always end too.
I managed to get twenty minutes of just staring at the stage as the three women sang.
They were amazing.
Three different voices, different harmonies, mixing together that one second made me shiver and the next second made me a little jealous.
I had been walking by this club for so long, not sure if I could enter it and enjoy myself. Because Liam was right. Singing and playing guitar had been an important part of my life.
Then.
Not now.
I hadn’t sang a note… other than in the shower or while cooking, which really wasn’t singing. It was just messing around.
Everyone clapped for the three women.
Carla. Faye. Robin.
Carla waved.
Liam whistled.
Then he said. “Your turn, Em.”
My head whipped around. “Stop it.”
“If you don’t, I will,” he said.
“What?”
He stood up. “I’m going up there. I’ve never sang in my life. I don’t sing. Ever. Not even in the shower.”
My eyes struggled to look at his eyes.
Liam… in the shower…
No, no, no, no…
I blamed the beer.
That whole one beer that apparently was so strong that it was making me think about Liam naked in the shower.
“Liam, sit down,” I said.
“Nope,” he said. “I have a song to sing.”
He moved from the table and I stood up.
There’s no way…
There is a way, Emily. This is the Liam you knew all those years ago. The one who was crazy like this. Who looked for adventure and trouble, no matter what…
Maybe he wasn’t exactly the same bad boy, but he was badass enough to walk up to the stage like he owned it.
The person controlling the lights and mic pointed to him.
A few seconds later, Liam was on the stage.
I put my hands over my mouth as the shock rippled through my body.
“Hey there,” Liam said.
A few people yelled HEY! back.
“I’m going to be real with you,” Liam said. “I can’t sing. But I’m doing this to get the best singer in this place up on this stage. And I’m not leaving this stage until she comes up here. So feel free to boo me, to yell at me, to chase me off this stage. If you’re going to throw a drink, place it on the stage so I can drink it. Or better yet, you keep drinking. Because I really suck at singing.”
Liam looked at me.
I shook my head.
He cleared his throat.
He put both hands around the microphone and closed his eyes.
Liam, no. No. You can’t…
He belted out a note that made my eardrums want to call it quits.
I put my fingers to my ears and cringed.
I was embarrassed for him.
It took three seconds before people started to boo him.
I looked around and everyone was slowly covering their eyes.
Even the gorgeous bartender.
She looked at me, remembering who we were.
She pointed to me, then to the stage.
I shook my head.
She put her hands together, begging me.
Liam didn’t stop with that first note either.
He began to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star… but he tried to do it like a professional singer would do the national anthem, except he was incapable of hitting any note that was even semi decent.
I allowed the monstrosity to continue for another ten seconds before I took one step forward.
When I did, Liam looked right at me. And he pointed.