He looked up at me and grinned, pressing his bottle to his lips and taking a long sip before he pressed those very same lips to mine.
“Get a room, you two,” Ivy said, laughing as she threw a crumpled napkin at us. Her long braids were flecked with gold beads, and she looked like dynamite in a slinky white dress.
“Speaking of which,” Scarlet inserted, a smile playing on her lips, “Ivy, you’re my wing woman tonight. Let’s find some good men, shall we?” She pushed a red curl out of her face and held up her bottle of beer toward Ivy, who tapped it against her own.
“Done and done,” Ivy replied.
I’d been living with Scarlet and Ivy in student housing all school year, and while I wouldn’t have necessarily said that we’d developed any sort of rock solid, lasting friendship together, they were definitely a pair that I could have fun with. We’d all be moving out at the end of the week, so tonight also served as our last hurrah as roommates.
The lights in the bar dimmed considerably as a spotlight shone on a small stage in the corner. The music that had been playing overhead stopped as a man stepped onto the stage, microphone in hand. “Good evening, everyone! My name’s Ryan and I’m here to host karaoke night!”
Cheers erupted around the bar as Ryan chuckled and took a small bow.
“Alright, I love this enthusiasm—I can tell we’re going to have a lot of fun. So listen up, we’re going to let the house music play for another few minutes, but if you’d like to get on the mic, you can come on over and submit your song in this basket.” He held up a brown wicker basket above his head for everyone to see.
“Ohhh, Amelia,” Scarlet exclaimed, reaching out to grab my arm. “You have to sing!”
“Yes! You absolutely have to,” Ivy echoed.
“Uh . . .” I hesitated. “In front of all these people? I don’t know about that . . .”
“Come on,” Scarlet whined. “You’re pretty decent when you sing around the apartment!” My face flushed. I never realized anyone had been listening to me sing. Knowing that Scarlet was—I felt slightly embarrassed. I also knew she was a damn liar because I could barely hold a tune; Adam and Logan always teased me for it.
I looked around and watched as a handful of other people stood up to request a song. And then my eyes found Danny’s, and I could see the dare glinting in his blazing blue eyes. “Come on, Amelia. There’s nothing to be scared of.” A lazy smile spread across his face. “Show us what you can do up there.”
I sighed and made a show of rolling my eyes, but I could feel my cheeks pulling toward my ears as my own smile grew. I was never really one to put myself out there like this, but tonight—tonight I’d wanted to take risks. So what if I couldn’t hold a tune. Tonight was about breaking away and finding an opportunity to justlive.I recognized the fear that held me back, but decided not to let it control me. “You fuckers owe me,” I said as I scooted off of my chair and walked up to Ryan and the basket. I could hear the table behind me erupt in another round of cheers, and I rolled my eyes again.
There was a low table near the stage that held the big song book, and I flipped through it for a few minutes before I found a song that I knew would match Danny’s dare perfectly. That would help me lean into my fear. To let go of some control. He wanted to see a show—dammit, I would give him one.
I wrote the request on a small white slip of paper and dropped it into the basket and caught sight of the bar. If I was going to do this, I would need a few more shots.
Twenty minutesand three shots later—whoops—I heard Ryan say my name through the sound system. “Alright everybody, get ready for this next song. We have a bit of adangerousone, so I hope you’re all ready for it . . . Amelia, come on up!”
My friends broke out in loud applause as I got up to make my way over to the stage. I knew I should be feeling more nervous, but the tequila had worked wonders in boosting my confidence. As I reached Ryan, he handed me the microphone and helped me step onto the low stage. I made my way to the center of the platform, looking up to the crowd.
With the spotlight shining on me, it was difficult to see the surrounding bar and all of its patrons. I suddenly felt extremely exposed as a jolt of nerves crashed through my stomach. There was nothing but silence as we all collectively waited for the music to begin playing. I heard someone cough in the corner, the rattle of ice as the bartender made a drink.
Just as the jazzy music began to play, I noticed the door of the bar opening. The frame of the man who walked in seemed familiar to me and as I squinted, I realized it was Logan. I felt myself gasp in a small breath. I hadn’t seen Logan in a few months—not since going out with him and Adam for New Year’s Eve and watching him kiss a random brunette at midnight which, truthfully, had crushed me. He wore a white T-shirt and dark pants tonight, his long, unruly brown hair peeking out from underneath a backward Rockies hat. He looked . . . Well, he always looked good. He made his way directly to the bar, completely oblivious to the fact that I was on the stage, and another surge of embarrassment swept through me.
Just as he reached the bar, I began to sing “Dangerous Woman” by Ariana Grande. I’d meant for the sexy tune to be a total joke—what I’d thought was a hilarious response to Danny’s dare. But now, as I started to sing, watching Logan order a drink, I felt the familiar vulnerability that always seemed to rear itself within me when I was around him.
In an attempt to regain my composure, I closed my eyes and focused on the song’s opening lyrics.
Don’t need permission
Made my decision to test my limits
Cause it’s my business, God as my witness
Start what I finished
Don’t need no hold up
Taking control of this kind of moment
I’m locked and loaded
Completely focused, my mind is open
