Of Kings and Aces

59| Checkmate

We stood on the stage and plugged our instruments. Behind us, Jaxx adjusted his seat and the drum kit. Women in beautiful, expensive designer gowns and men in tuxedos, coats and ties, and barongs filled the room. Little boys in their dressy tuxedoes and little girls in their frilly dresses were either seated properly or running around, chasing one another. My gaze followed Justin as he waved to one of the pretty brunette flower girls who blushed and tucked her hair behind her ear. 

Charming. That boy is going to give Cara a lot of headaches, I chuckled.

That night, the stage was not in Camachile Sky but at the marina in Pier Sixty in New York. It was our friend's wedding, and we obliged to play a couple of songs for them. After all, no one is too old to be in a rock band. 

The sun dipped into the horizon, leaving the sky a beautiful palette of indigo, pink, and flaming orange. The wispy clouds captured the striking colors, giving a gorgeously picturesque background worthy of a front-page in Digital Photography. There was a joyous yet calming vibe despite the groom's nerves being worse than mine when I had a panic attack.

"Alright guys, you ready?" Seb grinned from ear to ear. I nodded while Chino gave him a thumbs-up sign.

Jaxx did a little drumroll and nodded. "Ready when you are, chef."

Seb took everyone's attention, strummed the guitar, and started singing. I absorbed the cheerfulness and contentment of the people present to witness the love shared by the newlyweds. They were deliriously happy, and Seb was a sap for choosing the songs, though I particularly liked the one we're playing.

This is how it's supposed to be, I thought, grinning.  We all deserved to be happy. 

Cara was taking a video of the show, watching her two boys on the stage. Jaxx was all smiles looking at Justin, who was busy concentrating on playing his little drum kit beside his dad. He looked to him every now and then, and Jaxx would encourage him even though his little hammering was drowned by the sound of our guitars and his dad's drum beats.

Even though still single and very much picky, Chino had crawled out of his shy shell and started dating. Val was still Val, trying to move on from her recent heartbreak by having fun, though she was not reckless this time.

Seb patted my back, signaling my turn to sing and I nod. We've practiced this song several times, but the lyrics still have not lost their effect on me. It triggered a funny little emotion inside, something warm and comforting and melancholy at the same time.

"There were so many reasons that we shouldn't have met, I coulda turned right when you turned left, but the world's got a funny way of stacking the deck, don't forget," I sang.

From the first time I heard it, it reminded me of Azure Eyes. Of all the ways to stack the deck, his card had to end up right beside mine. And no matter how you look at it, a king and an ace was always a good combination.

But not us, apparently. I sighed internally as I continued to play for the guests. I had accepted the ending of our story. It was not what I had hoped for, but it was the best one, I guess.

"Too much heartache, too many nights, so many coulda, woulda, shoulda, but I never tried," I accidentally belted that one out wrong because it was true; I did not try hard enough.

Maybe it was for the best. We were both not in a good place at that time. Perhaps he was just one of those people who was meant to be part of my life temporarily, who was meant to make me realize who I was supposed to be, then leave. Change me drastically, drive me to the edge, push me into my crisis, and pull me back out again.