A couple of weeks later, on a Saturday night in early October, Carter, Ronnie and I headed over to Aidan's Pub for Xander's gig. It had been rescheduled because of everything that had happened since the first day of school. Usually, Aidan's did live DJing starting at 9:30, but because Xander was doing live music, the restaurant was starting at 8:00 instead. Carter, Ronnie and I headed over at 7:30, so we could be early. We were ushered inside by the front of house and seated close to the short stage. We stuck our jackets on the backs of our chairs and walked over to the stage, where Xander was setting up.
"Hey, Xander. Looks like there's already a lot of people here." Xander turned around and smiled brilliantly at me.
"Hey, Allie. I'm glad you guys were able to come. I was so grateful when the owner was flexible enough to reschedule my gig." He had a relieved look on his face. I grinned back at him as I glanced over at the table where Carter, Ronnie and I were sitting. They both nodded at me and I decided to take a chance.
"Why wouldn't we be here? We're your friends." I flashed him a smile as I continued. "And at least one of us wants to be a little more than that." Xander looked surprised for a moment, but I didn't give him a chance to say anything else. "I should head back over to my table. It looks like our waitress is taking our orders. We'll be nearby cheering you on, Xander!"
Xander grinned at me as I walked back to my table. As I sat down, Carter and Ronnie both gave me a thumbs-up. I rolled my eyes at them as I gave the waitress my drink order.
"I suck at flirting, guys. I'm pretty sure I just creeped out my musician friend," I said as I glanced toward the stage. Ronnie snorted as she glanced over my shoulder at Xander.
"I'm pretty sure he doesn't think that, Allie." I turned around and saw Xander flash me a wink as he picked up his beautiful, light-colored, wooden guitar. I bit my lip as my cheeks turned slightly pink. I waved shyly at him as the live music show began.
"How are we doing tonight, guys?" Xander asked, speaking into the microphone.
He instantly wore a warm and open grin as his voice echoed throughout the restaurant. The entire room erupted in cheers. The excitement was infectious, making me start to grin even more. Right as our waitress came over to take our meal orders, Xander started his first song.
Halfway through the concert, while Xander was taking a ten-minute break, I got up to use the bathroom. I walked past the stage to get to the bathrooms. I quickly used the bathroom and headed back out.
"That was fast. Not interested in missing any part of my concert?" Xander joked, winking at me. My face felt hot as I turned to face him.
"Nope. You have good music and I wanna hear it. Just not from the bathroom." Xander flashed me a bright smile as he answered.
"Good to know. I'd hate it if a pretty girl missed any part of my gig because she had to pee." My cheeks started to burn again as I tried to fight off a huge smile. I laughed, slightly offended.
"Really? You think I'm pretty?" I teased. He laughed, too, seemingly at a loss for words.
"Well, of course. If you'd needed to, I would've led you to the employee bathroom." I snorted.
"I'm not some kind of damsel in distress, Xander." Xander chuckled at my response.
"Are you the hero, then, if you're not the damsel in distress?" I smiled, shaking my head.
"Nope. No heroes here. Just some average, everyday human being who likes to be pretty independent. I might be willing to change my mind about being quite so independent if someone could turn my head," I suggested, winking.
I walked back to my table, leaving Xander standing there surprised. Did that seriously just happen? I shook my head. Definitely not. I did not just have playful banter with one of my best friends. I definitely imagined that part.
When I got back to my seat, Ronnie and Carter gave me knowing looks. I rolled my eyes as I continued eating my dinner. They totally just saw us flirting. Not that it'd be hard to see the stage. We're only a few tables away.
"So...?" Carter asked, clasping his hands together on the table. I raised an eyebrow at Carter and turned to Ronnie. She grinned at me as Xander continued his gig. I rolled my eyes again and sighed.
"I just flirted with Xander. The one time that I don't suck at flirting and it's with Xander at his restaurant gig," I said, in between bites. Ronnie and Carter laughed lightly.
"See? Didn't I tell you that you two are a good pair?" Ronnie answered, knowingly. I rolled my eyes, smiling.
"Yes, you know everything about romance, Ms. Yu. You're a brilliant matchmaker and I should listen to you more often," I teased sarcastically. Ronnie snickered as she took a sip of her drink.
"Don't look now, but Musician McHottie Friend is looking at you!" Ronnie sang softly. I turned around and caught Xander's eye for a few seconds. He smiled warmly at me and then, winked, just like he had before. Even as we maintained eye contact, he kept singing. It was only as the song ended that he had to pull his eyes away. A moment after he looked away, I looked at Ronnie, who had her arms crossed and was giving me a look.
"He was totally staring at you and neither of you could look away. If that isn't a sign, I don't know what it is," she quietly squealed, as the next song started. I tried to keep my breathing even as I glanced back up at Xander.
"I think it might've been him who couldn't look away," I answered, still staring at the stage.
'If that isn't a sign, I don't know what it is'? What does that mean? When Xander's gig ended, he came to sit with Ronnie, Carter, and me.
"Hey, Xander..." Ronnie said, elbowing me. I flashed her a look as Carter spoke
"So, seems like everyone really liked your music. Some more than others." Carter flashed me a wink and elbowed me, too. I rolled my eyes again. No way that I successfully flirt with Xander twice in a row. Xander grinned as he answered.
"Well, what can I say? My music has universal appeal."
"It's not just your music," I muttered into my glass as I took a sip.
"What was that?" My cheeks grew hot again as I kept drinking to hide my blush. Xander chuckled softly as he continued. "Well...since my...music..." He winked at me. "...Has universal appeal, Allie, would you like to go to lunch with me tomorrow?" I opened my mouth to make up some excuse why I couldn't, but Ronnie beat me to it.
"She'd love to. Pick her up at noon at her house. She'll be ready to go by then." I flashed Ronnie a subtly irritated look and then turned back to Xander, smiling.
"Yeah, I'd love to. I'll see you tomorrow, then." Xander grinned as he stood up.
"See you tomorrow, Allie."
YOU ARE READING
Shadowsnow
Teen FictionAllie Price is just your average teenage girl, except she isn't. She has superpowers that, based on her own knowledge, come from an unknown source. This is her journey from zero to hero as the rising superheroine, Shadowsnow.
