melodies at midnight (a.g x m.j)

stupid feelings

Ariana ~ August 19th, 1977

I take the payment from the female customer and return her change, she says thanks and goes on her way.

"Oh, how we take these nights for granted." I hear Susan voice from a few feet away while she has a box in hand.

It's been a pretty dead night so far which is a nice change from the busy days I've been working through. Susan isn't exactly wrong about us taking it for granted, I'm off in about an hour and am truthfully just counting down the time until I can perform a song.

"You're right about that." I reply with a small smile, she then goes off to the back and I'm alone again.

Before I even know it, I'm laughing to myself and I hope I don't look like a crazy person. Janet's persistent phone calls plague my mind, she's been calling me every single day and every single night just to vent to me about certain things. At first, I thought it was super strange but then I realized she probably just doesn't have any friends to talk to. She'll tell me about her working on set or seeing La Toya getting stood up on dates. All in all, it's very random stories.

She'll occasionally tell me things about Michael and I bet if I asked her for more, she would tell me but I don't want to come off as creepy or a weirdo. Though the truth is, I'd love to speak to him again. Whether it's advice in the business or just a simple conversation. I know our interactions have always been short and nothing more than friendly, he just seems like he has such a good head on his shoulders and it helps that he's cute too.

I come back to reality and look around the room, I'm working the bar alone tonight which is fine for me as long as this steady pace keeps going. Some time passes by and I've only had to do a few more orders.

"You good to go, Ariana?" The club drummer stands across from me holding his drum sticks.

I nod rapidly before exiting from the back of the bar. "Let's do this." I state, stepping onto the stage.

The usual crowd on a dead night sits in front of me laughing and drinking. I grab the microphone tightly. "I'm Ariana and I'm going to be singing A Natural Woman by Miss Aretha Franklin, the queen herself."

Subtle clapping is heard across the room as the band starts playing the music.

*yall can play the vid of ari singing now if u wanna feel extra immersed in the story*

Looking out on the morning rain
I used to feel so uninspired
And when I knew I had to face another day
Lord, it made me feel so tired

While I sing, I keep my eyes closed to focus on keeping every note steady.

Before the day I met you
Life was so unkind
You're the key
To my piece of mind

Cause you make me feel
You make me feel
You make me feel
Like a natural woman

This song is a very soulful song so I make sure to emphasize every word with passion.

When my soul was in the lost and found
You came along to claim it
I didn't know just what was wrong with me
Til your kiss helped me name it

Now I'm no longer doubtful
Of what I'm livin for
And if I make you happy
I don't need to do more

Once I hit the chorus again, I feel like I'm the only person in the room. Just me and the microphone.

Cause you make me feel
You make me feel
You make me feel
Like a natural woman

Oh baby, what ya done to me
Made me feel so good inside
And I just wanna be close to you
You make me feel so alive