me to me | morgan wallen

man! i feel like a woman!

As the night went on, more and more shots were had and the girls were definitely drunk. But every person in that bar was drunk or equally as drunk... at least to them. Cheering on each performing act, Kat couldn't help but miss the wild and carefree nights she had with her friends. She knew she was in a routine with Max that was boring and lacking something... but she didn't know what. Boring was safe though... at least that's what she was told.

"Three Musketeers- oh god," the host announced before sighing making the girls cheer.

Running towards the front of the bar and on the small wooden stage, Hailey hollered "Shania this is for you".

Grabbing their microphones, the girls prepared themselves. Man! I Feel Like A Woman began to play and the girls began to sing. As the first verse began, Hailey belted her heart out. Amara missed all of her lines and was dancing while Kat sang off-tune butchering all the words.

The crowd sang along as Kat scanned the room. Her eyes met an unfamiliar but somewhat familiar pair of eyes. His hat was pulled low, an amused smile on his face at the small-town bar singing chaos.

By the time the song ended, the three girls were in hysterics, clutching onto each other as the song ended. Handing the microphones back, their faces were flushed from laughter as they took the shots from the host.

"That had to be the worst we could have ever done," Amara giggled, her drink sloshing in her cup with each step.

"That was so much fun" Kat replied as Hailey handed them all a small water cup.

As they made their way to the bar, Kat could feel a pertinent stare that she couldn't shake off. When she glanced over to meet those similar eyes, he had given a small nod and raised his glass to her. Kat smiled and did the same back before turning around and meeting the gazes of her friends.

Amara nudged Kat, "You have a fan".

Kat rolled her eyes brushing the comment off. "He probably was concerned about how horrible we were".

"Uh-huh sure" Hailey said as she sipped her drink before doing a double take. "Holy shit. Nobody look".

The girls glued their eyes on Hailey as she spoke, "That is Morgan Wallen".

Amara snapped her head to look as Hailey immediately turned her friend around.

"Okkk Kat" Amara cheered.

Kat tried not to think much about it, but the way he looked at her made her feel some way. Not because he was a celebrity but because he looked at her in a way that no one had looked at her in a long time.

"Round on the house!" the bartender winked at Hailey as he handed the girls some drinks.

After a few more rounds, their faces girls were still perched at the bar and cheering on other performers. Giving ratings after each performance based on energy and song choice, they found themselves settling into their drunk and comfortable night.

"Yall didn't do too bad" a voice spoke from behind them, making them all turn around.

Kat met those similar eyes and her breath hitched. Morgan was standing in front of her, his hat lifted just enough to be recognizable but still discreet. His tone was playful but easygoing alongside the grin he was wearing.

Amara broke the two seconds of silence, "Not too bad? We were honestly horrible".

Morgan chuckled, "You guys had the most fun".

Kat tried to fathom the fact he looked so casual and relaxed despite his status. He was definitely blending in but the fact that he was in front of her made her feel butterflies.

"You're not singing tonight?" Kat smiled at him curiously jokingly.

"Nah. I wanted to leave it to the professionals" he said as his eyes lingered on her.

Hailey grinned staring at the interaction, "Kat was born for the stage. Right Amara?".

Amara nodded in disbelief, "Kat actually got me into singing".

Morgan chuckled at the girls as he focused his gaze on Amara, "You need a better teacher".

Kat's cheeks flushed pink as she laughed, "Hey! I think I did good!".

Morgan nodded with a grin, "You did good and really let loose... you just need a better teacher".

His voice was smooth and steady making Kat feel all types of butterflies. His gaze was focused on her making her feel confident yet self-conscious at the same time. She really did let loose, and he wasn't saying it to flatter her. He meant that she was carefree... and drunk. A way she hadn't been in a long time.

"Do you come here often?" Amara piped enjoying learning about Morgan as Hailey tried to hold back laughter from her stupid question.

"Actually once in awhile," Morgan replied. "I have a place around here not too far but I don't like when people know I'm in town".

Kat was stunned that he even had a place nearby. Bradley had mentioned his family knowing Morgan's family but it felt surreal. A big star having a place in their town? How odd. How unreal.

"So why karaoke night?" Hailey asked being entertained by Morgan's conversation as she sipped on her drink.

"I heard they do karaoke here and wanted to see how it was" Morgan shrugged.

"And how is it?" Hailey asked.

"You guys were the best so far. I'm enjoying myself," Morgan smiled genuinely.

Kat noticed the crinkle in his eyes when he smiled making herself turn red from just the fact that she noticed.

Hailey looked back and forth between the two before grabbing Amara's hand, "I need to pee".

Kat shot her a look before redirecting her attention on Morgan. She could feel the weight of his stare and for a moment, the bar was just background noise.

"Your friends seem like a good time," he said leaning against the bar.

"They are," Kat nodded as she glanced at them walking towards the restroom. "We don't have nights like this much anymore".

Morgan nodded, "It just makes nights like this more memorable".

Kat nodded as she felt all the pressure from her relationship flooding her mind. From moving in with Max, holding herself back unknowingly, and feeling like she forgot herself — it was all hitting.

"Yeah I needed this. Half of the time I'm living a dream but it's kind of killing me inside," she said to herself. Her own words took her aback. They just came out but she didn't even notice how she felt.

"Nights like this can remind you of who you are" he said sipping on his drink.

Kat whipped her head towards him, "I guess I have been needing something more that I haven't been able to really find". The look in their eyes was different. She didn't know what she was looking for but she knew he understood. This was a look of relief and understanding. She felt seen. It was a moment that was so rare that it felt like he had met her before.

"So how long are you in town for?" she asked trying to break whatever unspoken tension between them.

"A week. Just laying low here for now" he shrugged.