Aftertaste [COMPLETED]

Chapter 7 :: Slap Bet

BERLIN'S P.O.V.

**

"HOW MUCH DO you want to bet she's gonna get us kicked out?," I heard Rory say to Logan. "How much you wanna bet that they'll join in?" Rory scoffed. "No way these people are contributing to this uprising of anarchy."

"Okay," Logan said, smiling coyly, "but if you're wrong I get to slap you. Ten times. Hard." Rory offered Logan a daring stare. "Deal." They shook on it.

I think anyways I was too busy entertaining my adoring audience. We were at a local pub - just down the street from Fusion in fact - and we were all - Rory, Logan, and I - sitting on the barstools directly in front of the bar itself. The radio had been on, stationed to 104.3, one of my favourite radio stations.

Then, when Rather Be, a song by Clean Bandit Featuring Jess Glynn, came on I hopped off of my barstool and started singing, but it was my jam, could you really blame me?

"Oh, God." Logan buried his head in his hands in embarrassment as I grooved to the beat of the bridge leading to the chorus. "With every step we take, Kyoto to the-Bays, strollin' so casually!" Heads started turning when I sang out the next set of lyrics. "We're different and the-same, gave you a-no-ther-name, switch out the ba-tter-ries!"

People began to sway to the beat of the music. One guy at a round table near me shouted out, "Bars!" I pointed a finger at him in approval.

I was feeling myself so I climbed up one of the round tables near me. The people sitting there threw their fist in the air and began "whooing" as I clapped to the lyrics. "If you gave me a chance I will take it, its a shot in the dark, but I'll make. Know with all of your heart you can't shake me! When I am with you, there's no place I'd rather be!"

I switched it up singing, "All to-ge-ther now, altogether now!" Leaning down low, clapping from side to side.

The voices began to multiply, and be fore I knew it, the whole bar had joined in, clapping and singing along: aall to-ge-ther now, altogether now!

"Sweet baby Jesus." I looked over to see Rory pale with disbelief. "They're actually joining in."

I turned in a half circle to face the back, then I noticed that the clapping began to die out as well as the chanting. When I turned the back the way I had come, mid-chant, I realised why. "All to ge-" Then, mid crouch-clap, I found myself nose to nose with a less than happy manager.

He couldn't've been much older than me; twenty, twenty one maybe. He had a solid yet lean build, with muscles that seemed to bulge out of his black t-shirt when he crossed his arms. He had dark hair, bright blue eyes, and a mouth which he pursed in bordering anger.

I was still frozen mid clap. I showed my teeth and knitted my eyebrows together in sort of a terrified smile that said Oops, Busted?

I looked over his shoulder. Logan and Rory were holding hands, terrified. Neither moved or blinked. In fact, no one in the entire pub moved an inch. It was dead silent in the entire place expect for the song that was still playing happily in the background. Off in the distance, somewhere outside, I could hear a fruit fly beat its wings as it made its great escape.

At that very moment I wished that I could grow a pair of wings and fly away from this awkward situation.

Along with the beating wings, I heard the slight breathing of the manager. He nodded his head as he narrowed his eyes."You like this song, huh?," he asked in a gruff voice. I gulped, afraid to say anything. "Um, yeah?," I said, my voice completely cracking. He cracked a crooked smile, which, if we're being honest here, I didn't believe he was capable of until in saw it for myself.