twisted | ✔️

chapter five

       

I had gone home to change, but I arrived at the bar a little after eight thirty right as the lights were dimming, the bouncer stamping my hand and allowing me to step inside. Tonight was opening night for a new karaoke bar by the university, and somehow, with enough begging and puppy-dog eyes, Kaleb had convinced me to ditch out on my warm bed to put on high heels and come support his band and him at their latest gig.

I weaved my way through the crowd, locating Emmy who was waving me down from a booth near the front facing the stage, the first strums of a bass guitar coming through the speakers and spreading over the audience. Casey was there, moving over so I could sit down, along with Austin who was cozied up next to Emmy, his arm wrapped around her shoulders, and Noah, directly across from me.

I was settled in, slinging my jacket over the back of the seat, when I felt a foot tap against mine. I looked up and Noah was pointing at his drink, mouthing "What do you want?" so I could understand him despite the loud music. I mouthed "Martini" in return, trying to dig my credit card out of my bag, but he was gone before I even looked back up. I sighed, exasperated, wondering just how difficult he was going to make this situation for me, just how many signals I was going to have to try and decipher, and I saw Casey out of the corner of my eye, looking at me with a knowing expression, like she could see exactly what was going on. Even though I wasn't even sure I knew.

"Which one is he?" Austin asked, leaning over the table toward me and raising his voice to be heard.

"The drummer," I responded, turning to see Kaleb in the back, behind his drum set, tapping along beneath his lead singer's voice. I'd heard their music before, on demo tracks, during acoustic sessions in the music shop, and they were a little dark, a little weird, but they were good. My eyes drifted from Kaleb, across the stage, past Elijah on guitar, past Cassidy on the bass, and they landed on Tyler, who was crooning into the mic, slowly wrapping his hand around it, his hair falling into his face, absolutely mesmerizing, and I couldn't think of anything I wouldn't give to be that microphone in between his fingers.

Noah jarred me back into reality as he set my drink down next to me. I looked down at it, clear liquid with three little green olives against the side of the glass, and then back up at him.

"Oh," he said, grabbing the end of the toothpick and biting one of the olives off, "those are for me." He took his seat again, and I was shaken. There were only a handful of people that ever knew that about me, and he wasn't supposed to be one of them. I thanked him and turned back to the stage, focusing my attention on Tyler. He was the one I needed to end the night with, I told myself. He was attainable, I repeated over in my head.

The band played through their set. The music shifted, faster, more upbeat, and when my head started feeling light and the blood in my veins warm, I grabbed Casey by the hand and hauled her out into the middle of the floor, pulling her close, making sure Tyler knew this was for his benefit. I peered up at him, and he winked, the corner of his mouth curling up into a smile.

"Want another drink?" Noah asked as the last song ended and we returned to our seats.

"If you keep buying me drinks, Noah Davies," I said, "you'll be broke for San Diego. Take my card." But he waved his hand, refusing, and he left anyway, coming back with another martini for me and a beer for him.

"San Diego?" Casey asked, leaning over the table toward him, her red curls falling to one side of her body as she tilted her head. "What's that all about?" She was gorgeous, her eyes wide, lipstick matching the color of her hair perfectly. I watched as he told her enthusiastically about his fellowship, and she listened intently, saying how excited she was for him, telling him about her animal science classes, how she eventually wanted to go to veterinary school, and he told her how cool that was, and suddenly, I was a third wheel. I tried not to be jealous as they connected, reminding myself I had no room to feel any of it, that I had insisted there was nothing between him and me so she had every right, that he didn't want with me what he could have with her, but I still willed his eyes back on mine.