Midnight Music

Chapter 7

I was still smiling when I entered the Masked Muse, which was two hours after Ace had left for work. He's the reason why music became my passion-it's always been there with him, in every situation. "One thing that makes you great is that you believe in music a lot more than kids believe in fairy tales and Santa Clause." he once pointed out when I was younger. And with that comment, my decision for my future career was final. Whether I have my parents' support or not, I'm going into music.

"Iris!" My head snapped back to the present. Looking up, my eyes met with Swan's as I approached the bar. "Glad you could make it."

"Me too." I responded politely as my card was scanned and I went through the red door. A flight of stairs led down to dressing rooms, sound-proof practice rooms with large glass windows, and finally the backstage. There were already several performers getting ready to go on stage, few I recognized.

At the sight of me, Platinum made his way over to me. "Good evening, milady. You're looking very lovely tonight." He took my hand to kiss it.

I rolled my eyes and pushed his nose away. "I almost forgot in this past week how much of a flirt you are." He laughed as he regained his balance.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to some of the other Masked Muse members," he took my hand and led me towards a group in the far corner of the backstage. "Everyone, you remember the beautiful Iris, right? Iris, meet the gang."

He started with the couple of my left, who were holding hands and smiling nicely. "These 2 are our lovebirds, Dimitri and Anya. They've been together for over a year, and only they get to do all the Anastasia pieces. Then we have the Beast, Oz, and Ivory." I recognized Ivory in her black and white costume to be the skilled pianist.

"Hello. I loved all of your performances, you're very talented." I smiled enthusiastically to hide my nervousness.

"So are you," Ivory took my hands in hers. "Thank you for bringing Platinum's reign to an end. I was worried the Star title was going to make him more hotheaded than he already is."

I laughed. So, he's always cocky? "It was my pleasure. So, how does the Sing Off work from back here? When am I supposed to go on?"

"The stagehands will let you know and get you set up, then you just sing with whoever the finalist is." Dimitri answered, still holding his girlfriend close.

"Sounds good."

"And if you ever need help with music, just talk to Heartz." Anya pointed to the other corner, where a dark-skinned woman was talking to some stagehands. Her dark hair was pulled back into a bun, which had a jeweled heart-shaped hairpin in it. Her black dress was spotted with red hearts, and her face was covered with a red mask similar to mine. "She takes care of pretty much everything dealing with music, so she's always the one to talk to. Almost literally the heart of the club."

"Good to know. Thanks."

"Five minutes until show time, everyone!" A stagehand called out as they walked around the backstage. "Up first is Dimitri versus Ivory, so get ready!"

Everyone quickly bade each other 'see you later' and wished them luck, then went in separate directions. Platinum stayed by my side.

"What?" I asked when I caught him staring at me.

"You're just so beautiful. And I have a proposal for you," He took my hand in his once more and knelt on one knee. I panicked for a moment, then he spoke. "Will you be my partner for Duet Night, milady?"

"W-what?"

"Duet Night is this Wednesday, and I'd like to do a duet with you. I know it's not much time to practice, but I'm sure we'll be able to pull it off."

"I. . . uh. . ." I didn't know what to say. I only met this guy last week, known him for less than an hour in total. Now he wants me to be his partner? "I'll think about it."

"Of course. You don't have to give me an answer right away," He stood back up, smiling mischievously as he leaned towards me. "But I hope you accept my offer."

Rolling my eyes, I pushed his forehead away. Does he lack personal boundaries completely? I need my space, literally.

The rest of the Sing Off went by, and Platinum ended up being my opponent. He chose the song "Breaking Free" from High School Musical, probably to make fun of me. Things were going well as we sang, until he suddenly took my hand and twirled me around. Is he trying to dance with me? Trying to not break character, I rolled with it before pulling my hand back. But by the end of the song, he was staring into my eyes and somehow trying to hold me close with his hand at my waist.

"Dancing is enjoyable, but needs to be saved for other performances besides Sing Off," DJ Moon's voiced reminded us over the speakers. "Since Platinum didn't follow the rules, Iris is once again the star of Masked Muse! Let's hear it for tonight's competitors!"

The audience clapped and cheered. I gave a curtsy, then left the stage. I caught up with Platinum at the drinks bar and gave him a light shove on the shoulder. "What was that? Were you even trying?"

"I was, until I saw you. I don't like going against you, milady." He answered with a devilish grin. "Besides, it gave me a taste of what it would be like if we partnered up for Duet Night."

"Well, try to remember that I prefer to be warned of dancing stunts beforehand."

Platinum's eyes grew wide with surprise. "You mean you'll be my partner?"

"Sure, it'll be fun."

"Great! When are you free for rehearsals?"

"I've got nothing besides classes, so every day after 5."

"Okay. I've actually got something this weekend, so meet me in front of the club on Monday at 6?"

"I'll be there. Don't keep me waiting," I winked at him. Give him a taste of his own medicine. "Every minute counts."

"Can't wait until then, milady." He took my hand and pressed his warm lips to it before standing up and leaving.

"What a flirt!" I scoffed as I turned back to the bar, just as Swan served me a club soda. "I'm not the first to become the target of his flirtatious game, am I?"

"I've known Platinum since he started coming here almost six months ago," Swan leaned onto the counter so that I could hear her clearly. "A couple of girls liked him, he was always nice to them, but nothing went anywhere. I think one girl practically threw herself at him, but he didn't want anything from her. He kept saying he was looking for the right girl."

"So there's competition, but not much of a history?" How interesting, considering how much of a flirt he is.

"He did one duet with another employee, but that was it. And if he's flirting with you like that, you should consider yourself lucky. I've never seen him get like that in all the months I've known him."

"Get like what, exactly?" I asked curiously.

"Grinning with a sparkle in his eyes whenever he sees a certain person," The bartender gave me a knowing look and tossed her blonde hair ponytail over her shoulder. "It's a change in his behavior, and trust me when I say it's a good thing. It may even be the best kind of change."

"Well, I doubt anything is going to happen. I mean, we barely met last week, and he's annoying. We'll be lucky if we ever become friends."

"You never know what the future holds." Please stop suggesting what I think you're insinuating. You don't know me, and you're as bad as my roommate.