Midnight Music

Chapter 10

"That was the fair Ivory and stunning Heartz, ladies and gentlemen! Let's hear it for their amazing performance!" DJ Moon's voice almost boomed from the speakers after the ladies finished their piano and viola duet. I didn't know the song, but it sounded beautiful and they played it very well.

The curtains fell, instruments and chairs were moved swiftly, and a backdrop of painted fairgrounds was lowered. It's time! I adjusted the cord for the small mic that was taped to my cheek one last time, then made sure that the box-shaped bulk on the back of my bodice was secure. Platinum took his place on one side of the stage, and I stood directly across of him, turned a little towards the curtains.

"And now, a throwback performance of Grease! Put your hands together for Iris and Platinum!" The curtain rose with the audience's applause and music filled the air. "You're The One That I Want" began to play, and we lost ourselves in the song.

Throughout the choreography, I continuously teased Platinum, who chased and reached for me with absolute determination. Finally, during the last repeat of the chorus, I let him get close enough to hold me. The young man scooped me up and spun me in countless circles, holding me close to his chest with ease in his surprisingly strong arms. As he stared into my blue eyes with his gray ones, I felt a flutter in my stomach.

That look. . .

Suddenly, the song came to an end, and a deafening applaud interrupted my thoughts. Platinum carefully set me down on my feet, but didn't let go of my hand as we bowed and waved to the audience together. Once the curtains were dropped again, we gave our mics back to the stagehands and walked into the currently-empty hall backstage.

"That was great! We were awesome!" he exclaimed. I laughed as he did a little dance next to me. "Um, you don't want to continue being my partner for Duet Nights, do you?"

I pretended to think for a moment. "Why not? Our performance just now was a lot of fun, and I think we can do better next time-- if we actually have more than two days to practice."

"Perfect!"

We began listing different duet songs that we liked, trying to find one that we could perform in a couple of weeks. Several minutes later, a new voice split the air.

"Platinumz!"

Looking down the hall, I saw a young woman with light blonde hair was running towards us as fast as her gold-painted high-heels could let her. She wore a white dress with gold lace and silvery sequins scattered across the entire thing, and half of her face was covered in a golden mask. She looked like some strange disco-ball in 8-inch stilettos.

As soon as she was within reach of the young man, the flashy girl threw her arms around him. If he didn't already look like a trapped animal when he first heard her call his name, he certainly did now.

"Hey, Angel. You're back." Platinum did his best to gently pry the girl off of him.

"New York was awesome! But I was so lonely. I wish you came with me. We could have had so much fun." The stranger suddenly made eye contact with me and realized that I was present. Her nose crinkled a little as she looked at me up and down. "Who is this?"

"Hello, I'm Iris. I only recently started coming here, so I don't think we've met." I held my hand out politely. She made no move to shake hands with me.

"I'm Angel, the Masked Muse's favorite female star. I was on a trip to New York for the past month, but I just got back today and had to come back to the club." She turned back to Platinum, dismissing my existence. "I'm so glad I found you. I have a terrific idea for our performance next Duet Night!"

"I'm sorry, but I can't," The young man finally freed himself and moved to stand next to me. "I made it clear before that I'm not interested in being your partner, Angel. Besides, I already have the best partner ever."

He suddenly put his arm across the back of my shoulders. I looked up to meet his pleading eyes. I get it. Smiling, I gave him a wink, then turned back to the blonde woman. "Did you see our performance earlier? I think everyone loved it."

"Oh, please! She's a newbie. Nobody knows her." Angel's face turned a little red as she spoke. Somehow, I found it amusing.

"This 'newbie' has ended Platinum's reign and held the title of being Masked Muse's Star ever since, just a couple of weeks ago," I pulled out my Star Card to show her. "I think the club does know me, and I'm happy to be his partner."

"Can I get you a drink to commemorate a successful first duet performance, milady?" Platinum asked, looking down at me with a smile as he held out his arm like a gentleman escort.

"I would love a drink, thank you." I took his arm and we began walking towards the stairs. Just as we reached them, I looked over my shoulder to see a red-faced Angel glaring at me. I simply smiled and waved. "It was nice to meet you!"

We went through the red door and sat down at the bar without looking at each other. Finally, as Swan prepared our drinks, I looked at him. He met my eyes, smiled, and we both started laughing. The people close by gave us weird looks until we finally calmed down.

"Glad we were able to get out of there." Platinum said after he caught his breath.

"So that's her?"

"Huh?"

"I've heard that you once performed a duet with some girl, and that she's been throwing herself at you." I held back a snigger as he glanced at Swan, who pretended to be uninvolved with anything as she set out our sodas.

He took a sip of his drink then reluctantly answered. "Yeah, that's her. She's been trying to partner up with me for months."

I couldn't contain my curiosity. "She's very pretty, and I'm sure she's talented. Why didn't you partner up with her?"

"She's a very unpleasant person. I'm pretty sure she performs here just for the attention and applause."

"Kept stealing the spotlight for herself?"

"Yeah." The man stared at his glass, frowning. I couldn't help but laugh a little.

Patting his shoulder in comfort, I said, "You poor thing. Good thing you don't have to deal with her anymore."

"Huh?" He looked up at me. "What do you mean?"

"You have me now. So you don't have to be worried about her."

"That is true. You have an excellent point, milady." Platinum took my hand and kissed my knuckles softly. I'm going to have to get used to his flirty charm, aren't I?