day the fiftieth
The smell of alcohol and sweaty adolescents filled the open air, a hazy night breeze drifted by and softly swept Wren's hair across her face.
The loud music made the floor pound; its sound vibrating the tent overhead. Strangers bumped into her, spilling small traces of booze on her clothes. A very intoxicated girl had offered Wren a flask and without hesitation, she had drunk whatever strong alcoholic beverage it contained. Of course it was whiskey and her throat burned as it went down. However, Wren knew that it would only improve the experience. She felt light and tipsy, the setting taking on an otherworldly experience. She stood on her tiptoes to catch a glimpse of the band onstage.
Wren didn't expect Luke's band to be half as good as they were. With the boy, Ashton, wildly hitting the drums, as the other two, Calum and Michael, almost seemed lost in their stringed instruments.
And then there was Luke. The lights were glaring at him onstage, beads of sweat dripped down his forehead, his cheeks red and shiny.
His hair was wet with perspiration and Wren could faintly make out his body shaking from fear of performing in front of the massive crowd.
However, he looked almost unreal. Wren had never seen him so immersed, the way his eyes narrowed as if in deep concentration and his body seemed to thrust with the notes. It was like his fingers had a mind of their own as they plucked the strings both delicately and harsh.
Even more surprising than his instrument playing was the way his voice sounded. he sang clearly, not taking any raspy breaths in between the lyrics he was so immersed in.
His electric blue eyes, amplified by the bright stage lights, locked straight on her. He gave a wink and his gaze remained on wren for the rest of the song.
"How is everybody doing?" His eyes finally left her and swept the crowd. Screams erupted from the audience, his band was clearly a huge success. "I want to thank all of you for coming out to see four losers horribly play instruments."
"Speak for yourself," Michael grumbled, the comment faintly picked up by the microphone.
"So this will be the last song of the night, we're going to slow it down a bit." Luke continued, mutters broke out around wren. Slowing down didn't seem to be the band's style.
"So grab your lover and pull them close, maybe you'll get some tonight," Calum said, softly plucking a chord.
Wren thought she saw luke's eyes land on her, but due to her short stature, She couldn't get a clear view of him.
"Not you puke," Michael said, a few laughs sprinkled through the crowd.
"Be quiet skunk boy." luke said quietly, Michael's laugh echoed through the speakers.
"Just play the song." A person in the crowd yelled.
"Right, uh, here's All I Want by Kodaline." Luke cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed.
Wren's eyes widened as she swallowed shock. She recalled telling luke it was her favourite song over tea the previous weekend.
She noticed how when the gentle guitar playing started, Luke looked anywhere but in her direction.
When his voice finally flooded through the speakers, her breath wouldn't come. His voice was soft, angelic. It made such emotion block her throat at the thought he was playing the song for her.
"Hey." A gentle voice from behind her caused a small squeak to escape her lips. It felt as if she was broken out of a trance and put into an entirely new one.
