On a seemingly ordinary summer day, timid Alice Gardner crosses paths with Kai Anderson, a notorious figure in their small town. As serendipitous encounters bring them together, they find themselves irresistibly drawn to each other, driven by a mutu...
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Keith pulled the strap of his padded guitar bag the moment he felt like it wasn't clinging onto his shoulders properly.
He and his friends were nearing the backdoor of the place they were scheduled to perform—it was a bar and restaurant that was gaining the attention of the downtown folks, so it was always packed every night. To be able to get a gig at such a place was a big opportunity for them.
It was especially popular with the university students since it was just approximately two blocks away from the northern gate of their campus. So of course, he might find a person or two he knows there, spending their Saturday evening drinking the night away.
He didn't expect to meet Alice's friend arguing with a guy at an alleyway near the backside of the bar, though.
Keith didn't mean to eavesdrop. It was a heated argument and they couldn't help shouting at each other's throats. Therefore, he was able to hear a tad bit of what was happening.
"How many times have I told you that she's just a friend?!"
"Can you not, Quen?! How come you and your ex, who are 'just friends', would be alone in a room together?!"
"Oh, so we can't breath the same air now? Is that it?"
"Jesus, that's not the point."
Daisy gritted her teeth and sighed, massaging her temple as she look down at her shoes. The guy in front of her kept on trying to explain his side.
She locked eyes with Keith who stopped in his tracks ever since he saw her. He winced and tried to shot her a smile of pity. She did the same.
After their quarrel, Daisy was left alone. She entered the bar and ordered a bucket of beer, looking oh so miserable by herself. She hasn't even properly erased the ruined mascara by the corners of her eyes. But that didn't stop some guys from approaching her, wanting to score her number.
Halfway through her first bottle, she heard someone tapping the microphone at the stage. Everyone was shouting and cheering at the live band.
After a few sound checks, the guy at the very front introduced himself, his band mates, and their first song for the night. She chugged down what remained of the bottle she was holding onto.
Daisy thought she couldn't care less as she sniffed, until the music played.
I don't know what it is that you've done to me But it's caused me to act in such a crazy way
She turned around and saw Keith standing there under the faint glow of the yellow and purple spotlights above him, looking so ethereal and angelic. He was holding onto the mic so intently, as if holding his beloved partner by the waist.
Whatever it is that you do when you do what you're doing It's a feeling that I don't understand
The guys clapped and the girls swooned over his voice. One girl sitting at the front lifted her bottle of beer, as if acknowledging him, and shouting something Daisy couldn't hear properly. Keith smiled at the woman's direction—oh what a heavenly yet slightly sultry smile it was—pointed his finger at her, then winked. The women shrieked.
Daisy couldn't believe the velvety voice coming out of the man's lips. The first time she met Keith when Alice introduced her to him, she thought that he was pretty plain-looking.
Average.
But it's another different matter when he sings.
She was on her second bottle now, studying his actions on stage. Whenever he hits a high note, his thick eyebrows would raise. There was this smile in his face; the right corner of his lips would twitch and curl, and the crinkles by his eyes would show.
Onto her sixth bottle now and she would find herself trying to not get attracted whenever he would smack his lips after the end of each verse. Songs ended after another, and now he was about to sing their last song with his band mate—who also had a smooth R&B tone—but it wasn't as impactful as Keith's.
She's starin' at me, I'm sittin', wonderin' what she's thinkin'
They were harmonizing—his friend starting the first verse and Keith entering the chorus of the song with a falsetto. Mad by Ne-yo was supposed to be a sad breakup song, but he turned it into a damn good serenade.
They thanked the audience and wished everyone a good night. Daisy moped on her spot because their performance was over, but her now blurry vision got clearer for a second when someone sat beside her.
"Hey, remember me?"
She squinted her eyes at him, giving him a wry smile.
"Hehe, there's two of you."
Keith chuckled as he observed Daisy get tipsier and tipsier by the minute.
"Sorry if it seemed like I was listening in awhile ago. Boyfriend issues, huh?"
"And how would you even know any of that? Ever had a boyfriend before?"
He grinned at how she kept staggering and giggling to herself.
"Never had one. Even girlfriends."
"You're kidding?! You seem like a player!"
"Not unless you're up for it."
"You're not so bad after all."
"How come?" He grabbed a bottle and opened it, resting his elbow on the table, attentive eyes sparkling.
"You did good over there,"—She hiccuped—"capturing hearts and all that."
"Did I catch yours?"
Daisy covered her bright red face. She's gonna be too drunk to even remember all of this.
