His Tamed Heart

Chapter 11

Spring break finally arrived a week later and I did as planned and make the most of it. After all, it was only one week. Most students went home or went on a trip for the break, but I spent my time here. I didn't stay at the dorms though, I stayed at Carson's apartment. Luckily, I didn't have to leave Jasmine alone because she stayed with Eli.

For the entire week, I either stayed in or most of the time, I hanged out with my friends and Carson.

Now, it was Wednesday evening and I was currently situated in a booth at a diner with Carson beside me. Kevin had invited us and Lucas to the diner he and his girlfriend Tracy would frequently attend. Apparently, it was Karaoke Night and he wanted us to come. Jasmine wasn't here because she and Eli went on a trip today and won't be back until Friday.

Kevin was currently on the small stage that they set up for karaoke, belting out the lyrics to I Want It That Way by the Backstreet Boys. Let me tell you, he wasn't bad. I shouldn't have been surprised though, I always knew he could sing. Even though he mainly played the guitar, his vocals were amazing.

Lucas on the other hand has no vocal talent at all. I figured that out today when he performed before Kevin. It was kind of funny actually, which made the evening perfect. I did cheer him on and laughed as well as he made a spectacle of himself up there. I mean I wasn't better at singing either. I know that I couldn't sing to save my life.

As I watched and cheered Kevin on now, my eyes looked in front of me on Tracy. She had turned slightly in her seat towards the direction of the stage. Her chin was resting in her right hand that was propped up on the table. She had a wide smile on her face as she watched Kevin. The way she was watching him intently, it was obvious that she really likes him.

Tracy was a nice girl. She was really pretty and extremely friendly. This was the second time I was seeing her. The first time when Kevin just introduced me to her, she warmed up to me instantly and we chatted for a while. She was really interesting. I couldn't imagine a better girl for Kevin.

My attention was brought back to the stage as Kevin finished singing and the audience erupted in applause. I clapped as well and praised Kevin. Kevin gave a little dramatic bow, which made Tracy giggled a little, and came off the stage. He walked towards us with a smile on his face.

"It's your time now, Kayla." He said looking in my direction.

My eyes went wide and I shook my head instantly. "What? No, I'm not going up there."

"Yes Kitten, go." Carson said beside me.

I turned to face him and shot him a glare. "I can't sing."

Lucas who was sitting in the corner beside Tracy spoke up. "I can't sing either, but I went up there." He then laughed a little at the memory.

"And besides," Kevin interjected. "It doesn't matter if you can't sing. It's Karaoke. It's more fun if you can't sing."

I looked at Kevin hesitantly. This was going to be embarrassing. The only time I've ever sing was in the comfort and privacy of my bathroom.

"Come on, Kayla. Go up there." Tracy put in, encouraging me on.

Giving in, I turned to Carson again. "Okay, but you have to go up there with me," I said to him.

It was his time to shake his head. "I don't think so."

"Yes, you are." I said standing up. If I was going up there, so was he. "You were supposed to sing for me anyway, remember?"

"I don't recall that," Carson replied innocently. He was trying to pull off a face to look completely lost to what I had said, but the fact that he was trying to conceal a smile, told me that he indeed remembered.

"Oh no, you're not backing out of this," I said pulling his hand to get up.

Finally, Carson got up, following behind me on the stage. When I stood on the platform, I looked on the screen to see which song was being displayed. The song that was on the screen for us to sing was Beneath Your Beautiful by Labrinth ft. Emeli Sandé.

Carson took up a microphone and passed one to me. I turned to face the crowd and I started to feel really nervous. I've never performed in front of a crowd before. This was the first time I was going to do something like this. As the music started to play, I looked towards my friends and Kevin gave me a thumbs up.

My head snapped back towards Carson as he began to sing. He looked calm and collected, while I on the other hand was nervous to be up here. As I listened to Carson singing, I realized that he is actually really good. I had no idea he could sing like this. The fact that he is so relaxed and he could sing, made me confused as to why he had a problem coming up here in the first place.

Suddenly, he stopped singing and the musical interlude started playing. I became aware of the fact that it was soon my time to sing. I mentally prepared myself and when the interlude ended, I started to sing. I knew the song, so I didn't have to look at the screen as much. As I sang, Carson smiled at me, which made me lose my nervousness somewhat.

The chorus part came on again and Carson joined me. By the time we were at the third verse, I had lost my nervousness altogether. I forget about the patrons that were in the diner and started to get into the song. It was actually really fun and I enjoyed singing with Carson.

When the song ended, the crowd cheered for us. We came off the stage and walked back to our seat.

"See? That wasn't so bad." Kevin said as soon as we sat down.

I smiled at that. He was right. It wasn't bad at all.

••••••

"I didn't know you could sing like that," I said to Carson later that night. I was lying on Carson's bed with my head on his chest and his arms wrapped around me. The television was playing in the background, but we weren't really watching it. We were just enjoying each others company.

"I wouldn't say that I can sing." He said.

I turned my head slightly to look at him. "Carson, you were amazing up there. Do not downplay it."

He chuckled which caused his chest to rumble. "Okay, I'll take your word for it." I smiled at that and rest my head on his chest again. He then added after a while. "You were great too."

"I wouldn't use the word 'great' to describe how I sounded." I conceded.

"Oh come on, you weren't bad. You sounded great to me." He complimented. "I really enjoyed singing with you."

"You're sweet," I said as I reached towards him and kissed him on his lips. "Now I feel better. At least I now know that I didn't embarrass myself in front of all those people."

He pulled me closer and used his fingers to bring my face to him. His blue eyes sparkled as he smiled. "And besides..." He trailed off as he kissed my forehead, my nose and then my lips. "You're always perfect to me."

I smiled at that. Even though there's no way I could've sounded great. Hearing Carson saying that made me feel good. At that moment, I didn't care what anyone else thought.

I rested my head on his chest again and we fell into silence as we continued watching the television. Soon, I started to feel my eyes feel droopy. I really wanted to finish watching the show but I've had a long day and I was now extremely tired.

Even though I tried to stay awake, I fell asleep ten minutes later.

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AN: Thank you to all you guys who still stick with this story until now. I really, really, really appreciate you.

I hope you liked this chapter ❤

Until next time...

Stay amazing 😍

Alecia