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Her shoulders slumped as she realized he was right.
The band breaking up had shaped them in sad ways. And they had both sort of sat in the moment for years, waiting to feel better.
Singing poorly at the piano bar used to be just another night. And now she was so afraid of failing, that she was avoiding the stupid things that had once brought her joy.
She looked out and her eyes connected with André’s again. Something about his presence soothed her anxiety.
It shouldn’t have, and she knew that.
But sometimes the truth just existed and all anyone could do was live with it.
“Okay, bud. What do you have in mind?”
Asa moved the microphone so it was in front of her, and then he started playing a song she knew quite well. She was thankful he’d picked one she could sing without thinking about.
“Vienna” by Billy Joel.
Had Asa chosen this one because he was trying to tell her something? Probably.
Her voice started out soft and timid but grew with confidence as Asa carried her with his talent.
Love him or hate him, Billy Joel had a certain magic about his music. By the end of the song the entire bar was singing along. They did the chorus one more time just because the moment called for it.
Nikki smiled wide, bathed in the sound of strangers singing about how she had all the time she needed.
She rested her head on Asa’s shoulder.
Yeah.
He’d made a good call.
“One more?” Asa asked after the song had ended.
“Okay. One more.”
* * *
ANDRÉ
He should have left.
The moment he saw Nikki walk in he should have closed his tab and gone home.
That would have been the smart thing.
That’s what the old André would have done.
But he was trying this new thing where he went after what he wanted.
And when he’d swerved to catch her at the bar, he knew he was flying too close to the sun.
And he didn’t care.
She was wearing ripped-up jeans and a white scoop-neck tee a couple sizes too large. It hung open in the front exposing a black lacy bralette. And several necklaces of differing lengths and material on top of that. Her hair was loose and wavy, heavy eyeliner that made her blue eyes look crystalline.
She could burn him to the ground and he’d kiss her feet and thank her for it.
But it wasn’t until he’d grabbed her hips and set her down on the stool that he realized how much danger he was really in.
