“And isn’t it your job to make it perfect?” She purrs.
I burst out laughing. “Really? Throwing the guilt card?”
“Whatever it takes,” she says with a smug little smile.
“Go on!” Hannah says, encouraging me.
I roll my eyes. “Fine,” I concede.
I walk to the DJ booth and ask for the songbook. It only takes a few seconds for me to see one of the songs that I have been singing at home with River. I fill out the slip and hand it to the DJ. I turn to walk away, thinking that I’ll have a bit to prepare when Jill shows up behind me and hands the DJ a fifty-dollar bill and tells him to let me sing next. He smiles widely and doesn’t even let the current song finish playing. I scowl at her; I don’t even have thirty seconds to prepare before he announces my name. Butterflies arise from my toes all the way to my throat as I get thrust onto the stage by my treacherous friends. I swallow hard and step closer towards the mic. Thank God for the liquid courage flowing through my veins right now. I’ve sung this song countless times before with River, and I wish he was here right now. I close my eyes for a moment and inhale a deep breath. I exhale as I open them, stare straight into the crowd and start to sing the words usually sung by Bradley Cooper—the ones that River will usually sing. It isn’t until I start the part that Lady Gaga sings, that the crowd goes absolutely insane. Their energy fuels me and I start to sing in earnest. When I’ve sung the last note, the entire place is standing up and clapping loudly. A little embarrassed, but also a little proud, I make my way back to our booth.
“Holy shit, big sis. You’ve been holding out on us,” Mikaela beams.
“Yes girl, that was amazing,” Jillybean adds.
“Thanks, you guys.” I reply with reddened cheeks. Mackenzie shows up with another tray of shots, closely followed by Eddie, who’s carrying an armload of bottled water. I am actually grateful to see the water. Not just because I am parched, but I probably need to pace myself a bit if I want to keep going for a while. I thank Eddie as he hands me a bottle. He clears his throat.
“Mr. Ray asked me to tell you to check your phone.”
I raise a brow. “Did he now?” I reply feeling a little ornery.
Eddie simply nods and turns his heel. I laugh and lean into Raeva, who’s sitting next to me.
“I swear the man is a robot. Like a replicant from that movie. You know, that Harrison Ford movie. Um…what’s it called again? Oh! Yeah! Blade Runner,” I tell her as I burst out laughing. “Shit, your genius brother probably built Eddie in his lab,” I add conspiratorially.
Raeva shakes her head and chuckles.
“I would say that you clearly had enough to
drink already, but honestly, I wouldn’t put it past him to build something to protect you. He’s crazy about you, P. I’ve never seen him like this. I’m so happy you guys found each other,” she tells me.
I’m not entirely sure if it’s the alcohol, the fact that I am already really missing River, the sweet words his sister just uttered to me, or the combination of all the above, but I can feel my eyes watering. And I can barely keep them at bay as I reply.
“I don’t think I have ever met a person like River. I’ve never felt anything for anyone like I feel for him. I never even considered thinking about things like ‘forever’ before him,” I gush.
There is a gleam in her eyes as they roam over me, assessing my features as she processes my confession.
“You love him,” she states simply.
“Love?” I almost scoff. “I love this dress. I love my job. I love a hot mocha extra whip. When it comes to River, I am besotted. Borderline obsessed.”
The amount of alcohol I’ve consumed is making me spill my guts in ways I would have never done before. And right now, I am too tipsy to care. Rae however, is very sober and seemingly loving my drunk confession.
“Are you missing him?” she asks.
“God, yes,” I reply, admittedly a little too loud.
“That’s good. Because him and the others just strolled in,” she says with a smirk.
5
River
When we walked into this place about ten minutes ago, Phoenix was on stage. Commanding it and everyone’s attention. Wearing a fucking wedding gown that hugs her body so tightly, it shows every curve of her gorgeous body. She stands there, looking stunning as fuck, singing like she’s a mother fucking nightingale. And every single person in this establishment is gawking at her in admiration. A strange mixture of delight and contempt boils deep inside my stomach. My eyes are glued to her as she stands there singing the song we sing together so often. For quite a while I just stand there and watch her. Even when she finishes the song and gracefully glides off the stage. She’s a sight to behold. And she’s mine. I shake my head, trying to shake off the feeling of possessiveness that seems to have taken a hold of me. I turn to see where the others have gone and notice they have made their way to the bar. I’m not sure what the plan is from here, so I follow suit, even though I’d rather make my way to the booth she just slid in. Mika hands me a shot glass when I reach the other men, and I take it, slamming it back without question.
“A little liquid courage before we crash the party?” Eric asks.
I raise a brow. “I thought that we were going to keep our distance?” I reply, knowing that we all knew from the moment we laid eyes on them we were not going to leave here without at least talking to them.