“Come on, it’ll be fun.” He tries to play it down, but the thought of this is really freaking me out. I can feel Cory moving behind me, no doubt trying to get Joel’s attention, but he ignores her.
Clenching my fists, I look to the floor, then to my hands, then around the room. Anywhere I can, before looking back at Joel. I have no choice. “I—”
“I’ve changed my mind,” Dylan suddenly announces to the table, and I let out a very obvious sigh of relief. “I feel like getting my sing on tonight.”
He stands and raises his glass in the air. “Let’s do this,” he yells and knocks back the rest of his drink. I’m momentarily caught off guard that he’s drinking until his eyes meet mine, and he smiles shyly. Understanding dawns on me. He’s doing this for me.
My beautiful savior. My heart rate picks up as I’m caught in yet another moment of lust. I subtly clench my fist and dig my nails into my palm to focus on something else. This isn’t the first time Dylan has done something nice for me, but it’s the first time it’s elicited this intense reaction.
I mouth athank youwhile he shakes his head like it’s nothing. If only he knew that couldn’t be further from the truth. It means the world to me.
The singers all move to the stage to discuss song choices and what not. Since I’m left at the table with people I rarely interact with, it’s difficult to avoid my thoughts. A dangerous situation to be in. I can’t afford to be lost in Dylan right now.He did a nice thing; move on.If only it were that easy. My traitorous eyes seek him out, and when I find him, he’s looking back at me with a gleam in his eyes. With a devilish smile that could melt hearts, he winks and then focuses back on his task, completely unaware of the fire he’s igniting inside me.
As I predicted, Cory and Nate are superstars, receiving a standing ovation for their rendition of “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.”
Dylan walks onto the stage next, and I cringe for him as Cory takes her seat beside me.“Ah, I’d hate to be Dylan right now. You two were amazing.”
“We were, weren’t we?” Nate replies, even though I was talking to Cory. We both laugh.
“Have you ever heard Dylan sing?” I ask Nate, desperate to know what he’s putting himself through. For me.
Cory spins in her chair to face him and bounces excitedly. “Ooh, is he as bad as they say?” she asks.
Instead of responding, he simply smirks and looks back to the stage.Well, that was strange.Cory and I raise our eyebrows in confusion.
All thoughts flee my mind the second I hear a familiar guitar riff start. My heart leaps in my chest, and my breath hitches. Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” fills the space as the room becomes silent. Seems I’m not the only one waiting to hear Dylan’s voice. Leaning forward, I rest my elbows on the table and unashamedly give Dylan my undivided attention. When he finally sings, everything stills, and I have to remind myself to keep breathing.
His voice has the same deep powerful quality as the lead singer, but there is something uniquely Dylan about it. He can sing.God,can he sing.He kept that piece of information quiet. I’m completely lost in his voice. I feel his words and the notes of the song in the depth of my soul. I can’t take my eyes off him. Dylan Mathers is a very attractive guy, Dylan the football player is mouthwateringly hot, but Dylan the singer…ugh, he’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.
He’s casually sitting on a bar stool, with one foot resting on the footrest and the other touching the floor, the hand not holding the mic resting between his legs, briefly drawing my eyes there.What would it be like to see him naked? Thank God we’re not alone right now, because I don’t think I could stop myself from finding out.Biting my lip to suppress a moan from the image my mind just conjured, I lean back in my seat and try to calm my breathing, but don’t look away.
I know the lights are blinding him on stage, but I feel his eyes bore into mine, like he’s singing to me, for me, maybe even about me.I have to pinch my leg to snap out of the stupid notion.It’s his favorite song. It has nothing to do with me. Get a grip!It’s hard to focus as his voice cuts me to the core. He’s incredible. Why isn’t he openly sharing this part of himself with the world?
My pulse speeds up along with the song, and his eyes never waver. I feel naked under his gaze, like he’s looking at all my layers and assessing what he finds. Like he wants to dig deep until he discovers every part of me. But the killer, the hardest thing to process, is that as he sings, he’s looking at me like he actuallywantsto know every piece of me. Like he’ll die if he doesn’t. And no one has ever looked at me like that.
I’m frozen in time until someone stands in front of me, saving me from my inner torment. My foolish notion. I must have it all wrong. He probably can’t even see me, let aloneseeme.
“Is he singing to you?” Cory asks, pulling my attention from my thoughts. My gaze flits to her.
“What? No,” I answer quickly, not at all playing it cool. And really, why should I when I can tell by her raised eyebrow and confident expression that she’s been watching us both.
“He’s looking right at you, Sum,” she states matter-of-factly.
My eyes drift back to the stage. “The audience is dark; he’s just looking straight ahead.”
“If you say so.”
I take my eyes off Dylan again and look at her wicked grin. “Friends, my ass,” she mumbles to herself, and I choose to let it pass.
Standing, I walk toward the bar as Dylan finishes the song.I need a distraction.
When the music stops, I look back at him. Sure enough, his eyes are still on me, even though I’m halfway across the room. A few seconds pass before he breaks the connection, laughs, and takes a bow. The audience stands, and cheer and whistles fill the room. He’s a crowd pleaser, that’s for sure. Girls around me are screaming his name and clapping. When the lights come back on for the next singer, Dylan’s eyes catch mine, and he smiles, once again unleashing his devilish grin.What’s that about?He calls out to Luke, Nate, and Joel to join him on stage, before whispering to them in a huddle. Joel’s eyes light up as they meet mine before they all disappear off stage.God, what is happening?
The lights go out again, and the audience goes quiet as other singers grace the stage. Cory joins me at the bar, clearly as confused as I am, and we drink while we wait for the boys to return. Thankfully, this is not a dry event, and by some miracle we’re not carded. Three shots and a cocktail later, the crowd erupts in sudden applause. It’s the loudest they’ve been all night. The opening chords to NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” begin, pulling my interest toward the stage. Cory and I both look at the same time and freeze in shock before simultaneously bursting out with laughter. The boys are standing side by side, mics in hand, ready to sing. I have no words.
We head back to our seats for a better view as the boys sing and dance, with Dylan and Nate taking the lead. They clearly had a quick choreography session backstage because they’re attempting a few synchronized dance moves. Attempting being the key word here. Laughter and joy rings out around me, and while I’ve got a huge smile plastered on my face, deep down, my mind is spinning.He is going to ruin me.
I can only hope that he chose this song simply because he knows I love it. Not as a subtle way of telling me he’s done with us.