The crowd tonight at 8D's was bigger than the one at Killer Whale. We were halfway through our set, and half of the crowd knew the lyrics to most of our songs.
When they had begun singing along, I shared an incredulous look with the girls. It was exhilarating and sent an adrenaline rush through my body.
Noah was sitting in the front with Sadie's date, Justine, so I had to tone down a lot of my performances tonight. But when it came time to sing "Talk," one of our more sensual songs, I couldn't resist teasing the crowd by unbuttoning my vest, revealing my full bra.
Laura stepped up to me as she strummed her bass, and I swung an arm around her shoulder, pulling her in close for our foreheads to touch. Her eyes flickered down to my lips, and she smirked. I pulled away and danced across the stage to Alex. I leaned my back against hers as her fingers worked the guitar. I looked up at the crowd, and that was when I saw her.
Charlotte sat on one of the stools at the bar, and she sipped from a cocktail as she watched us. She was still in her clothes from earlier today, which meant she came here right after work. I was too far to see her expression, but catching my gaze, she raised the glass in my direction. I felt my grin widened.
On and on, we moved through the setlist until we got to the last song, and it happened to be 'Everlasting.'
My energy was still at a high, but I forced myself to sit down with the acoustic guitar on my lap. Then I looked right at Charlotte as we began the song. The lyrics came to me naturally after singing it so many times before, but tonight, I sang it with a renewed energy. I sang like it was my first time singing it for her.
When I finished, the crowd erupted into cheers, and she was swallowed up by the crowd. I stood and rushed down the stage. Distantly, I heard the girls call for me, but I didn't stop. I pushed through the crowd until I got to the bar table, but she was no longer there. Her empty glass sat on the table, though.
I rushed outside, and the night air filled my lungs. I looked across the street, searching, but she was nowhere in sight. Disappointed, I turned back to head inside and then froze.
Charlotte was leaning against the wall beside the door, watching me with an amused smile, and my face flushed hot.
"You came," I said, stepping towards her.
"Yeah." She bit down on her bottom lip, and I swallowed tightly. "You guys were really good."
"Thanks."
"I see you have a name for the song now."
"Yeah."
"I like it."
"Thanks."
She laughed softly, and I shook myself out of my stupor.
"Sorry, I'm just a bit out of it right now," I said. In truth, my heart was still pumping, seeing her here. "How was work?"
She cringed. "Lets not talk about that."
I nodded. "You're right. Sorry."
Charlotte merely smiled again. "How's your wrist"
I realized, then, that I was still gripping my guitar. I held my arm up to show her. "Oh, they're better now. Thanks to you."
In the night, I wasn't sure, but I could have sworn her cheeks glowed pink. She gestured towards the guitar. "Can I?"
"Yeah, of course." I handed it over to her, and she took it gently. I watched as she ran her fingers over the wood and strings, and she furrowed her brows.
"This is the same one from ten years ago, isn't it? The one from Maeve?" she asked.
My eyes widened. "You remember it just from that?"
Charlotte shrugged. "I relied on touch a lot." She handed the guitar back to me. "You should go see her."
"Who, Maeve?"
She nodded.
"She won't want to see me," I said, looking down shamefully.
"She's been waiting for you to come back all these years," Charlotte said. I looked up sharply. "Even though I was angry, she never was. She said she knew you had your reasons for leaving."
The guilt was eating at me now. All these years, I believed she hated me, but she had been waiting for me to come back.
"She's still at the house," Charlotte added. "If you do decide to go."
Before I could answer, the door swung open, and Laura stepped out. I sucked in a breath.
"There you -- oh, who's this?" Laura asked, shifting her full attention to Charlotte, who had stiffened up.
Noah came out next, and he smiled. "Oh, hey Charlotte!"
Fuck.
"Charlotte?" Laura echoed, and her eyes narrowed.
"Hey," Charlotte greeted him back warmly, and he beamed.
Then still feeling Laura's gaze on her, Charlotte looked at her again, her expression going cold. The tension was thick.
"Alright, Laura, can you please load this into the van? I'll be back there soon," I said and handed her my guitar.
Her gaze unwavering, she grabbed it. "Don't take too long. Come on, kid."
Noah followed Laura back inside, and I released a breath.
"Are you sleeping with her too?" Charlotte asked, and I choked.
I turned away, coughing violently. She watched me, waiting patiently.
When my throat cleared up again, I answered, "She's my ex."
Of course, I didn't tell her that we technically did sleep together last night.
"It must be awkward working with your ex."
"Not really. We're still friends."
"It didn't look that way on stage."
I thought about my performance during 'Talk,' and my face heated up at the thought of her watching it. "It was just part of the performance."
"You seem to have a thing for coworkers," she said stiffly.
I had never thought about it that way, but it was interesting that both of my relationships had been with people I worked with. Though, with Katie, it was less of a relationship.
"With Katie, it's different," I said carefully.
"How so?"
"I wanted something more, but she didn't." I wasn't sure if I was saying more than I should have to someone who was technically my boss, but we were outside of work hours now.
"Do you still want something more with her?" she asked.
I had half-expected Katie to come tonight after what happened today, but she wasn't here.
Instead, it was Charlotte of all people who showed up, and I was glad for it.
"No," I answered. "She and I are done."
"Good."
I raised a brow.
"I don't think it's a good idea to sleep with your boss," she explained. "Especially when she's ten years older than you."
"Are you saying that as my boss?"
"No," she said lowly and stepped forward. There was something unreadable in her expression. She opened her mouth to speak again, but then the door burst open as the crowd began to leave. I turned back to her, but she had already backed up again. "You should head back."
I didn't want to be anywhere else. It had been ten years, and I had forgotten how much I missed talking to her.
"Can I text you?" I asked suddenly.
Fortunately, she smiled, and relief filled me. "Yeah, do you have your phone?"
I reached for it, but it wasn't in my pocket. "Oh shit, it's back in the bar."
She merely shrugged and pulled out a pen.
I bit back a smile. "You keep a pen in your pocket?"
"So what?"
