Page 49 of Wanting the Winger

I laugh.“Oh really?”

“You’ll see why.We’re going out after this, and you’ll have a blast.”

“Even though I’m a tired introvert?”

“It’ll be fun.I promise.”

Okay,so it’s fun.A bunch of players and their plus ones are at The Factory for karaoke night.It’s crowded, and so far, we’ve been treated slash subjected to “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston, “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” by Poison and “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond.

Bash has his arm around my shoulders, and I don’t mind at all.He had his arm around my waist when we joined the entire bar in belting out “Sweet Caroline.”

I don’t think it’s the alcohol.He had two beers and one shot at dinner and he’s been nursing the same beer since we got here.

“You having a good time?”he asks me.

“I am.You were right.”

“You should sing a song with the girls.”

I laugh.“Yeah, I don’t think so.”

“Aw, come on.Bet you’d like it.Have you ever sung at a karaoke bar?”

“Me?No.Are you serious?Have you?”

“Nope.”

“Okay, guys,” the DJ says.“Up next, we have Bash and the Boyz.Spelled with aZ, which means this is either going to be really good or really bad.”

Bash removes his arm from around my shoulders.“That’s my cue.”

“What?You’re singing?”

He takes a long swig from his beer bottle.“Wish me luck.”

My jaw drops.“Okay...good luck?What are you singing?”

He winks at me.“You’ll see.”

Several of his teammates follow him onto the stage.I glance at Suki, who is grinning, her chin resting on her steepled hands as she looks at the stage.Harry and Mara both have their phone cameras ready to record.

Why does it feel like everyone except me knows what’s going on?I try to look like I’m in on the joke as Bash takes the mic from the DJ.Carter, Leo, Silas and Isaac gather behind him, all of them loose and happy from the shots they’ve been doing.

The opening notes to “Take On Me” by A-ha start playing.He’s singing an ’80s classic!I laugh, feeling giddy.Good thing Harry and Mara are immortalizing this in video—this song has some high notes.

He starts singing, and it’s possibly the funniest cover of a song I’ve ever heard.Bash’s voice is way too deep for this one, and he’s not a singer.But his eyes are locked onto me and he’s smiling confidently.I clap and cup my hands around my mouth, cheering for him.

Then he gets to the chorus.Instead of singing the wordstake on me, he sings,come to prom.My smile drops away.What is this?

His teammates are swaying back and forth with their arms around each other.Singing their part of the song with him right after his lyric, which isgo to prom him.

“Get it, Bash!”Dex yells, clapping.

Every time he sings the chorus, he sings it the same way,come to prom.His teammates join him, all of them in a group, as Bash unabashedly belts out the highest notes of the song.

The entire bar is cheering for him.I’m laughing, but I also have tears in my eyes.There’s a massive knot in my stomach.Bash wouldn’t make fun of me.He wouldn’t.But still, I’m wondering if this song is him making fun of me asking him to prom.

Near the end of the song, he walks down from the stage and comes over to me.The whole bar is hooting and hollering as he gets onto his knees.

---