Page 17 of Good Girl's Guide to Love
Mia and I both let out a big sigh of relief as we walk into the karaoke bar in downtown Nashville that I didn’t even know existed.
“Girl, I hate your ex. Like despise him. But if he’s the reason I got you down here, then maybe I need to buy him a drink.” She pauses as she looks for a table. “Actually, no. I can’t even do that. Maybe I won’t key his car. Yeah, that feels fair.”
I want to laugh at her joke, but I can’t because my eyes are wide as we walk through the bar. People are everywhere, cheering and singing along with a bad rendition of an ABBA classic by a bachelorette party. Mia tries to go snag a table in the front, but I immediately grab her arm and pull her back.
“We can’t be that close,” I say, looking around for another table. “Oh! There’s one.”
The table I pull her toward is closer to the bar, surrounded by people, and most importantly, away from the stage. I’m not even mad that there aren’t any chairs at it.
“I know it’s going to take a miracle to get you on stage tonight, and one already happened to even get you here, but you won’t even sit near the stage?”
“No! What if they’re not good, and I make a face and they see? I’d feel bad.”
Mia laughs under her breath. “Only you, Ainsley. Only you.”
My best friend heads to the bar to grab our drinks and I let out a breath as a new song comes on.
Why is Jonathan in Nashville? He’s not originally from the area, but he went to med school at Vanderbilt before his residency at Nashville Children’s. He does have some friends here, but where were they? On their way? Jonathan didn’t go anywhere alone, let alone a bar, so that doesn’t seem right. And even if that was the choice, why was he at that bar? He had to know he might run into me there. It’s been my regular bar for years.
Was he there for me? No, that’s silly. He can’t be. We broke up more than three years ago. Sure, he was sad then, but he has to be over it, right?
I feel my eyes get big and stop blinking. Because my mind is officially racing.
What if heisback? Would that mean he still wants me back? If that’s true, then he’s not going to stop hounding me until I finally give in. Which I will. I know who I am as a person. I’ll feel bad, and he’ll catch me in a moment of weakness—much like the one I was in this week—and just give in. And then, I’ll feel bad breaking up with him again, so I’ll have a lifetime of cloud classifications to look forward to.
Or, on the other hand, if I say no, is he going to go all creepy stalker on me? I’ve never been a dark romance girlie, let alone in real life.
“Oh no. What happened? Where is he? Do I have to kill him?”
I take a breath and give myself a little shake. “I’m fine. I just let my mind wander for a minute.”
“I get it,” Mia says, handing me my club soda. “It’s like seeing a ghost.”
I take a sip as my heart rate comes down. “It’s just…what are the odds of all this happening this week? And why was he at the bar? That had to be because of me, right? He only went there with me. Or am I being conceited?”
Mia shakes her head and picks up one of the three shots she brought back to the table. “No, you aren’t. He found you the second he walked in. That was on purpose. Which is why it’s best that we came here. Because unless he followed us, no way would he ever expect you here.”
She’s right about that. And Jonathan is a lot of things, but actual stalker isn’t one.
Hopefully. Except I did make him watch that one Netflix show…
“Hey, ladies, I noticed you just came in. Welcome.” Mia and I look over to a waitress who hands us a piece of paper. “These are the instructions for how you can put your name in the queue to sing. If you have any questions, just give me a shout.”
I slide the paper to Mia. “Oh, that’s for her. I don’t sing.”
“Famous last words,” she says. “One thing to know about karaoke is that no matter how bad you are, there’s always someone worse. Believe me on that one.”
“And we can’t wait to hear them,” Mia jokes as she walks away. “Now let’s see…what should I start out with?”
“You’re going to sing?”
Mia shoots me an “duh” look. “Why wouldn’t I? I didn’t spent days on end in my misspent youth learning words to very specific rap verses to just sit here.”
“You could sing in your shower. Or your car.”
“Oh I do that anyway,” Mia starts typing on her phone, which is how I’m guessing you put your name in. “And I don’t want to push you too far. I know getting here was enough. And I guess thanks to Jonathan for that. But, maybe if I show you it’s not thatbad, maybe I can convince you to a duet? Maybe we could tell everyone why Earl had to die?”
I laugh at that prospect. “I’d have to start drinking again for that to happen. And I might’ve slightly crashed out earlier, and I also saw my ex for the first time in years, but even those put together is not enough to get me to try liquor again.”
