Page 62 of Wish You Knew
“Nothing.”
“But you want there to be?”
I let out a hard breath. “You know our history, Saff. There’s nothing between us any longer. We went out for a bit, we hooked up, that’s it.” Saying the words out loud made we want to believe it, but I couldn’t.
“It’s not though, is it? Something’s changed.” Saff studied her reflection in the mirror as she applied another layer of lipstick. “For both of you. Since you stayed at your house together.”
Luckily, I was saved from having to answer by one of the sound guys, who stuck his head through the door. “Five minutes, yeah?”
“Got it.” I stripped off my shirt and trousers, standing there in only my boxers and socks.
“Jesus, Scott, do I have to see that?” protested Saff, covering her eyes.
“Oh, it’s not the first time. We were on tour together, remember?”
“As if I could forget that nightmare.” She rolled her eyes. “Put some clothes on.”
“Sure I can’t tempt you?” I gave her a twirl, shaking my arse in her direction.
A leaflet with information about Vivian’s charity flew across the room, narrowly missing my head. “Fuck off.”
“Honestly, with a mouth like that, I don’t know what Tris sees in you.”
“Funny.” She gave me a sarcastic smile. “God only knows what Rosie sees in you. You must be great in bed, because it’s definitely not your sparkling personality.”
I wish I did know what Rosie saw in me. Without saying another word, I dressed in a pair of dark skinny jeans and a grey denim shirt with press studs, leaving a great deal of my chest on show. Like I said, it was for charity after all.
Picking up the guitar, I did a final check for tuning, and Saff and I ran through the chorus, our voices in perfect harmony with each other. I hoped it would replicate onstage.
Taking a final deep breath, I turned to her. “Ready?”
She nodded, holding out her hand for a fist bump. “Let’s do this.”
The two of us took to the stage, where Vivian stood at the microphone. She motioned to the crowd to quieten down and leaned towards the mic.
“Good evening, everyone.” A loud cheer met her greeting. “Thank you for coming along this evening. I hope you enjoyed the dinner, with thanks to the wonderful chefs here. Now it’s time to move on to the evening’s entertainment. Later on, we have the amazing skills of the Tip Top Dance Troupe, as well as comedy from Brian Watts. But to start off, we have a musical interlude from my talented nephew and his friend.” Vivian waved us closer. “So please welcome, Scott Lincoln from Trash Gun and Saffron Barnes from TheSB!”
Polite applause met our introduction, half the audience probably not having the faintest clue who we were. I relished the challenge of winning them over.
“Evening, everyone.” I kissed Vivian’s cheek and pulled the mic in my direction. “Thanks to my aunt Vivian for asking us to perform tonight. We’ll keep it short and sweet, and I hope you enjoy it. This isWasted By My Side.” The lights dimmed as I nodded to Saff, who counted us in.
Vivian stepped off the stage and went back to the table. She sat down next to Rosie and whispered something in her ear. Rosie twisted in her seat, the light catching her dress making the sequins glitter in the semi-darkness. God, I wished I could hear whatever Vivian had said.
It took little effort to get through the song; I knew it inside out, had been playing it for years. Even singing it with Saff, who added a totally different element, it wasn’t difficult. The nerves which bubbled in my stomach were for the second number.
When the final chords ended, I strummed the guitar with a flourish. “Thanks so much to Saff for coming along tonight and singing with me.” A round of more than polite applause filled the room, a testament to our performance, even if the crowd weren’t necessarily familiar with the track.
“And thank you, Scott.” Saff kissed my cheek. “I hope the rest of your performance is as well received.” She directed a meaningful glance in Rosie’s direction, then back at me.
I pretended to retune the strings of the guitar, stalling for time.
I took a deep breath, readjusting the mic in front of me.
“This is a new song, never before played in public, so I hope you don’t mind indulging me. It’s…” My voice trailed off. A steely resolve took over. “It’s about someone who means a great deal to me. Maybe if I hadn’t been a complete idiot, things would have been different. This isAdjust My Reality.”
A silence fell over the room, almost as if the crowd were waiting with bated breath for what was to come next.
Whatever the outcome, I had to play.
