Page 53 of Not My Little Drummer Boy
The residents of The Oaks Retirement Village could power the fairy lights with their applause alone. Every performance earns whoops and whistles, then furious pencil-scratching as they score us on Loreena’s sheets.
Our ‘Little Drummer Boy’ duet is a crowd-pleaser. Teddy’s lead is nothing like a Bing Crosby croon, but the rough warmth suits the room. My voice isn’t Bowie either, but I hit the high notes of the ‘Peace On Earth’ countermelody spot on.
During the interval, while our guests are guzzling eggnog heavy with whisky and slabs of boozy Christmas cake, Teddy hooks a finger through mine and tugs me behind a potted spruce.
“That was unreal. You should join us for a couple of numbers now and then.”
Heat floods my cheeks. He means it; this isn’t empty flattery to puff me up before round two. My pride flutters at not embarrassing myself, but this is definitely a onetime thing.
“Courtrooms, yes. Stadiums? Not a chance. Besides, imagine the hate mail when the fans realise I’m hanging out with the Stellar Riot boys.”
“Then maybe just studio work—backing vocals, a harmony here and there. ‘Deep End’ for starters. Just you and me.”
Eventhe title of his song feels like a dare to jump in with him. “Maybe,” I say, which sounds a lot more like yes than no. His smile answers before I can take it back.
After the interval, the sugar-and-sherry high hits our audience. Walkers shunt aside so two silver-haired rebels can bop in the aisles while Ollie, Sam, Garrett and Liv rip through some Stellar Riot anthems. Christian and Haley reel them back in with a tender rendition of ‘Untouchable’, the song he secretly wrote for her, clearing the way for ‘Deep End’.
At the opening chords, the other members of the band exchange puzzled looks that morph into appreciation as Teddy hits the first line. His voice never falters, but builds, layer upon layer, as he spills these secret pieces of his soul in song. My voice slots into Teddy’s as though the notes were built for us: the boy bent on fixing himself, the girl filing smooth her own jagged edges.
Meet me in the deep end
No lifelines, no lies
No wall between us
The truth in my eyes
Each chorus wraps tighter around my heartbeat
Meet me in the deep end
Where we lose the ground
Weightless and reckless, we can’t turn around
Breathing feels different when you’re this far down
Without thinking, I lean into Teddy’s mic on the final refrain. My voice isn’t show-perfect, just steady enough to slip above his in a thin ribbon.
If I fall, let me fall with you
If I fall, let me fall with you
On the last note, I lean in and kiss him. Fifty strangers cheer; my friends’ eyes pin us from across the room, but for once I don’t weigh the consequences. Let them think it’s showmanship. I’m not falling. Right?
Teddy threads his fingers through mine, and he leads me off the stage. We slide in beside our friends. No one mentions the song, the kiss, the hand-holding, but the questions sit in their eyes, bright as the fairy lights.
Ollie breaks first. He leans in, elbows on knees, eyes fixed on Teddy. “Yeah, what was that?”
Christian’s brows lift. “New one?”
“It could be,” Teddy says. “If you want it to be.”
One of the rest home staff bounces up to the mic and starts a singalong of ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’; everyone belts out the figgy-pudding bit while Tommy and Loreena whisper-argue over the points.
As the last bars fade, they head our way, tally sheets clutched like shields.
“Small snag,” Tommy mutters. “You two won.”
