While the man sang, he never took his eyes off me. It was like constant eye contact. I felt like the song was meant for me. I wanted to break away from our gaze, but I couldn’t. It was as if an invisible chain was holding me in place.
“Brent…” I called his name after he finished singing. I was more than amazed at his singing – it was just so beautiful!
“Now, it’s your turn,” he said, handing me the microphone.
I hesitated for a moment, but I had no choice.
“Hah! Watch out for me too.”
Of course, my pride was slightly hurt by his statement as if he was challenging me. Was he the only one who could sing well? I searched for some of my favorite songs to choose.
As I started singing, his eyes widened as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Oh, really? So, he was pleased with my voice now.
“Go ahead, keep going, don’t stop. Your talent would be wasted if you suddenly stop singing. Just ignore me and concentrate on your singing.”
How could I focus when even his eyes were laughing at my voice? Was it my fault that I didn’t have voice lessons before? Is it my fault that I’m not pitch-perfect? I tried to ignore him and continued singing.
“Bravo! Bravo! More, more!” He shouted while clapping his hands as I finished the song. Maybe he thought I would be too shy to sing again. Well, he was wrong! I sang five more songs in succession.
“What’s gotten into you? Are these songs touching your heart?” I noticed him bowing his head and shaking his shoulders. The songs of my idol singer are really emotional.
“Jamie, have some mercy on the singer, why are you murdering her songs?”
I didn’t answer him and just threw the remote control at him. “If you have nothing good to say, don’t say anything!”
“I’m sorry. But your voice is really unique when you sing; it’s like you’re from another planet!”
“BRENT!” I shouted at him, but I wasn’t angry.
I joined him in laughing. It was like I was laughing at myself, insulted and ridiculed. But why did I feel so happy?
“Let’s go back to the live band area for now. Let the attendant know we’ll be back later,” he said to me and picked up the intercom to talk to the front desk. After he put down the intercom, he took my sling bag and handed it to me.
The band was playing in the open grounds near the pool area. It’s not just a restobar in the place we went to. Based on my estimate, just a hundred meters away from the restobar was a beautiful garden hotel!
When we reached where the band was playing, it was difficult to pass through the crowd. The young and old alike were cheering, all enjoying the night life. Oh, the band playing must be really good, I thought.
Holding hands, we made our way through the crowd to get closer to the stage. Of course, we would enjoy the band more if we were closer.
“Wait, is that Xendo?” I whispered loudly to Brent when I noticed someone in the middle of the stage who looked like Xendo!
“Xendo who?”
“Xendo Vega!” I excitedly told him because I’ve had a crush on the vocalist for a long time.
“Really? It’s Xendo!” he said when he clearly saw the face of the singer.
I just shook my head at Brent’s reaction when we got closer to the stage.
I thought I was the only one who liked Xendo. But I thought wrong because whenever the vocalist jumped, Brent did the same. And soon, both of us were immersed in happiness. After the group’s performance, both Brent and I felt a little down. I regretted choosing videoke first.
“It’s alright; there’s a disco club here. Let’s go there,” I said. The next band was good too, but I didn’t want my experience with Xendo Vega on stage to be overshadowed.
The two men standing outside the club looked like wrestlers in size. After we paid the entry fee, Brent and I entered. It was my first time in their club, and I was surprised by what I saw. The youth nowadays are so liberated.
Upon entering with Brent, I immediately noticed two women on top of their table, dancing and taking off their clothes one by one. It was really something. When I looked at Brent’s face, he seemed unfazed. Well, he spent some years in other countries, after all.
We sat down and a waiter handed us the menu. Brent looked at it and ordered two beers. The beer bottle was cold, and I suddenly felt thirsty. I’m not really used to drinking beer, but I was thirsty, so I gulped down half of the bottle right away.
“Take it easy,” Brent advised me when he saw that I already drank half of the bottle.
“It tastes so good, and it’s so cold.”
“Shall we dance?” He asked me after we both finished our drinks.
Of course, I didn’t hesitate and agreed to what he wanted. We headed to the dance floor together and danced to the music played by the DJ.
The DJ was really good. In fact, almost everyone was dancing non-stop. And we were not the only ones sweating while dancing. Perhaps the AC unit couldn’t handle the number of people partying inside. My armpits were already wet, but I kept on going.
But suddenly, the music in the whole club changed from disco to sweet music, the kind for lovers. The young people protested because sweet music is rarely played in the middle of the dance floor nowadays. I signaled to Brent that we should go back to our table, but he just hugged me and danced along with the music.
“It’s embarrassing,” I whispered to him.
In truth, it was my first time experiencing this. After getting pregnant at a young age, I never had the chance to enjoy my youth. Poverty and betrayal stole it from me!
“Shhhh, just don’t mind them,” he whispered back.
I observed some dancing couples near us and noticed that the women’s hands were on the men’s chests or necks. Should I imitate them?
I regretted imitating them because it seemed like Brent misunderstood what I did. He suddenly kissed me on the lips, not minding the people around us. It was a quick touch of lips, but it was still a big deal to me. I wasn’t numb enough to disregard what he did to me.
Perhaps, I was a big fool because I fell into the man’s trap again. I admitted to myself that Brent still owned my heart. Foolish as it may be, I couldn’t let this opportunity pass. Even if it’s the last trip, I wanted the front seat.
“Be honest with me, do you still love me?” I asked.
He didn’t answer immediately and just stared at me. After a few seconds, he hugged me tightly and kissed my forehead.
“I love you so much, Jamie,” he said to me, and it felt sincere. I felt like he wasn’t lying, so I nodded.