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For his part, Henn is so into the song and his character—he’s a thick slice of ham on this karaoke stage!—he’s got the entire bar cheering and singing along with us. Either there are zero cool kids in this bar—which I know for a fact isn’t the case, since Josh, Kat, Jonas, and Sarah are sitting at our table in the back—or Henny is just so freaking cute and likeable, he’s won every heart in attendance over, even the coolest ones.
When the song ends, Henn and I join hands and take a deep bow together, like we’re Broadway performers at our curtain call, and then peck each other’s lips and bound off stage. As we move through the crowd toward our group in the back, people high-five and compliment us. So much so, by the time Henn and I finally reach Kat, Josh, Jonas, and Sarah at our table, we’ve made at least twenty new best friends.
As we resume our seats, the beginning bars of “Living on a Prayer” begin. When I’m settled in my seat, I look toward the stage to find a bearded dude poised to give an enthusiastic performance. The group compliments Henn and me and banter ensues about who’s the best singer in our group thus far.
“Hey, at least I’m a better singer than Jonas,” Josh says, referring to his handsome, quiet twin brother sitting next to him. It’s the first time I’m meeting Jonas Faraday, though I’ve now heard a lot about him, and I must say the rumors are true. He’s gorgeous, quiet, and serious, from what I’ve seen. Kind of mysterious, too. Magnetic and intense. We haven’t had the pleasure of hearing Jonas sing tonight, as of yet, but we’re all hoping the moment will soon arrive.
To my surprise, Jonas, who’s been pretty quiet up till now, joins the banter regarding Josh’s singing abilities. He says, “Don’t congratulate yourself on being a better singer than me. I’m literally tone deaf—hence the reason you’ll never catch me doing karaoke.”
I can’t help noticing the group, other than Jonas and me, exchanging a covert, conspiratorial look in response to Jonas’ comment. When Jonas went to the bathroom earlier, Josh told Sarah he’d pay good money to witness his brother singing onstage, and Sarah confirmed she’s determined to get Jonas up there. But not as a bet, Sarah clarified. And not to embarrass Jonas, either. Sarah explained, “Frankly, I’d love to see my sweet Jonas doing literally anything he’s not spectacularly good at.”
“So, anyhoo,” Henn says to the group. “We’ve already seen Josh and Kat’s spectacular rendition of ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’—which was legendary, by the way—and now Banana and I have stopped the earth rotating on its axis for approximately four and a half minutes with what can only be described as sob-inducing spectacularity . . .” He looks at Jonas and Sarah. “So what are you two planning for our delight and entertainment?” He flashes an extra-big smile at Jonas. “I’ll die a happy man if I get to witness you sing karaoke, big guy.”
Real subtle, Henny. Jeez. In my opinion, Sarah will have a much better shot at luring Jonas up there if the rest of us don’t even mention it.
There’s some back and forth in the group, which results in Jonas basically swearing on a stack of bibles he’ll never get up there to sing, at which point Sarah begins whispering something into his ear. As Jonas and Sarah canoodle, Kat and Josh begin doing the same thing, so I take the opportunity to lean in and chat flirtatiously with my hot boyfriend, too.
“Do you think Sarah will be able to get Jonas up there?” I ask.
“Absolutely. When Sarah Cruz sets her mind to something, it’s as good as done.”
I crinkle my brow. I don’t doubt Sarah’s tenacity, based on some of the stories Kat’s told me about her hard work in law school and life in general, but how has Henn been able to discern that fact about Sarah during their brief time together in Vegas? Has Kat told Henn some of the same stories about Sarah she’s told me, or does Henn have some interesting stories to tell, thanks to their shared escapades in Las Vegas?
“Yeah, Kat’s mentioned that Sarah is a badass of epic proportions,” I reply. “Apparently, she finished in the top ten percent of her class after her first year of law school.”
“Really? Wow.”
Interesting. Henn’s confidence about Sarah’s tenacity isn’t rooted in her amazing law school performance. So, what’s it based on, then—whatever Henn and Sarah did together in Las Vegas?
The bearded guy onstage gets to the finale of “Living on a Prayer,” drawing our attention. When he’s done singing, the crowd, including our table, applauds wildly, and three giggling women clamber onstage to begin their rendition of Wilson Phillips’ “Hold On.” As they begin, our cocktail waitress appears and asks if we’d like another round.
