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She placed her hand back on Johnathan’s and squeezed as Colin began rubbing her shoulder, rocking her slightly, his lips still at her temple. She clung tight to Johnathan, feeling her hand go numb as he squeezed her back hard.
Olivia leaned forward and placed her head down on the table, crying quietly. Just done. She wanted to go up to the stage and smack her sister. Colin’s hand settled on the back of her neck as she felt Johnathan’s hand slide from hers abruptly. Johnathan got up and walked away.
She got up and crawled over Colin's lap to follow him. Johnathan disappeared in the hallway to the bathroom and was leaning against the wall with his hands on his face. He put them down as she approached. His face was drawn tight, looking tortured, and a tear slipped down his cheek.
She hurriedly walked to him, wrapping her arms around him.
They stood there, crying together, hugging as Vanessa continued to croon into the microphone. Colin walked up to them, staying silent, just watching them.
“I’m so sorry. I think you got the evil sister, bro,” she whispered, smiling as he chuckled through his tears. He pulled back, running a hand down his face, his eyes haunted as he looked at her.
“My wife died eight years ago… heart attack,” Johnathan said simply, his eyes lowering to the ground. “I’ve never been with anyone else since. It just hurts too bad, all those years of planning our life gone to waste,” he said in his deep voice.
“You don’t have to talk about it. I know what it’s like to not want to try. It does hurt, and it doesn’t feel worth it. It hurts too much to let go of the pain,” Olivia whispered, glancing up at him.
Not embarrassed to share this part of herself with this man who just bared himself to her and everyone else in the bar with his emotion.
Colin made sure they were ok before he walked back into the main room, not wanting Vanessa to be completely alone with them gone.
Olivia stayed silent, rubbing his arm sympathetically as Vanessa finally finished the song. The woman who had to leave the room when the song first started walked out of the bathroom, patting her eyes with a tissue. She looked slightly better.
Olivia gave the woman an apologetic smile as she walked past.
“Come on, let's get back,” Johnathan said to her, leading the way around the corner back to the main room.
Olivia’s eyes widened in surprise as she saw Vanessa hugging the woman who’d broke down crying. She hung back, seeing a crowd of people congregating around her, vying for her attention and congratulating her on busting out a difficult song.
Johnathan let her arm go and made his way through the throng of people, snatching Vanessa to him and kissing her as everyone pressed around them.
Olivia smiled, turning to their table to find Colin. She froze as she found his gaze. He was watching her, a tortured expression of his own on his face.
He jerked his head at her to come to him.
Olivia approached hesitantly. That song meant something different for each one of them, and her and Colin didn’t know the depth of each other’s emotions. Whereas Vanessa and Johnathan were laying themselves bare to each other. She wished they could be that brave.
But she couldn’t. How could she ask for more, if she was unwilling to disclose the hell that had been her reality for the last several years?
Colin held out his hand for Olivia to take. He turned in the booth and pulled her in between his thighs. Looking up at her, he reached around and ran his hand up her thighs and to her back. Pulling her close and resting his head on her stomach, just holding her.
Her fingers caressed his jaw as they swayed like that to the instrumental music the DJ was playing. Who'd paused karaoke performances after Vanessa’s performance, stating they all needed an emotional break before disappearing himself. Probably to cry too.
Vanessa and Johnathan made their way over, looking rather wrecked, but smiling. Vanessa’s song seemed to bond them, and they were holding hands and leaning into each other as they walked. Colin stood up, pressing Olivia to his side as he glanced at the couple next to them.
“I already paid, so we can get going,” Colin stated shortly.
“Wait! I had one more song,” Olivia teased, smiling at him prettily. Colin’s eyebrows raised as he turned his eyes onto her.
“And you can sing it to me later, baby, I promise,” he smiled back before glancing at Johnathan.
The man nodded at Colin’s unspoken question, clearing his throat.
“Excuse me Miss,” A man’s voice penetrated their group and they all turned. A tall African American man approached them, holding out his hand to Vanessa, who took it tentatively. When she pulled back, a business card was in her hand.
“You can call me Vanessa,” she said softly as she squinted at the card.
Olivia bit her lip, leaning forward, and sniffed. Widening her eyes as she realized the man smelled familiar. She gasped as Colin suddenly yanked her back to him.
“Did you just sniff that man?” he said in her ear incredulously. A tinge of jealousy was in his voice.
