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I was halfway through my first set when Luke and Nate entered Easton’s with their dates. I should have expected to see them at some point in the night, but I wasn’t expecting it to hurt so much.
Nate waved to me as they entered and Luke offered a quick nod in greeting. They sat down in their reserved booth and ordered dinner. I tried my hardest to ignore them, but I couldn’t help but be drawn to their merriment. Nate was being his usual jolly self and I could tell from his mannerisms he was relaying his repertoire of impressive stories and trusty jokes. Luke’s back was to me so I couldn’t witness his enjoyment, but the sound of his warm laughter cut right through me.
They soon became oblivious to my presence and I changed the set list to suit my mood. Luckily it was dinner time, so no one noticed the depressive undertones of my songs. I would pick up the pace later, but for now, I wanted to wallow in my misery.
Luke left the table briefly to order drinks from the bar. Whilst he waited, he leant back and watched me. I could always sense when his eyes were on me, and I tried my hardest to ignore him.
I focused my sight on the girl who was sitting in their booth, waiting impatiently for Luke to return. She was obviously smitten with him, but who wouldn’t be? He was attractive inside and out. He didn’t have defined movie-star looks like Jake, what Luke had was much more wholesome. John Easton brought him up to be a true gentleman, and would have been so proud. I never heard a bad story about Luke and there was one for everyone in this town, even if it wasn’t true. Everyone loved him.
His date barely took her eyes off him and seized every opportunity to touch him, making my jaw ache. To make matters worse, Luke seemed to be keen on her too. She was pretty I guess. Tall, slim, straight mousey brown hair, with a plain but sweet face. I had seen her around town, but never met her. I guessed she was a few years older, otherwise I’m sure our paths would have crossed by now. But then, I wasn’t exactly the most social person in town. Perhaps I would ask Marni about her.
* * *
I was beginning to feel ill, so I took a longer than usual break between my sets. I grabbed a bottle of water from behind the bar and disappeared out the back. I didn’t want to sit in the back office where everything reminded me of Luke, so I crept upstairs.
Easton’s had a second storey that was used primarily for storage. John Easton never liked to throw anything out, so he used the space as a dumping ground for all their unwanted furniture. It was also the perfect place to play hide and seek when we were little.
I searched through the mass of assorted furniture hiding under protective sheets, until I found something to sit on. Brushing off the excess dust, I relaxed into a weathered old wing backed armchair. It was as comfortable as it looked.
With the few minutes I had left to spare, I sat and admired the space around me. It was big enough for an entire apartment and I wondered if Dawn ever thought about cleaning it up and renting it out. Closing my eyes, I distracted my thoughts with dreams of one day living on my own.
“Blue…Bluuue,” a faraway voice called.
I ignored my name and snuggled deeper into the chair.
“Blue, wake up.”
I lifted my lids in a haze and found Luke leaning over me, giving my shoulder a gentle shake. His face was inches from mine and I inhaled his earthy cologne.
My eyes practically bulged out of their sockets when I realised I had fallen asleep. “Oh crap!” I yelled, jumping onto my feet.
Luke chuckled. “It’s alright, you haven’t been out for long,” he said. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. How late am I?” I asked, out of breath and totally embarrassed.
“Just a few minutes, don’t stress. I thought something was wrong when you didn’t come back out.” He scanned our surroundings curiously. “What are you doing up here?”
“I don’t know, I guess I needed a quiet place to think.”
Luke’s eyes searched mine. “Think about what?”
It was tempting to admit my feelings for him, but I couldn’t. He was clearly into the girl downstairs and I would just humiliate myself.
“Just everything,” I sighed, lowering my gaze.
He must have read something in my expression, as his face grew serious. “I—”
“You know, you should really think about cleaning this place up. It would make a great apartment,” I interrupted, before he could press further.
Luke shook his head at the sudden change of subject and sighed. “Yeah, I’ve been asking Dawn for years, but she can’t bring herself to let go of the past…and all this crappy furniture.”
“Actually, the furniture is still pretty good. This chair is a dream.” I made a mental note to ask Dawn if I could keep it.
“I figured.” He laughed. “Considering I just found you passed out in it.”
I clenched my teeth, remembering where I was supposed to be ten minutes ago. Luke followed me down the stairs.
“So…how’s your date going?” I asked reluctantly, trying not to look back at him.
