La Bruit De La Pluie || PG10

|1|Patience Wears Thin As Time Draws On|

"Look, Etta, I just don't want to go," I complained, looking at myself in the mirror as my best friend, Antoinette, tried to convince me to go to my performance tonight. I had been performing at the same pub (The Horse and Trough) for about a year and tonight I just didn't feel like it. 

It was always the same people in, every single night. My main night there was a Saturday, but I also did other weeknights. They were never as busy, though. Etta said that tonight, however, was going to be a different one. A few of our friends apparently knew a guy who was racing at Silverstone the next day. The only reason this was supposed to matter to me was because he was going to be at the pub with them tonight. 

Etta had insisted that I look 'extra hot' (her words, not mine) as he was a fellow Frenchman, single, had a great job and handsome (again, her words, not mine). So, she dressed me in a long, flowy maxi-dress in a stunning sapphire blue. To be fair, I did look quite nice.

 But, it's not like I wasn't going to go, I'm getting paid for it. Doesn't mean I wanted to be there. "You might not want to go, but when you're there, my dear Leone, you will never want to leave," she tried to coerce me, "Pierre is absolute boyfriend material,"

"Have you got any pictures of this Pierre?" I asked her, the name feeling right on my tongue.

I expected her to show me some specky-looking racing driver. Boy was I wrong. She pulled her phone from her purse and scrolled through Instagram for a minute, before turning the screen to face me. Wow was all I could think as I gazed at him, hopping out of the car. He still had his helmet on, but he just looked great. She scrolled to the next picture, and I could swear my heart skipped a beat. 

His hair was all ruffled and his suit was rolled down to his waist, leaving him in a set of white fire-proofs. I didn't believe that this was the guy that was going to be at the pub. "You're sure that this is the guy who Will knows?" 

"Yes, I'm sure. I've talked to him as well,". Maybe tonight wouldn't be as bad as I thought it would be. "Oh I see that smirk! You like the look of him, huh?" Etta teased, nudging me with her elbow.

"I'm not going to say he's not attractive," I rolled my eyes, picking up my purse and walking towards my apartment door. "I can't wait to play matchmaker!" she giggled, following along as her heels clicked on the wooden floor. 

Being the start of August, the weather was still very warm and the sky was still very blue as we drove to the pub. I needed to get there early to set up and make sure all of the tech was working. Etta would probably disappear into the storage cupboard with Will for a while, they always kept each other occupied. 

Nearer the start of my set, Will and Etta re-emerged from the cupboard, their clothes slightly askew and their hair was rather disorderly. People also started filtering into the pub, ready for their Saturday night drinks. Before I started, it was packed. There was barely any standing room left and the bar was crammed with people. 

I stood there, adjusting my microphone slightly. The pub looked as boring as ever, as I was searching for something to be different, just to have a change. Of course, there was nothing out of the ordinary.  

I thought about how I should just get a normal job and leave this place. I should get a job that can actually get me somewhere, not performing in a pub most nights a week, desperate for the right person to walk in and spot something in me. 

I always started with a song in French, just to see how the crowd took to them. Before I could let my thoughts of stardom and success run away with me, the soundtrack started playing. "Mon cœur, mes mains, mes yeux, mes reins," I started, scanning the crowd for any sign of Will's French friend. 'Evidemment' was a newer song I had written, but people didn't seem to care too much.  "Dans mon jardin d'enfer poussent des fleurs,"