My Only Exception (gxg)

Part 4

"I like that idea. I think I'll go with that," I said back to Emily, "Thanks for the suggestion."

"I'd love to come watch you perform...but do you think Poppy will be there?"

"Very likely. I saw on the schedule that she works Saturday. I understand if you don't want to be around her."

Emily sighed, "Are you sure? I feel like such a bad friend."

"You never could be. I get it, Em."

"Thank you," Emily said back to me, "I'm grateful for you, Delilah."

I practiced "The Only Exception" a few times before Saturday and felt confident overall in my ability to play the guitar and sing along to it.

On Friday night when I was practicing, my mom came into my room.

"You sound wonderful," she said to me.

I paused playing and smiled at her, "Thanks. I'm doing an open mic night tomorrow at work. You're more than welcome to come watch me."

"Aw, I'd love to, but tomorrow is my colleague's birthday. We're going out to celebrate. Next time."

Yeah, okay. Sure.

I always understood when my mom missed out on events of mine because of her work. She's a Doctor, she's busy. But when it came to her wanting to drink, that was a different story.

On Saturday night I got ready for the open mic night. I put on a black bodysuit that I tucked into ripped jeans, and I wore it with my Doc Martens. I lightly curled my hair at the ends and put on my usual grunge style makeup.

There were more people than expected for the open mic night, and my nerves started to settle in a bit. I didn't perform often.

Poppy was standing by the bar, and like we had since our fight on Monday, we avoided eye contact.

Diego came up to me, "I'm really excited to hear you play, Delilah. You were so good that one time at the bonfire last year."

I smiled at Diego, "Thanks. I'm a bit nervous, I won't lie."

"You're going to do great!" Diego reassured me.

If there was one thing that Diego was, it was encouraging. He is a very positive, glass half full guy, and usually people like that annoy me, but he doesn't. It's genuine with him. Diego is 24, and originally graduated college to be a teacher, but decided it wasn't for him. He's been working at The Grind House while trying to figure out his path.

I stood with him and Laura until I was to go up and perform, watching the other people at the mic. There was one other person that played guitar and sang, one that did slam poetry, and another that just sang, without any instruments.

Layla and Erica were introducing each person that was coming up to perform, and when they started to introduce me, my heart thumped.

Layla spoke, "Next up is the lovely Delilah Shay. Delilah has been working here for over a year now, she very well could have made your coffee multiple times. Besides being a wonderful part of our team, she also is a very talented musician. Delilah, take it away!"

"Go get 'em," Diego said to me as I walked up to the front with my guitar.

I sat down on the wooden stool that was by the mic and spoke into it.

"As Layla so kindly introduced me, my name is Delilah. I'll be playing the guitar and singing 'The Only Exception' by Paramore. I hope you enjoy it."

As I started to play the first chords, and focused on what I was doing, the nerves started to subside.

At first, I didn't really focus on the audience. I played and sang, trying to hit every note.

However, by the second chorus, my eyes scanned the audience.

And they landed on Poppy.

Poppy was looking right at me, her gaze intense. It was as if she was studying me. She leaned against the front of the bar, and it was almost as if she was captivated, her eyes tracing my every moment as I played the guitar, listening to every note.

There was something about the way that Poppy was looking at me that spread a rush of warmth throughout my body, and I could feel my cheeks flush.

She caught my gaze, and I held it for a quick moment, before averting my eyes away from her.

What is happening?

As I finished the set, the audience clapped loudly, and some of my co-workers cheered my name. I snuck a glance at Poppy to see if she was even clapping, and she was.

Why do I even care?

I thanked the audience, and then walked back over to where Diego and Laura were standing.

"That was awesome!" Diego smiled at me, "You did so good."

"You have such a pretty voice," Laura said to me, "Great job."

I left the coffee shop that night on a high note, feeling good about my performance. It was a glimpse of happiness that I don't feel often, and the unfamiliarity almost made me feel uncomfortable.

As I drove home, Emily called me.

"How did it go?" she asked me.

"Really well. My friend from work, Diego, filmed it on his phone, I'll send it to you."

"Aw good! I wish I could have been there."

"Once again, Em, it's fine."

"Thank you. I wanted to tell you...I actually went on a date tonight."

I was surprised as I responded, "Oh my god, with who?"

"This guy, his name is Evan. We met on Hinge a few days ago, and he asked me to hangout. We got sushi tonight...and I really liked him."

"That's so great, Em. You'll have to keep me updated on how things go."

"I will," Emily promised me, "Don't you worry, Delilah."

I got home that night and got completely ready for bed. My mom wasn't home, but I also wasn't expecting her to be for a while, if at all. Most of the time she's completely irresponsible and will drive home, but very occasionally she stays at a man's house if she meets one out.

As I lay in my bed, prepared to be up for a few more hours at the very least, my mind drifted.

To Poppy.

It was automatic, I couldn't help myself. The way that she was looking at me while I was performing was ingrained into my mind.

Maybe I'm just flattered that she seemed to enjoy my performance.

Yeah, I'll just go with that.