The blind auditions are here. My stomach is doing somersaults. I haven't done something like this before, and I'm not going to lie. I'm pretty nervous.
I walk off the stage, waving at the crowd as they cheer our group performance. It was so electric! The atmosphere was so intense, and the four of us work together very well.
Well...excluding one person that is...
I haven't spoken to Danny since that day. I'm still angry at him, despite Mark's efforts to make me 'understand' the situation. But, you know what? I don't really care. I don't need someone coming along telling me how to live my life. I'm a grown woman now. I've been on my own for eight years. I'm not going to go running back to some man who thinks he knows it all.
Much to my disappointment, my chair is right next to his. I'm in between him and Tom. And he's right on the end. That means I'm his first point of call when he wants to talk. Bollocks.
I take a seat and grin at Tom. That Welsh god smiles smoothly in return and the butterflies flutter around my stomach.
“This is it,” he oozes in that strong Welsh accent. Some days, I miss that accent so much...
“I know, right?” I squeal. “We're going to change some lives right here!”
“Hey, Em?”
I hear that Irish voice from the other side of me and I grit my teeth. I turn to glare at him, and decide to ignore the puppy dog look on his face.
“What?” I snap.
“You sounded amazing up there, you know?”
I blink, not really knowing how to react to that.
“Thanks, I guess.”
“I would honestly love to work with you sometime.”
“Hmm.” He shift in his chair and leans a little more towards me.
“Can we talk later?” he asks, just loud enough for me to hear him.
“I don't want to talk.”
“Come on...”
“There's nothing to talk about.”
I turn away from him, ignoring his stare as I interact with the audience. And then the room goes silent. I grin at the camera before closing my eyes as I hear footsteps.
Here we go.
****************
The blinds are absolutely brutal. Everyone is fighting tooth and bone for these singers. Everybody wants to get that one person that will blow the world out of the water. That singer that will change the world. And we aren't afraid to fight for them.
We're taking a break and I've wandered into one of the rehearsal rooms. I just need to relax. As much as being in that room is brilliant, I need my own space for a second. I need to just get into my own head and sing out the pent up emotions I'm trying to fight off.
I sit down at a piano and just play. Not one of my own songs. There are many days where I like to sing other people's songs and put a little spin on them. And today, I know the perfect song...
You shouted out
But I can't hear a word you say
I'm talking loud not saying much
I'm criticized but all your bullets ricochet
You shoot me down, but I get up
I hear a clattering behind me and spin around, harshly stopping the tune I was playing. Danny is stood there, trying to silence the bin that he just knocked over. He's staring at me with wide eyes and I realise that I wasn't supposed to notice him.
