Devoid [Bruno Mars]

Chapter twenty-seven

Chapter twenty-seven

“You sure you can handle that, babe?” I had ordered three shots of vodka. The other two that had been floating around earlier were shared between Evan and Phil. The table's conversation had died down a little when I gave the order. They chattered still, but significantly lower. I could feel them staring, shooting long glances. As if this girl who we've been ignoring because she doesn't deserve to be with our Bruno just made herself noticeable by buying drinks, the audacity!

“I can't,” I answered Bruno, “and that's the whole point.”

Bruno, being the alcoholic he is, only having a glass of rum and ginger ale, could hold his liquor pretty well. Me, on the other hand, not so much. The crowd before me was indistinct and faceless. I adjusted the microphone until it was near my mouth. I chose The Total Eclipse of the Heart. 

I walked off stage. Applauding filled my ears and whistles pierced the air. When had I sung? Bruno stood when I approached and I literally stumbled into his arms. His chest vibrated with his chuckling. “Babe, that was the most horrible amazing thing I had ever seen.”

“The balls on you, Driggs! Shit,” Phil said, his hand on my shoulder. Aaron added in that he would have never guessed I had any and it seemed like the whole table nodded in agreement, except for Bruno. He grinned knowingly.

We all left the bar around midnight. Bruno and I had taken a taxi here, just in case we were too drunk to drive. We waited at the curb, blurs of vehicles rushing past us. The thrill of singing onstage still ran in my bloodstream. “That was so much fun.” 

“I'm glad you had fun, but it's not over yet,” he said, and started singing, “We belong together. And you know that I'm right.” We swayed, chest to chest, the night lights luminous behind my closed eyelids. “Why do you play with my heart? Why do you—” He took my hand and slowly spun me. He pulled me back to him, continuing our swaying. “—Play with my mind?” He kept singing softly, smiling cheekily at the same time, and my giggling was unending.

Bruno helped me inside the taxi once it arrived. Bruno informed the driver of his address.

“Studio City?” The driver craned his body around. His small eyes scrutinized us. “Whaddaya going there for?”

Bruno smiled wide. “I live there.”

The driver's eyes became even smaller. I couldn't stop giggling and Bruno chuckled, pressing me closer to his side. “She drunk?” the driver asked finally.

“No. This is part of her transition of turning into Batwoman.”

I hissed.

“That's Catwoman,” Bruno murmured in my ear.

Annoyed, the driver turned back to the wheel and we sped off into the night.

Bruno guided me inside. It was dark, and I bumped my elbow against the wall trying to take off my shoes, hard. Bruno burst out laughing, and I followed suit, holding my painfully vibrating elbow. “Where's the damn light?” There was a sound like Bruno running his hand against the wall, and then a crack. Silence. I held my breath. Bruno held his breath. And then, “My fucking toe!” We laughed even harder.

I felt Bruno come up to me. I heard his low breathing. “I'm turning into an old woman,” I exclaimed. 

“You look real good for your age.”

“How do you know? You can't see me.” I put my hands out in front of me, thinking to use them as a guide to make it through the utter darkness but, logically, they came into contact with Bruno's chest instead. I stilled, and so did he. I felt his muscles tighten under my palms. My hands rose slowly until they met his shoulders. “I want you,” escaped from my lips.