I'll Be Holding on to You

the end

My tongue was back to normal a week later, other than the stud now in it. Mara had apologized to Erika for her uncouth question, and it had been smoothed over. 

Mara and I went mystery shopping that afternoon and ended up back at my house around seven. Everyone was there, including Gage. 

There was an empty bottle of wine on the table as well as a half-full one. Wine gave Erika a bad hangover so we usually avoided it but that didn't seem to be deterring her tonight because she was already loopy.

She was at the piano with Cam when we walked in and they turned and her face lit up. "Dorienne!" She nudged Cam. "Look! Dory's home."

Cam and I exchanged an amused glance. Evie and Freddy were on one couch, and Gage was on the other. Moey was at my computer. I pulled Mara to the bean bag and we crashed there.

"We're singing and you're missing it," Freak admonished me mockingly, turning back to the piano. "Also, wine. Okay, c'mon, Mister Crazy Eyes. What should we sing? I know. Get your guitar, and move because I want Dory."

Cam obligingly got his guitar from the corner and sat on the couch with Gage, Bowser trotting along at his feet and flopping down with a sigh. 

With a murmured apology to my date I took his place on the piano bench and put fingers to ivory. 

We looked at her. 

"Celine," she said haughtily.

"I dunno, real Twenty One Pilots fans don't like Celine Dion," Mara teased us, which they had said once in an interview, but was possibly false as they joked a lot.

"They do if Erika's singing it," I corrected.

She began playing and singing at the same time and I had to catch up. "For all the times that you stood by me, for all the truth that you made me see, for all the joy you brought to my life," and here she leaned into me, more than a nudge, for a few moments. "For all the wrongs that you made right." 

Her voice gave me shivers. I wanted to slap the look off Gage's face.

She sang without reserve, thanks to the alcohol, and it was magic. No one dared break the mood. "You gave me wings and made me fly, you touched my hand, I could touch the sky," and she reached up like someone moved in church. "I lost my faith, you gave it back to me; you said no star was out of reach."

I tried not to look at her too much, not to gaze stupid adoringly at her, but I don't know how much I succeeded. Not much, by the look of warning Cam gave me by the end of the song. I swear it felt like she was singing it to me. I was fully aware it was wishful thinking.

"I'm everything I am . . . because you loved me." Her eyes were closed but she smiled, blissed out.

"That was incredible," Gage said when we were done and everyone was clapping.

"It was really something," Mara said evenly. 

I met her eyes and she shook her head a little and gave me a wistful smile. Probably wishing she could sing like that. We all did.

Erika was beaming, and she spun around to gesture for her wine glass. "You need any more, sis?" Moey asked, partially meaning it.

"Shut it, twinsie," she said, waving him off. Cam handed her the glass, which was half full. She drank the rest in one fell swoop. "If I could feel like this all the time."

"Whoa there." I took the glass and put it out of reach on the piano because she was obviously good and faded already. I could smell it. Yuck. Wine was nasty. "Gross."