Between Two Fires

^.^ Chapter 6 ^.^

Lucas's POV

    My eyes lock with hers as she glides across the stage, her hips swaying to the music and her voice singing all the Spanish lyrics effortlessly. The pain and emotion portrayed in this song is evident in her expression. Inexplicably, seeing her this way makes me want to take the pain away from her and make her smile. As she performs, her long curls fly around her animatedly and her eyes sparkle cunningly, demanding the attention of the crowd around her. I close my eyes tight in frustration. From the moment I first saw her I knew she was trouble.

 When my cousin introduced her earlier I had been surprised - she had seemed like a different person entirely. After seeing her on stage the night before - singing confidently and standing tall in-front of the crowd, I was surprised by how shy she had come across when we met in person.

Well maybe that's because you stared at her like a creep...I run a hand through my hair, irritated. It seemed as though every time I saw her there was something different about her. She was confident the first time I saw her on stage and then when I met her again she was extremely shy. Now there she was, on stage, singing fluently in Spanish - confident again. But this time was different. Her pain was evident to me as she sang this song, her fake smile looked as practiced and forced as my own did everyday. My brain was telling me to stay away but my actions indicated the opposite.

Maybe that was why I had agreed to playing tonight. After fighting with my dad when he had initially asked me to play the guitar for someone tonight and refusing to do it, I had ended up calling him when I got to the Diner and telling him I'd play. He sounded as surprised as I was. I could try and convince myself that it wasn't because of who I would be playing for but I knew better. The moment my cousin Lea introduced us and I'd realized that the girl in front of me was the same 'Cyan' my father had referred to when he asked me to play the guitar tonight - I changed my mind about playing and told him I would the first chance I got.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I  make my way back-stage and, without looking at my dad,  grab my guitar, waiting for her  performance to finish. From behind, I can see her long hair, flowing around her as she moves and my thoughts flash back to earlier tonight when I had approached Ethan and my cousin. At first, I couldn't tell who they were with. My cousin had mentioned introducing me to a friend tonight but she hadn't elaborated further. So when I got closer and I saw those long Auburn tendrils running down her back, I immediately knew who I would be meeting. However that didn't prepare me for when she turned around and looked at me, with those sea-blue orbs, which I had caught a glimpse of the night before. They were mesmerizing to look at and I only managed to look away for a second, taking in her small nose, pink full lips and slightly rosy cheeks. 

Then at the diner I hadn't been able to stop myself from intervening and claiming that I would go to the cliff for lunch tomorrow, even though I had promised myself to stay as far away as possible. The shock on my cousins face had been expected. After what happened with Celia I had sworn not to go there anymore –

My thoughts are interrupted when I feel a pat on my back. "Song's over, Luca." My dad says before walking away.

I take a deep breath and, focusing on Cyan instead of the crowd, I jog onto the stage. I was expecting her to be surprised when she saw it was me playing for her tonight. What I hadn't been expecting was a look of pure horror to flash across her face when she looks my way.

What the....?

****

CYAN's POV

The song comes to an end and the people which were dancing along stop to cheer.

"Thank you!" I laugh, the adrenaline pumping through my veins . "For my last song, things are going to slow down a bit. You know, so I can actually relax and breathe." This earns me a little laugh from the crowd and I smile. Their attention then shifts to someone behind me and I assume it's my guitarist. When I look back, the smile is wiped off my face and is replaced with a look of horror.

Walking towards the stool behind me is none other than Luca. I turn away quickly and plaster a forced smile on my face.

Why Is he here? I try not to freak out but fail miserably. This is the reason I didn't want to sing. The nerves, the judgement received from people you knew. It was all coming back to me, making me want to run off the stage.

A tap on my shoulder pulls me out of my thoughts. I look up into Lucas' eyes which are full of concern.

"Are you alright?" Just with that one look, the nerves are gone. Taking a deep breath to relax myself, I nod  and turn back to the crowd. I am thankful when he leans close to the mike and does the talking.

 "Now we will be covering a song you probably all know, but it'll be much slower than you are used to. Please enjoy IDGAF by Dua Lipa."

Stools have been set up for both Luca and I to sit on so I grab the microphone off its stand and take a seat opposite Luca.

I look at him nervously, pulling off a cover with no practice before hand isn't easy..... As soon as the thought comes into my mind, I push it out. Luca strums the introduction flawlessly and I am thankful when he mouths 'three, two, one," queuing me in to start singing,

"You call me all friendly

Telling me how much you miss me

That's funny, I guess you've heard my songs..

After the first verse we are synchronized and I feel myself relax. I find myself looking at Lucas, our eyes connecting, as I sing the chorus –

"You say you're sorry

But its too late now,

There in that moment, looking at Luca - a guy I've just met - I find that for the first time in a while I can sing without having to re-live the pain I've been through.