Trailing Stars (Trailing Stars #1)

Chapter 4

When it's almost six, every table is filled and people line the walls. Clara pulls me behind the counter with her and Nathan, so there's more room for others. She sneaks conversations with me in between tending to customers. And when she's not talking to me, I'm tempted to reach for my phone to read more of Morgan's Messages. I try to read at least one conversation a day. Otherwise, it leaves me with an empty feeling.

I'm about to pull my phone out when Nathan joins me, holding a loose fist in the palm of his hand. "Ready for your first open mic?"

Why is he asking me if I'm ready? I laugh. "Aren't you nervous?"

He shakes his head. "No. I'm used to reading my poems in front of crowds."

"How long have you been reading your poems?"

He looks up and off to the side, his eyes shining in the dim light. "I think I started when I was ten."

Wow... "And you do this every week?"

He nods. "My mom made me open every time because no one likes to go first, but even if she didn't make me, I would still go up on stage at some point. I find it fun seeing people's reactions, hearing what they think."

"And what do people think?"

He smiles at me, slipping his hands into his pockets. "I don't want to make you biased by telling you."

I arch an eyebrow. "I think it's too late for that."

He tilts his head to the side, his smile turning quizzical. "How so?"

I gesture vaguely. "You're just really..." He leans forward, raising his eyebrows. I swallow, dropping my hand to my side. "Nice. You're really nice to me."

He shrugs, settling back on his feet. "What can I say? It's easy talking to you."

I straighten. "It is?"

He nods, frowning. "Yeah. It is." He narrows his eyes. "Do people say it's not easy talking to you?" He has no idea. I try not to think about it, but the thoughts must flash across my face because Nathan's frown deepens. He takes a step toward me, holding a hand out. "Mona—"

"Hey," Clara interrupts. "You're up."

Nathan's eyes flicker to Clara and back to me. It looks like he's about to pass on his turn just to talk to me. I can definitely see him doing something like that, so I smile and gesture toward the stage. "Can't wait to hear your poem."

His eyebrows twitch together, but he nods, trying for a smile. "Wish me luck."

When he heads for the stage, Clara rolls her eyes, mimicking him in a mocking tone. But when he steps into the spotlight and takes the microphone in his hands, her expression softens. I don't blame her. When Nathan is up there, the spotlights completely illuminate him, making his hair more golden than brown and his eyes more silver than gray. Not to mention his smile is literally lighting up his entire face now. I'm surprised people don't immediately quiet and look in his direction. Maybe off the stage, Nathan could be unassuming, but I'm starting to think he actually has a pretty big presence no matter where he is but especially when he's on the stage.

"Hey, what's up?" Nathan says, his voice booming from the speakers. All conversations stop, and everyone turns to him. "It's great to see everyone again." His eyes flicker to me, and his smile widens. "And it's nice to see new faces in the crowd." There's a round of applause and some whistles. He waits for it to die down before he continues. "If you don't know the rules, it's simple." He gestures to a clipboard hung up on the wall by the stage. "Put your name on the sign-up sheet. We'll let you know when it's your turn to come up and share whatever writing you want. Poem. Short story. Comedic routine. A song. Whatever. The only rule is don't be rude." Nathan gives a pointed look at the crowd, and that's about as threatening as I've seen him since we met. But just as quickly, his smile is back. He studies the clipboard before putting it back. "It looks like no one's signed up for the first slot, so if no one else wants to go first..." He waits a moment, watching the crowd. When no one says anything, he smiles. "I can start."