"Do you like karaoke?" She asks from behind me. I hear her footsteps coming up closer till I look and she pops up beside me.
Coach had me do captain's practice today.
I did not want to disappoint him so I went ahead and did it, plus I got to bully some rookies.
Let's just say they were scared shitless.
I'm not usually strict or mean to the team but rookies need some exposure to tougher coaching, the NBA and even later down the college ball road, they don't play around.
"No." It's true I don't, I've never really liked it.
"Oh, Okay." Damn it.
We're heading into a restaurant for dinner that happens to have karaoke.
"Ask me anyway." I reach for her hand, if she wants to do some karaoke then we will do some damn karaoke.
Anything for her.
These past few weeks with her have been the best of my life, I can't wait to see what the future holds for us.
She does this cute thing when she's excited.
She gets jumpy and all giddy, I love it.
"Do you, Warren Reid, want to do karaoke with me?" She jogs ahead of me turning around to face me while walking backward pointing at herself.
"I guess," I say sarcastically as I grab her shoulder gently to turn her around before she runs into the light post in front of us.
"Okay let's go and hurry up then." She smiles brightly up at me rushing us inside the restaurant.
I slide into the booth across from Linnea. I don't know why but I would rather sit across from someone at restaurants than next to them.
Across from them it just makes it so much easier to talk and interact.
"Hello, my name is Mindy and I will be your server today! Can I get you anything to drink?" She asks, looking at me with a smile, I jump a little at her voice, damn she's loud.
"Sunshine?" I say as I look at the menu for the drinks.
"Oh um, could I get a Dr. Pepper please?" She asks sweetly, the waitress looks bored writing down her order, the fuck?
"And you?" She suddenly gets all happy facing back at me.
"What do you think I should get, baby?" Linnea and I hate pet names like babe and baby, I'm not sure what Mindy's intention is being rude to my girlfriend like this but I have to make it known I'm taken.
"Dr. Pepper." She smiles at Mindy. She loves her Dr. Pepper, I bet she just said that so she can drink mine too.
I wouldn't even be upset in the slightest. The waitress jots down the second drink, rolling her eyes slightly.
"Back to you, can I get your number by any chance?" She puts her hands on the table leaning towards me as I lean back with wide eyes.
"Absolutely not." I look at Linnea and then back to the waitress. She pouts and walks away, what is she? 5?
"What the hell." I breathe out. Linnea just smiles a little looking down at the table. I reach over the table taking her hands in mine. "What's up?"
"Nada." She has been working on her Spanish lately.
(Nothing)
"No me mientas, mi amor." So have I.
(Dont lie to me, my love.)
She pulls her hands away slowly and I frown a little at that. "I'm going to use the restroom really quickly, Okay?" Damn it. She slowly slides out of the booth.
"Talk to me." She pauses thinking for a minute before sitting back down. "Let's communicate, I want you to feel comfortable enough to be able to tell me anything, do I make you feel comfortable enough to do so?"
"Yeah." She whispers. Good.
"So let's sit down and talk about this, then after we eat we go do all the karaoke you want. How does that sound?" I smile at her tilting my head a little.
"Okay." She sits back down. "It made me uncomfortable, jealous, and insecure when the waitress was flirting with you. It was not your fault whatsoever and you did nothing wrong obviously, you did everything right actually but I still can't help to feel that way." She rushes out picking at her nails.
"I was just as uncomfortable as you." I laugh out a bit trying to bring up the mood. "But I completely understand how you feel.
-"I feel the same way sometimes. You may not notice it but oh Linnea, anytime we are in public together men are looking your way constantly and it takes every last ounce of self-control not to go insane each time it happens."
-"But again I understand, I am very sorry you feel that way but I get it, but I have eyes for you, only you. It's always been you." She nods, and we sit in silence for a few seconds just admiring one another.
New couple shit.
"Here's your drinks." Mindy places our Dr. Peppers in front of each of us quickly with an attitude.
As soon as she walks away Linnea and I can't contain our laughter any longer.
Linnea grabs my hand swiftly dragging us up onto the karaoke stage. It's almost midnight and half the people in here are drunk or tipsy.
I get a little stage fright but I'll be fine. I got this. I got this. Oh boy.
"Until I Found You" starts to play. There are about twenty different lights directed towards the stage. I might throw up.
There are so many people.
The only reason I don't get scared with the amount of people at games is because well, maybe because I'm focused on winning the game and helping my team rather than other people.
"Are you okay, Warren? Whoah. We don't have to do this if you don't want to." She asks as the song starts.
"No, it's okay." I brush it off. Sitting down on the stool across from her. I just watch her. My breathing starts to regulate.
I keep my eyes on her.
Nothing else, just her.
We're about halfway through the song. This isn't too bad.
"How could we ever just be friends?" She sings swaying a little.
Damn right, we were destined to be more than friends, I knew that ever since the day in my garage with our little boy band as I saw her in that crate all those years ago.
She sings with her angelic voice, she is just one of those people who are good at everything.
"I would never fall in love again until I found her." I smile wide at the sight of Linnea just living her best life singing along with me on my part.
"I said, "I would never fall unless it's you I fall into, I was lost within the darkness, but then I found her." The song is almost over, finally.
I suck at singing but I'm trying my best at this point.
I probably sound like a dying hyena.
But as I sing this song with my shitty voice, I mean. Every. Single. Word.
"I found you." We sing together holding the note for a few seconds till the song cuts off.
Once we are done the crowd starts to clap and cheer loudly and Linnea leaps off her chair wrapping her arms around my neck as I wrap mine around her waist.
"GET MARRIED ALREADY." A man drunkenly yells.
We look at each other and laugh as we walk off stage hand in hand.
......
HEYYYY
BYEEE