Tim's nerves were starting to get the best of him. He couldn't stand not knowing if Caroline was alright and he was petrified of screwing up in front of all those people. He started to put his phone on vibrate as a text message came through. It was from Caroline.
"My dearest Timothy, I know you must be pacing back and forth at this point, but you will do just fine. You will do better than fine. You are an excellent singer, you have a great sense of humor, let that shine through, they will love you. You could always picture everyone in their underwear .. ha ha..just pick someone in the audience, man or woman, and look at them and sing as if it's just you and them. I love you Timothy, good luck!"
Tim smiled, he really needed that from her right now. He started to peek through the curtain but refrained, he really didn't want to know how many people were actually out there. He resolved himself to not looking at the crowd at all, at least as much as possible. He would give her idea a try, but still had a bit of doubt he could pull that off. Jeff and Jonathon motioned him on stage to get placed to start. The curtain would be going up in 15 mins.
....
"You had to didn't you" they said. Caroline said "I couldn't let him go out there without hearing from me and some positive encouragement" as she bit her lip. They put their arm around her waist as they coaxed her along.
.....
Tim sang bass back up for the majority of the first portion of the performance. He concentrated on his steps and placement and avoided looking into the crowd as much as possible. Even when Jeff interacted with the audience, Tim stayed back a bit, not looking directly towards them. The stage lights were bright and were helping him from seeing clearly into the crowd, which eased his anxiety a bit. But he knew, once the short intermission was over it would only be two songs before he would be out there, front and center.
The two songs ended and Jeff once again was talking with the audience. "I'd like to introduce our bass vocalist that has been singing with us tonight. As you all know Marty is recovering from some serious throat surgery, so we brought in our good friend Mr. Tim Foust. Come on up here Tim." With a look of 'dude you're so dead', Tim slowly walked to the front of the stage, waving a little to the crowd without really looking at them. "Tim has an amazing voice and this is his first large audience to sing in front of, so if you could give him a little encouragement, I think he may have something you're going to enjoy" The crowd clapped loudly as the guys began the music.
Tim took a deep breath, closed his eyes as they started to sing:
You wear your smile like a summer sky
Just shining down on me and you
I swear your heart is a free bird
On a lazy sunny afternoonI love the way that you were up for anything
Never worried 'bout what people say
That's right, oh that's right
What we got isJust like driving on an open highway
Never knowing what we're gonna find
Just like two kids, baby, always trying to live it up
Whoa, yeah, that's our kind of love
Mmm that's our kind of love
Tim started to feel a bit more comfortable, and he decided to try what Caroline suggested. He slowly looked around, trying to find someone he would feel comfortable singing to.
Skipping rocks and leaving footprints
Down along the riverbank
Always holding hands, never making plans
Just living in the moment, babeYou keep me laughing with those funny faces
You somehow always know just what to say
That's right, oh that's right
What we got isJust like driving on an open highway
Never knowing what we're gonna find
He found a few people in the second row, huge smiles on their faces. The lights were still a bit bright but he thought he may have recognized one or two of them. He shook his head as he squinted a bit, trying to get a better look.
Just like two kids, baby, always trying to live it up
Whoa, yeah, that's our kind of love
That's our kind of loveOh that's right, baby you and I
What we got isJust like driving on an open highway
Never knowing what we're gonna find
Just like two kids, baby, always trying to live it up
Whoa, oh
He moved a bit to the left on the stage, getting a better look at the people in the second row, suddenly smiling. All of his anxiety slipping away, as he pointed towards the girl with the dark hair in the center of the second row.
Just like two kids, baby, always trying to live it up
Whoa, yeah, that's our kind of love
That's our kind of love
The audience went crazy with clapping and whistling as he finished the song, many looking for the person he was singing to. And there she sat, in between her parents, smiling with tears in her eyes as she watched the love of her life begin his lifelong dream.
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(Ya'll still hate me...LOL)
(The song is Our Kind of Love by Lady Antebellum. I found it fitting for them, even though it wasn't written in the time frame this story is set in)