Chapter 7
Sydney
I was nervous and excited as I walked into the pub a few hours later. I’d taken my time to get dressed, trying to perfect the no-effort look. It wasn’t like this was a fancy place and I didn’t necessarily want to draw attention to myself either. I’d picked out a pair of slim dark jeans and a black silk blouse. I’d left my hair open, but blow dried and styled it to look more sleek and put-together than usual. For makeup, just a dark burgundy lipstick was enough for me.
The pub was already full of people. It was the most popular place for locals and tourists to hang out in, and by the time I entered, Leo and his band were already setting up their gear on stage.
I walked up to the bar to get a drink for myself, keeping an eye on him the whole time but he hadn’t looked at me yet. I was also nervous about Dane. He had left the house soon after his shower and I hadn’t seen him since then. I assumed that he was out exploring the town, but I also couldn’t help wondering if he might turn up at the pub later like he said. I wouldn’t know how to react in the presence of both Leo and him.
I tried to forget about Dane, and focused on Leo instead. He was now adjusting the mic and tuning his guitar, and when I looked over my shoulder I already spotted a group of three women talking amongst themselves about him. They seemed to be tourists and I could sense that they had their eye on him. One of them even hooted and caught Leo’s attention, who threw them one of his melting smiles.
I felt an instant pang of jealousy creep up. He had invited me here specifically, I wished he would do something to make me feel welcome. I took a large sip of my beer and found a place to stand in front of the small makeshift stage. He finally looked at me, and when our eyes met I smiled at him.
Leo got up from the stool he was sitting on, and jumped off the stage to walk to me. I hadn’t expected him to do that and I could feel my heart beating fast. He was going to talk to me in front of all these people. In front of those girls!
“You came,” he said, walking up close to me. He had to speak loudly because of the recorded music playing in the background. He ran a hand through his blond spiky hair casually and I bit down on my lip.
“Of course. I like your music. I would have probably come anyway,” I said and tilted my head to one side. Leo was obviously flirting, or that was probably just his personal style. He stood close to me, blocking my view to anywhere else except him. He had his guitar on a strap, hanging on his side and he reminded me of all the singer/songwriters I had crushes on as a teenager. Leo was capable of making that fantasy come true, and I couldn’t stop blushing under his steady gaze.
“Well, I can’t wait to hear what you think, Sydney. This is a new set, and I would love to hear your opinion on it, before I start sending it out to record companies,” he continued and I nodded my head.
“I can’t wait to hear it,” I said enthusiastically, even though I wasn’t really sure how I could help.
“Great, you’re a star,” he said and with one arm, he gave me a quick half-hug, pressing me to his neck and I felt like my heart stopped beating. I remained frozen to the spot, accepting his caress, till he pulled away from me. After he had passed me a wink, Leo smiled and walked away from me and I could still feel a tingling sensation on my skin where we were touching.
It was just a hug. But it had been so close to a kiss! I couldn’t stop smiling, or following him with my eyes. I looked over to the group of girls who were gushing over him and I could tell that they had witnessed the exchange between Leo and myself. They were looking at me and whispering amongst themselves again, and I felt a sudden surge of childish pride. Leo had come over to talk to me. He’d hugged me. He wanted my opinion.
I took another long swig of my ice cold beer and basked in the glory of Leo’s minute long attention.
“Who was that?” I heard Dane’s unmistakable voice behind me. When I whipped around to him, I nearly spilled the beer out of the bottle. For a few moments, I’d completely forgotten about him. Now he was here, looking as handsome as ever and I didn’t know how to react to him.
“Dane!” I said, still startled.
“No, that wasn’t me. I’m talking about the hot stuff on stage,” he said with a smirk and tipped his head towards Leo, who had resumed his position on the stool.
I swung my face around, looking from Leo to Dane and then back to Dane again.
“Oh, he’s my friend. Leo. Leo Keegan is his name,” I said, aware that I was now fumbling with my words. Dane smiled and took one small sip of the whiskey in his hand.
He was in different clothes now. In a pair of expensive looking dark jeans and a flannel shirt. He looked more casual, although his impeccably tame chestnut hair was still styled fashionably. He would definitely not be mistaken for a local.
“Just a friend?” he asked, with that smile still lingering on his face, and I swung my face to look at Leo again. He had got up from his stool to lean over the stage to talk to that group of women now.