10.
Jace
What was she doing here? When Elias had suggested that we should get the band together and do a surprise street gig today, I hadn’t anticipated Shannon turning up. If I’d known, I never would’ve chosen to sing this song. I’d written it when I was at my lowest and missing her. It wasn’t that I didn’t want her to hear it or know how much it hurt to lose her. I just worried it might overwhelm her, and I had a feeling she was already at her limit, especially with me goading her neighbours this morning.
Still, I couldn’t seem to look anywhere else. My eyes were locked in on hers, and she wasn’t walking away either. I thought she didn’t want to hear my music? So why had she come? And how did she even know we were here? We’d only announced the gig less than an hour ago.
When the song came to an end, she turned and quickly fled. Acting on instinct, I thanked the crowd again for coming, then shoved my guitar at Angus before I dashed after Shannon. Several people called my name, but I moved too fast, focused on the back of Shannon’s head as she swiftly hurried away.
“Shannon! Wait up!” I called, but she either couldn’t hear or was ignoring me. “Kryten!” I shouted, and she finally stopped and turned around.
“I’ve been chasing after you for the last five minutes,” I said, slightly winded as I finally caught up with her.
“Sorry, I didn’t hear you. I’m on my lunch break. My office is nearby, so that’s how I happened upon your show,” she explained, visibly flustered, a faint tinge of discomfort in her words that made me wonder if she was lying.
“Have you eaten yet?”
“What?”
“Lunch. Have you had any?”
“Oh, no, not yet. I got distracted by, um … no, that’s where I’m going now. To grab food.” She was more nervous than usual. I wondered if it was the effect of the song or if she was merely embarrassed to have been caught watching me perform.
“Can I come? I’m kind of starving.”
“Sure, but I don’t have much time. I have a team meeting at two that I need to be back for.”
“That’s fine,” I said, offering her my arm. “I know a great noodle place nearby. Fast service. We’ll be done in no time.”
There was a brief moment where she stared at my proffered arm, and I silently begged her not to reject me. After how vulnerable I felt singing that song, I wasn’t strong enough for her rejection. But then, to my relief, she easily slid her arm through mine, and I ushered her away.
We were only walking for a minute or two when I heard someone shriek, “Oh my God, it’s him!”
“Fuck,” I muttered quietly as I turned my head and spotted a group of girls, probably in their late teens, headed our way.
Shannon arched an eyebrow. “Fans of yours?”
“Come with me,” I said, taking her hand and hustling her inside a pub. There was an exit at the other end, and we quickly made our way out into the next street. Peering over my shoulder, I saw the group had followed us into the pub and were currently searching about looking for us. I tugged Shannon with me down the narrow street and into the next pub, which was tiny and quiet, only one older man sitting by the bar sipping on a pint. A woman was cleaning glasses behind the bar.
“I think we lost them,” Shannon said, slightly out of breath.
I looked down, distracted by the rise and fall of her chest, her flushed cheeks and pink lips. If she were mine, I might’ve kissed her, but she wasn’t, so I battled the urge. I was about toagree with her that we’d successfully lost the fans when I heard giggling from outside.
“Maybe he went in there,” someone suggested, and I had to act fast. Approaching the bartender, I plastered on my most charming expression and eyed the nametag affixed to her black polo shirt. The busty woman cast me an assessing look so I pulled a fifty from my pocket and slid it across the bar to her.
“Dymphna, can you do me a huge favour?”
The dishcloth squeaked against the glass. “Depends.”
“Some people are about to come in here looking for me. If you tell them you didn’t see me, that’s yours.”
She swiped the fifty and tucked it in her pocket while nodding. “No problem. Go hide in the snug.” She pointed to the small, wood-panelled enclosure at the very back of the bar. Shannon came with me, her hand still in mine, and I closed us in. Suddenly, I was aware of how tiny the space was. Our eyes locked just as the door opened, and several people stomped inside the pub.
“Did Jace Fields come in here?” one of them demanded while several others squealed and giggled to one another.
“He’s so hot. Total boyfriend material,” another said.
Shannon rolled her eyes, smirking as she continued to hold my gaze.
