Page 19 of Anchored To You

"Hell yeah, let's do that one."

Beck clicks on the song, which sends it up to the queue. There's only a few songs in front of us, so we take a seat in the booth, watching other people up on the stage singing their songs. There's a beautiful harpy, Serena, who's singing a Madonna tune at the top of her lungs. Once she's done, Tom from the bonfire and his best friend Matt, who's a Phoenix, take ‌the stage next. They're belting out the lyrics to "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy," having all the students go wild. There are hoots and hollers as they dance sexually to the song, trying to seduce the audience. I can't help but look around the building, smiling at all the people having fun. This usually isn't the type of thing I like to do, but I can't deny that I'm enjoying myself.

"We're up," Beck tells me, grabbing my hand and dragging me up through the crowd.

"Hell yeah!" Hannah shouts when she sees me walking up to the stage. "Go get em' Tal!"

"Oh my god," I whisper, squeezing my eyes shut, trying to calm down. "I'm not a talented singer, Beck. I don't know if I can do this."

"Hey, hey," he soothes, leaning down so he can look me straight in the eyes. "We don't have to do this. I have no problem going back to the booth and just watching other people sing. But if you're willing, I will lead the whole thing and you can be my backup singer."

Blowing out a breath, I try to think of what to do. It would be so damn easy to give up and go sit back down. Looking out toward everyone in front of us, I see nothing but supportive faces. They're all just here to have fun. Hell, that's why I'm here. Beck squeezes my hand, getting my attention again. He's staring at me so openly, and he's so damn excited, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Wanting to sing this song with him, I nod my head, whispering, "Okay."

"Attaboy."

The intro to the song plays, and Beck takes the lead, singing loudly. I let him sing first, then join in, closing my eyes and trying to get lost in the song. My eyes stay closed until the chorus, until I finally open them, turning to face everyone who's watching. People are standing on their feet, singing along with Beck and me. It's intoxicating. And holy shit, I can't believe I'm actually doing this.

Beck is moving around the stage, his eyes glued to me. It isn't long before we're only staring at one another, neither of us looking out toward the crowd. Once the song ends, Beck wraps me in a tight hug. He finally lets go and I want to yell out, "Touch me again." Luckily I don't, but it doesn't mean it doesn't want to escape my lips.

"You fucking killed it," he tells me as we walk off the stage.

"Oh my god," I squeal, shaking out my tingling arms. "I can't believe I did that."

"Tal!" Hannah screeches, jumping off Wyatt's lap to run over to me. “You were amazing. Who knew you could sing?”

"Ha ha," I say, bumping my shoulder into her. "You're next."

"It's going to be quite a show. Just like the two of you put on. That was hot as hell. Neither of you had eyes for anyone else."

My palms sweat and I quickly wipe them on my jeans. "Was it obvious that I was staring at him?"

"No. It was obvious that he was staring at you, though."

Turning around, I look to see where Beck has gone. He's standing over to the side, talking to one of the bartenders from Zomb-Bar. Beck is laughing at what the other guy is telling him, a pit forming in my stomach. Not wanting to give any attention to what's going on, I glance back at Hannah.

"What song are you going to sing?"

"What a way to change the subject. Luckily for you, I like to talk about myself. Now help me decide what to sing."

The next hour passes quickly, with everyone taking turns getting on the stage. I don't get up there again, but Beck gets up a few times, singing his heart out. Hannah and Wyatt do a duet before Hannah takes off by herself, with Wyatt watching from the booth. My social battery is dying, my brain running through all the different excuses I can give to leave early.

"Wanna get out of here?" Beck asks, taking the spot next to me on the bench.

"Sure," I tell him, grateful for the excuse to leave.

After giving our goodbyes to everyone, Beck and I exit Scareoke, coming out into the cool night air. I shiver slightly when a gust of wind hits me. Earlier tonight, I decided to dress for looks and not for comfort. Which I'm regretting now.

"Cold?" Beck asks, tilting his head. "You do know it's fall, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," I mumble, glancing away. "Thought it would be warmer."

"Mmm." Beck takes off his jacket, shaking it out, then putting it over my shoulder. "Here, you look better in it than I do, anyway."

"You don't have to give me your jacket, but I'm not going to say no."

We stroll toward the dorm, our steps getting slower as we get closer to campus. "I'm not quite ready to head back yet," Beck says once our building comes into view. "How about a quick walk through the forest?"