Ahead of the Darkness (21 page)

“Well, Drew storming out with you over his shoulder was quite a display of ownership. I think the guys got the message, loud and clear.”

I owe ye.

Drew’s words to me that night still lingered with me. I instinctively looked to Mac, who was singing to herself while wiping down tables, and I frowned.

“Don’t worry. Mac has been in her own little world lately. She hasn’t noticed a thing. She also can’t carry a tune. Who knew?”

We quietly laughed to ourselves and covered it quickly before Mac turned around, still singing with a blissed-out look on her face. She really was in a world of her own, and I couldn't help but wonder why.

––––––––

I
didn’t wonder for too long as we soon picked up. For some reason, the locals went nuts for singing out of tune to worn-out hits. Making a fool of myself was never really my thing. Drew, on the other hand, didn’t seem to give a toss.

“Mia?”

“Georgia?”

“I didn't know Drew sang?” I paused my filling of the dishwasher and looked at her.

“What?”

I stood up, turning to the stage and sure enough, Drew was on the stage, talking to the KJ guy and playing with the mic. I frowned further.

“I don’t know. Can he?”

I hadn’t been paying enough attention when he’d whispered the lyrics in my ear as we danced in his living room all those months ago. His accent and hands had been too distracting.

“Well, we’re about to find out.”

My eyes widened when he stepped up to the mic stand and the room went crazy, everyone stopping to cheer as he started to sing.

“Ye were working as a waitress in english bar, when I met ye...”

“Oh God. He’s not?”
The human league
, really?

“He doesn't sound bad.” Georgia tried to fight her laughter and I looked at her, mortified.

“... Now few-months later on ye've got the world at yer feet. Success has been so easy for ye ...”

“Oh, now I know the song. He’s changing all the words.” She laughed loudly, clutching at her stomach.

“Georgia? This isn't funny. He’s doing this on purpose.” Isn’t he?

“Oh yes, most definitely.” She couldn't contain herself.

“... Don't, don't ye want me? Ye know I cannae believe it when I hear that ye won't stay-with-me.”

“Oh God.”
He didn't.

“Don't, don't ye want me? Ye know I dinnae believe ye when ye say that ye don't love me.”

Georgia gasps and burst out laughing again. “It's out now.”

“I’m going to throttle him.”

“You’re going to have to sing.”

My head snapped to Georgia. “What?” No, no. NO.

“Ye'd better get up here, or we will both be sorry.” Drew sang out of step.

If I hadn’t been so befuddled, not to mention slightly panicked, I would have laughed at him changing the lyrics to suit. Georgia was still laughing hysterically as she started pushing me out of the bar and towards the stage.

“You were in on it? You're a right cow, you know that, right?”

“Just get up there. You know you want to. Go on, have a laugh.”

“I know ye want me baaaaaby?”

I shook my head at him.

“I know ye want me—oooooh?”

He reached for my hand, and being the petulant child I so often seemed to become around him, I folded my arms and shook my head again.

“I know ye want me, baaaby?”

Damn it, he could actually sing, or maybe it was just the accent, but my resolve was crumbling. Drew was struggling hard not to laugh while he sang all the wrong lyrics and bent down to sing the line in my face.

“I know ye want me—ooooh?”
Nope, nope ... nope
.

The next thing I knew he’d reached out and picked me up under the arms, putting me on the stage in front of the microphone. A slight squeal escaped me, and I turned to whisper-shouted at him.

“I don’t sing, Drew. Don’t make me sing ...” As if that would stop him.

“Sing,” he whispered, covering the microphone. He was getting too much amusement out of this.
God damn it!

“... Working as a waitress in a
english
bar, that much was true ...” I mouthed
I hate you
. “... But I knew I'd find a much better place, either with or without you.”
Hmmm.
“The few months we have had have been such good times. I
did
like you.” He laughed while mouthing the correct words:
you still love me
.

“But now I think it's time I live my life
back
on my own. I guess it's just what I dooo.” I laughed at Drew’s frowning face. “You, You can’t have me?”

“Ye know I cannae believe it, when I hear that ye willnae have me.”

I scoffed, and rolled my eyes at him. The cat was totally out of the bag now. Screw it. I sang my heart out with him for the rest of the song, changing the words as we went. Something about if you can’t beat them, join them. I still had every intention of beating on him later, but I thought I might wait till after he sang to me some more ...

“Don't.”

“Yeee want me—baby?”

“I don’t, want you—ooooh?”

“Ye want meee—baby?”

“Nope, I dooooon’t—ooooh?. . .”

The song ended, the cheering duplicated, turning into catcalls and wolf whistles as Drew kissed me, as if we were the only two people in the room. I was too stunned to do anything other than let him, and tentatively kiss him back.

“Come home with me,” he whispered for only me to hear as he let me go, and I almost forgot we weren’t alone.

“You did all that, just so I’d spent the night?”

“Mostly.”

“Mostly? You’re impossible.”

“Ye love me, and ye know it.”

I shook my head at him, but I was struggling to hold any weight behind it. A stupid goofy grin was cracking through the surface, so I walked off before Drew could see it.

“Where are ye going? We need to sing another.”

I turned, walking backwards, and mouthed so only he would could see,
You’re crazy, not a chance!

Ye loved it,
he mouthed.

I kinda did ...

I walked through the stage door, and the smile slipped from my face. For two reasons: I’d just sung, in front of a room full of people, with Drew, and kinda loved it? The second: Mac.

Her dazed, blissed-out bubble had burst, and she was looking up from her paper with such scorn I’d frozen in my tracks. She quickly ripped out whatever it was she had been reading when I came in and got up, storming of towards the door.

“Enjoy it while it lasts.”

I wasn’t even sure I heard her right as she threw the words over her shoulder as she stormed out the door, leaving me completely stunned and with a sick sort of sinking feeling in my gut.

“Was that Mac?” Drew was right behind me.

“Yeah ... she’s ...”

“Aye, I’m going to have to have a word with her. It’s getting out of hand, but I dinnae want to talk about Mac.” He arms wrapped around my middle. “Ye never answered me before.”

“Hmmm?”

“Come home with me tonight.”

I turned around in his arms to look up at him. His eyes flicked back and forth between mine, his playful smile from earlier gone. He looked so unsure, and that’s when I realised it meant something to him.

“Okay ...”

“Okay?”

“Yes. I’ll stay with you.”

He smiled brightly, his dimples popping out, and leaned in to kiss me.

“Only, if you sing to me.”

He paused cocking an eyebrow. “Are ye going soft on me?”

I laughed. “Me? Soft? Never. You’ve been holding out on me. What other talents do you have that I’m missing out on?”

He smirked at me, and my heart rate spiked.

“I ah, know about those.” His bedroom skills I knew well.

“Not all of them.”
Oh ...

I quickly started walking backwards, away from Drew’s approaching form.

“Work. I’m going back to work. Keep those hands to yourself.”

“I dinnae have to now, love. Everyone knows you’re mine. I can touch ye whenever I want.”

I still managed to keep moving, despite my legs feeling a little weak. God, I was going soft. Gah.

“Later ... I’m staying, remember? You’ll have all night to ...” I was all of a sudden tongue-tied.

“Aye, and I’m looking forward to it.”

I bumped into the staff door, the jolt clearing my head a little.

“I’ll need to go back to Anne’s first. Tooth brush and things ...”

“Oh, I, ah, already got ye a spare toothbrush.” He shrugged like it was nothing.

“You were confident I’d be staying?”

“Nae, I’ve had it for a while.” Oh ... my heart melted a little more.

“I still need clothes ... for later.”
Eventually.

“Eventually, maybe. Ye can just wear some of mine. I’ll have something to fit ye. I’m not letting you change your mind.”

“I give. You win, as always, but no touching on the floor. I can’t ... That’s not ... it’s not professional.”

“Did my singing get ye that worked up already?”
Maybe...

“It was no ‘Unchained Melody’.” I smirked closing the door on Drew’s laughter.

I closed off my emotions as I went back to the bar, very aware that all eyes went to me as I walked out, all but two. I could feel the undercurrent of rage radiating from Mac. It was unsettling, to say the least.

“That was quite something, the two of you up there. And who knew you could sing, Mi? Is there anything you can’t do?” Jules wiggled his eyebrows at me.

I can’t fall for Drew ...

“I ...” The thought threw me. I wasn’t falling for Drew. “I don’t sing, I guess I'm not tone deaf, so that helped.”

Georgia came around, shoving her brother out of the way and leaned in close.

“I can't believe he kissed you, in front of everyone. If the caveman act didn't do it, that sure told everyone you two are a thing. You are a thing ... right?”

“I guess so.”

“Aw, bless.”

What exactly “a thing” meant I wasn't sure, but I was Drew's. That much was clear, and I couldn't lie to myself about not wanting to be, just ... for how long.

The night passed in a blur as I spent most of it in my head. Mac didn't talk to anyone as she stormed out after -ours, leaving everyone slightly confused in her wake.

“I don't know what got her panties in a wad.”

Sometimes, Jules could be clueless, but Georgia shot me a troubled look, and I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that something wasn't right. Georgia shuffled her brother out the door, giving me a quick thumbs-up before she left, putting a small smile on my face.

“Ready?”

I turned to look at Drew’s grinning face. “Yes.” I hoped so.

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, tucking me in close, and pulling the door locked behind us.

I was a little nervous, but I wasn't about to admit that to myself or Drew. Our relationship up until that point had been physical—sort of, mostly. I’d tried to keep us ...
less
, but Drew was always wanting more from me. I tried not to give Drew more, but I struggled harder with
not
giving him more. This time, there’d be no leaving before an awkward morning, no sneaking out when the guy had passed out. The
more
had become inevitable and unavoidable, and I tried not to think about what would happen when the nightmares would strike. I could only hope that they would be mild ...

Drew interrupted my thoughts, and I realised we were almost to his flat. “So I was thinking, if ye’re hungry, I could make us some dinner, or just some snacks, and we could curl up on the couch, watch a movie?”

“You want to cook me dinner and snuggle up?”

“If ye want, mind.”

He was being so damn cute that I found myself agreeing, even though I didn’t feel hungry.

“Okay, what did you want to watch?”

He fumbled with the keys, finally letting us in. “I ah, hadn't thought that far ahead.” He ran a hand through his hair nervously. “I dinnae have all that many girly flicks.”

I laughed. I wasn't all that big on love stories. “So,
Braveheart
then?”

“Dinnae knock William Wallace. I'll have to spank ye.”

“
Ye’ll
have to catch me!” I laughed running up the stairs. “They may take our lives, but they'll never take OUR FREEDOM!”

His arms went around my middle, and I laughed even harder as he lifted me off the stairs, halting my climb.

“Ye cheeky shit. Now ye going to get it.”

He started to ravish my neck with loud wet kisses, and I wiggled and squirmed in his arms.

“The prisoner wishes to say a word ...
Freedom!
”

Drew's hearty laugh rumbled through me, making my toes tingle as he put my feet back on the ground. “Yer something else, ye know that? Ye quote
Star Wars
and
Braveheart
, sing—”

“I don't sing.”

“Ye
can
sing. I might have to keep ye.”

“Oh, really?”

“Aye, ye nae get a say in the matter.”

His arms wrapped a little tighter around me, and I smiled when he rested his head on my shoulder.

“And what do I get in this?”

“Ye get me, all of me. I even come with a kilt.”

I’d completely missed what Drew had said, my mind stuck on the latter part.
Kilt?
I turned around in Drew's arms with wide eyes.

“You have a kilt?”

“Aye ...”

“Upstairs?”
Please say yes, please say yes!

“Nope, I'm nae putting it on. So ye can stop looking at me like I'm hiding ye Christmas presents.”

“You owe me. I got up and sang with you. I don't sing.
Ever
. And I'm breaking all my rules. I'm staying ...”
More rules than he could know.

“Alright, alright. Ye win this round, but if ye tell anyone, ye’ll be up singing every night.”

I mimed zipping my lips sealed, and he rolled his eyes.

“Come on then.”

Drew unlocked his front door and slid it open, indicating for me to go first. I took a few steps in and stopped in my tracks. Drew almost baled me over.

“You bought a new couch.”

Instead of the small, old chocolate leather one, in its place was a larger suede three-seater.