Bachelor Number Five (The Bachelor Series, Volume 1) (19 page)

Lauren’s jaw fell open.  “Well…,” she stammered, searching for a response.  “In this case, I think I certainly do have a right!”

“No!” Amanda shouted back.  “You don’t!”

Lauren raised a finger in the air, pointing it at Amanda.  “I don’t want that man showing up at my door!”

“Then move!  If you can’t handle living next to him, find another place to live!”

“Oh, no, this is my apartment, not yours!  I’m the one on the lease!  Don’t you dare tell me to move out of my own place.  If anyone is going to be moving out of here, it’s certainly not me!”

“Is that a threat?!”

“Take it how you want.”

“I’m getting more than a little bit tired of this.”

“You should have thought of that before you got all chummy with
Pete
!  I made my opinion on the matter perfectly clear.  The man is a lecher!”

“He’s not.”

“What do you really know about it?  Please don’t tell me you’re actually falling for him?!”

“I am not falling for him!” Amanda shouted, even while she wondered herself.

“You think you’re going to be the one who will turn him around?  You think you’re going to make an honest man of him?!  I’m here to tell you, Amanda, that is not going to happen.  Peter is a snake.  He will always be a snake.  Neither you nor any other girl is ever going to change that.”

“And here is the biggest difference between us,” Amanda countered.  “You’re so obsessed with Peter that you care.  I’m not out to change him.  I don’t care what he does in his spare time.  Peter and I are friends.  Yes, you heard me!  We are friends!  There is not a thing you can do about that.  I know that he broke your heart.  I know that you’re still in love with him on some level, but you know what?  It’s time to get over it!  How do you think Darren feels about all of this?  Can you not see how insulting it is to him that you’re in love with another man just next door?  Darren is your boyfriend, for heaven’s sake!  Move on already!”

Lauren’s face turned beet red, her expression shifting from one of anger to one of fear.  Her mouth fell open as she seemed desperate for a response but none would come.  Instead, she bolted for her room, slamming the door behind her.

Amanda stood where she was, hoping she hadn’t just made another terrible mistake.  She’d tried to avoid this confrontation.  Perhaps it was inevitable.  Living in constant fear over the issue was untenable.  There were other places Amanda could live.  Other rooms for rent.  She could worry about that later.  For now she needed to just get out, to put some space between her and her roommate.  Amanda went into her room and picked up her guitar case.  She placed it on her bed and then put her guitar inside, closed the lid and zipped it shut.  In an outside pocket she put her keys and wallet and then lifted the case and walked on through the apartment, out to the landing and then left until she stood at Peter’s door.  She knocked three times.

When he opened the door, Peter had a half-eaten hot dog in one hand.  He seemed surprised to see Amanda standing there.  He looked down at the guitar case in her hand.  “Change your mind?” he said.

“Do you still want to go?”

“Absolutely.  Just let me finish my dinner.  Come on in.”

Amanda followed him through the door.

“Are you hungry?” he asked.

“No, I’m fine, thanks.”  Amanda set her guitar on the couch and then took a seat at the kitchen table, breathing evenly in an effort to calm her nerves.

“Can I get you a beer?” he asked.

“Sure.  I’d love one.”

Peter looked her over, his curiosity showing in the way he paused and slowly tilted his head to one side.  He seemed to think better of saying any more, opting instead to open the refrigerator and pull out a bottle of beer.  He closed the door with his hip and then put his half-eaten hot dog on a plate.  From a kitchen drawer he pulled out an opener and then popped the top off the bottle before handing it to Amanda.  “Cheers,” he said, lifting his own bottle from the table.

“Cheers,” Amanda answered.  They tapped their bottles together and then each took a drink.

“I’m sorry, did you want a glass?”

“No, thanks, the bottle is fine.”  Amanda settled into her seat.  Her heart was still pounding, but what she felt more than anything else was relief.  There would be no more sneaking around.  No more lies.  No more worrying about what the neighbors or anyone else thought.  She would be friends with whomever she wanted.  If she were forced to make a choice between them, then so be it.  She’d chosen.

Amanda looked up at Peter, leaning against the kitchen counter with a hot dog in one hand and a half-empty beer in the other.  Of course there was still the issue of that kiss to consider.  Had Peter managed to forget about that already?  He was doing an awfully good job of acting like it had never happened.  Maybe having random girls kiss him out of the blue was an ordinary occurrence for him.  The fact that he hadn’t acknowledged it at all left Amanda with mixed emotions.  Mostly she was happy.  At the same time, Amanda had given Peter a clear show of romantic affection and he’d completely ignored it.  She couldn’t help but feel at least a little bit insulted at that.

“Is something wrong?” Peter asked.

“No.  Why?”

“You just seem a little… distracted.”

“I’m fine.”

Peter took a bite of his hot dog, chewed, and then washed it down with a swig of beer.  “I’m looking forward to hearing you sing tonight without having to listen through the wall.”

Amanda smiled.  “You should consider yourself lucky.”

Peter nodded.  “I do.  Drink that beer and let’s go,” he said before popping the last of his hot dog in his mouth.

“You’re in an awful hurry,” Amanda replied.  Being with Peter made her feel exhilarated yet anxious, worried and at the same time… overjoyed.  These were danger signs, every one of them.  Amanda took a long draw from her bottle and swallowed it down.  “Do you mind if I ask you a question?” she said.

“I don’t know, that sounds pretty serious.”

“I was just wondering if you and Lauren were ever friends like this?  I mean, did you guys hang out, just the two of you?  Did you ever share a beer together?”

Peter shook his head.  “No.  We were friendly.  I mean, I’d see her around.  Small talk on the stairs, that sort of thing.  She was never over here before that one night, though.”  Peter finished off his beer and then tilted his head back to look at the ceiling while he thought about it.  “I was never all that comfortable around her.  I always felt like she was judging me.”

“I feel your pain,” Amanda laughed.

“It always seemed like she disapproved of me.  I was surprised when she actually started coming on to me.  Honestly, I didn’t know what to think.  I still don’t.”

“She is an interesting character.”

“I can see why she has you so upset tonight.”

“Who said I’m upset?  I’m not upset.  I may be homeless after tonight, but I’m not upset.”

A quizzical expression crossed Peter’s face.

“Never mind, forget it,” said Amanda.  She took a last swig from her bottle of beer.  When she’d gulped it down, she shook her head and shivered before looking at Peter.  “Come on, let’s go.  I feel like singing.”

Peter took her empty bottle and placed it beside his at the sink.  “Let’s go then!”

Amanda moved into the living room, picked up her guitar case and followed him out the door.  Walking past her own apartment, she looked the other way before hurrying down the stairs.

Chapter Twenty-One

The Starlight Café was inside a small converted craftsman with faded paint, scuffed floors and worn wooden tables.  As soon as she walked through the door, Amanda’s anxiety spiked.  A crowd of 30 or so people filled the place, all of them seeming to stare directly at Amanda who stood conspicuously in the doorway with guitar in hand.  She took the place in, trying to get her bearings.  A small stage was set up in the far corner.  Not a stage, really, it was just a space cleared of tables, with one chair facing the audience and a microphone and amplifier set up beside it.  Amanda saw a few other guitars interspersed amongst the crowd.  “How did I let you talk me into this?” she whispered to Peter, only half joking.

A woman near the door held a clipboard in one hand.  She was in her mid-30s and wore a flower-print dress.  Her hair was tied back in a ponytail.  “Oh, good, another performer!” she said.  “What’s your name?”

“Um… Amanda.”

“Great!  You haven’t played here before, have you?”

“Nope.  First time.”

“I thought so.”  The woman wrote Amanda’s name down on the list.  “It looks like you’ll be going on third if that’s all right.”

“Sure, that’s fine.”

“We like to keep each set to 20 minutes, just so everybody who wants to play gets a chance.”

“What if I don’t want to play that long?”

“No problem, a song or two would be great.  Whatever you feel comfortable with.”

“Let’s find a seat,” said Peter.  Amanda followed him on into the room.  With no empty tables left, he approached a couple sitting together toward the back.  “Do you mind if we join you?”   Peter motioned toward two empty chairs.

“Not at all, feel free,” said the guy, about their age in jeans and a t-shirt.  His girlfriend, if she was his girlfriend, wore a denim skirt and a green knit sweater.

“Oh, you’re going to play?” said the girl as she eyed Amanda’s guitar.

“She’s great, wait ‘till you hear her,” said Peter, taking his seat.

“Don’t get their expectations up,” said Amanda.

“She needs a confidence boost, that’s all,” Peter added.

“If it helps, I’ll be sure to clap extra loud!” said the girl.

Amanda gave her a wan smile before leaning her guitar against the table and sitting down beside it.

“I’m Peter,” he held out a hand.  “And the performer here is Amanda.”

“Josie.”  The girl shook his hand.  “Nice to meet you.”

“Andy,” said the guy as he held up a hand from across the table and gave a wave.

“Do you guys come to this thing very often?” asked Peter.

“First time,” said Josie.  “Something to do on a Sunday night.”

“And it’s free,” said Andy.

Peter saw their coffee mugs on the table.  “I should get us something,” he said, turning to Amanda.  “What would you like?”

“Tea would be nice.  Chai if they have it.”

“You bet.”  He hopped up and moved to a counter on the other side of the room.

“What kinds of songs do you play?” Josie asked Amanda.

“Folksy stuff, I guess.  You’ll see.”

“A little nervous, huh?” said Andy.

“Does it show?”

“At least your boyfriend is here to lend you moral support,” said Josie.

“Yeah, he’s good that way.”  At the counter Amanda saw Peter pulling out his wallet and paying for the drinks.  Her boyfriend…  She could have told them the truth, but Amanda preferred to let the misconception stand.  If that’s how they saw things, so be it.  Maybe living this little fantasy through their eyes wasn’t such a bad thing, like trying the idea on for size just to see how it felt.  Amanda realized that it didn’t feel so bad.

The woman with the clipboard stood from her table near the door and moved up to the front.  Facing the audience, she raised a hand in the air.  “Ok, everybody!”  She waited for the conversations to die down.  “We’re ready to get started!  Thanks for coming to another open mic night at the Starlight Café!  We’ve got five performers signed up so far, plus a few more that I expect to come rolling in late.  Some are regulars and we also have a few newcomers tonight, so it should be a great evening.”  She looked down at her clipboard.  “First up, we’ve got Javier!  Let’s give it up for Javier, everybody!”

The crowd applauded politely and a young man sitting near the front lifted his guitar case and made his way over.  “Thanks!” he waved a hand in the air bashfully.  He placed his case on the ground and opened it up, pulling out his instrument before taking a seat in the chair and adjusting the mic.  “Is this on?” he said.

“Flip the switch!” someone called from the back.

The woman with the clipboard moved over and turned on the microphone.

“Ok, testing, testing,” said Javier.  This time his voice came out of the amplifier.  “Is there one for the guitar?”

“There’s a cord on the ground behind you,” said the woman.

Javier reached back and picked up the amplifier cord and plugged it into a jack on his guitar.  “Ok, I think I’m all set.”  He strummed a few chords and adjusted the volume.

Peter returned to the table and handed Amanda a mug of tea.  “Here we go,” he said, taking a seat.

Javier began to play an up-tempo tune, closing his eyes as he lost himself in the rhythm. 

I been gone…

Gone so long

Away from home

I’m so alone.

I been down…