Anne
'What just happened?'
I stared into space. Andrew had led me off the stage after our almost-kiss. His phone had vibrated, and he had left in a hurry after seeing the caller ID.
I wondered what would have happened if he hadn't received the call. Would I have let him?
I found my seat and collapsed on it, my mind reeling.
What was going on between Andrew and me? He was going to kiss me.
Was that what I wanted?
I glanced around the room. Jane and Pamela were now at the snack section, with the two men that were sitting with us. Dr. and Mrs. Sawyer were moving around, smiling and talking with their guests.
The music had now picked up to a steady andante. My eyes landed on Vincent, who was dancing, well, more like moving rigidly, with the Barbie doll on the dance floor. The lady on his arm was all smiles, exposing her annoyingly beautiful dentition.
I wondered if he would have been moving like that if I were the one in his arms.
As if reading my mind, his head turned to me and our eyes met. He surprised me by making a face at me across the room. It was so endearing and unexpectedly cute that I had to smile and wave at him.
Barbie doll said something to him to draw back his attention, subtly shooting me the stink eye. When she returned her gaze to Vincent, she resumed her cringy smile.
'Again, who the heck is that lady?'
Vincent turned again and gave me an apologetic smile. I crossed my eyes at him, earning myself a full-blown, beautiful grin from him. This got my heart racing.
I was way in over my head here. I had almost let Andrew kiss me on the dance floor just a few minutes ago and now, I was fangirling over his brother.
I needed to get my act together, because this was a recipe for total disaster. I was heading straight for a train wreck.
"And you must be Anny," came the softest, most courteous voice, wafting into my ears like warm air.
I spun around. Standing gracefully beside me was the beautiful Mrs. Sawyer.
I sprang up, straightening my dress for nonexistent creases.
"You have a lovely home, Mrs. Sawyer," I blurted.
"Thank you, dear. Oh, please sit down," she said, and sat in the seat next to mine.
"You look gorgeous in that dress, dear. Vincent really knows what suits you," she said with a smile.
'Huh?'
"Thanks, Mrs. Sawyer, but it was Andrew who got the dress," I corrected.
"Andrew, huh?" She asked thoughtfully.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Ah, well, he did a wonderful job. And you call me Rebecca, dear," she said with her endearing smile.
It was then that I knew where the boys got their breathtaking smiles. The only difference was that hers carried a warm, soothing quality that felt capable of calming the most nervous person.
"You're so beautiful, Rebecca," I said, feeling my face heat up.
"Why thank you, sweetie. I've heard quite a bit about you, which has left me craving to know more. My boys are…" she paused, searching for the right words. "More together since you came around. But neither of them will tell me where they met you."
‘Oopsy.’
"Oh… Rebecca," I stuttered, "well… um… we met… "
"There you are!" Andrew called out.
‘Thank you, Andrew!’
Andrew saved me from a simple yet disastrous question. I could always lie because there was no way in hell I was going to tell her how I met her sons. However at that moment, I couldn't think of a single lie.
"Mum, I've got to steal her," he said with a huge smile. The glint in his eyes was like that of someone who had just won a lottery.
I had been relieved when Andrew came to my rescue, but as soon as my eyes locked with his, I remembered the near-kiss and went rigid again.
"But son, we were getting acquainted!" Mrs. Sawyer protested.
"Mum, you'll have all the time you need, but right now, she's mine," Andrew said, taking my arm.
His words ‘she's mine’, didn't sit well with me. I told myself it was just Andrew being Andrew. I blamed it on the dance floor, the almost-kiss, and on the way he'd looked at me.
I told myself a lot of things.
He gently pulled me from my seat and led me through the crowd. We passed through a door and into a smaller, quieter room.
I kept wondering whether he wanted to finish what he'd started on the dance floor. Honestly, in that moment, I didn't know if I was ready for whatever was about to happen. But when I looked at the side of his face, I saw so much happiness, and I didn't want to be the one to wipe it off.
He took me to the center of the room and released my hand. He stood in front of me, staring right into my eyes with that same huge smile on his face.
"What's up?" I asked awkwardly, bracing myself.
"Guess what?"
"What?" I asked, squinting.
"I got in!"
‘Huh?’
"Got in where?" I asked, trying to put the pieces together.
"Golden Studios!" He yelled happily.
‘Wait, what?!’
"What!!!" I exclaimed when everything clicked.
I flew into his arms. He laughed, hugging me tight.
Golden Studios was a name Andrew had spoken about reverently since the first time I heard him play. They took demos from rising artists, and if they heard something they believed in, they'd bring you in for a live session. A contract. Full production. The real thing. It was the door Andrew had been standing outside for years, too afraid to knock.
His fear had always been the same, that he wasn't good enough. After a gazillion persuasion, he'd agreed, but had still dragged his feet about actually sending the demo.
I don't know when he finally did it. But standing there, watching his face, I was overwhelmed with joy.
"I'm living the dream, Anny!" he yelled, twirling me around the room. I laughed, my heart swelling with happiness for him.
"Anny, the whole world is about to hear me sing!" He beamed.
"What," came a cold, low voice that sent a chill straight down my spine.
Andrew froze, releasing his hold on me. The sparkle in his eyes vanished, replaced with dread.
The room went from cool to freezing in an instant. Every hair on my body stood on end, a feeling that comes right before something terrible happens.