Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 26
âSome people just canât sing.â I say to Jake, shaking my head as another drunk hotel guest steps up for the karaoke. Itâs 8 oâclock in the evening and both our families are sat around a table, empty pint glasses littering the surface. My family can drink for a while before the alcohol starts to take any effect, I canât say the same for Jakeâs family.
+
Jakeâs mum and dad stumble up to the stage and request âSummer Nightsâ from Grease, I see Jake grimace and hide his face in Maddyâs hair as she sits on his knee, cheering her parents on.
My family try to contain their laughter, but when the duet starts and Jakeâs parent are, to put it kindly, not quite blessed in the vocal department, they begin to giggle, still cheering.
âThey do this every time.â Jake mutters into Maddyâs hair. 3
âIt could be worse.â I say with a shrug of my shoulders.
âIt could?â
I think for a moment, âYeah, no, youâre right this is pretty bad.â I say, laughing.
Once the song ends, one of the hotel staff walks on stage. âWeâre going to take a short break from karaoke now, but donât worry, itâll be back, we just want to put two last songs on for the kids so you can get them to bed.â He smiles before handing the mic to another hotel entertainer as he calls all kids to the dance floor. Jake lifts Maddy off of his knee and stands her up.
âRight, off you go Mads.â
âCome with me.â She says, grabbing his hand and attempting to pull him up from his chair.
He sighs, a pained expression on his face. âFine.â He stands slowly, unable to say no to his sister, âBut only if Amber comes too.â
1
Maddy turns her adorable face to me, eyes wide in question. I donât say anything; I just stand.
All three of us make our way to the dance floor, Jake and I standing out among the crowd of 3-7 year olds. âBaby Sharkâ plays over the speakers, two hotel staff stepping up to the stage and showing the kids the actions. I donât even need to look at them; I know every last move.
6
I look to my right, and by the looks of it, so does Jake. âWhatâs your excuse for knowing the actions, Bloom? I have a little sister.â He smirks as he notices my hands moving in perfect time to the music.
âI am a woman of many talents, Jake.â
âDonât I know it.â He replies, giving me a lopsided smile. 1
Baby Shark ends and the familiar tune of the Cha Cha Slide comes on. I look to Jake, eyes wide with a broad smile. âOh my God.â
âWhat a banger. Reckon you still know the moves, Bloom?â
âThe song literally tells you what to do, how could I forget?â
The three of us hold hands, Maddy in the middle and me and Jake either side, as we slide from right to left, following every move as it comes. We dance the whole thing through, then return to our table.
Jakeâs mum and dad stand, unsteady at first, but they soon regain balance. âRight, we best put this little one to bed, and I think itâs probably time for us to call it a night as well. Youâve got the spare key havenât you, love?â Jakeâs mum says, hand stroking through Maddyâs hair affectionately.
âYeah Iâve got it.â Jake confirms, patting his pocket.
âWeâll join you, itâs probably time for us to go as well. Here you go, Amb, donât stay up too late.â My mum says, standing and handing me the spare key.
âI wonât.â I promise, smiling, taking the key and tucking it in the pocket of my shorts.
Me and Jake sit at the table and watch our families leave. Jake reaches over and grabs my hand with his, rubbing his thumb across the back of my hand as the karaoke starts up again. I lay my head on his shoulder, content.
1
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
A few songs in, Jake stands abruptly. âWhat are you doing?â I ask.
He simply smiles at me before turning and making his way towards the stage. He leans over and says something to the guy behind the laptop before picking up two microphones and making his way to the stage. He holds one mic up to his mouth and points the other one at me, looking me dead in the eye. âThis song is dedicated to Amber, who I hope will join me so I donât look like an idiot singing a duet all by myself.â 1
I shake my head, âNo way.â I mouth at him, put he simply continues to smile.
âAmber, Amber, Amber.â He chants my name until other people sat around the stage begin to join in. About 50 strangers all chanting my name, louder and louder until I give in.
2
âFine.â I say standing and walking up to the stage. I hate getting up in front of people. In fact, this is pretty much my worst nightmare. Yet, Jake has gotten me up here, mic in hand.
He gives me a kiss on the forehead before nodding to the guy at the laptop. I squeeze the mic tighter; I donât even know what song weâre singing. Why did I stand up?
1
The song begins to play, and I instantly recognise it, my muscles relaxing. âDonât Go Breaking My Heartâ plays over the speakers and I smile, itâs one of my favourite songs.
Jake sings the first line and I flash back to the time in the car, singing âSweet Carolineâ with him and my family.
Heâs awful, but it makes me sound even better, so I canât complain. We sing separately, we sing together, the audience even claps along as Jake preforms, putting everything into it. I almost miss some of my lines from laughing at him, but we make it through the song without incident and he instantly engulfs me in a hug. âYouâre good, Bloom. Almost as good as me.â
1
I just push him away laughing, stepping off the stage and returning to the table. Jake stays stood on the stage however and I look at him in confusion. âIf you guys donât mind, I just want to sing one more for my girl.â
The other hotel guests give a cheer and Jake says a quick thank you before walking over to the laptop once more. This time, âJust The Way You Areâ by Bruno Mars starts to play and I roll my eyes at him, smiling. He just winks back and starts to sing.
5
He looks at me the whole way through the song, and no matter how badly he sings, it still manages to make me tear up.
He gets a huge applause and I laugh as he comes jogging over, leaning down to kiss me on the lips. âYou liked it?â He asks.
âI loved it. Thank you.â
âAnytime. You want something to drink?â
âIâll just have a water, please.â
âComing right up.â He takes his wallet and his phone out of his pocket and lays his phone down on the table. âBe right back.â
He walks away and I sit grinning like a lunatic, butterflies wreaking havoc in my stomach as I replay Jakeâs karaoke. I watch as he steps up to order our drinks, flashing a quick smile my way before turning his full attention to the bartender. His phone flashes with a notification and my eyes are instantly drawn to it.
Everything in me tells me not to read it, but with it sat on the table so close to me, I canât help it.
Sophie: Howâs your holiday, baby? I miss you SO much, as soon as you get back youâll have to come round mine so we can catch up. Iâll have the house to myself⊠16
I read the text again and again, my brow furrowed in confusion. Thatâs not a text from a friend. Friends donât send texts like that. Girlfriends send texts like that.
âThere you go.â Jake places my drink on the table in front of me, startling me slightly. He sees my face, and his smile dims slightly. âYou ok? Whatâs wrong?â
I silently hand him his phone, and he takes it from me, confused. I watch as he reads the message, and see the exact moment it clicks, his smile falling completely, his eyes coming up to meet mine.
I simply stand, intending on getting as far away from Jake as I can before I burst into tears. Surely he wouldnât do that. To Sophie. To me. But Jake stands as well, blocking my path.
+
âAmber, please.â He says, reaching for my arm.
âPlease what, Jake?
âPlease just listen to me, let me explain.â
âWhat is there to explain? Friendâs donât send each other text messages like that.â
âI know, but-â
I turn, cutting him off, ready to storm back to my hotel room.
âAmber, please, I canât-â
âYou canât what?â I say stopping and turning to face him.
âI canât lose you like this.â
âWell what do you want me to do, Jake?â I bring my arms up, only to let them fall back down to my side, my voice cracking as I say his name.
+
He opens his mouth to reply, but nothing comes out.
I walk away.
Choose Episodes Below;
Note: episodes already read are highlighted in red!
Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5 Episode 6 Episode 7 Episode 8 Episode 9 Episode 10 Episode 11 Episode 12 Episode 13 Episode 14 Episode 15 Episode 16 Episode 17 Episode 18 Episode 19 Episode 20 Episode 21 Episode 22 Episode 23 Episode 24 Episode 25 Episode 26 Episode 27 Episode 28 Episode 29 Episode 30
Leave a Reply