Chapter 8
I sat awkwardly in the corner.
Wyatt’s friends were very welcoming and even pulled me into their group chat for planning get-togethers.
Someone invited me to play dice.
I shook my head. “Sorry, I don’t know how.”
Someone asked what song I wanted to sing.
I gave an embarrassed laugh. “I’ll just listen to you guys. I’m tone-deaf.”
In the end, everyone else was enthusiastically enjoying themselves, while I shrank in the corner, scrolling on my phone.
Just like every other friend gathering I’d ever been to.
I swiped my phone screen back and forth, pretending to be busy.
Someone next to me handed Stella the microphone.
“The next song is a must-have for every gathering—your love duet with Wyatt!”
“You two have been singing love songs together for years. When are you and Old Wyatt finally going to make it official?”
Stella laughed playfully. “No rush. Old Wyatt and I have known each other for years; we understand each other perfectly.”
Oh.
So Wyatt wasn’t looking at me earlier.
For a second, I actually thought he was singing that song to me.
Of course, I was just deluding myself.
Stella seemed like a girl a hundred times better than me.
I picked up a drink from the table and gulped it down.
My phone vibrated. It was my mom.
I jumped in fright.
If my mom found out I was at a karaoke bar, I’d be dead.
Wyatt finished singing. Stella took the microphone and walked towards him, ready for their duet.
I quietly ran out of the room to answer my mom’s call.
“Chloe! What time is it?! Aren’t you coming home? Don’t you have work tomorrow morning?!”
I timidly replied, “I’m on my way back now.”
“You don’t have a boyfriend! A single girl staying out until 10 PM, people will say I raised you poorly…”
I quickly hung up.
Stepping out, I realized it was raining.
And it was coming down pretty hard.
The ride-sharing app showed 200 people ahead of me in the queue.
I was about to dash into the rain when someone grabbed my arm.
I turned around. Wyatt’s face was expressionless.
“Was my singing that bad? Did it scare you away?”
I stammered, “I-it was… really good. My mom called and told me to come home. Aren’t you supposed to sing a duet with Stella? So I didn’t say goodbye.”
Wyatt raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t want to hear me sing a love song with someone else?”
I lowered my head. “No…”
What right did I have not to want to hear it?
A large hand gently stroked the top of my head.
“Why are you always so cautious? Never mind, if you don’t like these kinds of places, I’ll drive you home.”