7A/N: Well, I did it! I finally got the first chapter of this story up on the site!
Now before we begin, I'd like to once again thank my best friend and (hopefully) romantic partner-in-crime, Toku-chan, for supporting me these last two years. I'd also like to thank Mia for letting me help her with Something New and Sophie for not giving up when times were rough. You guys are great.
With that out of the way, let's get started!
All my life, it's been my dream to perform on stage not only for myself, but for everyone. I just stand there, breathing heavily while a layer of sweat starts forming on my face. My good eye is looking up at the sky, asking the Lord for guidance, but it soon relaxes and goes right back into place. I'm too consumed by my own nerves to focus properly, but then someone calls out to me.
"Sapphire?" I hear a familiar soprano ask me.
I turn around to see my dear friend Pearl.
"What is it, Pearl?" I ask back.
"You ready to go on stage?"
I slowly nod my head while simultaneously trying to mask my lingering anxiety.
"Alright, let's go." Pearl takes my hand and leads me through the curtains out onto the high school auditorium stage. "Oh and don't worry if you choke out there, Sapphire. I'll be right here if you need to bail out."
"Thanks, Pearl."
I watch her sink back through the curtains, leaving me to deal with the hundreds of people who will surely become my fanbase. Now's my chance! As soon as the music starts playing, I start to sing into the microphone, but I'm not sure if words are coming out at this point or if I'm just rambling nonsense. Finally, after a couple seconds, my voice becomes more coherent, more fluid and I start singing full sentences.
Whenever I sang my songs
On the stage, on my own;
Whenever I said my words,
Wishing they would be heard,
I saw you smiling at me.
Was it real or just my fantasy?
You'd always be there in the corner
Of this tiny little bar.
To my surprise, some of the members in the audience flock to the edge of the stage. They seem eager to hear what else I have to say. So I give them what they want.
My last night here for you,
Same old songs, just once more.
My last night here with you?
Maybe yes, maybe no.
I kind of liked it your way,
How you shyly placed your eyes on me.
Did you ever know
That I had mine on you?
"Sing it, girl!" a woman yells from within the crowd.
I can barely see her out of the corner of my good eye, but she appears to have bushy, curled hair and is quite muscular. There's something about her that makes my heart leap, but I keep going and just hope that she doesn't notice me blushing.
Darling, so there you are,
With that look on your face.
As if you're never hurt,
As if you're never down.
Shall I be the one for you
Who pinches you softly but sure?
If frown is shown then,
I will know that you are no dreamer.
The woman looks as though she's blushing too, but it's hard to tell given the rosaceous lighting on stage. I'm only halfway through the song and my mind's starting to wander already. Well, that's what I get for being a chronic daydreamer my entire life; still, the show must go on. I get right back to what I came here to do, trying my very best not to let my nerves get ahold of me again.
So let me come to you,
Close as I wanna be.
Close enough for me
To feel your heart beating fast
And stay there as I whisper
How I loved your peaceful eyes on me.
Did you ever know
That I had mine on you?
Now the woman seems wholly convinced that I'm singing this song just for her. I don't know why, either. Maybe it's because she's infatuated with me or this song is touching her in a way that is delightfully ineffable at best and vaguely nostalgic at worst. I'm willing to bet it's both. So for the rest of the performance, I keep her in my mind as I continue to fill the auditorium with my voice.
Darling, so share with me
Your love if you have enough,
Your tears if you're holding back,
Or pain if that's what it is.
How can I let you know
I'm more than the dress and the voice?
Just reach me out then
You would know that you are not dreaming.
Darling, so there you are
With that look on your face.
As if you're never hurt,
As if you're never down.
Shall I be the one for you
Who pinches you softly but sure?
If frown is shown then,
I will know that you are no dreamer.
As soon as I've uttered the last lines, the crowd erupts with praise and admiration. I feel whole.
"Oh my gosh, you were great!" I hear someone yell.
I turn around to see that it's the same woman who caught my attention earlier. What are the odds?
"Oh, uh, thanks," I reply gratefully. "Are you familiar with what I do at all?"
"Not really," she says. "I only came because my friend Rose wanted to see how I'd like the new talents. I guess it worked because I fell in love with you immediately."
"As an artist or a person?"
"Artist." She pauses for about three seconds. "By the way, I'm Ruby Harvey."
"Sapphire Dahl." I reach out for her extended hand and firmly grasp it. "Nice to meet you."
We shake hands, only to find that our handshake is a little awkward for us to handle so we pull away a few seconds later.
"So... you wanna meet up later?" I ask shyly.
"Sure!" she replies eagerly.
"Great, I'll just give you my phone number." I take out a business card-sized piece of paper and quickly write my home phone number down. Then I hand it over to her as soon as I'm finished.
"Here you go."
"Thanks. See ya around!"
"You too."
