The announcer, a guy who sat at a round table near the stage and was now obstructed from my view by two of the tables in front of us, began to speak into a mic of his own. “Tyler Campbell. Good to have you back.”
Tyler responded with a quick, “Good to be here, George.”
The announcer cleared his throat and stood up to address the crowd. “For those who don’t already know, the New Year’s competition’s comin’ up just around the corner. Make sure you sign up early to reserve your spot. In case you missed it last year, this fella right here," he paused as Tyler nodded proudly, “took home five hundred dollars."
I glanced in the general direction of Aaron and Crystal as the noisy crowd responded with cheers. “Huh?"
Aaron finally acknowledged me with a short smirk. Crystal leaned forward and said, “He won last year."
I turned my attention back to the stage, in awe of his confidence. At my house he’d never even take the mic when we played Rock Band. But here he was, drunk, and about to do a karaoke performance to an audience who knew him as some sort of champion. I watched him bow at the waist, dramatically accepting the praise of the audience. Granted, this audience seemed extraordinarily simple to entertain, I was stunned nonetheless.
Who is this guy, Tyler? I reminded myself we hadn’t known each other long. But as many conversations as we’d had, I thought he would have mentioned by now that he’d won a karaoke contest.
The announcer went on a little longer about the contest and introduced Tyler again.
Tyler stretched an arm in my direction. “This song’s for my girl back there. Hope you like it, baby.”
I felt blood rush to my cheeks when the crowd turned to stare at me all at once. Amber, who’d once again taken her seat across from me beside Scott, smiled and touched my hand on the table.
I hoped to God he wouldn’t sing Crazy Bitch, out of fear that it might trigger Scott’s memory to how he probably recognized me.
My fear disappeared moments later. I breathed a deep sigh of relief when I recognized Weezer and saw the song title on the monitor. This was another one of those songs we often sang loudly in a car.
Amber’s face scrunched up. “Hash Pipe? That’s not your song, is it?”
I giggled. “I don’t know. It could be.”
I ignored her judgment and focused on my boyfriend. Did he have any idea how incredibly sexy he was? He boldly strutted about that small space like he was born to be there. The song started out with a high melody, and his voice sounded good. Tyler probably wasn’t the best singer we’d all hear that night, but like Caleb once told me, he was definitely better than average.
His singing ability, however, was the least of his performance; the guy knew how to move on stage. He was dramatic at times, smiling at other times. When he sang the words ‘Come on and kick me’ during the chorus, he kicked one of his legs once or twice, giving the song all he had, but he didn’t overdo it. Most of the time he just stayed in one place, not exactly dancing, but swaying, as his hair bounced rhythmically.
Toward the end of the song he apparently had a burst of energy. The raucous audience cheered as he jumped up and down and his tone became more forceful and raw.
I clapped and howled along with everyone else when the song ended and he brushed his hair onto his back and took an eloquent bow. I was impressed, to say the least. This side of him was a lot of fun... and also, insanely erotic. I scanned the room and noticed a few women on the edge of their seats, trying to give him the eye, but they didn’t worry me one bit. That man was mine, all mine.
And maybe, just maybe, he’d still be mine after January.
Walking back to our table amidst a flurry of fist bumps and back-slapping accolades, a slightly sweaty Tyler finally took his seat beside me just as the next song started.
“Whew!” He picked up a napkin and patted his forehead.
Amber and Scott both smiled and gave him nods of approval as they turned their attention back to the stage. It was hard to ignore the drunk, burly guy singing a way-off-key, but surprisingly heartfelt, version of Friends in Low Places.
I waited a moment for him to cool off before offering up my thoughts. “You were so good! I didn’t know you could do that.”
“Aw.” He put one hand against my cheek, his thumb under my jaw, and tilted my face up to give me a kiss.
His tongue had just darted between my lips when I heard a loud slap on the table below us. Tyler instantly pulled away.
Aaron was now leaning across the table on his elbows, his eyes set on Tyler.
“Hey dickhead." Aaron’s tone was biting enough to be clearly audible against the crowd’s commotion.
“For the last time, what’s your fuckin’ problem?” Tyler put his elbows on the table, matching Aaron’s posture.
“Nothin,’” Aaron said. “You’re just makin’ a fool out of yourself.” He snorted. “As usual.”
Scott looked over his shoulder, scowling at Aaron. “Give him a break, man. He’s just havin’ a good time.”
Aaron scowled. “Stay outta this.” He pointed off to the stage. “Hey, look at that fuckwad up there tryin’ to sing. Ain’t that somethin.’ Go on. Turn around, there, Scottie boy.”
Scott’s upper lip curled in indignation. He gave Aaron one last glance before his eyes returned to the stage. “You’re the dickhead.”
“Shut up,” Aaron said.
Tyler leaned forward, his eyes showing his anger. “You were fine ‘til you started drinkin’ tonight. Seriously. If you got a problem you better tell me. Don’t make me ask you again.”
Aaron’s eyes went to mine for a split second before he answered his brother. “Why? What’re you gonna do? Kick my ass?”
Tyler and Aaron exchanged stares like they were about to break the table in half to clobber each other. And then, unexpectedly, Tyler took his phone out of his pocket. He spoke to me as he looked down to scroll through his contacts. “You care if we leave early, baby?”
“No,” I said, in a soft voice. I looked at Crystal. She was sucking the remnants of her drink through a straw, staring down at the table.
Aaron cocked his head to the side. “Who you callin’? Daisy can’t pick us up ‘til after midnight. You might as well just stay.”
Tyler ignored him. He pressed a button and stood up to walk out to the main dining room, holding the phone to his ear.
I grabbed our stuff and waved a quick ‘goodbye’ to everyone. I wasn’t about to sit there by myself, listening to strangers try to sing, with Aaron being weird and Scott still trying to figure out how he knew me. I tapped Crystal’s shoulder as I walked by and said, “Nice meeting you.”
I found Tyler a minute later in the chilly vestibule at the front of the restaurant.
He said, “Thanks. See you in a few,” to the person on the other end of the phone and hung up just as I arrived.
We sat down on an empty bench where I helped an uncoordinated Tyler into his sweatshirt and jacket.
“Sorry about my asshole brother,” he said. “I don’t know why he’s like that. It’s weird.”
I put my coat back on as fast as possible. I was already shivering just being that close to the front door. “It’s okay. Not a big deal.” I chuckled. “You know, I could’ve driven if you hadn’t made me drink that last one. Who’s coming for us?”
Before he could answer, Aaron flung the door open with Crystal in tow. They both wore coats like they were ready to leave.
“So,” Aaron said, “who’d you call?”
His eyes narrowed at his brother. “Huh? You leaving, too?”
He shrugged. “Yeah. So who’d you call?”
“Ernie,” Tyler said.
Aaron gave him an exasperated look. “Shit, man.”
“You know what? Just grow up and stop your fuckin’ whining.” Tyler took my hand and stood, pulling me out the door to the parking lot.
I could see my breath in front of me. I was just about to hug Tyler for warmth when Aaron’s voice rang out
behind us.
“Hey!"
Tyler let go of my hand and turned around. “What now?”
“Why’d you have to call him?”
“I didn’t, actually. I called Mom and he answered.”
Aaron’s head fell backwards, laughing. “Yeah, that figures. Go cryin’ to Mommy.” His lips puckered into a pout as he spoke in a babyish voice, “Mommy, Aawon was mean to me--”
“She’s reliable and I knew she’d get here fast. I don’t feel like waitin’ around.” Tyler lunged forward and put both hands on Aaron’s shoulders, giving him one hard shove backward. “Asshole.”
“Of course.” Aaron paused to glare at his brother, his jaw firmly set. “She’ll get here fast. For you.” He slapped the front of Tyler’s shoulders with his palms. “It’s always something. For you.”
Tyler kept his eyes fixed on his brother’s and carefully stepped backward from the sidewalk to the vacant handicapped space, beside a huge red double cab pick-up truck. “Who’re you kiddin’? Spoiled fuckin’ brat.”
As I watched them stare each other down, Crystal inched closer to me. Her eyes were probably as wide as she could get them, but otherwise her face was void of emotion. Without a word, she huddled up beside me and turned to watch the brothers.
They both stood still in that parking space, less than a foot apart, glaring at each other. Their jackets were open in the front, making it easy to see their chests slowly heaving as they took in loud breaths through flared nostrils.
I glanced around the parking lot. From what I could see it was full of cars but there was no one else around. And I had no idea if that was a good or a bad thing.
Tyler stepped back, his eyes softening for short moment as he looked down at his brother. But just then, Aaron spit out a short burst of words in a grunt I couldn’t quite understand. The only one I heard clearly was 'pussy.’
Tyler threw the first punch. Aaron immediately leaned into him, delivering a swift blow to Tyler’s stomach.
All I could do was stand there in shock, watching them fight. They almost looked like they were hugging as they wailed on each other’s kidneys. Besides groaning and occasional name calling, it was actually pretty quiet.
Crystal looked back at the glass doors of the restaurant, worried. “I hope no one sees this.”
I heard the sound of tires crunching against the patch of gravel at the front of the parking lot. “Is that Ernie?”
The boys backed away from each other as the car got closer and we could all see headlights beaming around the large pick-up that shielded them from view.
Aaron, panting heavily, peeked around the truck to see the car, then nodded toward the side of the building. “Over there.”
Crystal and I shared a pained look and both shouted, “No!” as they took off running. We walked to the corner of the parking lot and watched a smiling young couple go inside the restaurant. They didn’t seem to notice the two guys fighting in the shadows behind us less than thirty feet from the front door.
She sighed. “Turn around and try to keep an eye on them. I’ll keep a look out for Ernie.”
With my hands shoved tightly in my pockets and my teeth chattering, I watched them rolling around on top of each other behind the dumpsters. It was too dark for me to see exactly what was happening, but I was glad to see it looked more like wrestling than fist fighting. “Do they always do this?” I asked.
“Not that I’ve seen.”
”Should we try to get some help or something?”
“No. They’ll probably get arrested and Aaron might get fired. Just let 'em fight it out.”
I flinched, watching Tyler’s hair fly around as he shouted a string of expletives and tried to hold Aaron down on the ground. “Do we need to go to the emergency room?” I asked.
“Oh God, I hope not.” She gave them a look over her shoulder. “They’re not hitting each other in the face. I’ll check 'em both out before they go to bed tonight.”
“Is Aaron always this mean when he’s drunk?”
“No." She looked back at the parking lot and gasped. “I think that’s him!”
As the car slowed down and signaled to enter the lot, Crystal and I ran back to the boys and kept a safe distance as we shouted that Ernie had arrived.
They were still glaring at each other like rabid dogs as they let go and sat back on the ground. I extended my arm to Tyler. He shook his head and scrambled to his feet within a few seconds. With his arm around my shoulders, he put most of his weight against me and almost knocked me down as he used me as a crutch to steady himself.
I saw a few tiny cuts on Tyler’s face as we stumbled to the lighted area of the parking lot. Crystal and Aaron had just slid inside the backseat. Tyler opened the front door as I said ‘thank you’ to Ernie and sat behind Tyler, between Crystal and the door.
Ernie was all laughs and corny jokes, as usual, but a few miles down the road, after his grandfatherly banter was met with silence and stilted chuckles, he turned on the interior light and took a good look at Tyler, then at Aaron through the rearview mirror.
He turned off the light and adjusted his glasses with a heavy sigh. “I don’t know what happened with you boys tonight. I won’t say anything to your mother but I’ll give you both a call in the morning to make sure you’re okay.”
Tyler mumbled, “Thanks.” Aaron said nothing.
It was an excruciatingly long fifteen minute ride back to the house. When we got out of the car, I finally got a clear look at Aaron. His cheeks had the same tiny cuts, which I assumed were the result of holding each others’ faces against the sharp gravel on the ground. Tyler stayed in the car with Ernie and said he’d be inside in a few minutes.
Aaron rushed through the living room to the hallway as soon as we walked in the door. Crystal and I took off our coats and went to the kitchen.
“Coffee?” She was already filling the carafe with water before I could answer.
“Sure.”
“God, I hope that’s over.”
“Me too. Sorry you had a bad night.”
“It could’ve been a whole lot worse.”
“Yeah.” I cleared my throat. “So, you and Aaron?”
“I don’t know.” She lumped ground coffee into the filter. “I’m not sure what we’re doing.”
“Tyler made it sound like you guys broke up.”
“We did.” She chuckled. “But trust me. That little altercation back there?” She pointed to herself and shook her head. “It had nothing to do with me.”
The front door opened and Tyler walked in. Anxious to make sure he was all right, I met him there and helped him out of his coat. He was kicking his shoes off when I saw Aaron running back inside the living room, straight at Tyler.
Crystal ran out of the kitchen and yelled, “Stop!”
She and I shared a look and instinctively stood between the two brothers, trying to form a wall of protection.
Aaron gritted his teeth as he tried to duck around us. “Get outta my way. Now.”
“No!” Crystal yelled. “You’re scaring me.”
Aaron ignored her and continued to bob and weave. “Why’d you stay out there so long? Talkin’ about me? Tell him how I kicked your ass?”
Tyler laughed. “Yeah, right. Kick my ass. No. I apologized for how rude you were, first off. You didn’t even thank him for the ride home.”
Aaron stood still, his mouth open. “Huh? You stupid--”
“Hey!” Tyler stepped forward, making room in the gap between me and Crystal. He looked down into his brother’s face, inches away. “We owe a lot to that guy. You need to show some respect.”
“Respect?” Aaron spit the word out of his mouth. “He’s not Dad.”
“Yeah, no shit.” Tyler let out a short chuckle. “Dad would’ve told us to kick each others’ asses or he’d kick ‘em for us.”
Aaron pressed lips together and took a few steps back, then he rubbed his eyebrows and looked down at the floor, laughing.
Crys
tal rushed to Aaron’s side and crooked her arm around his. “Let’s just go to bed, okay?”
Aaron nodded and laughed a little longer. Slowly, he pulled away from Crystal and took one last swing, hitting Tyler square in the jaw with a loud crack.
Tyler’s hand went to his jaw. He closed his eyes and opened his mouth a few times, groaning as he worked his jaw. “Whatever, man.” He reached down for my hand. “I’m goin’ to bed.”
Safe With Me, Special Edition Page 52
