Karaoke Night

Before we left for karaoke, I asked Shelly if she wouldn't mind waiting in the house for a couple minutes, I wanted to talk to Travis. I told him that I was concerned about his relationship with Shelly. "Is everything really ok?"

"Everything is fine Tanman," Travis replied.

"Really? Because nothing looked fine upstairs a while ago." Travis rolled his eyes at me. "Don't do that!" I snapped at him. "You think it's alright for you and Shelly to behave that way towards each other? Do you really want the boys to think it's fine to yell and scream at women? Or even their mother?"

"My boys are just fine Tanner."

"Bullshit! They aren't fine, you and Shelly aren't fine, nothing is fine if you are screaming at her like that. And hello! But I did hear her say that you scare her when you act like that, so that tells me that tonight wasn't the first time it has happened."

Travis crossed his arms and stared off into space. "Things aren't fine Travis, whatever is going on has changed you into a man that I'm not proud to call my brother. What happened upstairs scared me too."

"Pussy," Travis muttered.

"Fuck you!" I yelled at him. "Fuck you, you arrogant prick! You haven't seen the result of a temper like that, you weren't there the morning that I came home and saw Sara laying on my bed, one punch away from being a corpse. Don't fucking call me a pussy because I'm scared that one day that will be Shelly, not Sara who looks like a fucking punching bag."

"I don't hit my wife!" He yelled at me.

"For now," I yelled back.

"Fuck you," Travis replied. "I'm not a wife beater and I never will be! Just because Shelly and I argue doesn't mean that I'm a violent fucker! I know better than that!"

"Yeah?" I raised a brow. "I thought you knew better than to treat Shelly like crap too, but you have proven me wrong a lot in this last couple weeks." I turned to head back inside to tell Shelly I was ready to go. "You need help," I threw over my shoulder. "Before it's too late."

I feel that it's my fault that the night seemed ruined before it started. Travis and Shelly were happy when they walked out of his old room but there was no way that I could let what happened go. I did see Sara when Shelly pulled me into my room, scared of the man she married. If that makes me a pussy for being scared for her, then fuck it! I'm a fucking pussy! I don't care!

Neither one of us were in a great mood when we walked into the club that night. Shelly was confused as to what happened to change the mood and neither one of us were about to explain it to her.

"Were we supposed to meet Sara?" Shelly asked as she looked around the crowded club.

"She doesn't know he's coming," Travis told her. "He told her he was babysitting tonight."

"I told her I would show up if I could," I told both of them. "So here I am and there she is," I smiled as I saw her walking from somewhere to the right of where we stood. "Excuse me."

I left Travis and Shelly to fend for themselves, I wasn't too concerned about it, I was sure they would find their way over to wherever Sara was going, or find someone they knew to chat with.

Sara had no clue that I was close at all. In fact, she jumped when I came up along side her and wrapped my arm around her waist. "Hey there baby," I kissed her cheek while she stood there shocked.

She just stood there, jaw wide open, staring at me. "Sara?" My finger touched her chin, gently pressing upwards to close her mouth. "Maybe later I'll take you up on that offer," I joked to get a reaction from her.

"Yeah right," she slapped my hand away with a laugh. "What are you doing here? I thought you were babysitting?"

"So did I," I explained to her how I messed up on the day. When I was done explaining, she squealed, "Oh Tanner!" She threw her arms around my neck, "I'm so glad you are here!"

"That's better," I told her but didn't get to enjoy her pressed against me, she pulled away as quickly as she threw herself at me.

"Come," she tugged on my hand, "Billy and everyone else is over here!"

A few minutes later, I was seated on a stool across the table from Billy and his...date? guy? I have no idea what he was...I just know I finally met the Cal that they were always talking about. I'll be damned if I didn't know him already, we were friends in school. We took a little walk down memory lane while Sara and Billy listened in. At one point he leaned in and whispered something to Billy and I had to look away.

"What are you doing?" Sara hissed.

"Nothing," I told her. "Don't look at me like that!"

"I thought you didn't care?" She looked hurt.

"I don't," I looked at Billy and Cal who seemed disappointed. "I don't! It's just that I never knew! We were friends how long? And man you were never without female company." I shrugged, "I can't help it that I'm shocked."

"It's not like I could just come out and say it Tanner, I didn't want to accept it back then. People like Luke would've made my life hell, so I did want I had to do, I pretended it wasn't true."

I told him that I was sorry if I had anything to do with him thinking that he couldn't tell me. "I'm pretty understanding," I told him. "At least I think I am." I looked at Billy but it was Cal who spoke.

"I heard that you were, Billy has spoken about you and Sara a lot."

Soon every one's attention was focused on the stage as Frankie, the lady that hosts karaoke every week took the stage. Before kicking the night off with a song, she introduced herself and the band.

"I'm so nervous," Sara, who had been standing next to me after insisting I sit on her stool, turned her attention from the stage. "I feel like I'm going to get sick."

"Come here," I turned towards her, she came to stand between my legs. "You'll do great."

"I don't know Tanner."

"Of course you will, you've done this a million times."

"Yeah," she rested her ass against my leg. "But you weren't there then." She made a face and pressed her hand against her stomach.

"I'm just the same as any other person in this room Sara."

"No," she shook her head, making the 'I think I'm going to get sick' face again. "You aren't the same."

"Sara," my hand slipped over hers as it rested on her stomach. "You'll do great, you'll see. Just like everyone else in here, I'm really looking forward to hearing you sing."

She looked at me, as if she was going to say something. Her mouth opened but no words came out. After a couple minutes, I started to wonder what she was thinking as she stared at me. I went to ask her but the words seemed to disappear when she lifted her hand to my cheek; her fingers shaking slightly as they stroked my skin.

Like every other time she touched me, a warm feeling spread throughout my body. I wanted to pull her onto my lap and kiss the nervousness out of her mind; I had a couple things she could focus her attention on.

But I didn't, I held back, I wanted see what she was thinking - what she wanted to do.

Her fingers were on my cheek but her eyes seemed focused on my mouth. "Sara?" Her eyes jumped to mine, her fingers stilled. "You didn't have to stop."

She smiled, her fingers moving against my cheek again and soon her eyes were focused on my mouth again.

"Sa....mmm" her thumb brushed against my lip as I went to speak.

"Yes?" She raised a brow but her eyes remained on my lips.

"It was nothing," I told her as I slipped both my arms around her waist, linking my fingers together as my hands met over her hip. So much for waiting for her to make another more.

"Tanner," her hand dropped to my shoulder. I thought she was going to pull away but she surprised me, she turned her body towards me, coming as close as she could as she linked her fingers behind my neck. "I'm so happy you are here."

"Me too," I leaned forward, kissing the tip of her nose.

She giggled nervously and tilted her head downwards. I was so sure that I blew it, I was about to let her go when she suddenly looked up at me. I swear she said 'you can do it,' I was about to ask her about it when she leaned forward, pressing her lips against mine.

But before I could react, before I could feel her lips move against mine, she was gone. She had pulled completely away from me so fast.

"Sara," I wanted to ask her what the hell she was playing at when I realized that everyone at the table was quiet. One look in Sara's direction told me why.

The bastard stood mere inches from her with her arm held firmly in his hand.