Guys Do It All The Time

My first thought was to jump to my feet, to force myself between Sara and the Bastard. By the way Billy jumped up, I assumed that was exactly what he was thinking too. Only we didn't get a chance to do that, Sara noticed our movement and gave both of us a look that pleaded that we'd back off. I didn't want too. I wanted to punch Bastard's lights out. How dare he interrupt us? How dare he grab her away from me when she was about to kiss me! Fucking Bastard!

But I respected her wishes, I didn't choke the life out of him. Instead, I watched him slide his hand down her arm, taking her hand in his as he leaned in to whisper in her ear. Oh Fuck! I swear to God I saw red, literally. There was this up roar in my head that drowned out the music from the band and a maniacal voice in my head was screaming 'kill the Bastard, Sara's your girl!' I had to take a couple deep breaths to stop from lunging at them.

Thankfully Sara yanked away from him, shaking her head as she stared up at him. He leaned in again, his hands were going for her waist but she stopped him, her hands shot out, wrapping around his wrists.

"I said no!" She shouted while shoving his hands away from her. Without another word, she spun around and took off. I lost track of her in the crowd but later found out she high tailed it to the bathroom.

The Bastard watched her walk away until she disappeared, then he turned, glancing at everyone at the table until he came to me. He stood there with his hands in his pockets, staring at me - I stared back, there was no way I was going to be the first one to look away. Hell no, not when he knew exactly what he interrupted.

He was the first to look away but before he did, I swear I saw a gleam in his eyes, as if he didn't think I was that much of a challenge, that Sara wouldn't hold out from doing whatever it was he wanted for too long because of me. I continued to glare at him as he walked away with a smug smile on his face. And Fuck! I wanted to slap that fucker off.

Once he was gone, Billy told me that he was worried that Sara would go back to the Bastard; they had broken up before but some how Bastard always managed to talk his way back into her life. "Not this time," I told him. "Not if I have anything to say about it!"

A half hour later Sara finally came back to the table, she didn't look at anyone as she returned to the spot she was standing in before karaoke started and sipped on the water on the table in front of her. "You OK?"

Slowly she placed her glass back down on the table, she tilted her head to look at me. She smiled grimly and nodded her head.

I slipped to the edge of my stool, my hand gently resting on her shoulder blade. "Are you still nervous?"

She laughed, really laughed. "Yes," she nodded with a smile on her lips. "I'm shaking," she held her hand out for me to see. "I can't stop it."

I took her hand in mine, pulling her closer once again. "You'll be great," I told her as Frankie took the stage after the guy who was attempting to sing some country song finally finished, she thanked him and then called Sara up. "This is it," I kissed her cheek. "Go show them how it's done." Then, as an after thought, I asked her what she was singing.

"Guys do it all the time," she left to make her way onto the stage.

I turned to Billy, told him what she was singing and asked what it was. "It's by Mindy McCready," he informed me. When I stared at him blankly, he added, "It's country. Haven't you ever heard of her?"

"Country?" I groaned, "Why does she have to do country? Why can't she sing some real songs?"

Billy rolled his eyes, "Tanner this whole night is country, didn't Sara tell you?"

"No!" I cringed. A whole night of country? Did I die and go to hell? I went to ask Billy but he wasn't paying attention to me anymore he was watching Sara as she walked onto the stage, looking like she was about to puke in the middle of it.

The whole room seemed like it stopped, a quick look around told me that everyone was watching her - I felt nervous for her. She smiled shyly, jumping slightly when the band started playing the music. The first beat from the drum, everything changed, the Sara that walked away from me seemed to disappear and in her place was a confident woman who gave the audience everything they could've wanted. At one point she slipped a cowboy hat off one of the guys standing in front of the stage and slipped it on her head without missing a beat - or word. I was so shocked at the transformation in her that I didn't even realize that I missed the whole song until the bar erupted in wolf whistles and applause, they loved her. And so did I.

"Thank you," she laughed as she returned the guy's hat to him. "You guys are awesome!"

"Sara always introduces the next act," Billy whispered when Frankie didn't go up onto the stage but the music for the next person started.

"Oh!" Sara exclaimed as she looked off to the right of the stage but there was only Frankie there, she was giving her some kind of signal, she didn't look too happy. "Well this is a rare one," Sara turned back to us. "Not often guys attempt this song on this stage - and it's my favorite! Rascal Flatt's 'What Hurts The Most'."

Across the table from me, Billy sat up straight, looking around frantically. "No way," he said in disbelief over and over again while he scanned the crowd.

"What's wrong?"

"No, no, no, no, no!" He must have spotted who he was looking for, jumped off his stool, and disappeared into the crowd as he made his way to the stage.

On stage Sara looked lost. "Well, I don't know who's singing this one," she laughed. "Come on, don't be -" she must've saw Billy for she asked him if he was doing this song.

Billy shook his head and pointed behind her, she turned around and froze as the Bastard joined her on the stage. He smiled down at her as he wrapped his hand around hers on the mic, "No baby," he chuckled. "This one is mine."

This time people around me were silent but it didn't feel like the way they were when Sara took the stage, you could feel the tension, it was crazy.

The band faltered but Frankie was frantically giving them signs to go on.

As Sara stood frozen, staring up at the Bastard he tugged her and the mic closer to him as he started to sing her favorite song directly to her.

I had to look up the lyrics because I don't know the song....fucker. That's all I have to say. Fucking Bastard.

I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house
That don’t bother me
I can take a few tears now and then and just let them out
I’m not afraid to cry every once in a while
Even though going on with you gone still upsets me
There are days every now and again I pretend I’m ok
But that’s not what gets me

What hurts the most
Was being so close
And having so much to say
And watching you walk away
And never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was tryin’ to do

The whole time he sang right to her, until she snapped out of her frozen state at the 'walk away' part but he didn't let her go.

It’s hard to deal with the pain of losing you everywhere I go
But I’m doin’ It
It’s hard to force that smile when I see our old friends and I’m alone
Still Harder
Getting up, getting dressed, livin’ with this regret
But I know if I could do it over
I would trade give away all the words that I saved in my heart
That I left unspoken

Sara moved one way, he let her get a couple steps before he was back in front of her. Then she tried the other way, he did the same thing until she just stood there once again. Staring up at him, this time she wasn't frozen, she looked mad but there were tears in her eyes.
What hurts the most
Is being so close
And having so much to say
And watching you walk away
And never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was trying to do

This time, when he got to the 'walk away' part, she shoved him and managed to run off the stage - straight for our table.

"Sara," I tried to talk to her but she held up her hands and screamed 'no' as she grabbed her jacket and ran towards the front doors.

The Bastard finished the song, dropped the mic on the stage and took off after her.