Chapter 7: His Dreamy Eyes

Music recommendation: Landon Pigg - Falling In Love At A Coffee Shop

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Natalie shut her eyes while clutching the microphone with one hand. She reached into the depths of her heart—a place she had sealed away from the rest of the world for a long time—and took a deep breath, then started the song.

I think that possibly, maybe I'm falling for you~

Yes, there's a chance that I've fallen quite hard over you~

When her eyes fluttered open, she found a look of awe in his dreamy eyes, and the warmth of his smile sent another wave of butterflies through her.

I've seen the paths that your eyes wander down, I want to come too~

I think that possibly, maybe I'm falling for you~

Had she ever felt this embarrassed on a stage before? And why was her heart pounding so recklessly? More questions without answers popped inside of her mind when his kind eyes transformed into mischievous ones.

No one understands me quite like you do... Through all of the shadowy corners of me~

Watching his grin widen, she realized the song had reached a new level of embarrassment since the theme was finding love in a coffee shop. What kind of a coincidence is this? She simply shook her head and joined in the grin.

I never knew just what it was about this old coffee shop I love so much~

All of the while I never knew~

Slowly but surely, the accumulated awkwardness inside of her was replaced by a warm sensation that made her head feel light. She stopped resisting and allowed herself to savor the moment while he kept his eyes on her and showed no sign of looking elsewhere. The positive impact of her emotions on her voice continued until the very end of the song.

"Thank you!" She waved and smiled as applause erupted. "Good evening, Los Angeles! I'm Natalie, and the talented guitarist behind me is Kevin. I hope you'll enjoy the rest of the songs we have prepared for you!"

Things had taken an unexpected turn at the central table during her brief speech; The gray-haired man who couldn't stop smiling at her just moments ago was now glaring at a hot blond waitress who had boldly placed her hand on his shoulder in an obvious attempt to flirt with him.

As absurd as it was and even though Natalie had no right to feel that way, a pang of jealousy shot through her heart. The tune for the next song was already playing, but instead of focusing on that, her eyes were captivated by the drama in front of her.

It was oddly satisfying to see him shrugging out of the hot blond's hand and then brushing off his shoulder as if it had become dusty.

After that incident, Natalie either focused on the microphone or different angles around the club for the remainder of her performance which was not as impressive as its initial moments. She only allowed herself to look at the table again right before she was about to leave the stage.

He's gone. She felt a mixture of disappointment and relief when she found his table empty.

"Thank you! Have a brilliant evening!" Natalie shouted then bowed. As she left her chair, she winked at Kevin who was also rising from his seat and then linked her arm with his as they made their way backstage heading towards the dressing room.

Kevin showered her with compliments all the way there. "You were on fire tonight, Nati! Like... I've never seen you hit those high notes before!"

Under his intense scrutiny, she blushed and looked away, "It was just a regular night, nothing special."

Natalie didn't intentionally conceal things from Kevin; but after such an extended performance, she simply wasn't in the mood for an extensive conversation about Mr. moneybags.

"Go ahead, you can change first. I'll be out here waiting for you."

"Thanks, Kev."

Stepping into the dressing room, she closed the door behind her and leaned against it then smiled, fully allowing herself to feel what she was feeling when she conjured the image of his dreamy eyes in the back of her mind.

"What was that?" She whispered in wonder.

Shying away from naming the sensations inside of her, she stood in front of the mirror to remove her makeup then eyed the neatly folded clothes resting on the chair next to her, she felt her spirits sinking all of a sudden.

"What good would it do you to daydream about a man you are likely never going to see again?" She asked herself.

While Natalie was so sure of the words she spoke, fate had another plan for her that night.