== Be John Egbert.
The Talent Plaza is an old performance place which a few years ago was the "go-to" place for older people to enjoy music and performers. Over those years, young adults from eighteen and up have made it the best hang out place. When the older people came there, there was only the two foot high stage and chairs. Now, the owner, Bobby, and my close friend, Rose, fixed it up. The interior designs are still almost all woodwork. They've added a bar, a DJ stand, a snack bar, new speakers and instruments, a backstage area, and proper seating arrangements. The performers range from singers, to dancers, then to magicians. The list is never ending with the Talent Plaza.
I'm one of the performers they call a "here and there". That means I pop up whenever they have an opening or I'll set up a date. My sister, Jade, is a regular. She actually gets paid to perform. She even gets assigned a performer for when she wants to do duets or when she wants to dance. All she told me about her partner is he's "incredibly attractive" and "very talented". She won't even tell me his name. They've been partners for about four months now. Since I'm only a here and there, I have to pick Jade up almost every night after she performs. Sometimes I'd even come in and check out the last performance. Which is what I'm doing today.
After I walk in, I notice the place is almost fully packed. It's no shock since almost every Saturday night they are. Even now in the summer. This place doesn't close until the wee hours of the morning anyway. I don't see Jade where we usually meet, but in the audience instead. She's sitting next to Rose and the clothing designer, Kanaya. Making my way to them, I remember how Rose and Kanaya met. It was through the Talent Plaza, actually.
Rose had been setting up the new snack bar when Kanaya came in right after Rose put up a "help wanted" sign, wondering what position they were hiring. Rose said her face was absolutely priceless when she told her that they needed a clothing designer. She was then hired on the spot. A few weeks later, they started dating. Everyone I knew thought they were a perfect match, and everyone still thinks that.
"Hey John," Jade exclaimed, smiling wide. It was no doubt that Jade and I were related. Messy hair, buck teeth, and glasses. You should see what it's like when Jade's twin, Jane, is here.
"Hello," I reply, waving to all three. "What're we waiting for," I ask curiously, tilting my head. I take a seat at one of the two empty chairs at the round table.
"My partner is going to perform a song and we have to make sure it goes okay. It's about Hannah," Jade says in a hushed tone, putting her finger to her lips.
I know about Hannah. She was her partner's ex girlfriend. They secretly dated for about six months. They wouldn't meet in public and wouldn't be seen together. No one besides close friends knew about Hannah, with the exception of me, of course. They gave each other secret kisses. I heard that her partner lost his virginity to her also. Hannah used him for sex and love until he went up to her in public to ask her on another date. She smacked him on the spot and that was that. All that was left was his broken heart and her old jeans on his floor. I nodded knowingly to Jade, and then looked to the stage.
A few moments later, what I assume to be Jade's partner comes into view on the side of the stage. He looks to be about five foot eight, two inches taller than I am. He has on sunglasses which hide the end of his straight, blonde hair. His lips are pursed into a straight line, a lip ring on the right side of his bottom lip. He brushes his hair back with his fingers to reveal an eyebrow ring before he straightens it back down. His walk is confident to the stool on the stage. As soon as he sits, he taps the microphone to get the crowd's attention.
He's wearing a red sweater which looks a size too big. His black skinny jeans hug his legs and tuck down into his high top Converse. He looks nothing like I thought he would. He's actually more attractive than I thought.
"Sup, guys," he mumbles into the mic, looking around. "My twin, Dirk, is going to help me sing this next song. That chill?"
The crowd cheers at this. A man about the same age and height as Jade's partner walks on the stage to take a seat on the stool beside his brother's.
"Sup, Dave," Dirk says with a small smirk on his lips as he adjusts his own microphone. He's even wearing sunglasses like Dave is, but pointier ones that make triangles. His shirt is a white button down, but it doesn't look formal. He's wearing black pants with black shoes.
"Yo," Dave, Jade's partner, replies, then looks to the audience. "We're going to sing a song called She Looks So Perfect. Give it up."
The crowd claps and cheers and the music starts. The twins wait, and then begin singing "hey" about eight times before Dirk starts the song.
Dirk: Simmer down, simmer down. They say we're too young now to amount to anything else. But look around, we work too damn hard for this just to give it up now. If you don't swim, you'll drown. But don't move, honey.
Dave: You look so perfect standing there in my American Apparel underwear. And I know now, that I'm so down. Your lipstick stain is a work of art. I got your name tattooed in an arrow heart. And I know now, that I'm so down.
They begin singing "hey" again. They're both actually really great singers. I can't keep my eyes off Dave, though. He's captivating when he sings; yet all he does is sing and make simple gestures.
Dave: Let's get out, let's get out. 'Cause this deadbeat town's only here just to keep us down. While I was out, I found myself alone just thinking; if I showed up with a plane ticket, and a shiny diamond ring with your name on it, would you wanna run away too? 'Cause all I really want is you. You look so perfect standing there in my American Apparel underwear. And I know now, that I'm so down. I made a mixtape straight out of '94. I've got your ripped skinny jeans lying on the floor. And I know now, that I'm so down.
The twins sing more heys. I don't mind, though. This song definitely sounds like it's about Hannah. She wears skinny jeans way too much for her own good. She was also selfish and wanted nothing but money, jewelry, and sex.
Dirk: You look so perfect standing there in my American Apparel underwear. And I know now, that I'm so down.
Dave: Your lipstick stain is a work of art. I got your name tattooed in an arrow heart. And I know now, that I'm so down.
(Hey, hey, hey, hey.)
You look so perfect standing there in my American Apparel underwear. And I know now, that I'm so down. (Hey.) Your lipstick stain is a work of art. (Hey.) I got your name tattooed in an arrow heart. (Hey.) And I know now, that I'm so down. (Hey.)
The music slowly ends and the crowd cheers. Dave smiles as well as Dirk and they stand up and bow. They wave to the crowd before heading backstage. I turn to the three I'm sitting with and see their faces. Jade looks down with a sigh. Rose look to Kanaya, and they both look a little worried.
"Hey," I say in a hushed tone. "What's up?"
"Dave still isn't over Hannah," Jade said then groaned. "She wasn't even a good person! What did he see in her? We need to introduce him to someone else, stat."
Rose and Kanaya nod their heads in agreement. As far as I've seen, Dave was an attractive fellow. He was even really talented. Who wouldn't be happy to meet him, let alone be with him? And the way his lips moved and the way he licked his lips before he sung again, oh boy I'd like to-.
"Yo, Harley," Dave says, sitting down beside me on the only open chair left. Jade smiles at Dave and then waves. She looks to me and points to him.
"John, this is Dave. He's my partner. Isn't he awesome," she asks, a wide smile on her face. Yeah, he's awesome alright. Awesome at moving those li-.
"Nice to meet ya," Dave says, holding out his fist for a fist bump. I return it and chuckle, nodding.
"The pleasure's all mine," I respond, which makes his lips quirk up into a small smile. He turns back to Jade and nods his head toward her.
"You wanna come over to my place with Rose and Kanaya? Me and Dirk are having a little party and a party's not a party without Harley," Dave asks. His voice is so smooth, and there's a hint of a Texas accent in it. That's pretty attractive.
"What's attractive," Jade asks. My cheeks grow hot way too quickly. Did I seriously just say that out loud?!
"Uh," I mumble, looking at her with wide eyes. I bite at my lip and peek to Dave. "Parties," I push out, biting my lip again. Nice cover up, John. Nice. Jade giggles, nods, and then stands.
"Let's go then!"
Jade and I pile into my car along with Rose and Kanaya. Dave waits for Dirk before they both climb into Dave's shiny, red Chevy Camaro SS. Sexy man, sexy car. Makes sense. I let Jade direct me to Dave and Rose's since she's in the front seat. I've known that Rose had two twin brothers, but she didn't talk about them often. She should have set me up! I'd have to yell at her later for that. Minutes pass as Jade fiddles with my radio, not staying on a station when a commercial comes on. The drive to their house isn't too long, only about ten minutes flat. I park behind Dave's car and let the ladies pile out. I grab my keys and make sure my phone is in my pocket before getting out and locking up my car. Dave's waiting at his front door, holding open the door.
"C'mon, Egbert. The party isn't gonna wait for your slow ass," Dave says with a small smirk, nodding his head to me. After I head in, Dave puts his hand on the small of my back to guide me to the kitchen where everybody is sitting at a stool at the round marble island, probably used as the dining table because it's so big. It does fit all six of us, plus a few empty chairs after all. After pouring drinks from mixed alcoholic beverages to just regular soda, we decide to play a few games.
One game we decided to play to start off the night was 21 questions. One person started off and asked a question to the person on their right. They'd answer it and ask the person to their right a different question; and so on. The only questions that got asked were lame ones like: "how old are you", "have you had alcohol before", and other lame ass ones. This went on until the people with the alcohol (basically everyone besides Kanaya) got a little tipsy. Then we decided to play truth or dare because it's fun when there are more people, and when you're drunk.
"Okay, okay. I'll start. Jade. Truth or dare you little ball of energy," Dirk asked, chuckling at Jade bouncing in her seat. She does get energetic when she drinks. I should have warned everyone. Oh well.
"Dare. And give me a hard one!" Jade's face was practically glowing in excitement at what she might get. Dirk tapped his finger on his chin until he held it up.
"I dare you to call Karkat and confess that you like him," he commanded, his smile becoming mischievous. Jade stopped bouncing and her face went to full nervousness.
"What?! I can't do that!" Jade pouted, lip out and all.
"A dare is a dare. Here's a new rule. If you won't perform a dare or confess a truth, you have to take off one article of clothing," Dirk said with a shrug. Jade complies and slips off her long skirt, only to reveal leggings that went to the middle of her calf. She chuckled, then looked around the room, pointing her finger out. It pointed to Dave.
"Dave. Truth or dare," she said, kicking her legs. None of our legs reached the ground sitting on these damn stools anyway.
"Dare. Always," Dave replied, leaning back a little. He took a drink of his Dr. Pepper and vodka mixed drink as he waited for Jade to tell him his dare.
"I dare you to...do a handstand!" Dave scoffs and shrugs. He stands up and walks to the open area of his kitchen. He shakes out his arms a few times before putting his hands on the floor, and lifting the rest of his body up. He's actually doing a handstand. His sweater falls to his shoulders, his face still in view. God, that body. He chuckles then stands right side up, receiving a bump from Jade.
"A'ight. Miss Kanaya. Truth or dare, pretty lady," Dave asks as he sits back at his respective stool, already taking another drink of his drink. It takes Kanaya a little bit to finally decide on truth. Dave chuckles and licks his bottom lip, thinking of the perfect question.
"You and Rose done the do yet," he asks, causing Kanaya to gasp and Rose to giggle. Rose is almost drunk, while the rest of us are still only riding a good buzz. Kanaya sheepishly nods, looking to Rose.
"Rose. Truth or Dare," she asks, Rose perking up then sitting up as best as she could.
"Truth, my love," she slurs, looking at Kanaya.
"Did you eat the last of my chocolate," Kanaya asks, smiling small.
"What! No! Why, Kanaya, I would never!" Rose giggles loudly, then nodding slowly. "I did, actually. Dirk! Truth or dare, studmuffin," she asks, leaning on the table.
"Dare," he says almost instantly, watching Rose, probably thinking she's going to fall off the stool.
"Kiss Dave," Rose slurs, giggling hysterically at the dare. Dirk doesn't hesitate to take off his shirt, mumbling "someone take the alcohol away from her".
"John," Dirk says with a smirk, taking a drink of his own mixed drink. "Pick one." It takes me a little bit to contemplate what I might get if I pick out of either one. It's kinda hard to think when the alcohol is taking over.
"Dare, Dirk. Dirk, dare," I slur, chuckling at what I said. Rose laughs too, which becomes infectious to Jade and Dave. Dirk tries not to laugh as he points at me.
"You can kiss Dave. Have at him, or take off your pants," Dirk directs, taking a drink of his drink. I look over to Dave. He's silently chuckling, biting his tongue. Oh God. His tongue is pierced. Damn right I'm gonna kiss him. I climb down off of my stool clumsily and walk to Dave's stool; which is one stool away from mine. I climb onto it and cup his cheeks.
"Sup," Dave breathes out before he pulls me down by my shirt collar and he presses his lips with mine. Deepening the kiss, I can hear a "whoop" from Jade and Rose, and a wolf whistle from Dirk. Dave pulls his hand away to motion something to who I guess was Dirk by his reply of "get it". Dave's lips are soft and he tastes like Dr. Pepper more than alcohol, but I can smell the alcohol and not the soda. The kiss lasts for a few more seconds before Dave pulls away and chuckles, licking his lips.
"Egbert, you are one hell of a kisser," he slurs, patting my chest. I take the empty stool beside him instead of my stool. We play for a little while longer, but when the group mostly picks truths, we decide to end the game and hit the hay. Rose is already passed out on Kanaya, and Jade offers to help her take Rose to her bed. Kanaya informs us they're gonna sleep in Rose's room and she'll see us in the morning.
I down the last of my mixed drink then I stand up. Dirk flash steps upstairs after saying goodnight. I start to walk to the couch before Dave grabs my wrist and pulls me towards the basement door. He opens the door and leads me through, closing the door behind us. We only stumble slightly down the stairs, making our way into Dave's room. The basement is really huge, actually. It even comes with a bathroom and half a kitchen; meaning a fridge and stove. He put a microwave there anyways. His bed is on the far side of the room, and it appears to be a queen size bed. His sheets are white and his blankets are red, like his carpet. Stumbling to the bed, we both collapse on it. Dave sheds his shirt and pants and climbs under.
"C'mon in, Egbers, I won't bite hard," he says with a smirk, pulling back the blanket for me to climb in. I follow his command after stripping down to my own boxers. I climb in and once I do, he dims the lights so he can take off his shades. I remember Jade telling me something about his sensitive eyes and how pretty they were. Boy, she wasn't kidding. Dave's eyes are a somewhat deep red with speckles of orange as far as I can see. He crawls onto me after I scoot to the middle of the bed. He straddles my waist and slowly takes off my glasses. He puts them on the nightstand beside his shades. My eyes are glued to his, so much of his movements are just a blur. He leans down without warning and presses his lips to mine. Not like it shocks me, I mean, we just kissed in the kitchen.
A minute or so of sloppy kisses pass before Dave tucks his head in the crease of my neck. He softly lays on me, and then he lays his hand over my torso.
"G'night, Hannah," he slurs. Hannah? Oh no. What have I got myself into? Does Dave even know what he just did? Why do I have butterflies? Why the hell did I just let this happen? Why do I think his eyes are so gorgeous? Fuck. Sleep takes me away not long after, which I'm thankful for.