Tyler answered back slowly, "So I can ask you...anything...even personal?"
She still sat there not offended by the warning or anything, but just really anxious to answer whatever question this was.
She answered quickly, "good, nothing can be too personal. Ask me the question."
"K, how many times have you been in love?"
"Fallen in love? Or been in love?"
"Either."
"First of all, I do watch Dawson's Creek and seen this episode but I will answer it honestly and truthfully." She sighed heavily. " I've almost been there on both of them, but haven't exactly gotten a place where I am comfortable enough telling someone that they are my world and how much I love them. It's mostly just a personal demon that I have within myself."
He started clapping and she glanced down smiling to no end.
"That was remarkable. For one you knew the question was taken from a Dawson's Creek episode and you answered it truthfully"
"So your making fun of me?" Katie looked up quickly as she pierced his eyes with hers.
He mouthed without saying anything, "no, I'm not."
She looked down once again and then flashed a mischevious smile at him, "oh no, no no no, your not getting off that easy."
"I'm not?"
They both exchanged a gentle laugh.
"No, your not. The games truth or dare and now that it's my turn," she turned to face him directly, "truth or dare...your whole life may depend on it."
"Good to know we're not being serious or anything...dare"
"Dare? But wait does this mean that you have spontinaity?"
"Save the analyzing, that's my thing. What's my dare?" She laughed in a mocking way to his stab of sparring.
"Hmm...," she thought about it for a second and walked from her side of the counter right over in front of him while acting as if she was thinking really hard. " I dare you to..., this is the part where the lights dim and dark beat music plays in the background."
He kept just nodding at her.
"Fine, I dare you to...play me a song!" Her face lit up as she said it. She had wanted to ask earlier but this seemed like the perfect opportunity.
"Play you a song? On my guitar?"
"No, on your flute, yes your guitar! I've wanted to ask all night but this was just the perfect dare, be glad that I didn't make you do something embarassing."
They both started to retreat to the sound room in the back as they keep talking about random things.
"Your going to be the first person I've played for besides my dog."
"What a lucky dog. And you'll do fine, I don't criticize, specially when all I can do is sing and maybe tune a guitar."
"Maybe I'll show you sometime."
"Yeah. Maybe."
"Alright," he sat down on a worn out stoll and Katie sat up on a small counter that was attached to the wall.
"This ones called 'Not Getting Your Name'," he picked up his guitar and fiddled with the strings a bit and started his song.
Hello Miss... I'm sorry I didn't catch the rest
When it comes to women, baby, you know I'm not the best
Everyone I see makes it matter less anymore
Then again I've never felt this way before
And girl I don't know you so I walked away
Just goes to show you I should have got a name
To go with a face that I'll never forget
Deep in my heart I'll always regret
Not getting your name
Not getting your name
Well I tried to be cool but your smile took me out
I tried to be slick but I was just a fool standin around
I hope this is the first song that your heart has ever really heard
Cause I wrote the music, baby you wrote the words
I shouldn't have let ya' if I hadn't of met ya'
Do this on the day I'm leaving
But now that you got me your everything baby
I haven't stopped believing, no no
Not getting your name
Not getting your name
I'm looking for forever always
In the sky and on the bi-ways
I don't care how I look to the rest
I'll walk away and pretend my thoughts are over
Man, what would it be like if I was some kind of Casanova
Romeo even knew he had the touch
I'm no star crossed lover, baby just plain in love
And baby it's true that it could be you
I'm thinking about while I'm singing
And if you can help being all by yourself
Make my phone start ringing
Not getting your name
While this was going on, all she could do was stare at him with amazement She even forgot to breathe a few times. He has his life on track and knows something good that he can do, and he seems happy to be doing it. She bent her legs towards her and bit her lip listening to the words. A few times the thought that he might be singing about someone like her crossed her mind maybe once or twice. She felt he was singing to her.
He ended the song with a sort fade out strum. The room was silent except for the rain pouring hard on the roof. She wasn't sure what to believe.
"Are you sure there isn't a tape set up here and your not lip syncing?" Katie broke the silence, a hint of amazement in her tone.
"I'm real. I played, so now honest opinion."
"Honest opinion? You rock, what else can I say but you rock." Katie felt so amazed, like someone had just opened her eyes to the world.
"You really think so?" Tyler asked questioning whether she was being serious or joking around.
"Yes I truly do! And I apologize for this being so soon or what not, but would you like to come with me to a open mic night? I mean you don't have to play or anything but I really need someone to come with me since out of the two people I'm close with are always busy. Oh, I think it's next weekend over at Cafe Joe but I'm not that sure." She asked him quickly. "But if you don't want to go, I understand."
Before he could answer the quick invite, there was a loud honk that traveled it's way to the room.
Tyler was the first to notice, "do you hear that or am I just crazy?"
"You are crazy and hear what?"
The horn honked again this time, but much louder.
"What" she sounded puzzled. She looked over at Tyler and he just shrugged his shoulders.
"Katie...Kaaaattttiiiieee. Where are you?" a male voice followed the ring of the front door bell to the backroom.
"I'm back here!" she called loudly, trying to be heard over the pounding rain.
A tall guy fled into the backroom. "I thought this place back here gave you the creeps."
"I um... got over it." she smiled sweetly at him.
The guy turned to Katie, "I thought we were going to hang out later after the store closed."
"I'm sorry David, I just got all caught up you know how I am."
David realized that there was another guy in the room. He stuck out his hand to Tyler," hey I'm David."
Tyler was feeling crushed inside but still forced out a warm hello ,"Tyler, hey how's it going?"
"Good good," he answered back confused as to why his girlfriend was in the back room with a guy. He rocked back and forth with hands in pockets. Tyler noticed one of them though was holding Katie's hand.
Awkward silence began; Katie could sense the weird vibe so she broke it up really quickly ," I just need to lock up and I'll be good to go."
David told her Ok and kissed her forehead and let go of her hand at the very last second he could possibly hang on till.
Katie turned around to face Tyler and forced out a smile. "He's my..."
"...boyfriend," he answered her sentence. He couldn't believe it. Utter shock had hit him, and it hurt.
"Just come back sometime around the week and we'll figure out the open mic thing."
"Sure, I'll just pack up and get going." He started unplugging his guitar and putting it back in it's place as she left the room in a hurry.
"Great," she knew she was short with him but this isn't the way she wanted him to find out about her boyfriend. She didn't think it was such a big deal to tell him when they hung out for just a short time. She was used to people running out and changing before her eyes. This is why she hadn't said anything to Tyler about David, she didn't want to seem vulnerable for failure. She knew it was ok, but in her head she was trying to reassure herself.
She walked herself up to the front cashier to close up real quick. A few minutes later Tyler appeared from the back, he was walking with guitar in hand and wiping off his glasses with the other.
"I turned off the lights and all the equipment. Thanks for everything."
She walked him to the door,"No problem." She shut the door behind him and sighed loudly. As she waved to Jack and put up three fingers to symbolize three minutes left, out of the corner of her eye she watched Tyler jump in his car and pull away from a parking space.
As he backed out into the open empty street, she still watched him. The streetlight lit up his face as he sped past it and drove off. David honked again and Katie grabbed her coat, turned off the main light, and rushed outside. She tried to open the passanger door and then guestured at David to open the door.
"Sorry about that." he said apologizing to her.
"Don't worry, I'd get soaked no matter what."
"What are we going to do tonight?"
"It doesn't matter to me."
"Let's get some hot chocolate and then go chill at my house."
"Sounds fine." She wasn't very interested in the rest of the night. The main event had already happened and nothing could top that. She was aware and it scared her.