VIII | Karaoke Bar

Something's not right.

Halle twisted her lips to the side as she stared at her reflection in the floor length mirror. Sure, her outfit was casual enough... for her. She'd chosen a t-shirt, and some dark-wash jeans, and of course, a pair of pumps.

She couldn't help herself. She was much too feminine to walk with her heels flat on the ground.

Especially on an outing with a fine ass man.

Should I really be thinking of him that way?

She grabbed a YSL fragrance and sprayed her neck before aiming for her torso and wrists. Her golden bracelets clanked against each other with every movement. A pair of cat-eye glasses were added as the final touch.

We aren't going to a trampoline park or nothing, right?

Chiko

Nah, why? You want to?

No! Just asking.

Halle gripped the back of her shirt and formed a bun before tucking it upwards. With her waistline on display, she posed, immediately feeling better.

Chiko

You sure you don't want me to scoop you?

Positive.

I should be there in less than thirty minutes.

The click of her heels as she strutted down the hallway was hardly any indication of the ball of nerves in her stomach. To others, she appeared certain of herself. Sage was the only person that Halle allowed into the depths of her mind, and even then, she held back quite a bit.

Keep your head high.

"Vaughn." She smiled at the driver, and he returned her expression as he opened the back door.

"Another night on the town, huh, Ms. Prescott?"

"Yes, let's just be grateful that this one is near the city, and not in the middle of the desert."

Vaughn chuckled as he shut the door, and rounded the vehicle to get behind the wheel. "Absolutely."

Halle tapped her fingers against her thighs as she watched the penthouse disappear from her view.

It's not a date, Halle. Just breathe, girl.

Vaughn took an alternative route, and they arrived in front of Magic Mic's Karaoke Bar, a hole-in-the-wall located on the outskirts of the city, far earlier than she anticipated.

"This is what he had in mind?" she muttered, peering out the window at the peeling paint on top of the brick.

"Who?" Vaughn raised an eyebrow.

"My friend." Halle swiped to Chiko's text thread to let him know of her arrival. "I'm probably going to have to wait for him."

"Would you like for me to wait with you?"

"Umm..." She scanned the rapidly filling parking lot and all of its rowdy customers. Just before she answered, Chiko pushed open the glass door to the establishment, and stepped outside."That's okay, Vaughn. I'll be fine."

He spotted her as soon as she got out of the Mercedes truck, and took his time to admire the fit of her denim. Even in such restrictive clothing, the curve of her ass was still pronounced. But that wasn't even the best part. Halle's chocolate brown eyes were slightly magnified by her frames, adding to her innocent charm.

"Hi." Halle cleared her throat. "I didn't know you were here already."

"Of course. I had to speed a little when you said that you were on the way, but it's all good." He slipped his hand into hers and guided her forward, mugging the smoking males gathered around the entrance until they looked away.

"You look nice by the way."

"Thank you," she rushed to say, stunned by the physical contact. Her recovery was smooth. She squeezed his hand and allowed him to pull her into the club. Halle kept the distance between the two of them short, untrusting of how crowded the vicinity was.

A rich voice bellowed through the speakers, "Take me to church. I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies. I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife."

The singer's face held just as much emotion as the lyrics leaving his mouth. He was a short man with a round belly, and his beard had more than a few gray hairs. Impressed listeners hooted and hollered.

"Oh, brother," Chiko sucked his teeth. "I thought the whole thing about karaoke was that you had to be bad at it. Who does he think he is?"

"Hater," Halle teased.

They sat down on two barstools where Chiko flagged the bartender down. She was bald, with dark tattoos littering almost every visible inch of her pale skin. The black-ink spider webs on each breast spilling out of her bright red bralette were the main focal point.

"Looking good as usual, Scarlett." The custodian winked at her as he passed by, and she blew a kiss.

"So, what'll it be?" Scarlett dried a glass and put it away, before turning around to cup her hips.

"A shot of patron for me, and..." Chiko squinted at Halle. "A lemon drop?"

"Sure." Halle's voice went up an octave.

"You don't drink either?" he raised an eyebrow.

"No, I do!" she stammered. "Just not that often. A lemon drop is fine."

"Comin' up." the bartender reached for the bottle of white liquor.

"Is this another thing that 'lost its appeal'?" Chiko used his fingers to air quote.

"Somewhat." Halle coyly pursed her lips.

She didn't smoke anymore because Rowan didn't like it, and she only drank when he did, which was very rarely. Tonight, Halle was going against the grain. She'd molded herself long enough to fit another person's morals. She wanted to breathe.

Chiko studied her face for a minute, wondering what secrets lie behind those round eyes. He couldn't figure her out, but in due time, he would make sure that he understood her fully.

Two drinks were placed in front of them. He downed his in a jiff, and ordered another one while Halle sipped. The song ended and the room erupted in applause.

"Whew!" A different man took the mic and patted the singer on the back. "Thank you for blessing our ears. This will be a tough act to follow. Any takers?"

Chiko gently nudged Halle, and she shook her head. "Oh, no."

"You said that you liked to sing. Go show us a lil somethin' somethin'." He bit his bottom lip.

"I also said that I wasn't good at it," she frightfully returned.

"Neither am I, and I'm not scared."

"So you go!" She motioned towards the stage. "If you do it, I'll do it."

"Okay." Chiko threw back his second shot, left some money for Scarlett, and stood up to yell, "Aye, lemme get the mic."

He navigated up the steps, and discreetly requested a song. A familiar beat dropped that made people whoop and cheer. A couple of rhythmic claps joined in, and Halle clamped her hand over her mouth when Chiko's voice filled the room.

"I put your picture on my mirror. Start to blush when somebody says your name. In my stomach there's a pain."

Shockingly, he wasn't terrible, and the crowd loved his charisma. Not as much as the previous guy, but still, it was a rather positive reaction.

"I start to stutter when I speak. Try to stand but my knees go weak. What's happening to me?"

The entire building sang along for the chorus, including Halle who had finished her drink, plus a shot. Like a moth to a flame, she found herself moving closer to the stage as he neared the end of the bridge.

Who knew that I'd be out with Fantasia?

"Thank you, thank you." Chiko's teeth and the gold around his neck shined beautifully underneath the spotlight. He honed in on a particular face below him. "Your turn."

Halle silently rose to the occasion, wanting to keep her word, and a few men in the back of the room whistled when she turned to make her pick. She took a deep breath, and let the words flow.

"Hit the lights, can't let no one see me get down. It's alright, I know they think I get around."

Both of Chiko's eyebrows shot up, and he griped his chin in order to keep his jaw off the ground.

Not that good my ass.

"We gon' light some candles tonight, very special. We gone do whatever we like, very special."

Her anxiety was replaced by soaring confidence, and her vocals came out like butter. She was emoting to the lyrics, and bopping to the instrumental, engaging the audience. Halle started feeling herself so much that she belted out the wrong note, and paused.

Shit!

Her reaction brought humor to everyone's face, especially Chiko's, and she jumped back into it.

Once it was over, she found her way back to the ground floor in a fit of giggles. "See why I didn't want to go up there?"

"You were doing good... for a while." He busted out laughing, and grabbed her by the waist.

"I did the best that I could!" She swatted at him, before resting her palms on his firm chest.

A thick woman with a southern accent was the next one to take the stage, and her tone was sweeter than honey.

Chiko's eyes lowered to her mouth, and for a moment, she let her mind wonder. He moved to speak into her ear when the volume in front of them increased.

"Did I mention that you look good as fuck tonight?"

The unbridled hunger laced into the question dampened Halle's panties, and she broke eye contact to neutralize her thoughts.

"Thank you. You look good too."

He took her back to the bar where they shared an appetizer, and their conversation came naturally, now that their performances had broken the ice. Chiko's game was so good that he even convinced her to try a slaw dog. It wasn't bad at all and she finished the whole thing.

"Wait, aren't you driving home?" Halle watched him drink his third shot with worry.

"Yeah, I live up the street." Chiko set the glass down, and shrugged indifferently. "Why? Are you worried about me?"

She pinched the air and cracked a smile. "Maybe just a little."

"I already told you, you never have to worry about me." He leaned towards her. "But, I mean, if it helps you sleep better, you can drive me to the crib. We can watch Next Friday since that one is supposedly better."

"Nice try." Halle dusted her hands off and playfully shoved him. "No."

Realistically, she knew that a man of his size wouldn't be inebriated by such little intake, but still, she'd felt the need to express her concerns.

Before either of them had realized it, the night was no longer youthful. They headed out the door, hand in hand both giddy from the story Halle was telling.

"So me and Sage pulled up on him, basically ready for whatever. Tell me why it turned out to be Brez's cousin." She sighed. "We looked so dumb! He had got them a hotel because their house flooded."

"Damn!" Chiko's fist flew to his mouth. "I thought you were too sadity to be carrying on like that."

"Me? Nah, I grew up fighting actually. I don't act up nowadays unless someone I care about needs me. What about you?"

"I mean, I try to stay out of trouble." He looked into the night sky. "But, it doesn't always work out."

"Mhm," she hummed, rubbing in her newly applied lipgloss. It was only a matter of time before Vaughn showed up, so she released his hand. "You don't have to wait with me. My ride isn't far."

"So I guess this is goodnight then."

He pulled her in for an embrace, and their lips brushed past each other for less than a second. It wasn't intentional on Halle's part and she wasn't even sure if it qualified as a kiss. Regardless, her insides fluttered. His palms lingered across her hips before he pulled away.

"Don't be a stranger, Halle."

~

❦ ❦ ❦ ❦ ❦

- What do you consider cheating?

- Songs mentioned:

Hozier - "Take Me to Church"

Fantasia - "When I See You"

K. Michelle - "V.S.O.P"

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