Page 138 of If Ever

Tom looks out at us and nods with a tight grimace. "You can thank my girlfriend for getting me up here. Chelsea, this song is for you." Then he pauses and turns to the DJ. "Wait a sec. What am I singing?"

He looks back at the audience and gives us an exaggerated expression of stage fright. We all laugh. The DJ hands him my slip of blue paper with the song title. He reads the paper and bursts out laughing. His eyes find me across the room. I cock my head and grin. He shakes his head in disbelief.

"Come on, baby, you've got this," I call.

Tom slips the paper into his back pocket and returns to center stage, this time focused as if he's getting into character. My pulse is speeding with nervous excitement. Just when I think he's ready to start, he bursts out laughing again, and doubles over with his hands on his knees, which gives me fits of giggles.

Max hollers out. "What's the matter, Oliver? Can't you sing without a spotlight and a twenty-piece orchestra?" His friends crack up as Tom, the perfectionist, struggles to get his composure back.

He shakes off his infectious grin and takes his place once more, this time he's thoughtful and it's as if I can see the wheels turning in his head. He takes a deep breath and nods to the DJ.

The intro begins to "Don't Stop Believin'," the theme song from Rock of Ages, his dream show. We all cheer for the rock anthem. Tom slides the mic in the stand, and with the intensity of a seasoned rocker, belts out the lyrics.

Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world.

His voice is strong and he cranks it out just like the original singer from Journey. We burst into applause. The DJ nods his approval and amps up the volume.

Tom grins, showing off his gorgeous dimples, and leans the mic stand to the side in a rocker stance belting out the song.

When he gets to the chorus, he does dance moves that I'm sure must be straight from the stage show. Everyone in the bar goes wild because he really nails the steps. I pound on the table and hoot.

During each break in lyrics he grins as if about to bust into laughter again, but then jumps right back into the song with vocals that gives me goose bumps. His rocker act is hilarious, only because I know how much he wanted to be in that show. It really does go against his type, but he is adorable and my mouth hurts from grinning.

Toward the end of the song, he calls out for everyone to join in. The whole bar sings along in one huge party chorus. When the music stops, we're all on our feet. Tom is cracking up and points to me across the room. I blow him a kiss.

He hands the mic back to the DJ. The man high-fives him and says, "I've heard that song slaughtered about a thousand times, and I've gotta tell you, dude, that was totally dope."

When Tom returns to our table, his buddies pound him on the back. He reaches me, grinning. "I can't believe you got me to do that."

I wrap my arms around his neck. " I love your rocker side."

"Good." He grabs my ass in front of everyone. The guys whistle, and Tom growls in my ear. "Cause you're going to be seeing more of him later tonight."

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