Page 144 of Finding Olivia (Trace + Olivia 1)

He grabbed his jacket and shrugged it on. “Now that you’ve had your fun, we really have to go.”

“Red’s a good color on you,” I laughed as we walked out of the store.

“Every color is a good color on me,” he chuckled. “Especially, when said shirt,” he plucked at the garment, “reflects my never-ending love of ketchup.”

I shook my head, laughing under my breath at him.

“Ah, here we are,” Trace held the door to a coffee shop open for me. The sign hanging above the door was in the shape of a coffee cup and declared the place as Griffin’s.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” I questioned, looking around at the crowd gathered.

“Well,” he rocked on his heels, “Since classes started back up, you’ve been really busy, and I wanted us to do something fun.”

“O-okay,” I hesitated as we made our way to a vacant table. People were gathered around something, but I couldn’t tell what it was. “And what exactly does this ‘fun’ entail?”

He wet his lips and shifted in his seat. “I was hoping you would sing with me again.”

“What?!” I gasped loudly, causing a few heads to turn in our direction. “No way! I was scared to death the first time, and that was karaoke, where most people suck, and they give you the lyrics.”

“Calm down,” Trace pleaded. “If you really don’t want to, I’ll sing by myself, but I really hoped we could do it together,” he pouted. “Your voice is beautiful, Olivia,” his fingers brushed my chin.

My breath was shaky, my palms sweating.

I looked around at all the people, there were ten times more than had been at the restaurant when we sang karaoke, and most of those people had been drunk. These people, weren’t drunk, and they were here to listen to good music. I knew I had a decent voice, but I wasn’t confident enough to get up in front of a crowd this size.

“I don’t know,” I frowned, my shyness making me wish I could disappear.

“We’re supposed to sing in fifteen minutes,” he warned. “So, don’t think too long.” He paused, contemplating something. “I signed up for two songs…what if I do a solo, and then we do a duet, would that make you feel better?”

I nodded. “Yeah, that makes me feel better.” Not much better, but a little better.

“Great,” he beamed.

I wished I felt as happy as he looked. His smile seemed glued onto his face from excitement while I was trying not to throw up.

“What song are we singing?” I asked.

He contemplated, seeming to run through a list in his head. “What about, If I Didn’t Have You, by Thompson Square? Do you know that song?”

“Yeah, I know it,” I nodded, my nerves kicking up several notches. At least, if I made a fool of myself, I didn’t know any of these people.

“Olivia! Trace!”

Dammit.

Scratch that, I did know two of these people.

“What are you guys doing here?” Avery asked, snaking her way through the crowd to our table, with Luca at her heels.

“We’re going to sing,” Trace announced proudly.

Avery’s dark green eyes widened. “You’re going to sing?” She asked me. “Like on stage? In front of people?”

“Yep,” my eyes shifted nervously away from hers.

“What are you singing?” Luca asked Trace, pulling out a chair, and flipping it around backwards, before sitting.

“On my own? I haven’t decided yet,” Trace shrugged. “I’ll figure it out when I get up there.”

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