A Dream for Two Read Online Free

filled with two-seater tables on which candles burned. On the right-hand wall there was a bar seemingly offering every drink imaginable. Elise briefly scanned the rows of liquor bottles, amazed that so many different types of alcohol even existed. Then at the far end of the room was the raised platform which was the stage. On it there was a solitary chair behind a microphone on a stand. It was so stripped back, so exposed. Elise suddenly felt sick. For a brief moment she considered running back into the dark of the New York night when a hand gripped her shoulder and spun her around.
     
    “You here for open mic night?” a bearded man seemingly in his late thirties asked. He had a diamond earring which sparkled within his earlobe.
     
    “Umm…” Elise felt the weight of her guitar against her. It was blaringly obvious that she was there to perform.
     
    “Yes,” she sounded as timid as a mouse as she squeaked her response.
     
    “Okay, sign up here.” The guy handed her a clipboard upon which half a dozen names had already been written down.
     
    “If you want to throw up, the restrooms are over there,” he pointed to the left side of the bar.
     
    “I’m fine,” Elise confirmed as she scrawled her name with a shaking hand.
     
    “Take a seat and we’ll give you a shout when it’s your turn. Also, you might want a drink, take the edge off.”
     
    Elise wasn’t a big drinker but she had to admit that she did need something to take the edge off. She nervously headed over to the bar where six or seven people were already standing. She ordered a neat vodka. She knew it would burn as she knocked it back but she also knew that it should be enough to dampen any of her nerves. She took a second shot of vodka over to a table with her and settled down towards the back of the room.
     
    As it drew closer to the opening act starting, more and more people began to filter into the bar. Soon almost all of the tables were occupied and the whole room buzzed with excited energy. People were talking among themselves but Elise was sitting alone with just her guitar for company.
     
    “Okay, let’s get things going.” The guy who had handed her the clipboard came out onto the stage and a hush fell over the crowd. A crude spotlight was directed onto him which he seemed oblivious of. He leaned forward and spoke directly into the microphone:
     
    “Thanks for coming out to Eagle’s Bar tonight, we appreciate your support, and money well spent at the bar.”
     
    Laughter rippled through the crowd.
     
    “We always have some real talent up on this stage and this Thursday night is no exception. And so, to kick us off is one of our regulars. Let’s give it up for Dylan Cornish.”
     
    The crowd applauded vigorously, some people even cheered as the clipboard guy was replaced by the first act. Elise couldn’t quite believe her eyes when he stepped up to the microphone. Dylan Cornish was the same Dylan from the diner, the same guy who had labeled her just a waitress. Anger made Elise’s body tighten.
     
    “Evening all,” he spoke confidently into the microphone and some women in the crowd wolf whistled at him.
     
    “This is just a little number I’m working on,” he explained as someone near the front of the stage handed up to him a large keyboard on a stand. He carefully placed it in front of him, drew the microphone close and then lowered his hand to the digital keys.
     
    Elise watched in shocked awe as Dylan Cornish performed two beautiful songs. His voice oozed emotion and had a rustic quality but his melodies were upbeat and infuriatingly catchy. He sung about the frustrations of being employed and in his second song, the beauty of making love to a girl you’d been crushing on. The second song made Elise blush. When he was finished the crowd erupted into applause. Dylan Cornish was clearly a hit but evidently he wasn’t quite as big a star as Elise had originally believed. After all, he was here at the same bar as