Your Hand In Mine Ch. 02

"She looks pleased to see you doesn't she." Andrea said, sarcasm dripping from every syllable, Darcy started getting up but felt Andrea's hand on her arm before she got far. "No you don't, I bought you a drink, you don't get to escape until you, ya know, drink it." Darcy sat back down and after a brief pause heard Andrea say, "do you think that guy she's with is single?"

"Dunno, why don't you go ask him." Darcy suggested.

"You know what, I think I will." Andrea said just before they heard someone clear their throat in front of the microphone set up at the front of the room.

It was a raised section of the floor, but it had always had tables on it before so Darcy never realised it was a stage. It was pretty obvious that's what it was now though as it had speakers placed either side of it on a thick black stands and a microphone set up in the middle with an acoustic guitar behind it. The man stood behind the microphone was balding and middle aged, Darcy recognised him as the manager.

"The Graduate Cafe is pleased to welcome to the stage, Miss Cassie Maywether." He said.

There was a thunderous round of applause that Darcy was too shocked to join in with, she looked over at Cassie and saw her being pushed out of her chair by the dark haired girl.

"So that's why she tried to convince you not to come." Andrea shouted over the clapping.

"What?"

"Look at her, she's not exactly confident about the whole thing, she'd have been worried about embarrassing herself in front of you."

"Hey guys," Cassie said after lowing the microphone, someone at the back of the room whistled at her. She blushed and turned around and picked up her guitar.

"As you've already been told I'm Cassie, thanks for coming down tonight." She took a deep breath and when she spoke again her voice was stronger, more confident. "This first song is called Sail On."

From the moment she plucked the first note Darcy was entranced, the music she was playing was complex but each note meshed together perfectly. Her voice was pure and haunting like the sound you get from rubbing the rim of a half full wine glass.

***

Cassie was leant against the wall of the cafe taking deep breaths and trying to convince her lunch to stay down. She enjoyed playing her music but she sung with her eyes closed and every time she opened them she saw the people watching her and got an attack of nerves. She was a confident person most of the time but performing live always reduced Cassie to a gibbering wreck, according to her performance lecturer it was something you got used to, Cassie didn't see that happening any time soon. Cassie guessed about a hundred people had turned up to see her tonight, she never dreamed she'd perform in front of an audience that big, it was terrifying. She was staring up at the night sky trying to pick out constellations when she heard a familiar voice.

"Hi,"

"Hey, Darcy,"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Darcy asked, Cassie could hear that Darcy was a little hurt by her deception.

"Because I didn't want you to witness my making a fool of myself for an audience."

"Is that what you think you did, make a fool of yourself?"

Cassie said nothing.

"Cassie, you were incredible, really, you were. It's kind of worrying really because there are about fifty people in there just itching to get your number after that."

Cassie smiled and looked over at Darcy, she was shocked at how little distance there was between them.

"Yeah well, I'm kind of dating someone else right now, so they're gunna be disappointed." Cassie said, she hadn't actually intended to say that, it just came out.

"Do you want to get dinner tomorrow night?" Darcy asked.

"I'm in the studio until half seven tomorrow,"

"Oh,"

"How about this, you meet me there and we head back to mine. Pizza, wine, movie, sound good?" Cassie suggested. She found the opportunity to spend time with Darcy curiously attractive.

"Yeah, alright," Darcy said, she sounded pleased at the invitation, for a second it seemed to Cassie like Darcy was leaning in to kiss her.

"So this is where you're hiding," Louisa's voice pierced the tense little bubble that had surrounded Cassie and Darcy. "Oh, hi, you must be Darcy." Louisa said when she saw Cassie wasn't alone. "I'm Louisa, Cassie's roommate."

"Hi," Darcy said.

Cassie felt that familiar swarm of butterflies being released into her stomach, she really wished her body had this reaction to Darcy, or to anyone who wasn't Louisa.

"Cass, some bright spark, a.k.a. Karl, had the idea of passing around a tip jar for you, there's a pitcher sitting on our table full of money with your name on it."

Louisa grabbed Cassie's hand and started pulling her back inside, it took every bit of will power Cassie had to pull her hand out of Louisa's grasp and say, "gimme a sec, Lou."

Louisa looked at Darcy briefly then nodded and went back inside.

"The studio's pretty easy to find once you get to Queen's Building, it's well signposted." Cassie said

"I'm sure I'll be able to find it."

Cassie heard a buzzing sound, Darcy reached into her bag and pulled her phone out, she sighed when she saw who was calling her.

"It's my lift," she said to Cassie before answering the call. "Hi, Andrea... Yeah... I'll be there in a second." She jabbed the disconnect button angrily and slid the phone back into her bag. "I've got to go or they're gunna leave without me, see you tomorrow, Cassie."

Darcy kissed Cassie, it was a gentle brush of lips, nothing more, then left.

It was strange, Cassie was more than happy to take Darcy to bed a couple of days ago and felt almost nothing about doing it, but now just one kiss sparked a myriad of feelings in her, confusion primary among them.