This woman.  I knew her voice was unforgettable, now I know the rest of her is, too.  She’s exuding confidence up there, even if she wasn’t in a sexy costume.  Which, DAMN, she’s killing it.  Those fishnets showing off those long legs, the skirt stopping just above that ass… The top open enough to see amazing breasts.  She knew what she was doing tonight, she had to.  Her name, Deana.  Beautiful, just like her.  I NEED to talk to her, somehow.  She’ll get my drink soon, we’ll see what happens next, I guess.  This would be SO much easier if I could talk.  But if I could, I’d be on tour and have no clue who this woman is.  I guess this is the universe’s way of showing me something I need right now.  Take one thing away, and give me something I didn't even know I needed until last week.

Deana sang, this was a difficult one at times, but one of her favorites.  I feel so confident when I sing, especially Lady Gaga.  I love how the crowd gets into the song, dancing along like we’re at a club.  I have a couple other ones lined up for the night, I’m keeping this good feeling going.  And sending a big middle finger to all the guys I’ve loved and lost.

She finished the song, going back to her seat, and finding a fresh drink at her spot.  “From your mystery man,” Dani said, almost purring.  “This could be it, D.  You HAVE to find out who he is, if he’s a regular here.”  

Deana nodded and headed to the end of the bar.  She asked one of the bartenders who sent her the drink.  “Batman at the other end of the bar,” they replied, shaking their head in Justin’s direction.  

She slowly walked towards him.  He watched in the corner of his eye, a smile slowly creeping across his face.  This is it, they thought to themselves before making contact.

“So, I hear you’re the one buying me drinks?” she asked.  He nodded.  “You like my singing, right?”  He nodded.  “Do you talk?” He shook his head, miming being sick with a pretend cough and pointing to his throat.  

“Oh, I see, not feeling good.  I get that.  This is gonna sound forward, I’m not usually like this, but can I get your number?  I kinda promised my friend I’d get the number of whoever is buying me drinks.”  He pulled out his phone, signaling wanting her number.  She gave him her number, and soon her phone buzzed. 

Hi.  Now you have my number :) 

“Can I get a picture for your contact info? Some picture, a cop and Batman,” she laughed.  She was nervous, but this was exciting.  She hadn’t flirted like this with a stranger since Paul.  He nodded, she got close and took a selfie of them.

What am I listed under? He asked her.

Bruce Wayne, she replied.  He smiled and nodded in approval.  Sorry your throat hurts.  I think there’s something going around, hopefully it’s just for a few days.  

We’ll see, my doctor said it could be a while.

Yeah, my mentor teacher had that last year. A super bad cold that she lost her voice for at least a month. 

You’re a teacher?

Studying to be. Just taking classes for now, going into the classroom with my first grade teacher to learn from the best.

Deana sipped her drink as they texted. She smiled, it was so much easier this way, the conversation was flowing like they were old friends. She snuck glances of him as he texted. There was something familiar that she couldn’t quite place. 

She was called back up to the mic for her next song. Justin already was on ordering a celebratory drink for when she came back. She chose “Bad Romance” as her second song. The crowd cheered as she sang, Justin continued to be impressed. He handed her a drink as she walked back. She took it, took a sip, and her phone buzzed. 

How’s it going with the mystery man?  Dani asked. 

Deana sent her the picture she’d taken as his contact picture. We’ve been texting.

Texting? He’s standing right in front of you!

He has a cold, sore throat, so we’re texting. 

Alright, I’ll leave you to it then. Have fun, I’m gonna head out. Maybe he can walk you home :)

“Sorry, my best friend checking up on me,” Deana said. 

No problem. Have you been doing karaoke for long?

“Kinda? Dani brought me almost two years ago, we’d go every week, then I stopped for a while.” 

Why’d you stop?

“It got too painful after a breakup. I met him here. He stopped coming so I figured it was safe to come back, at Dani’s insistence. I’m glad I did.” 

I’m glad you did, too.

“What about you, are you here a lot?”

No. I mean, I live here part of the time, but this is my second week at karaoke. Honestly, your voice last week caught my attention. 

“So you came JUST to hear me sing?”  She looked at him with wide eyes. He nodded with a  smile on his face. 

I haven’t heard singing like that in a while, and I’m in the business…

Fuck, he thought to himself.  Had he just given part of him away?

“Oh, what do you do?” she wondered. 

This and that. Music, concerts. 

“Like, you’re crew?”

Something like that. 

I help put them together, the creative side of things.  It wasn’t technically a lie. 

“That sounds very interesting. I’d love to hear about some of the tours you’ve done.” 

Any time. The one I’m on is on break right now, so I’ll be around for a while. Anyway, I was walking past last week and heard you sing, but you were done by the time I got in where I could see you. I knew I had to come back this week and hear you again. Honestly, you’re good, very adaptable. Last week you sounded like Adele, this week you’re Lady Gaga. Anyone can sing their songs, but you SING like them. 

Deana blushed. “Thanks, just a hobby.” 

They both straightened up a bit as the DJ changed the song. “He’ll play music sometimes just so people can dance, have fun,” Deana explained. “I LOVE this song! I just saw him do this live last week, it was AMAZING…”

Justin was all too familiar as “Can’t Stop The Feeling” came on through the speakers. 

Go dance, he told her. 

“Only if you come with me.”

He felt a little awkward, but nodded, and she grabbed his hand and walked him away from the bar. It was hard for him not to go into choreography mode, to just relax. He enjoyed watching her dance, pulling her close to him. Probably closer than he should have for just meeting. He looked into her eyes, they sparkled in the dimly lit room, catching the random glint of lights from the DJ. 

He watched in amazement as she did his choreography from the tour, and slipped into that with her. 

“You a fan of JT?” she asked. “To know the choreography.”

He pulled out his phone. Something like that. It was hard for him not to laugh at the whole thing. 

The night went on, she sang one more song, which meant one more drink. 

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re trying to get me drunk,” she laughed. He shook his head. 

“It’s getting late, and my friend ditched me. Would you walk me home? Not exactly safe, dressed like this, to walk alone.”  He nodded, a soft smile on his face. She grabbed her jacket and they left the bar for her apartment. She walked closely to him. 

“Can I hold your hand, so we look like we’re together? It’ll be safer that way. Not that it’s super dangerous around here, but you know,” she said. He put his arm around her shoulder, giving her a smile. She leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked, sighing contentedly. 

“Well, this is me. I’d ask you up, but I’m not THAT kind of girl, even though I’m sure Dani wished I was more often.  It’s complicated. Sorry.”

He pulled out his phone. No need to apologize. I had a nice time, I got to hear you sing and actually meet you. If you hadn’t asked for my number, I would’ve asked for yours. 

“Technically, you did when you got your phone out. Thanks for escorting me home.”

I’m ok with making it a weekly thing, if you need it.

“Hug goodbye?” she asked. He nodded, pulling her close. She sighed happily, he smiled as he held her. 

“I had a great time tonight, we can text. I’m sure you’re busy during the week with things, so I’ll for sure see you next week. Same spot at the bar?”

He nodded. I had fun, too. Glad I walked by last week. I’ll see you next week, I can’t wait to walk you home again. 

She searched for any reason to stay and talk, or invite him up without an assumption of anything physical. As much as she thought she liked him, they had only just met. She hadn’t been with anyone since the breakup, but she knew she didn’t want heartbreak again. Would she actually see him again if she moved so fast? Was he actually interested in her that way?  She’d always equated any attention from a man as them being interested, only to be shot down. She wasn't ready for that kind of rejection, even from a stranger. 

He wanted to kiss her, but remembered her saying she’d just gotten out of a relationship. She’d already made going up to her place, even just to talk, out of the question. He understood, it had been a while himself. He had the foreseeable future to get to know her beyond her exterior. He found her captivating, in spite of everything she thought about herself and the type of girl he’d fallen for until now. Maybe this is what I need, something I didn’t expect, he thought to himself. 

She slowly, hesitatingly, unlocked the front door, waving with a smile before closing the door and going up to her place. Once she opened her apartment door, she walked to the window, thankful she had a window facing the street. She opened the window enough to poke her head out, and saw him still standing there. She waved again to him. He smiled before walking away towards his place. 

She went into her bedroom, flopped onto her full sized mattress, and sighed. She had so many thoughts and emotions going through her head. Did he like her as more than a friend? He’d come just to see her, that had to mean something. He’d confessed they would have exchanged numbers no matter what, but what did that mean? She had given her number to plenty of people over the years, but did that mean there was anything beyond friendship?

I should have just kissed him at least, she thought. But what if he just liked my voice and that was it? Once he saw the rest of me was like ‘nope’.  How many times have I told a guy that’s become my best friend that I like him, only to get turned down?  I’ve only had one guy friend like me back, the rest were all clearly interested, for whatever reason. Heh. I say that like I’ve had a lot of relationships. Since high school I’ve had what, 4 boyfriends?  Each one lasted for  over a year, but there were long stretches of nothing in between. Why should Bruce Wayne here be any different? 

She got ready for bed, going back and forth over things in her head. She decided that she’d had a good time, made a new friend, and would see where things went. If he made any move, that would tell her what she needed to know. He would be a secret crush until she knew for sure he liked her back. 

…

He walked back to his place, thinking about her.  Should I have kissed her?  I mean, I wanted to, definitely.  I don’t think she’s ready for anything right now, otherwise she could have prefaced going up to her place with ‘we’re just going to talk’.  Not that I can actually TALK right now.  I’ll be her friend, see what happens.  If she makes a move, I’ll know she’s interested.  I just hope it’s soon.