Fear of Falling

you’ll be back by the diner.”
    I reached on my tiptoes and gave him a swift peck on the cheek just before we passed the threshold of the door. “Well, I have to see if my boss will give me a day off. He likes to work me for long, hard hours.”
    Blaine chuckled again, and the barriers in my chest came crashing down.
    Yeah. I was pretty fucking crazy about him too.

    The next few days passed in a blur of flirty banter, longing stares, and hidden kisses when no one was watching. I returned to Ms. Patty’s diner with Blaine, subjecting him to all types of loving torture from her and Mavis. Apparently, he was telling the truth about never bringing a date to the little hole-in-the-wall restaurant that appeared quainter than dilapidated the second time around. Maybe it was getting to know Ms. Patty and the love she had for Blaine. Maybe it was being there with him, smiling around a mouthful of waffles. Whatever it was, I was thankful that he made it known that he wanted me in his life. I wanted him in mine…I just didn’t know how.
    “Hey babe, pass me that Grenadine,” Blaine said, pointing to the bottle of red syrup.
    I snagged the bottle and handed it to him, giving him a wink before sashaying towards the next customer. It was Thursday, and word had gotten out about Dive’s Open Mic Night. We were busier than last week, but it was nothing that we couldn’t handle.
    “Hey sweets!” Angel squealed, nearly propping herself on the bar to leave a kiss on my cheek.
    “You and the girls all set up? I think there will be a lot more victims—I mean—performers this week.” I winked at the older gentleman in front of me and slid him his beer. He was a regular and not a fan of Dive’s new themed night.
    “Yup! And if there’s a lag in singers, I thought you and I could try out that new song we’ve been working on.”
    I passed Angel her signature shot of tequila and light beer. “Uh, no way. You know that’s not happening.”
    “Aw, come on, Kam!” she pouted. “I think it’s ready. Just try it!”
    I was already shaking my head. “Nope. Ain’t gonna happen. I will not perform that song with you tonight. Ask one of the girls.”
    “But it’s our song! Ugh!” She downed her shot and chased it with a swig of beer. “Fine. So you won’t perform that song with me tonight.”
    “Nope.”
    “Alright… whatever you say, Kam.”
    I returned my attention to the growing line of thirsty customers and awaited the first singer to be announced. Luckily, she was decent, choosing to do a rendition of “Heartbreaker” by Pat Benatar. I could tell Angel was itching to grab the mic and kill it. She was a huge fan.
    The acts gradually improved, and it seemed that Dive’s Open Mic Night was proving to be lucrative. I was happy for Blaine. He had explained to me that he had actually bought the bar from his Uncle Mick when he returned to Charlotte a bit over a year ago. The economy hadn’t been kind to the family-run business, and the place needed tons of cosmetic work. Blaine had been sitting on a large health insurance settlement from his mother’s death and decided to bail his uncle out of the quickly piling debt. He fixed it up, added some new staff members, and gave it a new, updated image. Though I had only known him for a matter of weeks, I was proud of his dedication. He was young, successful and driven. He was everything people expected him not to be.
    “Alright Dive,” Angel’s seductive voice sounded through the speakers a couple hours into the evening. “This next act is one of our own. She’s a badass vocalist and crazy sexy on the strings. And, she is drop-dead lickable. Put your fucking hands together, Dive, for my girl, Kami!”
    The bar erupted into cheers, every head turning to look at me with expectation. That’s when I realized what had just happened. Holy. Shit. I was going to kill Angel!
    I tried to shake my head “no,” but the entire place was already chanting my name. Blaine had even abandoned his customers to come stand beside me, wearing a reassuring grin and nodding his support. The roar of the crowd, the lights, the dozens of eyes looking at me in expectation… I couldn’t deal. But I couldn’t lose it. I wouldn’t lose it.
    I looked to the man next to me, who gazed at me like I was the only person that existed in the crowded bar, and took a cleansing breath. I could do this. I could block out every face and focus on him. I could pretend like I was giving him his very