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Finn regards cover bands with the same contempt he usually saves for cold tea and Chop’s stupid ideas.
He hates open mic night and turns his back to everyone who gets up on that stage, especially lads with ratty hair and acoustic guitars. Archie is the only one he makes an exception for and even then, he only really pays attention to the original songs and is careful not to roll his eyes when Arch launches into some rendition of Champagne Supernova because while it’s played out and boring by now, Archie is his mate.
The fact that Archie isn’t playing and he’s still sitting here waiting on the next cover band to stage up makes him question his friendship with the entire gang. Not in a real way but he’s definitely unsure of why he’s friends with them sometimes.
“Why don’t we go to-“
“No,” Archie shakes his head. “I told you. My mate, Ray, from the record shop was playing tonight.”
Mate, right. Finn has to take a big gulp of his drink to keep his tongue from asking what kind of mate this guy was (Finn suspected it was a bed sort of mate). “Right but-“
The girls shush him as two people take the stage. The guy is someone they know from school and that guy definitely isn’t named Ray (and Finn is secretly relieved because he can’t imagine Archie sleeping with someone who was as arrogant as Liam Owen). So the name fell to the second person. Finn is picking his jaw off the floor and praying no one noticed. Yeah, ok. So, she’s a girl. Big deal. And yeah, she’s totally cute with her long hair and upturned mouth and he likes her boots, those are nice. And yeah, she’s got some curves he wouldn’t mind taking a trip on and big bo-
“That’s Rae,” Archie tells him. “She works at the record shop. Knows her music.”
Finn tries to shrug, tries to be glib and he reminds himself that no matter how cute she looks, she’s still in a fucking cover band and he’s probably going to have to sit through Liam Owen singing fucking Wonderwall (he’s pleased with his thoughts because it puts a sour expression back on his face). “Hmm.”
But Liam doesn’t sing and Rae launches into Make Your Own Kind Of Music by Cass Elliot and Finn desperately wants to keep his back turned to her the way he does to everyone else, but there’s something so soft and sweet about her voice that his spine moves against his will and he ends up twisted in his chair, hips hurting with the effort of staying planted because he heart wants to see her but his brain is telling him to not be daft.
The place has a one song rule but the applause the pair receive is so thunderous that the guy in charge asks them to sing another. She sings (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman by Aretha Franklin and Finn gives up the fight and faces her completely. He wishes he hadn’t because her eyes are half-lidded and the moan in her voice makes him think she’s singing to a lover and then she catches his eye and smiles and he’s got to put his hands in his lap (and praises God or whatever else is out there that it’s dim in the room). Finn knows music, knows talent, but he also knows that no one’s voice has ever made him feel like he was going to come unglued.
No one claps louder than Finn when they’re finished playing.
“Told you she was good!” Archie tells him over the clamor.
She’s more than good. She’s electric and he’s wrapped up in her, eyes following her movements, heart racing because she’s coming towards them and he’s still slack jawed, still hard from that stupid smile and he turns quickly in his seat, back to her in a bid to catch his breath.
“Alright, Archie?” Finn holds it together pretty well (at least, that’s what he keeps telling himself).
She’s funny and sweet and embarrasses Chop within the first five minutes. He tries to relax, wills his spine to curve and it does for a second but then she asks him a question and his spine is ramrod straight again. “Sorry?” He mutters.
“Oh, I was just asking if you were alright.”
“Um.” Was he alright? He didn’t think so. Well, maybe he was. No, he wasn’t because if were alright, his hands wouldn’t be sweaty and he wouldn’t be gnawing on his bottom lip and he definitely wouldn’t be fighting an awkward boner for 45 fucking minutes. “Yeah, yeah. I’m alright. I’m good. Real good.” Fucking smooth, dickwad. He closes his eyes briefly and when he opens them, she’s still looking at him but she’s smiling a bit. Finn bets she gets this all the time. Lame dudes practically drooling all over her lap. He tries to slouch again, crosses his arms across his stomach, right hand fiddling with his left wrist. “You, uh… you ok?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” “I, uh, you… sounded really great up there.”
“Aw, thanks!”
Aw thanks. Aw. What did that noise mean? Was she acknowledging that he sounds like a stupid, eager puppy and aw, ain’t he cute? He bristles for a moment (because Finn Nelson was a lot of things but cute was not something he wanted to be) but then she smiles wider and he’s smiling back before he realizes in horror that he probably looks like a jack’o’lantern and he ducks his head, pretends he’s rubbing his chin on the shoulder of his shirt.
“You’re super cute.” He perks up, his head whipping back around but he deflates when he realizes she’s talking to Izzy and not him. Of course. Why would she think he was super cute? Just because other girls thought the was good looking didn’t mean she did (but he desperately hopes she does). But he does want her to pay attention to him though he’s not sure why. He didn’t much care for anyone paying attention to him but this seemed important. She seemed important and it was feeling he couldn’t shake.
“So, um,” he tries but there’s a squeak in his voice that tinges his cheeks red. Clears his throat, gives her a sheepish smile. “Do you like, um, Janis Joplin?”
She nods. “Definitely. Me and Bobby McGhee is one of my usual songs but Liam hasn’t mastered it yet, so I had to put it on the backburner. But I have a little show coming up this weekend and if I can get Archie to play for me, I’ll be doing it.”
“Oh, so you and Liam aren’t normally like… together?” Smooth, Finn. Nice play there, buddy. Why don’t you just outright ask her if she’s seeing someone.
“Oh, no. The guy who usually plays with me went off to Uni and Liam is just someone I kind of know. But I’ve been trying to talk Archer into playing with me for a while. Think you could nudge him in the right direction for me?”
There were a lot of things he’d love to nudge in the right direction for her. “Yeah, sure. No problem.”
“You’re a prince.”
He doesn’t mean to beam under the compliment, but he does. And Chop is giving him a look like he knows exactly what’s going on and Finn is two seconds away from putting his fist through the gap in Chop’s teeth when she says, “Well, it’s been lovely, dolls. But I’ve got to scamper.”
There’s disappointment flooding through his veins that he can’t control. He’s torn between following her out like a puppy or asking her not go, but instead he watches her walk out and then turns back to the others, his grump settled firmly into place.
“I saw that look, Finn!” Chop teases.
“Shut up,” Finn sneers. “You going to play with her this weekend, Arch?”
Archie shrugs, pushing his glasses up. “I dunno, yet. I want to… you know, it would give me some exposure and it’d be helping her out a bit. Liam really kind of brought her down tonight. But she plays to some massive crowds. Like… massive.”
“And?”
“And I don’t think I’m… ready for that sort of pressure.”
“Get off it, Archie. You’re a brilliant guitar player.”
“You just want to see her again.”
Finn tries to act offended. He manages to get his brow knitted together, mouth set in a firm line but then his shoulders hunch and he curls in on himself. “Am I that obvious?”
“Transparent, really.”
“She’s just… she’s just…”
“Talented?”
“Beautiful.” Fin shakes his head, rests his forehead on the heel of his hand. “And talented, yeah. Real talented. How have I never met her before?”
Archie shrugs. “Listen… I’ll probably end up doing it. Give her a call tomorrow and see when she wants to practice… and if you want to come along, you can.”
He should at least try to act cool and collected, but his mouth splits in a grin. “Really?”
“Yeah. But I warn you… Rae Earl has been known to chew lads up and spit them back out in a heartbeat. She’s a sweet girl… but she doesn’t take bullshit, understand?”
Finn nods but he only half hears him because he was already trying to plan a mixtape in his head.