Work Text:
What If It’s Us
He always came with a group of friends. A group of young men and women, all variously stylish and all had wonderful voices. They loved to sit near the piano and often took turns singing.
She considered him as the shy one. Usually sitting in the farthest corner of the table, sipping his drinks while joking with his friends. There was a certain accent in his speech that she couldn’t tell. But one thing she knew, he wasn’t an American-born Asian like her.
He was tall, with longish hair that he often pulled up on a tiny, cute ponytail. His broad chest cladded in a dark color comfy looking hoodie paired with simple jeans and sneakers.
And as the night went on, each of his friends took their turns singing accompanied by the piano player. He kept on sitting there, playing with his phone or recording his friends’ performances. Laughing and waving his hand in front of his face to refuse his friend’s request to sing.
She was wiping table one night when he stood up and walked to the piano player. She caught him smiling shyly then talking to Sam. Then, the intro of “Waving Through A Window” was heard. She smiled. She loved Dear Evan Hansen so much, saving up a part of her waitressing earnings to watch the musicals.
“Nice song,” she said, placing his beer order in front of him. He sputtered, smiling shyly before saying his thank you. Suddenly, she felt a blush crept on her face, turned around and left the table. His friends accounted the occurrence and whooped at him.
💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤
She learned that he was a student of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Half expecting it since, well, who else would come in a group which belted out Broadway songs like daily conversation.
But as finals approaching, she hardly ever saw him there. She herself had finals to focus to, so it kinds of slipped her mind.
💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤
That night, she was wiping the floor after some girls tripped on their stiletto heels and spilled their drinks everywhere. The place was crowded.
Then she heard the voice. That voice. Words from Sing Street’s “To Find You” flowing smoothly from his sweet voice. His voice soft, yet strong, with a slight accent that made it sound even cuter.
“Gotta find out who I’m meant to be.
I don’t believe in destiny,”
he hits the notes with all the feelings. She stood there, rooted. Hands gripping the mop tightly.
“Sing Street, eh?” she said as she delivered his drink order.
“I love that movie,” he replied, running his long fingers over his hair, trying to pull them up into a ponytail again. She blushed. “You know that movie?” he asked again, chuckling a little as he noticed her blushing furiously.
“I love it so much,” she replied before excusing herself. It’s a crowded night and she can’t afford being scolded for slacking off.
💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤
It was a challenge night. On that night, visitors and staffs all had the fun of challenging each other to perform. Singing various songs, playing various pieces.
His group was there. Sat on their favorite corner. She tried to find him to no avail. Her supervisor caught her eyes and winked. He knew about her secret crush towards this tall guy that they dub as Evan, from Dear Evan Hansen.
Halfway through the night, the crowd was getting hyped. Sam, that night’s piano player called her,
“You have a challenge to sing a duet with a random partner. Come up here!”
She froze. This was by far the craziest challenge so far.
To sing something, a duet song to be precise, alone in the spotlight. Then, some random people would continue, becoming your duet partner and together you must finish the song. That was if somebody would like to save you from the embarrassment and becoming your duet partner. Otherwise, you would have to finish it alone save the embarrassment.
But a challenge is a challenge. She finished wiping the table, throwing the cloth towards her supervisor who caught it with a laugh and a wink, and walked towards the piano.
Whispering the song title to Sam, she then took her stance on the stage. Sam played the intro of “Only Us”, her favorite piece from Dear Evan Hansen. She took a deep breath, focusing on her singing, hoping for someone to take the Evan part for her.
“So what if it's us?
What if it's us
And only us
And what came before won't count anymore or matter?
Can we try that?
What if it's you
And what if it's me
And what if that's all that we need it to be
And the rest of the world falls away?
What do you say?”
Then, she closed her eyes……
“I never thought there'd be someone like you who would want me….,” a clear voice took the part seamlessly.
“What?” she turned to her right and there he was. Black hoodie, ripped jeans, hair pulled in a messy ponytail. A tired look on his face, yet he was smiling. His eyes were twinkling.
She never knew why she got teary eyed at that moment. His voice got stronger as the song reached its chorus. He stood facing her and took her hands, just like Evan dan Zoe did,
“It's not so impossible
Nobody else but the two of us here
'Cause you're saying it's possible
We can just watch the whole world disappear
'Til you're the only one
I still know how to see,”
The song ended with a sweet “And it's only us,” and the crowd exploded with claps and cheers.
“Sorry, got overslept. This week was terrible and I got a bit under the weather,” he murmured, sniffling a bit. She stood there, blushing, suddenly aware that he was still holding her hands.
“And that, ladies and gentlemen, was a lovely duet from our 'Evan and Zoe' here!” Sam’s voice boomed from the microphone.
“Keito,” he whispered to her ear, “It’s Keito, not Evan. And, how about some coffee after your shift?”
She blushed even deeper before whispering her name back to him and nodded,
“I’d love that.”
終わり