Louder

Chapter 20

       Serena was about to perform and I was sitting on the couch in the practice room, waiting for Liam's call. I felt extra nervous today, knowing Carson knew the truth. He would be looking at Serena on stage, but he would know it was me singing and the thought left me shuddering.

       "Hey," Carson said, leaving me jumping.

      I looked to the door of the practice room and my eyes widened when I saw Carson standing there, his face expressionless. Speechless, I stared at him, unsure of what to say.

       "Now it's your turn to say hi or something," Carson said, sighing as he walked over to the couch I sat on. 

      "What are you doing here?" I asked, growing more nervous as Carson settled down on the couch beside me.

      My phone was in my hand and I blushed when I realized my hand was shaking. I had a feeling I knew what Carson wanted and the thought left my heart pounding.

      "I want to watch you sing," Carson said. "Can I?"

      "I don't know," I said, feeling my cheeks grow hot. "I don't know if I'll be able to sing as well as I usually do if you're watching me."

       "That doesn't matter. Come on, you owe me after everything."

       Carson was staring at me, his eyes pleading with me to agree. I really didn't want to - not when I knew I'd be too nervous to sing as well as I usually did, but Carson was right. I owed him and that meant I had to let him stay.

       "Fine," I said, sighing.

       My phone vibrated and I saw Liam's name appear on the screen. I accepted his FaceTime and his face soon appeared on the screen, and I smiled at him. He smiled back, giving me a sympathetic look in the process.

       "So that's how you watch the performances," Carson said as Liam flipped the camera so Serena appeared on the screen. "I always thought Liam was just recording Serena's performances. It all makes so much more sense now." 

      I nodded as Serena began to speak into the microphone. She told the audience the song she'd be singing was Needy by Ariana Grande and the crowd roared with excitement. She smiled at Liam and I gulped, realizing it was time.

      Opening my mouth, I began to belt out the song Serena sang. My voice shook at the start with Carson so close to me, watching and judging me. My grip on my phone was too strong and I cringed when I realized I wasn't sounding as good as usually did.

       Wondering what Carson was thinking, I glanced at him and my eyes widened when I realized he was wearing a look of awe. He as nodding his head, encouraging me when our eyes met, and I grew more confident as I realized Carson was enjoying my voice. I began to sing more confidently then, my voice steady and soothing as I belted out the rest of the song.

      Like I usually did when Liam put the camera on Carson, I began to watch Carson and take in his reaction. His eyes were on me and a look of affection covered his face. He looked proud and to my surprise, in awe of me. Carson looked mesmerized and my heart began to pound against my chest as I felt proud of my voice.

      Soon, the song came to an end and the crowd broke out into an applause. They gave Serena a standing ovation - as they usually did, and Serena thanked everyone with a huge smile on her face. Liam whispered goodbye to me and ended our call, and I sighed lightly. My heart was still racing and I looked to Carson, who was smiling at me.

      "After hearing you sing... everything makes so much more sense," Carson said. "Singing seems natural to you. Your voice matches you and I can't believe I couldn't tell Serena was faking it."