Louder

Chapter 22

      Carson and I were sitting in the practice room, side-by-side on the couch. My laptop was on my lap and I glanced at Carson, wondering why he was with me before Serena's performance. I wondered if from now on, Carson would stay with me for all of her performances. The thought left me anxious.

      "Relax, Nivenah," Carson said, smiling. "I just wanted to hang out with you. I thought you weren't scared of me anymore?"

      "I'm not," I said, flushing. 

      Carson gave me a look and I smiled sheepishly. Clicking on Youtube, a memory popped into my mind.

      "You sing," I said. My eyes grew wide and I looked at Carson, who began to blush. "Can I hear you? I let you listen to me last time, so it's only fair that I get to hear you sing."

      "You've heard me sing before," Carson said. "I rather not."

      "Please." I grinned at him. "You hear me sing all the time. At least let me hear you once more."

      Carson stared at me, his eyes wandering around my face. There was something so intimate about the moment - probably the fact that his eyes seemed gentle on me, which left me blushing once again. I looked away, but I could still feel Carson's eyes on me.

      "Fine," Carson said, leaving me relieved. "One song. Okay?"

      "Perfect," I said. "What song?"

      "Life of the Party. As you can see, I'm a Shawn Mendes fan."

      Smiling at his words, I searched for Life of the Party and clicked on the karaoke version of the song. It soon began to play and I looked at Carson, noticing how tense he became.

      "You're amazing," I said. "Don't be scared of what I think because I already know you're incredible."

      Carson broke out into a smile and soon, he began to sing, leaving me mesmerized. His voice was gentle - he wasn't the type to belt and hit high notes with ease, but his voice was lovely. It was soothing and as I stared at him, I thought about how I wouldn't mind hearing him sing for the rest of my life.

       As Carson sang, his eyes were on the screen and I admired him. I took in his sharp jaw and bright, hazel eyes. I took in how his hair was always messy, but in a way that left my heartbeat fluttering. Carson was attractive and I wondered why I never realized that until now.

       Soon, Carson ended the song and he looked over at me. His cheeks were flushed and my eyes softened at the sight as I wondered why Carson was so shy about his talent. He was amazing and there was no reason for him to be ashamed.

      "You sing beautifully," I said. "Seriously, I think you should be the one letting everyone know about your voice. You deserve the attention you'd receive."

       Carson looked embarrassed and he looked away. I couldn't help but smile, knowing Carson was rarely shy.

      "Thank you, you know I think your voice is stunning," Carson said, smiling as he looked back at me. "You know, we could become a duet one day. I don't know what we'd call our duet, but it would be fun."

      "I would love that," I said, laughing. "That would be a dream come true."

     "It could be a dream come true if you'd let everyone know the truth."

      Carson grew serious and I stared at him, unsure of what to say. I hated how every time we were together, he kept pushing me to tell everyone the truth. It left me stressed and I wished he understood.