2

As we walked to the bar, the crowd dispersed for us, like we were some important celebrities. It almost made me chuckle out loud. We were treated to another round of free drinks. I opted for a glass bottle of beer while Olivia and Scarlett went for the shots. These Russian men were really something, staring at us in fascination. It looked like we were the only three foreigners in this place but they acted like we were the only Americans they’d ever seen.

“Thank you,” I smiled sweetly to them.

We had a pact never to leave with men when out together. If they knew that, they’d probably give up being so catering and putting us ahead of everyone else when ordering drinks. I debated whether we should tell them they stand no chance with us. Shrugging my shoulder, I decided against it and we headed back to the dance floor.

“Anytime, baby,” one of the men replied.

I cringed hearing that endearment. I hated being called baby. My dad was the only one that called me that and got away with it. But I was adamant not to let anyone ruin my night so I ignored it. Glancing at the door, I saw my security escort there. He was really good at blending in. I waved to him then blew him a kiss. The shock in his eyes had me laughing. Brian was my favorite security escort by far. It was surprising he didn’t stand out and nobody paid attention to him, but then, he was fairly young. In fact, he was the youngest bodyguard in my family’s employment.

He was twenty-five when he became my security protection, and I was fifteen. I remembered how giggly I was when I met him. But he quickly became an annoyance since he ensured I stayed within the bounds dedicated to me. Sometimes I just wanted to be a normal and carefree teenager, although within safety. Brian, on the other hand, took his job extremely seriously. He was far better than the guard I had for the five years prior to that, hands down.

The music stopped as we got back onto the dance floor.

“Song for our American friends on the dance floor,” the young woman announced. In unison all three of our heads turned to the stage. The tunes started and she added, “The song is “I Hope” by Gabby Barrett. Hope you like it.”

“Why would they know this song here?” I wondered.

“Exactly. So weird. Country songs shouldn’t be sung by anyone but country singers.” Scarlett had certain ideas and some of them could be quite snobby but I loved her regardless. “It’s like me not shaving my bikini area and deciding to wear a bikini.”

Olivia and I shook our heads, laughing at the comparison.

The woman had a good voice. But no sooner the tunes started and the first words of the song left the young woman’s lips, all three of us cringed.

“Ugh, this time I’m going to have to side with you, Scarlett,” I muttered softly so nobody else could hear me.

The three of us tried to move to music but couldn’t quite get into it knowing the song was sung all wrong… tunes and the accent were working against the singer. The three of us locked eyes and shook our heads. There was no way we could dance to it. We stopped and turned in sync to leave, when the music stopped again.

“You don’t like it?” The young woman asked, prompting everyone’s eyes to turn to us.

The entire room went quiet; I swore the only thing we heard was our own breathing. Talk about an awkward situation! The three of us exchanged looks, uncomfortable with being the center of attention.

Finally realizing neither Scarlett nor Olivia would say anything, I answered, “We just like to hear it sung a bit differently, but we like the song.”

I tried to soften the blow with a smile. She really did have a nice voice, it just didn’t work for this song.

“Can you sing it?” While I tried to decide whether the suggestion in her voice was mocking or she was sincerely asking, Scarlett laughed and answered.

“Yes! Let’s do it.” Taking my hand, she dragged me towards the stage.

“Scarlett!” I exclaimed. She knew we only sang karaoke when we were alone. She paid no mind to my protest so I motioned for Olivia to follow us. If I had a free hand, I’d drag her along but my beer was rather important at this moment. It might just give me enough courage to do something stupid, like sing in front of a bunch of Russians.

Olivia better not even think about leaving me alone with Scarlett. If we were going to be embarrassed because of this, we would do it together.

As soon as we got onto the stage, the singer handed us the microphone and Scarlett motioned for me to take it.

“Why am I taking it?” I wondered, annoyed. Scarlett was the one that eagerly accepted this offer, not me. “I don’t like to sing.”

“Your voice is the best out of the three of us,” Olivia answered with a small smile and I shot daggers her way. She was supposed to be my best friend first!

“And your dancing beats any of ours, so they’ll stare at your ass more than listen to your voice,” Scarlett added.

I rolled my eyes and the Russian singer laughed.

“Those are really good arguments,” she said in a heavy accent.

“Ok, here we go then. Embarrassment of a lifetime.” I took a swig and finished the beer in my hand then traded it for the microphone she was offering.

I turned towards the podium and all eyes were on us. It reminded me of my recitals when I was a kid, when I danced across the stage. It’s just entertainment, I heard my mom’s voice.

“Y’all ready for some country?” I spoke into the microphone, with a wide smile. I might as well throw in some country accent.

This was going to be a night to remember for sure. The crowd eagerly nodded their heads and men leered at us. “This song is for all you cheaters out there.”

I could already spot a few smiles faltering and it was exactly the courage I needed. I turned my head to my left where Olivia stood, and then to my right where Scarlett was. “Ready?”

I glanced back at the musicians on standby with their instruments. “Will it be a problem if we move around the stage?”

In unison they shook their head, smiling widely, and ready for some fun.

“Let’s do this then,” I mouthed to girls and winked at Scarlett.

It was the song we played on repeat for months after her boyfriend cheated. That asshole! Scarlett’s family arranged her marriage with a man she had never met when she was seventeen. She rebelled at every turn; protesting the marriage, waiting for a man to come along that she’d fall crazy in love with and would marry her under her family’s noses. It seemed strange to me that Scarlett’s family would have arranged a marriage for their daughter but her family was nothing if not strange. Neither my father nor grandfather trusted them, saying her family’s dealings were barely legal. So it played out that Olivia, her twin brother, Scarlett and I were always hanging out at my place. They were all part of the family.

The tunes started, each string of the guitar hit right home and without realizing it

I took a step forward and the words flowed through my lips, “I hope she makes you smile...”

My voice and instruments became a single tone. I really loved this song and the words to it although they would forever remind me of Scarlett’s cheating boyfriend. And how we dumped a bowl of sugar into his gas tank.

The euphoria took over with each beat. Scarlett and Olivia must have felt the same. The whole club faded and the only thing we had was each other and this moment. We snapped our fingers in the beat of the song as we danced and sang the words that meant so much six months ago. But now, it seemed so insignificant. There was so much shit coming down the pipeline between Olivia’s and Scarlett’s upcoming forced marriages. It made me grateful for my family but also terribly sad that I couldn’t do something to help my best friends. Well, short of running away, but we were too old to run away. Right?

I took Olivia’s hand and winked at Scarlett, our bodies moving sensually in sync. After all, we danced to this song a million times.

“When you lean for the kiss,” three of us sang the melody in a synched up voice, our tones complementing each other. “I hope you feel sparks…”

Our bodies warmed from dancing. The adrenaline was pumping through our veins, and we swayed to the music.

When the last tune ended, the room went utterly silent for a fraction of a second. The three of us shared a look, our breathing slightly hitched, cheeks burning. And then the thunder of cheering and applauding came about, followed by our relieved smiles.

“Oh my gosh,” Olivia exclaimed. “We should be singers.”

“No way,” I cackled. “They only liked it because they are Russians listening to Americans sing.” Besides, I loved my degree and what I studied to do. I couldn’t wait to start my new job. Amongst all the craziness, it was my sanity.

We all chuckled and Scarlett pulled us both into an embrace. “I don’t want to go back home.” Her words were a whisper in our tight circle.

There was sadness on her face. She wanted to marry for love and who could blame her. We should spend the rest of our lives with a person we love, or at least like. My heart squeezed for Olivia, her face held a hint of fear. She had become too good at hiding it. Although I understood too well why she was getting so good at hiding it. The man that her father owed a debt to was truly someone to fear.

I hated that these amazing women were in this horrible position. I wanted to fix it, make it better for them. Despite all the fucked up shit that had happened to me, I was lucky to have my amazing family.

“We could stay in Europe,” I answered reluctantly. “Or you two could come stay with me and my family permanently.”

Even as I said those words, I knew they wouldn’t agree. They didn’t want to bring problems to our doorstep but I wished they would. My dad and grandfather would go to battle for them.

“Let’s not think about this,” Olivia spoke up. “We have this moment and this amazing summer. We still have a few more days.” Only three more days to be exact.

“That was fucking amazing.” One of the band members came over to us with the Russian singer. He eyed us, as if he could judge by appearance alone whether we were real singers. “You never sang before?”

“Only among ourselves and in the shower,” I chuckled.

“Ohhh, shower. Want to sing for me in the shower?” he retorted quickly, eyeing me like candy.

I threw my head backwards and laughed. “No, but thank you,” I told him through the laughter. I couldn’t imagine that line had ever worked for him.

He gave me a boyish smile that made him look like a charming musician that women chased after. “How about a dance instead then?” he asked.

“Oh, yeah,” Scarlett answered quickly in my stead. “She’ll dance with you.” She nudged me towards him. I took his outstretched hand and his fingers wrapped around mine. I glanced at our connected hands and felt nothing. Darn, when would a man finally set off fireworks in me?

The music switched to a stereo system, coming through speakers all throughout the club. The dimmed light made it hard to see and the air started to smell slightly of alcohol. It was always the same; wherever you were in the world the dance club always started smelling of the alcohol freely flowing through the establishment.

Two hours later, all three of us kept rotating band members to dance with, laughing and drinking. I had a lot less than Olivia and Scarlett since I didn’t particularly care for the effect alcohol had on me. And having Brian, our security guy, with us made us relax, knowing he had our safety as his priority.

He even sported a few dances with us.