Sunshine [Owen Joyner]

20.

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When we arrive at the bar that we're meeting Owen's friends at, I realize very quickly that this is a karaoke bar. As soon as we walk in, my eyes widen as I hear very off-pitched singing coming from a stage at the front. Oh god.

Owen has been telling me all day about this "Dani" girl that he's friends with, and how excited he is to see her again. He's also excited for Charlie and I to meet her. I just hope she's nice.

Owen leads us through the crowded bar, obviously in search of his friends. Charlie stands behind me protectively, his hand remaining on my back. I'm sure it's so he doesn't lose us, but it helps me feel calm among the sea of people we're splitting through. He keeps close to me, and I keep closer to Owen as he heads for the back wall. He comes to a sudden stop, making me crash right into his back. He turns to me and laughs for a split second before his attention is caught by another girl who wraps her arms around his neck in a tight hug.

"Hi! Oh my God! Ahhh!" She yells over the loud singing, resting her hands on his upper arms when they pull away from the hug. "How are you? Long time no see!"

I can only assume that this is the Dani that Owen has been talking about all day.

"Good, I'm good! Hey, uh, these are my friends," he pulls me to his side and Charlie stands to my right. "This is Joey, and this is Charlie." He motions to the two of us. I give her a small smile, suddenly feeling very shy and insecure. "This is Daniella Perkins."

She is quite literally the most beautiful human that I have ever seen. I'm positive that this girl as no flaws...physically at least. And the way Owen has talked about her makes it seem like she's perfect.

"Oh, so this is Joey!" I watch as she gives Owen a look. What is that supposed to mean? So this is Joey? "It is so nice to meet you, both of you!" She looks between me and Charlie. "Owen would not stop gushing about you two yesterday!" When did they talk yesterday?

"It's nice to meet you too! Owen would not stop gushing about you today," I try to joke, and apparently it works because she laughs.

She starts to introduce us to her group of friends that are sat at the table behind her. There are two other girls and then two guys. Amelia, Nicole, Nathan, and they also had their own Charlie, but they call him Char or Chuck most of the time.

My Charlie and I kind of hang back on our own, letting Owen do his thing with Dani for a while. We make some casual small talk with her friends, but we talk to each other for the most part. I'm not good in social situations like this, whereas Charlie typically thrives. I know that he's making more of an effort to talk to me. He knows this makes me nervous, and I appreciate that.

After a little while, Charlie goes to the bar to get a drink for both himself and me. I obviously can't go up to the bar, so I am simply making him my plug for the night. As soon as he leaves, I'm left alone at the table with everyone. Owen is here, but he's sitting across the table from me, immersed in an intense conversation with Daniella.

"So, you worked on a TV show with him? That's fun," I look to my right when someone talks to me. It's Dani's friend Nathan. He obviously saw me sitting alone, twiddling nervously with my fingers.

"Yeah, that's how we all met, actually," I nod, hoping Charlie will be back soon. "We lived across the hall from each other, and Owen and Charlie were roommates."

"Well that worked out well, huh?" He smiles. "So what kind of character did you play?"

I fall into a shockingly easy conversation with Nathan, telling him all about my experience on set with Julie and the Phantoms. I tell him about my dance career, how it started, and how it's going now. I find out that he's also an actor, but he has only really done small roles that are similar to my role on the show.