I Crave You

Chapter 2

"Thank you so much for letting me play, you guys," Evelyn Reed took a step back, her grip on the mic tightened as if her body was fighting for the show to go on. "Have a wonderful evening!"

She handed the mic to the host and stepped down the stage. And soon, the sound of the applause that was meant for her faded in the background as the announcer asked a new performer to take over.

Evelyn made her way over to the bar through the sea of happy faces, accidently bumping into a woman.

She murmured a quick 'sorry' and touched a long, dark lock of her hair nervously.

Like every weekend, Jack's was packed with the locals and revelers. The lively pub at Old Hollywood Sunset Boulevard was as lit as the first time she'd visited with her sister and brother-in-law. Three months in the glittering Los Angeles, and the little place had already stolen her heart and become her most cherished spot in the whole city.

"Hey, Eve!" Andrew, the pub owner, crossed her way, "Awesome show, kid!"

Evelyn passed him a small, grateful smile. "Thanks, Andrew!"

He returned her smile and went on his way. Evelyn settled on one of the tall chairs and was soon greeted by Jim Cooper, the old bartender.

"Hi, Jim."

"Hey," he chirped, placing a glass of Appletini before her. "It's on the house."

She smiled and took a sip, parched and still high on energy. The adrenaline she usually felt after performing was there, but today somehow it was overshadowed by immense disappointment and sadness.

How could she not be sad? Getting rejected by the hundredth employer wasn't exactly fun.

Three months ago, she'd moved to Los Angeles from her hometown, Michigan. And she was still unemployed. Still searching. Thanks to Jim's contacts and goodwill, she got the position of the live performer at Jack's. Having sung at the open-mic nights for years, Andrew, the pub owner, had hired her as a singer when she'd lost her job two months ago. To her, it was a kind of big deal as the weekends were usually booked for professional artists. And she knew exactly how cut-throat it was in the music world. Having tried to pave her way up in the music world, she'd somewhere started to make peace with the fact that life just wasn't for her. But no matter what, she couldn't give it up. Especially now, when everything else in her life was falling apart. Music was her only escape.

"That, my friend, was a great show." Jim's voice pulled Evelyn out of her distress.

She looked up at him and he went on, "I haven't seen this place so lit, like ever. You outdo every singer I've witnessed play here, really."

She couldn't help but smile. "As if my biggest supporter's opinion isn't biased?"

"Not biased." He shrugged and leant forward on the golden glass bar counter. "Just stating the truth. You were phenomenal."

Evelyn felt her cheeks heat up, wishing she was a little better at taking compliments. "It's just... the audience was fun today, very energetic."

"Just say thank you, will you?"

She bit back a short laugh. "Thank you."

"You're too modest, kid." He shook his head. "Those people out there were fun, yeah? You know why? Because they enjoyed your singing."

She smiled to herself, and looked down at her drink, mumbling, "I enjoyed too."

"Then why do you look so sad?"

Evelyn immediately looked up at the man, stunned. "I'm not sad!"

"You are," he said.

"I'm not! That's just how I look."