Narrator’s pov
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In the coffee shop, sat awkward lovers, pretending to be there of convenience, afraid of their own need to connect to one another.
A cafe was one of the most stereotypical place to find love again first sight. A simple glance, the graze of your fingers against each other when reaching to grab a cup of coffee, the soft brown aroma.
It had a soft element to it, that’s why strangers usually stayed, in hopes of seeing the love of their life walk through that door.
During the day, the cafe was the colour of supermarket oranges, it had that shiny look, and the jazz poured out of the open doors along with the aroma of fresh baked lasagne.
But now that it’s almost tomorrow and the light of the day has been replaced by the unrelenting blackness of night, the frontage is as grey as the smooth concrete sidewalk at the crowd’s feet.
Cytheria took in a deep breath, sucking in the air that carried a hint of dampness and lacked the heavy pollution of the day traffic. It could almost be another season in another place.
The girl was confident on stage, two years of singing but she grew nervous today, perhaps it was because she was performing in front of her family and friends. Or maybe because she was afraid of them seeing how she reacted to a specific song.
“I can’t thank you enough for coming out tonight” a voice said, Cytheria turned her head in the direction of the man
“No problem Steve, I should actually be thanking you for doing all of this” Cytheria said to the owner of the building
“Your parents helped me when I was at my lowest, you also helped me through my struggles a few years ago. I swear if you weren’t a singer, you’d be an excellent Lawyer” he chuckled “The least I could have done was establish this building in your name since you’re the reason it’s even here in the first place”
“You’re so sweet Steve” she giggled at the elderly man
“Whenever you’re in town, just stop by and have anything on the house” he said
“I’ll be sure to hold you to that offer. You’ll regret it” she smiled
“Get her mic check!” Jeff yelled from afar
A crew members immediately ran towards the singer, her fingers adjusted the small mic around Cytheria’s ear that led to the base of her lips.
“I’ll leave you too it” Steve smiled sweetly
“See you after the show Steve” Cytheria said, the man smiled sweetly before walking away
“Cytheria Jones!” a voice screamed, Cytheria’s eyes darted in the corner to see twin girls waving aggressively at her. The woman chuckled and made her way over
“Oh my God she’s coming this way!” One of the girl’s said
“Hey there” Cytheria smiled sweetly
“Holy shit. Hi! Um, my name is Julia and this my sister Angel” the brown hair girl said
“Hi, We’re such huge fans” Angel said
“Thank you so much” Cytheria chuckled
“I don’t know if you remember but-”
“Yes I remember you, I gave you two all of my stuffed teddy bears at the pier. You’re all grown up now” Cytheria smiled
“Oh my God she remembers me” Julia gasped
“Ofcourse I do, I never forget a face” Cytheria smiled
“Can we get your autograph?” Angel asked as she held out a poster of Cytheria’s face. The woman smiled and grabbed the marker
“There you go” Cytheria said as she handed back the newly singed poster.
“Thank you so much, we can’t wait for your performance later” The girl’s squealed before walking away
“That was honestly so sweet” Ryan said she approached me with his fingers intertwined with Cole’s
“It’s so weird, Vernon and I actually met them a few years ago” Dreama chuckled
“Where did you meet them before?” Leo asked
“Somewhere memorable” Cytheria whispered, she turned around to look at her friends
“Is everything ready?” she asked
“Yep, the drummer is all set” Dreama said
“Great. Time to give these people what they came here for” she said
Cytheria stepped onto the stage and her eyes immediately met the crowded café. With the cheers, came fists in the air and eyes flung wide. We are electrified, awake, soaring to new heights of emotion as they saw Cytheria approach the stage. The gay’s quickly made their way into the audience. The room was packed, the streets were even boarded off to protect drivers from the crowd outside the café.
“Goodnight Everyone” Cytheria chuckled, the room erupted in cheers almost deafening. The girl’s smile grew wider as she pulled a stool to the center of the stage
“I’m sure everyone is familiar with the genre of music I sing but there’s a song I’m gonna perform for you tonight. Keep in mind it’s not the most sunshine feeling” she chuckled
“MARRY ME Cytheria” someone yelled from the crowd
“Who’s that?” Cytheria asked, her eyes narrowed to the crowd and the spotlight aimed to a random girl that was hiding behind her friends
“Come on up here, do you have a ring?” Cytheria giggled
“No… BUT I DO HAVE A RING POP” the girl said excitedly
“I’d gladly accept it, come on up” Cytheria giggled, the teenage girl ran to the stage and held a blueberry ring pop to the pop star’s finger
“Will you Cytheria Jones, marry me?” the girl said as she got down on one knee
“Of course I will sweetie” Cytheria giggled, the teenager slid the ring onto her finger and engulfed the singer with a tight hug which she reciprocated
“Hey! That’s not fair!” Richie yelled from behind stage. The crowd exploded in louder cheers when they noticed both pop stars were in the same room
“Sorry Richie, she’s mine!” the teenager shouted, Cytheria giggled before waving goodbye to the teenager that slid back into the audience
“Anyways, let’s get this song started” She smiled
A/N recommended playing the song above now 💖
“Some days, it’s hard to see if I was a fool or you a thief, Made it through the maze to find my one in a millionAnd now you’re just a page torn from the story I’m living” Cytheria sang
Her voice rolled over the hills in sorrowful waves. Swells of power rose up in her throat.
Luna pushed open the front door, her eyes immediately landed of girl -no- the woman who’s eyes were squeezed shut as her blonde locks fell over her face when she sang. A smile pulled across the demon’s face as she navigated her way through the crowd.
“And all I gave you is gone, Tumbled like it was stone, Thought we built a dynasty that heaven couldn’t shake, Thought we built a dynasty like nothing ever made, Thought we built a dynasty forever couldn’t break…up” Cytheria sang
She felt the sadness wash through her rather than skating over her skin. It travelled through every cell to reach the ground.
“A scar I can’t reverse, And the more it heals, the worse it hurts….Gave you every piece of me, no wonder it’s missing. Don’t know how to be so close to someone so distant” Cytheria sang
Luna stood in the center of the room, it felt like everyone else disappeared as her eyes melted at the sight of the woman on stage.
She couldn’t even tell if it was words that came from her. Her voice was music, and grace, and the haunting feeling of knowing that her voice was brought out in a fit of rage, of pain.
“And all I gave you is gone, Tumbled like it was stone, Thought we built a dynasty that heaven couldn’t shakeThought we built a dynasty like, nothing ever made, Thought we built a dynasty forever couldn’t break up” Cytheria sang.
Streaming tears cleansed her red cheeks. Few droplets remained, forgetting their way as the path was swept from beneath them, consequently blurring her vision with waves of sadness only the broken encounter.
“It all fell down, it all fell down, it all fell down (And all I gave you is gone)It all fell, it all fell down, It all fell down”
Her hand went to her heart and her head rose as she belted out the final notes. Her friends knew her voice was good but they’d never saw Cytheria be so vulnerable, so open. Everyone in the room stood captured by the girl who belted her last note
“Thought we built a dynasty forever couldn’t break up”
Cytheria whispered, her eyes remained shut as her heart pounded against her chest. Luna’s jaw clenched as she watched the girl cry on stage. She knew the hidden meaning behind that song, she knew exactly why Cytheria was feeling torn apart. It was because she hurt her.
“Give it up for Cytheria Jones!” Richie yelled through the mic as he approached the stage
Loud cheers exploded through the room and the street. Those outside screamed in appreciation while those inside clapped loudly. Whistles and smiles filled the room. Luna’s eyes landed on everyone, they were all captivated by the woman in stage. Damn, things truly have changed.
“Cytheria Jones” Richie said, Luna’s eyes turned back to the Indian man on stage that intertwined his fingers with the singer as he pulled her to her feet
“Yes?” Cytheria giggled
“You were great” he mumbled, cheers exploded from the room again while some snapped out their phones and started recording, Luna furrowed her brows
“I know today has been hectic but I wanted to surprise you. I brought your friends and parents out tonight because I wanted it to be special” Richie said
Cytheria furrowed her brows at the man, her eyes glanced behind him to see Jeff backstage mouthing ‘Just go with it’ and a thumbs up. The girl nodded slightly and turned her attention back to her boyfriend
“Now, I know that girl in the crowd already beated me to the punch” Richie said, the girl giggled from crowd
Richie smiled and locked eyes with Cytheria before slowly sliding down onto one knee. Cytheria felt her heart sink into the chest right then and there. The man held her fingers and smiled sweetly.
“I have loved you the very day I laid eyes on you. Not only are you the most beautiful woman I laid eyes on but you’re the most gentle soul I’ve ever encountered. Would you do me the honor of making me the happiest man on earth and marry me?” he asked
Silence. Silence filled the room, Cytheria felt the eyes of a hundred people on her. Her heart pounded against her chest, then she recalled Jeff’s words. Guess it’s an arrangement.
Luna on the other hand was boiling inside. Her fists clenched as she looked between the woman she loved and the man that wanted to claim her as his own.
“Ye-” Cytheria started but was cut off by a voice that caused her jaw to drop
“Hi Cytheria”