48 First Dates (Seeking Romance #1)

The Prince of Fairytale Grunge

22

Another app date—

This one plays fairytale grunge.

Music is great, but—

I woke up the following morning filled with regret. I had misjudged Logan. I viewed him through the lens of grief, and no one looks good when everything is covered in the blackness of pain.

I tried to reach out to him with a text saying, “I had a nice time yesterday. Do you want to have dinner next time?” But my message was rejected.

The only explanation was that he had removed me from his kingdom. I ordered a calculator charm to remember Logan by and moved on to the rest of Cynthia’s court of potentials. Brian and I set up a date for the following weekend.

Kyle texted back that he was available that night.

Kyle

My band is playing Big Poppa’s Bar tonight at 8. Why don’t you meet me for a drink beforehand? Then, you can stay and listen to the set.

I hesitated for a minute, unsure if I wanted to meet for a drink. The last time I was in a bar, things didn’t end so well. But the occasional hidden sips never went too far. I was better now, and how better to prove it?

Me

Yep, what time?

Kyle

7 work for you?

Me

Yep, see ya then.

When I shared the date with my roommates, Cynthia asked, “Are you sure, hon? Do you want us to come with you? The last time...”

I waved my hand as I assured her. “I’ll be fine. You guys have my location, and I can handle one drink with a guy you picked out for me to go on a date with!” I turned around and semi-stomped back to my room to get ready.

Mitzi followed. “Here, let me help.”

I let out a sigh of resignation. “I didn’t even want to go on this date, and Cynthia’s giving me the nth degree over where it’s going to be. This summer was a one-time overkill mistake.”

Mitzi hesitated. “Ads... it’s just that... well, it was pretty bad. And we don’t want to see you get like that again. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re still a bit sensitive about things, and we’re only worried about you.”

I took a deep breath and gathered my thoughts. A tiny voice at the back of my head reminded me how they didn’t know the whole truth—how my last drink wasn’t the one I had in Puerto Rico. My last drink had been that morning.

You should tell them. This is a perfect opening. It said.

But I ignored it. I didn’t need any more concern directed at me. Instead, I rearranged my features and plastered on what I hoped was a believable smile. “Should I wear jeans or this black mini-skirt?”

“The jeans. You don’t need to knock him out with that skirt yet.” Mitzi grinned.

Eventually, Cynthia came in to do my makeup, and by the time I left, things were patched up with my friends.

I arrived at Big Poppa’s right on time. It was your typical college dive with painted black walls and a huge bar. The place reeked of cigarette smoke and stale beer. But I wasn’t here for the pleasant aroma. I was here to meet a potential prince.

I rolled my eyes and searched the crowd for Kyle. Before I found him, I noticed a man dressed in black leather and chains heading my way. He had spiked up his black hair in clumps and painted his face to resemble Alice Copper’s “demented clown.” I took a step back, searching for another path.

“Adelaide?”

I nodded, unsure of how the painted guy knew my name.

“I’m Kyle,” he offered.

“Really?” It was out of my mouth before my brain could catch it.

“Yeah, really. Sorry about the outfit and the makeup, but it’s part of the whole performance. You should see the other guys!” He grinned.

“Well, I wouldn’t have recognized you. You look nothing like your picture, but it’s very nice to meet you, Kyle,” I said.

This should be interesting.

“Let’s get a drink,” he suggested.

I nodded, and he led the way over to the bar. “What’ll ya have?” the bartender asked.

“Anything but a Pi?a Colada .” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kyle give me a weird glance as the bartender stared. I hastily said, “Whatever cider you have on tap.”

“Same for me,” Kyle ordered.

We waited for the drinks and took them to a high-top table with no chairs in the far corner. It was far enough away from the stage and main crowd so we could actually hear ourselves talk.

“So, tell me about your band.” I took a sip of the crisp, appley nectar and relaxed a bit.

“Oh, they are the best! We’ve been playing together in Bobbie’s garage since we were preteens. We were horrible back then. But in high school, we all got a lot better. We started playing covers. We booked a few gigs, but people wanted to hear our original music. So we came up with a unique sound.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“We call it fairytale grunge.” His eyes lit up as he spoke. “It’s a mix of Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, Nirvana, and our own flair. Betty, our lead guitarist, is a huge fan of fairy tales and myths. She came up with all these rifts that have a heavy metal nod to the classic fairytale soundtracks. Then, the two of us worked together on creating lyrics. It’s like nothing the world has ever seen, but one day, everyone will know the Fearsome Fairies.” Kyle’s eyes lit up as he talked.

“That sounds... interesting. What do you do in the band?”

“I play bass guitar and sing. Bobbie’s on drums, Ted’s on the keyboard, and Betty is on the electric guitar, which you already knew.”

“What’s one of your songs? Would I know it?”

He launched into a thirty-minute discussion on the titles of the songs and how they came up with them. He even sang a few for me. His passion for music was enticing. I enjoyed listening to him and watching his animated face. When his bandmates came to collect him for warm-up, I was a touch disappointed.

I moved closer to the stage and screamed along with everyone else when they came out. They were amazing. They knew how to work a crowd. Kyle was right when he said the world would know about fairytale grunge one day, at least if the Fearsome Fairies had anything to say about it.

But what bothered me was the way Betty looked at Kyle. It was clear she had seen him once upon a dream. Their closeness may have been for the crowd’s benefit on Kyle’s part, but she was playing for an audience of one.

I finished my cider and slipped out before the set was over. Kyle seemed like he was nice under the dark exterior. And I would add a bass guitar to my charm bracelet in his honor. But I had no desire to get involved with another guy who already had an interested girl in his life. That had crashed and burned before.

The next morning, I saw Brenn as I was walking back from my early class. We waved at each other and stopped to chat when we got closer.

Man, he smelled good. So much better than Big Poppa’s.

“Hey, how was your first date?” I asked Brenn, remembering that he had a date with one of Cynthia’s choices for him the day before.

“Um, it was fine. She just wasn’t the right one,” he said as he stared at me. Our eyes locked together. I shivered, suddenly aware of every uneven brick under my foot.

He reached out to rub my arm but dropped it before we touched. Instead, he asked, “What about you?”

I rolled my eyes.

“C’mon, tell me about it over some coffee,” Brenn suggested.

I nodded, and we turned to walk to the coffee shop. He opened the door for me as I told him about Kyle and his invention of fairytale grunge. We laughed as I told him about his band’s top song, “Little Red Riding Hood Goes for a Walk.” He ordered our coffees, and I found our seats.

As we drank our lattes, he agreed with me that I shouldn’t risk another Wyatt repeat. I sighed after my last sip. We set our cups down on the table at the same time.

“Brenn, I only want a simple fairy tale. I want a guy who sets my heart fluttering, who carries me through life, who loves me simply for being me.” I raised my gaze and looked into his eyes as I asked, “Am I looking for something that doesn’t exist?”

“No,” he responded immediately, his voice thick with emotion.

We stared at each other. I swear the sun highlighted our table in a warm glow. I leaned toward the center of the table. I needed to be closer to Brenn.

Time slowed as the magic of an unforeseen moment enveloped us.

Maybe he’s right. Maybe the something is out there. And maybe it’s a lot closer than I think.

I licked my lips, and his eyes followed. He leaned toward me, both of us in a trance.

Plop!

We both bent back in our chairs.

Tom broke the spell as he landed in the chair next to Brenn. “You guys will never believe what happened on my date this weekend!”