Frank sat at the piano, his whiskey on the rocks was in easy reach, nestled by the ashtray, with half a cig still burning. His fingers gently glided over the keys as he sang about a lost love. His voice was hypnotic, entrancing the audience with its silky, smoothness. They were all lost in the music, reminiscing about old lovers, some of them feeling guilty about having that thought with their new lover so close.
The bar was dimly lit, candles at every table, casting a glow on the patron’s faces. A soft spotlight was on Frank as he played, illuminating the smoke from his cigarette as it drifted up and vanished into the air. Frank was lost in the moment, his soul in two places at the same time, joining both dimensions together at once.
Frank finished the song. The audience quietly applauded with anticipation of where he was taking them next. He took a drag off his cigarette and then a sip of his whiskey. He let his fingers fall once more to the keys and began playing. He looked out into the crowd, smiling. The low lighting made it hard to see faces, which made it easier to perform.
He slowly took in a breath before he started singing when he noticed her out of the corner of his eye. No one noticed his slight hesitation before the words started falling from his lips, but she did. He fell into the song, trying to join the two worlds together, only this time, he found it extremely difficult to do so. He looked back out into the crowd, to where she was sitting, but she wasn’t there.
I must be seeing things.
Frank tried to shake her from his mind as he played the song, reconnecting, letting the music flow effortlessly from his Soul.
There she was again, only sitting in a different seat, smiling at him with that look in her eyes. He almost fumbled over the keys, but his unconsciousness took over from his years of deliberate practice. He looked down at the keys, re-centering himself, then peered back over towards Her, but she wasn’t there.
What the hell? Did someone slip something into my whiskey?
Frank went back into his song, not daring to look into the crowd again. Once the song was over, the audience applauded lightly. He got up from the piano, informing the patrons that he was going to take a short break. The spotlight dimmed even further and soft jazz music started playing over the speakers. He left his whiskey on the piano and walked over to the bar.
The bartender looked up at Frank when he approached, “Another?”
Frank gave the bartender a short nod in reply. The bartender poured him another whiskey and handed it to him. Frank took a long sip from his whiskey and looked over the crowd, trying to find Her. Damn it.
Frank turned back around and placed his drink on the bar.
“Hello, stranger.”
Frank turned towards the voice. It was Her.
I must be dreaming…
He wasn’t.