"HAND IT OVER, HOTSHOT."

I can't believe the words come out of my mouth as I extend my arm for him to hand me his phone.

My grin is huge, bigger than it had been in a long time, and I seriously cannot believe I'm about to do this. I don't think anyone else can either because the roar of cheers is still ringing around me. Nelly cheers behind me, making me jump just as Jamie hands me the phone so I scramble not to drop it.

As I hold it firmly in my shaking hands, I smile as Nelly whispers, "Tess, oh my God, that was incredible!" in my ear before kissing my head. She squeals sharply and I laugh.

When I finally get a look at it, I notice it's on the contact screen already and I'm very nearly tempted to give him the wrong number for his forward assumptions. He must have known I'd have to say yes, but I shake my head as I reward him for his bravery, typing in my real number, followed by saving my number as 'Girl from Bar 4321'.

Despite being tempted to click off the screen so he has to find me, I leave it as it as I hand it back him. I do it more for my own amusement than his, but as he looks at it, he chuckles before locking it. I'll get his number when he texts me, seeing as I have given him my real number.

"So these are free, yeah?" Glen asks with a smile.

Jamie looks behind him again, at the man leaning on a door towards the end of the bar, probably the manager. He's laughing as he pretends to think about it, but eventually he nods, giving Jamie and Glen a solid thumbs up. It's an amazing gesture, given the bill is nearly eighty quid, and I can't help but think they'll come out of Jamie's paycheck or something. But when he walks past Jamie and pats his shoulder, I think he'll be okay.

Before too long, Jamie is called down to the other end of the bar, leaving us to bring our drinks to the table. He winks before he walks away and I can't help but smile back at him.

When we finally get to our seats, Ryan looks quizzically at us.

"What was all that shouting for?" Ryan asks as Glen takes his seat beside him.

Nelly snorts. "Tessa just bagged herself a date."

Ryan's head snaps to me and I nod to confirm. "Yup."

"Oh my God, who?!" he leans forward.

I lean up over the throng of people, trying to spot Jamie. When I do, I point to him, trying not to make it too obvious.

Ryan's eyes look approvingly at him and his eyes are alight with excitement.

"And she got this round for free," Glen adds, gesturing to all the glasses.

I laugh. "At the price of my number."

Nelly gears up to recount the entire story, and as I hear it back, I still can't believe it. I was thinking maybe it would sink in if someone else told the story, but it still surprises me.

She exaggerates some parts - especially the bit where she said I dove over the bar to grab his phone - but I just sit back and smile as the group hang on her every word. When she also exaggerates my embarrassment, I demand the conversation topic be changed from me... and thankfully people agree.

It turns to Christmas plans, given that it's nearly December and it distracts everyone enough for me to start worrying if Jamie would ever actually message me, or if it was purely for show. But after Sophie starts on describing her plans for skiing at Christmas, I feel my phone buzz in my pocket and a wide grin settle on my face.

I try to ignore it as I listen to my friends but after just a few minutes, my phone is burning a hole in my pocket.

Trying to seem like I'm still paying attention, I take a look.

Just checking you didn't give me a duff number :p 

Instead of responding, I just look up. My eyes find him immediately, and he's looking at me from behind the bar. Even from here he's making my heart race, and I have to tear my eyes away after he winks at me. Although when I risk another look, his attentions have already been pulled away to serve some drinks, so I pull my attention back to my friends.

***

I HAVE NEVER LAUGHED so much in my life.

It turns out my friends are even more nuts than I thought, and they get more nuts after a second and third round of drinks are brought around. And on top of being completely nuts, quite a few of my friends really can sing.

Some of them didn't want to go up on their own, so most people go up in pairs.

Sophie and Paul did Shallow from A Star Is Born, which was incredible. Ryan and Glen did Summer Nights from Grease, and then Will and Nelly have chosen to do Push It by Salt and Pepper, although they haven't been called up yet. Will has signed up to go solo, along with Louise, Reese and then me, but as the drinks keep flowing and the night comes closer and closer to closing, I am hoping they do forget about me. I had no idea what I wanted to sing, and I also feel like I'd been on view enough anyway.

Unfortunately I spoke too soon.

"Tess, have you signed up yet?" Paul asks having come back with another round.

My head drops into my hands as I groan. "Do I have to?"

Nelly laughs. "It's three minutes tops, Tess."

"Nooo," I pout. "Please don't make me get up there," I beg.

To back up my point, a person is practically booed off the stage after singing horrendously out of tune. I don't even know what he's trying to sing.

"My ears are ringing," I try, but Nelly gives me a look.

"All of our ears are ringing, thanks to someone booking a table near the bloody speaker," she complains, rolling her eyes.

"Nel, you booked the table," Will tells her and she punches his shoulder.

"Tess, come on, everyone else has."

"No, they haven't!" I say with a laugh, pointing at Louise.

She shakes her head and sits back. "Don't look at me. I'm next."

Nelly gives me a pleading look but I shake my head, trying to assume an air of certainty.

"Well..." she shrugs, taking a swig of her prosecco. "I suppose we can't force you."

I narrow my eyes. I know exactly what she's doing. She's doing what Matt used to do... taunting me into doing something because he knew how much I hated not being able to keep up. And as I know she's not doing it to be mean but to give me some memorable experiences, I drop my head into my hands with an overly-exaggerated sigh.

When I lift my head back up, everyone is looking at me. "Fine! I'll do it!"

Nelly pumps her fist before wrapping me in a huge hug. "Knew that would work." She stifles another laugh as I swat lightly at her arm. I am lucky to have as good a friend as her... and I seriously don't know what I'd do without her here.

"But..." I hold up a finger, silencing the group, "I do need a drink first though."

Ryan snorts and nudges me with his elbow. "Need some Scots courage, eh?" he shouts as I make to stand and climb over him and Glen to get out.

Once I'm safely on the ground, I turn and give him the finger before turning back and making my way to the bar.

While I'm waiting my turn, I lean on the bar and watch as Louise sings Black and White by Niall Horan. She's a great singer, and to be honest, I am bricking it as to what I want to sing now... especially now that I had actually agreed to do it. 

"Not back for more, surely?"

I smile as Jamie's voice sounds from just below me. I turn and smile, looking down over the bar as he rearranges some glasses, and he's making me wonder if he's been there this whole time. 

He stands and grins, and believe me, if there wasn't a wooden obstacle in the way of us, I'd want to throw myself at him. I don't know what it is about him that I like so much, but it's making me feel giddy and sick at the same time... but a good kind of sick. If that was even possible.

"What can I say? I'm thirsty," I say with a shrug, impressed that I managed to get that out without it being all squeaky.

He chuckles. "Well, let's see what I can do about that. Malibu and coke, right?"

I smile at him remembering. "Yes please. And a bottle of prosecco." He nods as he grabs the bottle first. "And whatever you want as well..." I add quickly before I can chicken out.

His eyebrows raise. "You're buying me a drink?" he asks, his hands stopping on the bottle.

"Well," I squeak, taken aback by him questioning that. "It's the least I can do, seeing as you bought our round earlier."

"Don't worry," he chuckles. "I think your table have paid it back four-fold though," he laughs, pointing to our table, which is littered with hundreds of empty glasses.

I turn back and he's smiling. "And that is really nice. But I'm afraid I won't be able to accept it."

He must see my shoulders deflate because he holds up his hands, apologising.

"No, no. Not like that." I smile. "I would love to... but I can't. Well... not yet."

"Yet?" I ask, frowning.

"Yeah... It's one of Rob's rules. We can't drink on shifts, and I get off iiiiiiin," he checks his watch, "about an hour."

I smile at the fact he wasn't shooting me down. "Oh okay. Well, can I buy you a drink when you get off then?"

He grins back at me, this time with a lopsided grin so sexy I swear my knees start wobbling. "You sure can."

His blue eyes are singing at me, and to be honest, I'm finding it difficult not to get lost in how blue they are.

"You not singing tonight?" He asks, gesturing with his head to the stage. "I don't think I've seen you."

I groan involuntarily. "Unfortunately yes. I think they've just about convinced me. I still have no idea when my turn is... or what I'm singing yet. But I know it has to be a crowd pleaser, right?"

He nods. "It does. And please don't choose Disney, whatever you do."

"Oh?" I frown as Disney songs had actually crossed my mind. "How come?" I ask with a laugh.

"Billy," he says, pointing to the guy playing guitar on stage. "Billy absolutely hates Disney and just won't do it." He laughs. "Before you walked in, he'd already sent two people off who'd tried it." My stomach does a little somersault at the thought of him noticing when I came in. "Everyone here will boo you off, too. And I'm guessing you don't want that."

I shake my head. "Definitely not."

He nods in agreement. "What about Mr Brightside?" he suggests as he puts two Malibu and cokes down in front of me. When he sees me looking at it, confused, he clarifies. "One's on the house."

"Jamie, come on," I object.

"Come on, what?" He shrugs before leaning forward on the bar, closing the gap between us. "Can't a guy buy a beautiful girl a drink?" he asks, his voice low as my cheeks redden to embarrassingly red at him calling me beautiful.

I can't speak, so all I can do is smile as I coyly pick up one of the Malibu and cokes and take a sip. He winks as he both hear his name called from just over his shoulder. It's the same guy who he'd looked at him earlier.

"Wait there," he tells me, holding up a finger. I nod, watching him walk away as I take a large gulp of my drink, hoping it'll cool my beetroot red cheeks.

He stands next to him and I have to pretend to look elsewhere as both of their gazes turn to me. They can't be talking about me? 

A few agonisingly long seconds later, he joins me again and he has a satisfied smile on his face.

"What was that about?" I ask him as he resumes his previous position, leaning close to me on the bar.

"It seems Boss is letting me off early..." he smirks as he puts his chin in one hand. "I finish after I've served you... so it seems I have you to thank for that."

I smile wider and lean closer to him. "Oh really?" I say, keeping my voice low. "Well, that's handy."

I'm blushing so badly but I don't care anymore. He's leaning in close, as if he's going to kiss me, but when his eyes flick behind me, he leans away from me and my smile disappears knowing he can only be looking at my friends.

I groan and hide my face in my hands. "Oh god, what are they doing?"

"They're... not doing anything," he says with a chuckle, and I know he's lying.

I turn after a few seconds, and I really wish I hadn't. For people who are supposed to be helping me move on, they really are doing a terrible job. And I'm even more mortified when Nelly shouts for me to kiss him, very loud, across the bar. A few heads turn around and look in our direction as she shouts louder than the guy currently singing on stage.

Jamie snorts, trying to help me see the funny side to all this, and when I give them daggers, they do all turn back to their drinks before I turn back to face him again.

"I am so sorry about them. I am disowning them after today, don't worry."

He shakes his head. "Don't be. I have my fair share of friends like that," he says, elbowing one of his colleagues as he walks past.

I smile. Now that I'm looking at him, I'm starting to see some nerves, that makes me think he's not as arrogant as I thought he was to start with. He's got an air of not being fazed, but as his cheeks go a deeper shade of red than they were before, I'm starting to get the feeling this is all new for him too.

It's quiet between us for a moment, and he keeps moving his gaze between my eyes and my lips. I want to kiss him, I really, really do, but somehow I feel like this isn't quite the right moment.

But it does give me an idea. And potentially a chance to give him a taste of his own medicine.

He grins once more, putting his hand over mine as he winks at me before he walks away. I'm disappointed that he goes, but when Nelly and Sophie appear either side of me, I fully understand. I would have walked away too.

"I hate you guys. I really, really do."

Nelly laughs. "No, you don't," she says as she picks up the bottle of prosecco and pours out three glasses before walking me back to the table. "No, you don't," she giggles before she sits down.

Glen and Ryan shuffle up this time, leaving me on the end. A couple of them try to get Jamie's attention again, but I'm thankful he's either purposefully ignoring them or can't hear them, because they really are doing a terrible job of helping me. That said though, despite losing the ability to speak and having to kerb myself from saying very inappropriate things, I seem to be doing pretty well on my own.

"You figured out what you're singing yet?" Louise asks.

I smile. "Yep. But you'll have to wait and see." My grin widens as I finish off the last of my first Malibu and coke. "And can I just say how amazing you were, Lou?" I put my hand on hers across the table. "I think Niall really would be proud of you there."

She rolls her eyes, "Please, I was really out of tune."

"Shut up. You should go again..."

She looks to the stage. "I'm tempted, but I think there's only a couple of singers left."

My eyes widen. "Noooo, please don't say I'm last!"

Nelly laughs as Louise shakes her head. "No I don't think so... but whatever you're singing, I bet it's tough to beat."

Nelly narrows her eyes. "Agreed. And I can see a plan hatching behind there," she says, wiggling her finger towards my head.

"You can choose when you get up there right?" I ask quietly just as the microphone crackles to life.

Louise nods, but before she can answer properly, Billy clears his throat, getting everyone's attention. And for some reason, no matter how much I wish for the opposite, I know this next name is going to be mine.