The Waiter by Bradleigh Collins (bill gates books recommendations .txt) 📕

lights hanging above us. They looked like fireflies hovering in the air. I got the feeling that I had been here before. “This place looks familiar.”

“Yeah, it was in an episode of Sex & the City,” Lucy said. “That’s why it’s so freaking crowded now.”

And crowded it was. I had no idea how I would find The Waiter in here. It was a little after nine and I didn’t see him anywhere. We maneuvered through the crowd towards the bar. I scanned the entire place. No Waiter.

“I don’t see him,” I said to Josh.

“He’ll be here, Sam.”

I felt my phone vibrate. I pulled it out to see that I had a message from The Waiter. My heart sank. I knew he was calling to tell me he couldn’t make it. I walked away from our group to listen to the message, but it was too loud inside the bar to hear. I walked out into the park. Deep down, I knew he wasn’t coming. I figured I had two choices. Give in to the humiliation and let this ruin my night, or hide my heartbreak, laugh it off, and try to make the best of it. I decided on the latter. I wasn’t about to waste a Saturday night in New York City.

Suddenly, I felt an arm around my waist, warm breath on the back of my neck, and sensed a familiar scent.

“Hey baby,” a voice said.

I turned around. There he stood. He leaned down and gave me a quick kiss on the lips followed by an extra-long hug.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” I said, looking up at him.

“Me either,” he replied.

“I was just trying to listen to your voice mail.”

“Oh, yeah,” The Waiter responded. “I just wanted to let you know I was running a little late. Where’s Josh?”

“Over there,” I pointed. He grabbed my hand and led me back down the steps and through the crowd. My doubt and fear quickly disintegrated. When we got to the bar, Josh introduced him to everyone. Then he handed me an apple martini and looked at The Waiter. “What are you drinking?”

“Old Fashioned. I see you all got the memo about the dress code.”

“Sam’s the only one that doesn’t know where we’re going,” Josh said. “We figured it out when she told us what to wear.”

“Have you guys seen the show?” The Waiter asked.

“No, but we’ve all heard about it,” Kyle said. “It sounds interesting. I’ve never been to a show where you stand up the whole time.”

“What?” I said. “There are no seats?”

“That’s why I told you to wear comfortable shoes, Red. I’ve seen it twice. My friend Nick is in it. They’re having an after-party in the theater tonight if you guys want to hang out when it’s over.”

“That sounds great,” Katie replied. “I’m so excited.” Then she grabbed my arm and leaned into my ear. “Your man is so handsome.”

“Yes, he is.”

“Oh, and I hope you guys don’t mind getting wet,” The Waiter said.

“Wait, wet?” I was confused. “What do you mean?”

“You’ll see.”

“Well, I’m glad I wore a black tank top and not a white one.”

“I’m not.” The Waiter smiled. Josh handed him his drink.

“Okay, I have to propose a toast,” Josh said, raising his glass into the air. “To Sam being back in the city!”

“Thanks to Lucy,” I said.

“To Sam getting that fucking job,” Lucy replied.

“Wait, I have to get a picture!” I pulled out a disposable camera I’d bought for the trip and asked a girl standing next to us if she would take our photo. She obliged. Then we all clinked our glasses together. I had a new tribe. A Manhattan tribe. We stood there in the park sipping our cocktails under the hanging lights. The Waiter held his drink in one hand and me in the other. Being this close to him and smelling the scent of his hair again was intoxicating. I couldn’t remember the last time I was this turned on.

“Are you ready to get wet?” he whispered softly in my ear.

I already was.

CHAPTER 11

◆◆◆

The show was called De La Guarda Villa Villa. It was performed in an old bank building that had been converted to the Daryl Roth Theatre.

After getting our tickets, we were ushered into a bar area where everyone was hanging out before the doors opened. The audience was an eclectic mix of people mostly our age or younger.

“You want another drink, Red?”

“No, I’ll wait for the after party.” It was getting a bit warm inside with so many people packing in, so I took off my cardigan and tied it around my waist.

Soon the doors opened and everyone began filing into the theater. It was a huge black-box style space with a concrete floor.

“Where’s the stage?” I asked.

The Waiter pointed up to the ceiling. I looked up. Josh, Katie, Lucy, and Kyle were all looking up. The low ceiling was covered with some type of white paper. A catwalk platform was set up with drums, microphones and other musical instruments. Other than that, it was just an empty square that was quickly filled with a sold-out audience.

“Come stand right here,” The Waiter said, pulling me over to a spot in front of a large speaker. “This is the best place to see everything.”

The lights went out and the theater was completely dark. A hush fell over the crowd. The Waiter was standing behind me with his arms around my waist. “You’re going to love this,” he said. I rested my head on his chest as I looked up.

Stars began to appear on the ceiling, slowly, one-by-one until it was completely covered. Soft music started to play. Then a flash of light, followed quickly by the shadow of a performer flying through the air, suspended from a cable. I was mesmerized. I’d never seen anything like this before.

Then it started to rain. Drops of water fell onto the paper ceiling as the sound of drumming got louder and louder. Music blared. Strobe lights flashed. The crowd