Kristy stood off to the side of the piano, waiting for Jeff to finish "A Wink and a Smile." She loved those old songs, the kinds that made up the soundtracks of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks movies.
When he finished the song, Jeff turned to look at the pretty blond standing near the piano. "What can I play for you?"
"Here goes," Kristy thought. She smiled sweetly and asked, "Do you know 'Someone to Watch Over Me?'"
Jeff nodded, his forehead wrinkled in concentration. He looked at the woman in front of him again, closer this time. "Weren't you here a few months ago? You requested the same song and sang it with me, right?" Jeff had a great memory for music and people, especially good music and pretty people. "You were here with your friend for some kind of convention, medical or something, wasn't it? I'm afraid I don't' remember your name though."
"It's Kristy. I can't believe you remembered everything that you did!" Kristy shook her head in wonder. "I'm shocked."
Jeff shrugged and smiled, "And I'm Jeff. Guess you made an impression! So, will you sing for me again, Kristy?"
She looked back at the table of her friends who had been watching and straining to listen to this exchange. "I don't know..." she said, just as she saw Chris mouth: "I DARE YOU!" With the challenge issued, she turned back to Jeff, "Oh sure, why not?"
Jeff slid over on the piano bench and patted the place beside him. "Have a seat."
As Kristy was sitting down, Jeff looked across the room to see one of his friends enter. "Hang on a minute. One of my friends just walked in; he plays the piano too."
"Excellent!" Kristy had taken piano lessons for years during her childhood, but now just played for fun. "Does he sing too?"
Jeff stopped himself from laughing, "Yeah, he has a pretty decent voice." "I even managed to say it with a straight face," he thought.
Just then, they heard a deep voice with a hint of a southern accent. "Hey Jeff. Whatzup?"
As Kristy started to turn around to meet Jeff's friend, she thought, "I know that voice from somewh...."
Standing in front of her was a wall of black. Beneath the leather jacket, she could see a glimpse of royal blue. Her eyes scanned upwards, and she had to tilt her head back slightly to see his face. "Wow! He's tall. And dark. And handsome. Very handsome! Oh man, he's even better looking in person." she thought. "I can't believe I'm meeting him!" Despite the fact that she was older than the typical BSB fan, Kristy appreciated good music, no matter how it was packaged. And in this case, the package was pretty nice too!
"Kristy," Jeff started with the introductions, "this is an old friend of mine, Kevin. And Kevin, this lovely lady on my piano bench is a new friend of mine. Kristy was just about to sing with me."
Kevin looked down on the slightly upturned face and saw recognition in a pair of big blue-green hazel eyes. "Introductions aren't really necessary Jeff, I think she already knows who I am," he thought, but was impressed by the fact she remained poised and casually friendly. "Don't let me interrupt." Kevin crossed over to the body of the piano and leaned on the edge.
Kristy and Jeff both turned around to face the keyboard again. Kristy looked at her friends for reassurance and relaxed a little when she saw Heather and Jess give her the thumbs up sign, Mike wink, and Chris stick his tongue out at her. She turned and smiled nervously at Jeff. She did not look at Kevin. Simply knowing he was standing there was more than she could handle right now. She didn't even want to think about a performer like him watching her or listening to her.
"If I remember correctly, this is your key..." Jeff said as he started to play the first line of the song.
Kristy started softly, but with a clear beautiful voice. "There's a saying, oh, says that love is blind." She swallowed away the nerves. "Still we're often told, 'seek and ye shall find'..." She looked away from Jeff, back to Mike and smiled, her voice growing more confident with each line. "So I'm going to seek a certain lad, I've had in mind."
She relaxed and let the music and words take hold, began to play with the emotions of the song. "Looking everywhere haven't found him yet," she let her eyes wander around the room, lingering on the faces of those watching and listening to her with interest. "He's the big affair, I cannot forget. Only man I ever think of with regret."
"Think sweet and sexy" she remembered her drama coach saying... "I'd like to add his initial to my monogram," "How un-P.C." she thought. "Tell me, where is the shepherd for this... lost... lamb?"
She was really getting into the song. Her voice was beautiful, but it was more than that. She added pauses and emphasis in the perfect spots, matching the music and words with flirty or innocent looks. She was performing and she loved it.
She turned towards Kevin, who was watching her intently. "There's a somebody I'm longing to see... I hope that he... turns out to be... Someone to watch over me." She smiled slightly with the next lines. "I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood... I know I could... always be good... To one who'll watch over me."
Kevin was mesmerized. When she looked at him, he felt like she was singing about him. When she smiled as she was singing about "being good", he smiled too, as if they shared an inside joke.
Kristy turned slightly towards her table of friends. "Although he may not be the man some... girls think of... as handsome," she looked pointedly at Chris and winked, then looked back to Kevin. "To my heart... he carries the key. Won't you tell him please to put on some speed... follow my lead... oh, how I need... Someone to watch over... me...."
