No Rules To Love

Chapter Five-Part Two

Hunter played the opening bars to Somewhere, and I poised myself to sing. I wasn’t nervous at all. Okay, that was a lie. I was a little nervous, singing so closely to someone I knew would judge me for the slightest flat note. But nerves were a good thing. It would worry me if nerves evaded me, to be honest. In any other situation, I should be honoured to perform with an ex-student; one who had been on Broadway, no less. However, his cocky attitude sent butterflies whizzing around my stomach. But I couldn’t let that ruin my performance, even though it was only in front of Hunter, despite his narrowed eyes on me. I tried to calm myself down by stating some facts in my head. I knew this song like the back of my hand. Thanks to hours and hours of rehearsal, I sang this song well. So, I shouldn’t be nervous.

The character of Tony starts the song, so Hunter opened his mouth. At least I had a verse or so to sort myself out. But I didn’t know whether that made me feel worse or better about having to sing.

Hunter sang:

There’s a place for us.

Somewhere a place for us

Peace and quiet and open air

Wait for us

Somewhere

As much as I hated to admit it, Hunter was... Good. More than good. Brilliant, in fact. Obvious from the first line. His voice came out like velvet, soft but with a surprising strength beneath it that seemed to vibrate in my bones. Each note seemed to hang in the air, shimmering and clear, filling up every corner of the room. There was a warmth to his tone, golden and rich, and yet it stirred with an ache I felt down to my fingertips, as if he were spinning the whole story of the song with a single breath. He was pitch-perfect, not once going out of tune, and he performed the song beautifully. He had so much storytelling behind the voice, too. It was clear why he landed a role in Newsies on Broadway. They would’ve been insane not to cast him.

He was truly mesmerising.

It now made me that little bit more nervous to sing with him, because I worried I couldn’t top his vocals. I didn’t want to sound awful in front of him. But once again, I knew I sang this song well, so I would have to go for it and do the best I could. Feel the fear and do it anyway - another of my mantras, one I had picked up from one of my singing teachers when I was younger. I had little time to contemplate anything else because it was my turn to sing.

There’s a time for us.

Someday a time for us

Time together

And time to spare

Time to learn

Time to care

Someday

I felt more confident after I sang this verse and got through the first lines without disaster. My voice came out strong and confident, which pleasantly surprised me. I sang it well. I kicked my performance up a notch because - although it was only the two of us - I acted it as if millions of people watched me.

We both sang another solo line each before our voices came together for the chorus. I was sceptical about how our voices would sound together, and I was scared they would clash, and perhaps we might unknowingly attempt to outdo one another. The lack of rehearsal scared me a little. But as soon as our voices blended, something shifted inside me. Much to my surprise, the sound that filled the room was perfect and smooth, as if we were meant to sing together. The harmonies came easily to us, and it proved that neither of us needed the sheet music. We both came off and began notes at the same time as if we had already rehearsed this song before. It was almost as though the music connected us in ways words never could, and for a moment, I forgot every worry and just let myself be carried by the song. My heart pounded, a rush of exhilaration and relief mingling together, and I felt strangely proud to be part of something that, if only briefly, felt a little like magic. There were so many sparks flying around the room that I thought they would ignite the wooden piano. But I would never admit that aloud.

When we finished the song, we fell silent as we processed what had happened over the previous four minutes that seemed to fly by. Hunter was the one to break the tension-filled silence.

“Wow,” he whispered.

“I know,” I whispered back, so softly that I wasn’t sure that Hunter had heard me.

“That. Was. Incredible!” Hunter exclaimed - punctuating each word - jumping up from his seat. I stepped back in surprise, my eyes widening at his compliment. He went off on one, pacing around the small room. His focus was ahead of him, not on me at all. My eyes scrunched. Was that compliment not for me? “I sounded so good! I should call my agent and see if anyone is hoping to do West Side Story soon. Tony was never a role I had considered for myself, but after that, I’ve changed my mind. I need to bag myself an audition.”

I rolled my eyes at his pig-headed monologue. He didn’t even comment on how good we sounded together! If it weren’t for me and my harmonies, he would never have sounded half as good as he did then. For me, the whole point of singing with someone else is to blend with them and create something bigger than either of us could do alone. I’ve always valued the magic that comes from genuine collaboration, that feeling when voices intertwine and reveal something new. Today, I’d really hoped to feel that spark, and maybe even learn a little from working with someone as experienced as Hunter. But now, my patience had run out. I had to get out of there. I didn’t care what he said or what authority he thought he had over me. He was merely an ex-student, after all. After I returned to the other side of the room, I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder.

“Are we done now?” I asked him. Then, not being able to resist one more quip, I said, “Only I’d like to go now before your big head blocks the exit and we both end up stuck here until your ego decreases or we die of starvation. Whichever comes first. My money’s on the latter.”

Hunter stopped mid-tirade and looked at me before chuckling once again. “That was another great one-liner. Where did you come up with that one?”

“That was my own, actually.” I attempted to stay emotionless and haughty, but a brief smile ruined my serious façade. Curse my expressive face. For an actor, I had a terrible poker face.

“Well, you can go now. But don’t lie; you would love to be trapped in here with me.” Hunter smirked at me and sent me a wink. Did he have a recurring twitch in his eye or something? Only he couldn’t seem to stop winking at me!

“Get a grip.” I scoffed, not wanting to come up with anything more cutting than that. What world did he live in? Once I checked my watch, I realised rehearsal had drawn to a close, and most people would’ve left by now. Now was my chance to make my escape. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you,” Hunter surprised me with a response as I opened the door. Then he said something. It was so soft that I almost missed it. “You were great, by the way.”

I smiled at myself, out of shock more than anything. “Thanks,” I muttered before I exited the room. Was that a compliment from Hunter Clarke?

I think it was.