Read Online Underwater by Maayan Nahmani - Free Book Online Page B

brought it closer to her mouth.
    “Hello everyone,” she said with a shy wave. “I’ve chosen to sing a song that is very dear to my heart.” She cleared her throat. “I had a shitty day today.” I scowled at her words. What the fuck happened to her? Her face softened as she looked at the crowd. Every few seconds, her eyes would seek out her friend. Her thumbs were still up. “This song is dedicated to a very special person, and even though he isn’t here, he knows that he will always be safe when I’m around. Well…” she chuckled. “I really hope he knows. I’m going to remind him every day.”
    The anticipation started to form as I watched Tiny caress the strings slowly. With another look towards her friend, she then closed her eyes and began to play. The first notes of Safe And Sound by Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars flew through the air. Her eyes closed as she got lost in the music.
    What I gathered from her speech, she had a special someone. Could it be her father? That would make sense. But what if it wasn’t? What if there was someone out there, waiting for her to come back home? I hated the thought of her with someone else.
    When soft words erupted through the mic and filled the room with her soothing voice, every thought I had wiped away instantly. All I could see, hear, and feel was her . She was a vision, a heavenly being sent to this world with the power to heal anyone who came in contact with her. Her soulful voice made the hairs on my body stand on end. For the first time since I came back home…I felt peace. Her presence did that. Her touch did that. And now…her voice did that.
    I closed my eyes and tried to comprehend the message she was sending out. She said that she was protecting someone. From what, I didn’t know.Another thing I picked up was the verifiable truth that there was some kind of a war going on in her life, and all I could think of as I opened my eyes, is that whatever war she was fighting, I hoped she ended up on the winning side.
    And while she was out there, protecting whoever needed her protection, I wished to be the one protecting her. She looked so small, so breakable and fragile. But I knew. I knew it was only a front. There was a fire that burned inside her, and under the disguise of delicate features was a fighter.
    And all I wanted was to be her protector.

 
    S ilence.
    All I could hear around me was complete and utter silence.
    Oh God, I knew it had been a bad idea .
    When I gave Ella the okay, she wasted no time in dragging me to the person in charge of signing up singers. I had no clue how she even knew where to go, but we registered, and that was the start of my doom. I wasn’t prepared to sing here tonight so I asked the guy behind the desk where I could get a guitar and a capo.
    “The only one who can help you is Toby,” he stated dismissively.
    I looked at him with a blank expression.
    “The bar owner,” he said slowly, like he was talking to a child. “After all, you’re at Toby’s .”
    This shithead was making fun of me.
    Ella took a step forward, preparing to… I wasn’t sure what. Not taking any chances, I halted her movement with a hand around her forearm. She turned and looked at me. I shook my head. He isn’t worth it .
    After a few beats, Ella asked icily, “Where can we find Toby ?”
    “His office,” he said without looking at us, busy messing around with his phone. “Keep going straight, then go right at the first turn and he is the first door on the left.”
    She took my hand and we moved towards his office. When we reached it, his office door was closed. I knocked three times.
    “Come in!”
    Slowly, I opened the door and we both stepped into the small room. Toby, I assumed, was sitting on a black leather chair, his legs resting on the table in front of him. There was a large bookshelf behind him, with tons of unkempt books, paperwork and folders. The walls were painted cream, and the room had a warm and welcoming feel to