I thought for a few seconds. I needed a song that I knew well, one that wasn't too complicated to sing and that people could recognize almost from the first chords.
Then the answer appeared on its own. "Hotel California."
Kurt's eyes lit up. "Good choice."
Oriol gave a smile. "If you sing badly, we'll pretend we don't know you."
"Shut up," I replied without taking my eyes off the guitar.
The others stepped aside to give me space. Some people passing by began slowing down when they saw the street musician handing his guitar to a university student.
A couple of children even stayed near the fountain. I slowly took a breath. The first chords began to sound.
I didn't try to do anything spectacular. I simply let my hands do what they had been practicing for months.
The plaza was still full of conversations, laughter, and hurried footsteps... but little by little, some of those sounds began to disappear beneath the music.
My fingers strummed the strings with the opening, I felt my chest filling with energy, I looked at my friends and the people around me, tapped twice on the body of the guitar, and began to sing.
🎵"On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair,
Warm smell of colitas rising up through the air."🎵
Eduardo looked at me impressed, while Luz couldn't take her eyes off me, quietly murmuring the lyrics of the song.
🎵"Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light,
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim, I had to stop for the night."🎵
Christina smiled and said, "Here comes the subway boy," while Hannah covered her mouth with her hands and took a step closer to me.
🎵"There she stood in the doorway, I heard the mission bell
And I was thinkin' to myself, 'This could be heaven or this could be hell.'"🎵
As I sang this part, I unconsciously looked at Christina, but Hannah stole my attention when she moved a little closer to me.
🎵"Then she lit up a candle, she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor, I thought I heard them say."🎵
Kurt began noticing that people were gathering, and some of them were leaving bills in the guitar case. "Hey... in just a few seconds you've already made more tips than I did all afternoon."
Hannah was practically standing beside me. I decided to ignore her while continuing to sing. But when the next part began, Hannah started a duet with me."
(Author's note: Ren, Hannah, Both).
🎵"Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year (any time of year)
You can find it here"🎵
Several people turned their heads. Hannah's voice came in with surprising naturalness. I didn't try to compete with her, I simply lowered my intensity a little and let our voices find their own place.
During the next chorus, I joined her again. A couple stopped walking. An employee leaving a store remained standing by the entrance. Even the child who had danced to Kurt's song earlier began swaying to the rhythm again.
Behind me, I heard the girls talking.
"It sounds different..." Christina commented.
"It has something that makes me want to keep listening," Luz replied.
I kept playing. I stopped thinking about the people around us. The only things that existed were the rhythm created by my hands... and Hannah's voice.
When we finished, I let the last chord hang in the air. For a moment, nobody said anything.
There wasn't an ovation, but there were several scattered applauses. A man approached and, leaving a $5 bill, commented, "Good song, kids. You make a nice couple."
I blushed a little, while Hannah made a gesture with her hand as if brushing her hair aside and answered, "Damn right. We do."
Christina smiled patiently, grabbed Hannah by the arm, and started pulling her away. "Alright, stop taking advantage."
Hannah struggled but let herself be dragged away. "Wait, Christy, they're still applauding me. Christy?... Christyyyy!!!!!"
I couldn't help but laugh at how absurd the moment was.
"Good job, kid." Kurt approached and extended his hand, asking for the guitar.
When I gave it back to him, he added, "It sounded really good... but you know yourself that you can still go much further, right?"
I smiled and answered, "I know."
Oriol wrapped an arm around my shoulder and said, "Tempo, that was amazing, but... we're already late. I want to get to the arcade. It's time to go."
Daniel adjusted his glasses. "Yeah, I think it's a good time to leave."
I shook Kurt's hand and, with one hand behind my neck, I said nervously, "Um... can I take the money they gave me? I was thinking of using it for the arcade tokens."
Kurt took the case, counted the bills calmly, and nodded several times.
"Hmm..." He put the bills inside his jacket pocket. "No."
Everyone went completely silent. Even Oriol stopped smiling. Three seconds later... Kurt burst out laughing. "Of course you can! It's your performance. If I don't let you take it, people are going to cancel me."
"Hey... before you leave." He took his phone out of his pocket. "Give me your number."
I looked at him surprised. "Why?"
"Because I have a feeling that someday you'll be playing on stages much bigger than this plaza." He smiled while putting his guitar away.
"And I want to be able to say that we once shared a stage."
With those words, I gave him my number. After saying goodbye to Kurt, I returned to my friends, and together we headed toward the arcade.
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Author notes.
So double chapter because I didn't want to let the cliffhanger, also this one is shorter.
Thanks for the comments, really I need them to get by.