First Sight and Hindsight

She couldn’t help but just smirk in his direction. “You gotta remember, I perform on stage for a living, so I kind of already have one up on you, but I gave my best up there tonight, for you.” She had really only gotten up on the stage and performed the song she did for Chad, it wasn’t for anybody else and the only person she only wanted to watch her in that moment was him. She had plenty of other songs she could have chosen from, but that one was defiantly all for him. 

The female laughed only lightly, once again her shoulders raising into a shrug. Her orbs then went back to his after his comment. Of course he not only guessed correctly, but made a comment, though she entertained it. She placed her hand against his  upper arm gently, resting it there for a few moments. “So, you’re a handcuff kinda guy?” The question almost just slipped out from her lips. Now, these were some of the questions she could really be interested to know the answer too. Thing is, she still didn’t know Chad well enough to know the exact answer to this straight away, and again she had to think for a moment – not for as long as it took her to think up her own truth and lies, but long enough to hopefully choose the correct one. “I think.. you’ve never had a threesome?… am I right?” She questioned before eventually moving her hand from his arm and taking her drink in front of her to take another gulp from it. 

“For me. The more you say that, the better it sounds. Know exactly what you’re doing, don’t you Leigh” the man smirked, bringing the glass of liquid to his lips and finishing off his next drink. He was surprising himself as to how quickly he really was going through his rounds. The fact that she had performed that song especially for him and after their conversation more importantly, it was something to really make him feel a certain way for sure. 

The more he was speaking about this little performance, the more Leigh-Anne wanted to see him get on that stage, if not at the karaoke machine but the club they would make their way to eventually. “I look forward to seeing this performance, Chad.” She directed him with eye contact as she also let out a small chuckle - maybe she’ll get just a few more drinks into him and then he’ll be on his way to the stage. 

Again, she laughed, her shoulders lifting into a shrug, “okay, you got a point.” Leigh-Anne wouldn’t say no to a shot, but already she wondered if mixing her drinks up like this was a good idea. The thought of the next day never crossed her mind though, and she was just enjoying the moment she was spending here with the male. She watched as he ordered another round and paid. Leigh-Anne had to think about the next comment, she hated playing games like this, never knew exactly what to say, and wondered if her answers were ever good enough, sometimes she even thought too hard about the answers. It was probably already obvious that her brain was trying to rack up all these different truths and or lies. “I’ve been arrested, I’ve never skinny  dipped and I prefer the lights on. What’s the lie?” Even in her eyes, this must have been too easy but yet here she was playing along with his game. “I really liked Love In Winterland you know, but I am a complete sucker for Christmas movies. You have a few Christmas movies actually, thinking about it now, don’t ya?”

“I will soon be on my way there, don’t you worry” the actor announced. Seen as he hadn’t drank a lot in one night in a long time, he was almost certain that he would be stumbling around in a drunken state by the end of their time at the karaoke bar. “I’m just trying not to follow up your performance from earlier because there is no chance that I could make so many girls squeal and so many guys stay silent in awe like you did” 

She really liked how they were just bouncing off one another, and his comment made her brow’s cock upwards for a moment and her facial expressions changed to an excited expression, her warm brown eyes finding his. “You promise?” She questioned. “I’ve given you a show tonight so I think it’s only fair that you give me one back.. and if you really wanna make be blush, that might just be the way forward.” Her thick London accent continued before her teeth dug down into her lower lip deeply. 

She couldn’t help but laugh only lightly, how could she not expect him to go with that? It was such a typical bloke answer. For a moment she expected him to come out with something exotic. “A typical man drink.. and actually yeah, your a little off,” Leigh-Anne told him as her orbs searched over the menu once again, yet they were soon diverted as his fingers landed against hers. She got a warm rush run through her body, and she didn’t want to react in any way that may have made this awkward so she composed herself, deciding not to divert their full attention to their touch, but she also didn’t full away which indicated she didn’t mind it. “I do like a bottle of red.. maybe with a meal, but I’m more of a white wine gal. As for on a night out, I can drink all sorts and it depends on how I feel on the night you know? I do drink a lot of vodka though, I will admit.” And talking of that exact spirit, Leigh-Anne went ahead and ordered herself a Cosmopolitan. “Hm.. decided on what you want this time? Feel like I might regret mixing all these drinks later.” She laughed only lightly, but Leigh-Anne wasn’t one to worry about the hangover the next day, she would just take it as it came and pay the price of a good night. 

“Oh it really is going to be a sight for sore eyes, trust me. I think you’ll regret being so for it honestly” the male chuckled. With enough drinks down him, he knew that every nervous bone in his body would hide and he would be able to just let loose and enjoy the moment. No matter how crazy he would look grinding up on the karaoke stage to the important song of the generation. “But I guess it is only fair. And just blush? It’s obvious that you have not seen my Magic Mike performance yet then because I’m sure there will be more than just a blush from you” chad chuckled, nudging her arm with his elbow. 

Exactly. I’d much rather be busy than not. To me, that doesn’t sound fun at all, although I know some people would enjoy a lot of free time. I imagine it’s inevitable in any career, especially ours when jobs come and go, but I don’t look forward to it. I appreciate it! I’ve had a lot of fun so far. Are you working in any projects currently?

For sure, keep that head busy and occupied. It’s a good idea. I am not no, just enjoying my time with the kids and things at the moment. 

The question was more rhetorical because she could see by his reaction how he felt from her performance but at the same time she liked what he had said. In fact, everything about Chad right now was ticking boxes for her, and she wasn’t exactly hiding the way she was flirting with him. People must have already caught on around the venue but Leigh really wasn’t concerned about the people around them, in that moment she was more than happy in Chad’s presence, joking, flirting around and generally just beaming with a smile. She then began to walk back towards the bar after he mentioned another drink, sounded like a good idea. Arriving, the female took hold of the cocktail menu, but used it to as a fan for the male, “Here ya go, I’ll be your personal fan.” She fanned him for a good few seconds before turning it towards herself and doing the same. 

Eyes diverted back and forth from the bar for a moment, before she turned back to the male, eyes kept diverting towards him as if she couldn’t take them away from him. She was already enjoying their company, and she couldn’t wait for what the rest of the night brought. “What’s your go-to drink on a night out?” She was curious, but also wanted to get to know this person more, interested about what his favourite things were, what made him tick and more. 

As she made her back to the bar, he followed her once again almost like her personal little lost puppy. He placed his hand on the counter and peered over her shoulder at the menu but before he could read anything, she was fanning him. As she did so, he let his eyes flutter close to really immerse himself in the experience of being cooled down. When he no longer felt the cool air on himself, he opened up his eyes again and let his eyes linger on hers. “You a bit warm too?” he chuckled, “Just wait until I’m drunk enough to do my best Magic Mike impersonation to Pony. 

Just last night my mum told me I’m a workaholic. At first, I rolled my eyes, because she didn’t understand how much I loved what I do. Then I realized that Last Night In Soho will be premiering while I’m in Australia, filming Furiosa. Is this a problem? And if it is, what excuses can I use to make it seem like it’s not a problem? I really am happy, and infinitely prefer keeping busy from the alternative of not. @tftmstarters·

I don’t personally see it as a problem, you love what you do. I think it would be more concerning if it were to be the other way around. I hit the opposite years ago and that’s a spiral you don’t want to be going down. I admire your ambition and your love for your work, I just hope that all the credit and rewards are paid back to you in due course. 

I was walking back to my apartment this afternoon after getting a cup of coffee with a friend and all of a sudden, from the opposite sidewalk, I see a guy pointing at me and shouting, and I shit you not, it was the loudest scream ever, “Bread makes you fat?!”.

Man, gotta love living in New York, right? Hi, I’m Mary Winstead. And yes, I am the one who broke it to Michael Cena, bread does make you fat. @tftmstarters·

There are some strange individuals around, isn’t there? Did you stop to console him with the fact that you only had a coffee and that no bread was consumed? But hey Mary, I’m Chad, pleasure to meet you. 

If there was one thing Leigh was good at, it was going through with her word. She liked to have fun, liked to prove others wrong and so there was no doubt she would have performed this song at some point in the night – though, even she was somewhat surprised it was this early on. Every now and again she was glance over towards Chad who was still seated. She witnessed his fanning, and it even made her grin through the lyrics. She was sure by the odd glances towards him throughout the whole song that people must have known she was singing it to, or for Chad but at the same time it didn’t bother her, or more like she too into the song care about what people thought or were saying. Leigh did try to look towards the other people within the crowd whilst singing, but her eyes would only divert back to him.

Once the song ended, the female thanked the crowd and then passed the microphone onto the next person to take the stage. As she walked back towards the table she left previously, Leigh-Anne smiled and waved towards a couple of the guest, but she continued to focus on the destination she wanted to get to. When she arrived, she sent a smirk in the males direction. “Enjoy the performance?” She couldn’t help but asking, more than anything wanting to know his opinion on not only her performance, but also song choice. 

His attention was focused solely on the girl performing a couple feet away from him and the words that left her lips. He was incredibly impressed for sure. And there was absolutely no hiding that from anyone around him. It was obvious and he didn’t make an effort to mask it either. As soon as the song finished, the man rose to his feet to clap along with the guests in the venue. He then brought his fingers to his lips to project a couple whistles into the area. 

“Don’t think I’ve ever considered singing a Little Mix song without the other girls beside me,” Leigh admitted with a shake to her head. “Unless that’s what you wanna hear.. do you have any requests?” She then continued. Leigh was a people pleaser, and so taking requests in her eyes was a win-win situation. She had already taken to the stage once that night, kicking off the night with her best Britney song, and really she didn’t know where she would go from there. She took another gulp from the liquid in front of her, he was throwing out all sorts of compliments to her already, and this time she could kind of feel her cheeks warm up although the cold refreshing liquid cooled her down. It had been a while since she had somebody compliment her thing much and it felt good honestly. She didn’t get a chance to speak back before he was somewhat hurrying her to the stage, still in her mind she hadn’t decided what to sing, several different options floating around in her mind. 

The female shuffled in her seat before lifting herself from the seat and hovering for a moment,  “okay, okay.. I got a song for you..” Leigh-Anne spoke softly as she gave him direct eye contact and flashed him a grin. “Wish me luck.” And with that she darted off towards the stage, taking the microphone from the most recent culprit of the karaoke machine. She once again hyped the crowd, tired to encourage a few to get themselves onto the stage and then began with her song. She went with a little wild card of a song, a few maybe a couple wouldn’t know or even expect her to song, though with confidence she began to sing the first line of lyrics, “you got my adrenalin, pumping when you stand so close..” Referring back to a previous conversation of theirs where the song Private Show was mentioned and how she could possibly give him a show, she seemed bold enough in that moment to go through with her words.

Chad shrugged his shoulders with a slight smile gracing his lips. He wasn’t too bothered by her song choice, for some reason he was expecting her to sing at least one Little Mix song tonight. A free show for those who had come through for her event held. “I mean Wings is a good song” the male responded. He knew his daughter loved that song no matter how old it was. There were mornings that he would wake up and hear that song on the tv downstairs, with both his wife at the time and daughter belting out the lyrics to one another. 

I’m doing it then, I’ve been a fan of hers for awhile now so I really need that in. Because you’re clearly describing the plot of all the Hallmark movies. Nothing wrong with it though. I support the Hallmark life. You’re my new best friend, I swear. I’ve mostly just got some furniture to put together and some new plants to plant. Nothing major. My backyard’s already pretty vacation-y.  

If this turns into a beautiful friendship, I think I deserve a subscription to your wine company. Whats your best hallmark movie then? If it doesn’t star myself then we may have to fall out. Just call me Chad the builder and I am at your beck and call for this weeks constructions. I’m excited to put that 60 minute makeover show to shame. 

Friendly competition, of course! I’m not a total sore loser, and I’m so happy for my friends on that show, plus — we had a great season on cable… just wish we could’ve held onto the crown for a little longer, you know? The YouTube videos doin’ great, though. I think it might be because of the shippers… they love a good video with their favorite fictional couple. Whaaat? Ridiculous! I’ll be like Murder Barbie… if they ever had one. In fact, I feel like I just fulfilled a whole bunch of sex fantasies right there. I don’t know about that… I might have to zhuzh it up a little bit, maybe carve some specifically placed holes in it, and pair the trashcan with a cute pair of AF1s, and I’ll be good to go.

Can’t beat a bit of friendly competition to keep you on your toes, can you? Yeah I get you though, obviously happy but you still want that accolade too. Sometimes the shippers are right though, I must admit. Well at least in my circumstance they were correct with two. So who is the top ship for them in regards to yourself? Yeah I do think you have, I wasn’t going to say it and make things weird. Specifically placed holes? I need more description now for this outfit. Either that or a drawing please. 

It could be fun, right? I don’t know, maybe it’s weird of me to wanna keep the ‘family’ aspect of it all alive, but I think it’s good that the kids see that there’s no animosity between mom and dad. I don’t think I could, dad jokes belong to dads… So come on, punchline it out, dad.

Yeah I think that’s very important to at least be civil with your ex partner or mother/father of your kids. They don’t need to be taught that because a relationship doesn’t work out the way you want it to that it means you have to hate each other. Okay okay, Bugs Bunny and Lola Bunny walked into a bar... Thomas Shelby ducked. Thats the best you’re getting from me. 

Leigh-Anne dug her teeth into her bottom lip as she went to try and hide a smirk but it was no use because it was obviously painted on her features. She hadn’t realised that he was taking her seriously, thought by the way she also searched the bar that it was obvious she had just been teasing him. Her hand pressed up against her chest, and she gasped for just a minute, “Don’t punish me, please.” She was again teasing. Leigh had been trying to convince many people to join in with the karaoke, some were a lot easier to persuade than others, and she had kind of hoped to be able to get a song out of  Chad. She understood it might not have been for some, but it was also just a little bit of a laugh in her eyes. 

Her brows cocked slightly, getting up on the stage didn’t bother her, she was a professional singer and performer, of course it wouldn’t bother her. “Right, I’ll make you a deal. I’ll go up and sing solo, get a few more drinks in your system, and then we’ll do a duet before we leave to hit the clubs?” In her eyes, it didn’t sound like a bad deal, and that way at least he wasn’t braving the stage alone. She took a small sip from her drink and then placed the glass down against the table. Leigh-Anne had left so much pressure when it came to organising this party because she wanted everything to be perfect but she felt a little more pressure about having to entertain Chad in London for he night. He had never been clubbing in her town city and so she wanted him to have a night to remember. “Stop worrying about your outfit, you look absolutely great.” She repeated her words from moments before. He really did look good to her. She didn’t expect him to say anything on the lines of what he did, but she knew not to take it seriously. “Ex wife? Damn it.. and here I thought I would have your whole attention all night.” 

“I’m gonna have to think on that one. Hurt my feelings with that” chad announced, shaking his head at her. Realistically, he didn’t think she would’ve took some food back for him but if she had done, it would’ve been the nicest gesture. “If you had brought me food back, I would definitely have been thanking you right now, that’s for sure” he nodded, a smirk toying at his lips. If he was going to get drunk enough, of course he would be up there trying to sing his heart out much to everyone else’s humour. But maybe not whilst sober, he needed that dutch courage to convince him to get up there. 

I’ll have to send her a bottle then. I think someone’s been in one too many Hallmark movies, my friend…but you’re right. It’s definitely a romcom scene if I’ve ever heard one. You would? You just became my new favorite person. I’ll probably start on this coming week so if you’ve got time stop on by.

She will genuinely love you to bits if you did that. She’d be a number one fangirl from that moment on. And what made you come to that conclusion? No, you’re so right. That whole sentence right there was quite criminal. Of course I would, love some DIY and what better than to recreate a whole Italian scenery? Well lucky for you and your backyard, I am free all week. Just give me a shout. What kind of things are you looking to install then? 

I know I’m a broken record, but season three of All American is on Netflix! We were sitting real nice at number one for a couple of days before Outer Banks dropped season two, which… I’m not mad about — love you, Maddie, baby. But now that that’s over, I managed to get a new YouTube video up too! Major spoilers, so don’t watch it if you haven’t watched the last season.              With everything that’s been accomplished in the last week, I deserve a break, right? A nice, long vacay on some deserted island. All I need are my bikinis and a cleaver to crack open some coconuts. Completely roughing it out there… I know… attractive. @tftmstarters·

Damn those Outer Banks. But hopefully paved the way for some traffic to head your way for the Youtube video though. Of course you deserve a break from all the competition you’ve had to witness with the other show. I think the flight attendants might be a bit concerned when you head on the plane in your bikini with a cleaver in your hand though. Reckon you could probably sit inside a trashcan and you’d still be attractive. 

I’ve been doing a lot of traveling to promote my new wine and I know I say this just about anytime I live LA but my god, it’s so hard coming home. I really truly feel I was made for the nomad lifestyle or at the very least made to sip wine in Italy for the rest of my days. I guess I can look forward to that dream when I retire. Now that I’m back I’m inspired to transform my backyard into an Italian paradise. Anyone want to help a girl out? I’ll pay you in wine and maybe Maverick will offer up some cuddles too. @tftmstarters·

You know what, I’m sure my ex wife loves one of your wines. Cabernet Sauvignon right? She loves blackberry pie so that was gods gift to man. Sipping wine in Italy does sound like one of those scenes in a book of the girl who pines after a guy who after so long finally gets and they just spend the rest of their life in a chateau. I would be more than happy to lend you a hand, just let me know where i can be of service.