"Hey, now. Do you remember," Genesis paused for dramatic effect while poking a bobby pin into Cha Cha's wig from a stock of them sticking out of his mouth, "do you remember, Georgina, when your titty popped loose because your dress strap was too bitty?"

"What- hey! Don't tell that story!" I gasped in the mirror, nearly dropping my lipstick. Cha Cha started giggling in his usual gesh gesh manner, but I was too appalled to laugh with him.

"Yeah, it just went pop right on stage in the middle of the pageant and she went 'ugh!' and covered herself just like this and we started laughing and laughing and-"

"Genesis!"

"What? I'm just trying to make the child laugh. Have a little fun." A sneaky smile appeared on his face, though, showing he was clearly having far too much fun of his own telling this story at my expense.

"What happen?" Cha Cha perked up excitedly like a duck at a target style carnival game.

"No!" I cried, putting up my hands.

Genesis kept on laughing. "Fine, fine. I won't tell it. Now you go, I'll finish getting this child done up. Go on."

"You promise?" I implored him, leaning in for leverage.

"Yeah, I promise. Go on!"

But his laughter should have been my clue, because as I turned around the last I saw of the two of them in the mirror was Genesis winking with his sideways smirk in his trademark bright cherry red. In frustration at him, I blew air out of my mouth upwards, disturbing my bangs as the bathroom door banged closed.

"Hey, cuddlebug," came a soothing voice behind me accompanied by the rattling of bottles in a too familiar carrying rack.

"Frankie!" I gasped as he swept past me. He looked behind himself to see me, his expression so in love I felt like it alone caused me to follow him like a lovelorn kitten.

"Are you okay? You seem a little mad," Frankie said, his expression now curious and innocent as he began to put glasses away under the bar.

I sighed and leaned against it. "Genesis is being mean."

He turned to me, his body rigid. My eyebrows flew up at his sudden tenseness. "Should I talk to him?" he asked, but his voice still sounded nervous. It was too adorable. I wanted to cup his cheeks right then and there.

"No, it's not that kind of mean," I assured, smiling with it to show him.

"Oh, okay. Is it 'just girl stuff'?"

I had to stifle a giggle. This was a phrase I had taught him the other day, to describe the sort of unique way Genesis teased me due to his confused concern. This kind boy. He killed me sometimes with his sincerity in wanting to protect me from all harm, just bowled me right over.

"Yeah, it's just girl stuff, baby." Ah, he could make me feel better even in a swarm of bees.

"Alright." He leaned over the bar and I met him there, puckering my lips. Lightly, he kissed me so sweet. It was over too soon. "Do you want a cola?" he asked, returning to his work again. I saw him blushing ever so slightly in the mirror behind the bar as he quickly arranged bottles in their correct places. It made pink rise to my cheeks, too.

"Okay, baby. That sounds nice." Ah, I was so happy. So in a bliss.

He did as he was told, uncapping two Coca Colas, one for each of us. Eventually, Carl wandered in and after him Genesis and Cha Cha joined us at the bar fully dressed and ready for action. Without being told, Carl made Genesis a Bloody Mary just like he'd had every night except Sundays for two weeks, which was met with such joy from him.

"Come here, my little bebe," he cooed as Carl handed it to him. Like magic, a tiny bottle of Tabasco sauce appeared in Genesis' hand and he began to lightly tap the hot stuff into his glass. Sipping, he moaned and then tapped even more Tabasco in.

"Where do you even keep the bottle?" I asked, looking all over him to try to figure it out.

"That's my little secret," he snickered and it disappeared again into thin air.

"You keep it in your cleavage, don't you," Carl said casually like old friends. "Lots of ladies keep things in there."

"How unbehaved you are. I like you." Genesis was smiling like a bad girl in church.

Carl just started laughing in his slow, Santa Claus way and set to making a Shirley Temple for Cha Cha, who was spying the grenadine from his perch on a bar stool next to mine. He'd started to really like drinking those.

"So, Genesis. Are you going to sing tonight?" I asked, slipping a cigarette into my mouth. Immediately, Carl was there ready to light it with an old Zippo from his pocket.

"Do you have to smoke? Goodness gracious! You're a singer!" Genesis snipped, not waiting for my answer and snatching the still unlit cigarette from my lips. Before I could protest, it was crushed in one of the ashtrays along the bar, so clean but for my orangey red lipstick scarred on the white. "Don't you know that's bad for you? Or has the news not yet reached New York?"

I coughed to clear my throat and saw Frankie's eyebrows raise from down the bar where he was now refreshing the ice box with a little metal scooper.

Carl piped up without being asked. "I think it's good for you to quit. Why not? One less thing to worry about." He was now wiping the bar for the nth time.

"Says the man with the monogrammed Zippo in his front pocket," I sighed, walking down the bar to join Frankie who wouldn't scold me for such a thing. Cha Cha followed like he was attached to my hip, and I quite liked this. At least one person wasn't betraying me tonight.

Standing with Frankie silently as he did his work, I watched Cha Cha sip his Shirley Temple delicately through the provided teeny black straw. He looked very shy. I was about to ask him what was going through his curly head when Carl laughed in a bark up the bar.

"So, what are you going to sing? Gal like you. Where you even from? Sounds like Louisiana, or is that a front?"

"Yeah, it's Louisiana. And I'm never singing a note unless you want to hear a busty white queen sing Ray Charles like the man himself. Lord. You really don't," Genesis replied, not skipping a beat.

Carl slapped the bar, rolling in such laughter I thought he'd start crying. "Ray Charles? Girl, you crazy. Who else you like? You like Miles Davis?"

In a disturbing reminder that we were not the only ones here, the lighting cues on the stage started. First the spotlight test, then the backlights, the special blue. It was like watching a live show with no performers. It went off flawlessly and I noticed Cha Cha watching it with interest, still sipping. Here I remembered my "only water before performing" rule, but I decided to let it slide. I was drinking a Coca Cola anyhow.

"I'm going to give the piano a lick, check the tuning. Are you okay here?" Frankie asked behind me.

I swung my head around, saw his face where pink still shone on his cheeks. Suddenly, I filled with such an urge. He was so kind. He'd never poke me like Genesis or Carl. On the stage, the blue light was still on, probably neglected by somebody doing something else, careless. Yet, it gave the shiny black of the piano such a ghostly sheen, like the stage was moonlit.

"No, I'll go with you."

His face brimmed with a soft smile, causing a calming feeling in my heart.

As we moved towards the stage, Cha Cha followed behind me of course. Something was telling me he still didn't like Genesis all that much even after these last two weeks with him, how he'd poked fun at Paulie that first night. I didn't blame Cha Cha one bit. I was still a bit pissed about that even though I knew it was in Genesis' nature to do such things and how he'd known Paulie for such a long time so of course he'd poke at one of his friends. But Cha Cha didn't know these things.

When we ascended the short stairs, Cha Cha took a seat at one of the front tables. He was still nursing his Shirley Temple drink and it was surprisingly not very low with how much he'd been sipping at it. It made me wonder if he'd really been sipping or doing it so he didn't have to talk. The latter was something I'd observed him doing during awkward moments or during subjects that made him blush. It always made me know when he was uncomfortable.

I slipped onto the piano bench after Frankie and he lifted the key cover with the distinct heavy folding sound that I had come to associate with him and therefore loved. Wasting no time, his slender fingers graced the ivories and like a sure footed dancer they cascaded. Eager, my hands joined his on the keys and met his in the middle. He giggled, warming my heart. Our hands floated over each other just for a moment and then descended to the opposite sides and up and down together.

On the upper side, the high tones of "Fur Elise" sang from his fingers and I was still, my body quieted like a whole other being. I listened with all of my self, taking in these beautiful sounds like the very air.

Distant and far away, I heard Genesis' voice, in pure awe. "Will you listen to that. Its haunting."

Without thinking, I rested my cheek on Frankie's shoulder. I felt it moving up and down and this way and that, and I closed my eyes. I became lost in his sounds, his movements. What I would have given for it to never end.

Unfortunately, being "Fur Elise" it was over too soon. It was a simple piece, but Frankie made it seem new again. "Your turn, pretty eyes," he whispered to me as I opened these eyes he spoke of.

"What should I play?" I asked, still a bit disoriented.

"Play Satie."

"Okay."

Wanting so much to obey, the only Erik Satie I could remember flowed into my head mid-tune and I had to struggle to remember the start. But remember I did. The moroseness of a gymnopedie. In the perfect position, my fingers pressed down and I lost myself in a dream awake. It seemed as though the only sounds in the universe were him breathing beside me and the keys telling him one of his favorite stories, a story that I would tell for him over and over if he wanted me to.

My heart caught as his arm went around my waist, holding me there. I breathed out, not skipping a note, professional as always. Just like he was. It occurred to me how us playing like this must have been what heaven was like. A place where heartbeats never went over sixty-five, where his warmth was always there so close by. A place where the piano always spoke to us if only we dared play it together just like this.

As soon as my gymnopedie was over, his hands fell over the keys and started to play part two, lovely part two. It was as if we were speaking to each other, just like in my vision of heaven. How it was supposed to be. I breathed out a sigh and rested my cheek on his shoulder again, wrapping my arms around him like he'd done to me. His entire body relaxed, and I felt his cheek on the top of my head like a heavenly sandwiching, too good to be true.

"Aww," I heard from the bar, but I didn't care at all. It was only when Genesis said that we should play like this all night did I care. This was the best idea he'd ever had.

Gymnopedie no. 2 melted into no. 3 and I could have fallen asleep just like this. It was the most perfect thing.

"You okay, pretty eyes?" came Frankie's little whisper and I moaned a sleepy affirmative. His giggle was my reward. "Don't fall asleep."

"Mmm," I affirmed again. He giggled once more.

"Can you play me 'Clair de Lune'? I love your 'Clair de Lune'."

Love. Oh yes, I could. For love.

Surely half asleep at this point, my fingers touched the keys again and with all of myself just for him the pretty little notes wandered out like water droplets hitting our pond on our heavenly shore, rippling out and all around. "So beautiful. You're so beautiful," he whispered, more lovely than the piano singing.

He kissed my cheek and I melted in my dream, complete. I forgot about anything in this place and it was only us two and the piano three.

It wasn't until the clapping started did I come back, remembering where we were. And that we weren't supposed to be seen like this. How we always hid our love, our affections for each other. But inside of me, a voice begged. It told me how it wasn't a Wednesday. It told me who cared, all I wanted in the world was to stay like this. Hear the gorgeous Chopin now coming from his hands, my favorite one.

So I stayed here. And for hours we played, playing every popular thing we knew for the benefit of the audience and for ourselves, nothing too hard so we could enjoy each other more than playing.

It truly felt like we were up above, because even afterwards I couldn't remember getting tired like a human being should.