Surprise party

When Renly returned to Village Vanguard, it was nearly eight o'clock, the beginning of the peak hours at the bar.

Seeing Renly's presence, Janis Black managed only a quick greeting before urging him for help. "I've been crazy busy today, swamped with work. A shipment just arrived at the warehouse, and there's not even time to check the inventory. Hurry to the kitchen; they need more than just two hands there."

Initially planning to tell Janis that he had secured the role in "Buried", upon hearing her words, Renly rolled up his sleeves and prepared to work, entering the interior of the bar.

Indeed, the entire bar was packed; even the bar counter had no available seats left. At the entrance, at least five tables of customers were waiting for a spot. Without hesitation, Renly walked over to the bar counter and called out, "Neil, do you need my help here?"

Neil Tuson was busy pouring beer, not even lifting his head. He answered without pause, "Kitchen. Go help in the kitchen."

Renly gestured with a thumbs-up, quickly headed towards the kitchen, pushed open the door, and was greeted by a three-tiered cake that seized all the attention. His eyes widened involuntarily. "Wow, is there a special event tonight?"

Stanley Charlson stood beside the cake. "Hey, buddy, you're back." Stanley greeted him and then explained, "There's a guy proposing here tonight. We've prepared for it. We're just waiting for the signal."

"So, are most of the customers tonight friends and family of that guy?" Renly's creative mind immediately jumped to this conclusion because it was an ordinary Tuesday, and the bar was unusually bustling.

"No, most of the customers are here for tonight's performance." Stanley shook his head. "A British folk band came to perform tonight—'Passenger,' remember?"

"I remember." Renly's eyes lit up. Passenger was a quintessential British band, established for many years. Although not extremely famous, they had a loyal fan base in the UK. Later, the band gained recognition with the song "Let Her Go." "But didn't they cancel their US tour because one of the band members left?"

Passenger had only two members.

Stanley shrugged, neither confirming nor denying. Renly then realized he had forgotten. The bar was incredibly busy, and he was here to help. These idle chit-chats could wait. He immediately saw the bustling kitchen, "Which order is ready? I can start serving."

"Renly, come here." Stanley motioned towards the handle of the cake cart. "You'll be in charge of this. Others are handling everything else." Stanley made space, and Renly took over. "Light up the candles now. Wait for my signal. We'll turn off all the lights in the bar, and you can bring it out slowly. I've already informed the band on the stage; they'll play the requested song."

"Wow, this guy seems determined." Renly marveled, but his hands were not idle. Picking up a special lighter, he began lighting the candles.

The cake was three tiers of sky-blue. It was creatively designed, without clichéd phrases like "Marry Me" or "I Love You". Instead, each tier had a distinct design. The bottom one resembled a garden, adorned with strawberries and pineapples. The middle layer looked like a residence, with chocolate wafers constructing model houses. The top layer was a small statue of a man surfing, with candles shaped like the numbers "9" and "7."

Even as a bystander, Renly couldn't help but become curious. The cake's creative design was clearly meant to hold memories that only the two people involved could decipher. This proposal was bound to be challenging even to succeed. Renly genuinely felt happy for the soon-to-be engaged couple.

After lighting the candles, Renly carefully aligned the cake cart towards the exit, creating a passage for other waitstaff to serve food smoothly. After a short while, Stanley appeared at the doorway, his voice lowered as he spoke to Renly, "Push it out now. Pause at the entrance. I'll turn off the lights. After they're out, you can continue."

Renly nodded in agreement. Then, he raised his voice towards the other colleagues in the kitchen, "Everyone, you better prepare yourselves. After tonight, I'm guessing each of you will be in for a tough time. It's best to plan ahead on how to handle the aftermath." Most of the kitchen staff were men, and if their significant others heard of such a romantic proposal, there would be no peace.

Laughter erupted from the kitchen staff.

Standing at the doorway, Renly waited for a moment. The lights outside extinguished, and then he pushed the cake cart out. The entire bar was cloaked in darkness, with only a halo of light from the kitchen door. All gazes converged on the candles of the cake. The bar was so unusually silent that Renly found it strange. Shouldn't the other patrons be agitated with curiosity and excitement? Yet, the bar was still and quiet, as if everyone knew about this surprise.

However, this thought only lingered briefly in his mind. The music from the stage dispelled it all, as the Backstreet Boys' classic love song "I'll Never Break Your Heart" began playing. The happiness and sweetness in the air were almost intoxicating.

Renly slowly pushed the cake cart forward, searching the crowd for the protagonists of tonight. Only now did he realize he had forgotten to ask Stanley where he should position the cake cart.

Suddenly, spotlights behind him illuminated the cake cart, making Renly aware that the climax was approaching. He took a half step back, leaving the stage for the couple.

At that moment, the music from the band behind the stage abruptly stopped, replaced by a light and melodious guitar melody. The familiar tune made Renly's steps pause involuntarily. His eyes began searching the surroundings, trying to find someone who could explain the situation.

"I was Cleopatra, I was young and an actress. When you knelt by my mattress, and asked for my hand...," the melody that rang out was none other than Renly's own composition and performance, "Cleopatra". The song told a tragic tale filled with regret and sorrow—a mood that didn't fit the atmosphere of a proposal.

Before Renly could locate an informant, the lights in the bar brightened, slightly blinding him. He instinctively squinted, and through his narrowed eyes, he saw a sea of people. Everyone stood up and applauded with enthusiasm. Following their gaze, Renly turned his head towards the stage. In an instant, a surge of emotion overwhelmed him. Before he could register it, warm mist blurred his vision.

Stanley, Neil, Janis... and all the bar's waitstaff stood on the stage. They were all gathered there. Neil stood in the center, holding a microphone, singing out loud, "But I was late for this, late for that, late for the love of my life. And when I die alone, when I die alone, when I die I'll be on time"

At this moment, the melody was abruptly cut off. Neil shouted into the microphone, "Three, two, one!"

And so, the entire audience shouted in unison, "Congratulations, Renly!" Boom, boom, boom, everyone raised their fireworks and firecrackers, and one after another, the deafening sound resonated. Colorful ribbons and brilliant fireworks cascaded down from the sky, accompanied by cheers, shouts, and screams, filling the entire Village Vanguard to the brim.

A wave of joyous happiness collided violently in Renly's chest, overwhelming him with emotion.

A push came from behind, and when he turned around, he was surprised to see his fellow kitchen staff. They had all emerged at some point and were now pushing Renly onto the stage. Neil welcomed Renly, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome our true guest of honor tonight, Renly Hall!"

"Roar!" Everyone started pounding on the tables. The sheer force of the noise rivaled that of a sports bar during a football game.

Through hazy eyes, Renly gazed at the faces in front of him, searching carefully. It was only now that he realized that all the bar's patrons were regulars; he could call each one by name.

Looking back, Renly finally realized that something had felt off. Today, he had headed to the audition for "Buried", and everyone knew about it. However, neither Janis nor Neil had asked about it or even mentioned it. They had rushed him straight into the kitchen, leaving him no time to properly assess the bar's patrons. Naturally, he hadn't noticed anything was amiss.

"So, there's no proposal couple?" Renly finally regained his senses. The entire crowd shook their heads, giving a unanimous negative answer. "And no Passenger band?" Stanley laughed heartily, shaking his head in denial. "So, all of this was for my surprise party?" The collective affirmation from the crowd left Renly somewhat bemused.

For this party, they had really gone all out. "Wait a moment, how did you all know that I would come today?"

Stanley shrugged. "We didn't. We decided that if you didn't show up by nine, Neil would call you, saying the bar was crazy busy and short-staffed."

Renly suddenly understood and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Thank you." Upon reflection, he couldn't find more accurate words than these. He had to say it again, "Thank you, I mean it."

Even though he hadn't worked at Village Vanguard for long, they had become true friends. Gazing at those sincere faces before him, Renly couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head. "Why do I feel like I'm being proposed to? If that's the case, fine, I accept." His response elicited collective laughter and cheers from everyone, the chant of excitement filling the air.

Finally, there was one more question.

After the laughter had subsided, Renly looked at Neil. "How did you all know I got the role this time? Did you call the actors' union?"

Unexpectedly, everyone froze at the question. The cacophony died down, and finally, it was Neil who reacted first. "You got the role? Wow, congratulations, congratulations! It seems like today is a double celebration!"