A Beautiful Melody (14 page)

Holy shit. I almost kissed her. If one of the other guys did what I just did, I would throttle them. This band and all we’ve worked for are too important. My relationship with my brother is also too important. I can’t let this get messed up over some girl.

A girl you’ve been in love with for years
, the little voice inside my head reminds me.

I rest my forehead against the outside of her door
. My entire body aches to go to her, especially when I realise she’s crying. I can hear her muffled sobs coming through the door. All I can do is place my hand on the wood and listen. God. I hate myself right now.

“Nomes!” I hear, accompanied by banging on my door. Forcing my eyes to open, it takes a moment to focus and realise where I am. “Naomi!” I hear again, more insistent this time.

“I’m coming,” I call out,
my voice cranky from sleep as I roll out of bed and trudge towards the door. I open it fully knowing the voice calling me is Marcus. “What?!” I yell, not appreciating the rude awakening.

“Fucking look at the time. It’s after lunch we need to go to the venue to get everything ready for tonight.”

“Oh shit! I’ve been asleep all this time.” I spin on my heel and grab a towel, running for the bathroom to have a shower. The towel gets ripped out of my hands, stopping me in my tracks.

“You don’t have time for a shower. Get some fucking clothes on,
grab your violin, and we’ll meet you downstairs.”

I nod my head
and run to the bathroom anyway, splashing some water over my face and grabbing a mouthful of Listerine. I swish it around in my mouth as I quickly strip and grab a pair of black leggings and a grey tank top and throw them on my body. I rush into the bathroom and spit the mouthwash down the sink, holding my tongue out as it burns from the prolonged use of the mouthwash. I then continue my rush and shove my feet into my boots, grab my violin case, my bag and hurry out the door.

When I make it to the lifts
the door is just shutting and Marcus is in there. “Wait!” I call out, running for the closing doors. He reaches over and presses the button to open them again, smiling as I bustle inside the cabin.

“You know you could have brushed your hair,” he laughs. “I would have waited.”

I poke my tongue out at him as I turn around and look at the mirrored back wall of the elevator cabin and moan, disheartened, at the sight of myself. I certainly don’t rock the sexy bed head look. It appears as though a family of birds has been nesting on my head all night.

Ru
nning my fingers through the tangles, I do my best comb it out. Although I don’t have much time before the elevator doors ping open, and we’re on the ground floor.

“Leave it,” he says, blocking the doors with this hand as he steps out. “You look hot regardless.”

“That’s what you tell every girl,” I say, spinning around and following him, even though I’m still trying to smooth my hair.

“No. I don’t actually,” he enlightens me. “Just you.”

“Um…where’s Theo?” I ask, not sure how to respond to what he just said. So instead I point out the most obvious thing I can see as we reach the rental car. Inside are Lachlan and Jack, but no Theo.

“He went ahead of us to g
et some technical shit sorted out,” Marcus informs me, opening the passenger side door for me to climb in.

I nod my head and sit quietly
, not knowing if I want to see Theo or if I want to hide from him. I’m still feeling embarrassed over last night.

Where we
’re staying isn’t far away from the entertainment Centre. So the drive there is relatively short. Upon arriving, I can feel the anticipation coming off everyone in the car. This is the first time any of us have played such a large venue and it’s exciting to be the ones going through the backstage doors.

“Do you feel like
a rock star yet?” Marcus asks, close to my ear as he slips his arm around my shoulders and walks along beside me.

“None of this feels real,” I reply
, walking comfortably beside him, absorbing every little detail as we make our way to our band’s dressing room. If I was still a teenager, I’d probably take the fact that his arm is around my shoulder as a sign that he’s into me. But knowing Marcus from back then and knowing him now, I don’t take it as an advance at all. This is pretty much the way he’s always been around me. He’s free with hugs, and hand holds, but there’s rarely anything more. I think he just likes having me around and gets a little protective of me at times. I get the feeling that he sees me as comfort, as that part of a relationship that all the girls he screws can’t give him – companionship. But I also get the sense that if I wanted more, I could have it. But how can you trust a man like Marcus? I’m not willing to share, and I don’t know that he can be a one woman guy.

A smile plays on my lips as I wonder what he’d do if he woke up one morning and his dick had fallen off – he’s so ruled by it.

“What’s so amusing?” he asks as he retrieves his guitar case and opens it up, pulling out a few different picks and slipping them into the pocket of his jeans.

“
Oh nothing really,” I fib, “I guess I kind of feel like I’m in a movie.”

“Yeah, me too.”

After dropping my bag in the dressing room, I keep a hold of my violin case and follow the guys out to the stage where Theo is waiting for us. He’s talking to a small man with brown curly hair, who holds a clipboard while he points around the room as they confer.

Marcus slips his arm around my shoulder again and walks with me to the front of the stage, sweeping his arm across the expanse of the room as he speaks. “
Just imagine, tonight all of this will be filled with people. I know we’re just here to support, but it’s fucking mind blowing.” He touches his fingertips to his forehead and pops his hand open in a gestured explosion to emphasise his words.

“Marcus,” Theo calls out
, his voice curt and clipped.

We both turn around at
the sound of his name, Marcus drops his arm from my shoulders and heads straight over there. I can’t help but frown slightly when I notice the flash of annoyance on Theo’s face as his eyes linger on me for a moment and then focus on his brother.

Seriously, who the hell does that man think he is? I don’t know what he’s getting annoyed over. He’s the one who walked out on me. He’s the one pushing me away. At least with Marcus, I know exactly where I stand. He’s not coming into my room late
at night, asking me how I feel about him and then taking off when things get heated. As much as Marcus loves to tease me, I’m pretty sure that if it was him last night, that kiss would have happened as well as a whole lot more.

I fold my arms over my
chest and let out a quiet sigh. The three men still stand together, having a deep discussion about how the show is going to run tonight. So, I head over to where Lachlan and Jack are setting up, and decide to do the same.

“I wonder how many people will show up early enough to see us play,”
Jack muses, as he checks the connections to his keyboard.

“It’d
be cool if the stadium was full. But I reckon maybe half?” Lachlan guesses with a bounce of his shoulder as he attaches a few picks to his microphone stand.

I begin to check my bow and pluck
at my strings to check my tuning. “What do you think Nomes?” Jack asks me. “We can bet on how full this place will be. Make it interesting.”

I grin, still focusing on my instrument. “Oh yeah? What’ll the winner get?”

“I don’t know. The winner gets all their luggage carted around for the next week,” Lachlan suggests.

“That’s lame!” Jack laughs.

“Yeah Lach, I think we can do better than that. Besides, I reckon if I pulled the ‘it’s too heavy’ girly face on you, you’d carry my stuff anyway. Pick something better.”

“Oh, I know,”
Jack bursts out, clapping his hands together and rubbing them greedily. “This is great. You’ll like this one.”

“Well tell us then,” I prompt, wondering what he’s come up with.

“Winner gets the single room,” he reveals, nodding his head and grinning – looking incredibly pleased with himself.

“No way!” I yell, laughing at his audacity. “How is that a win for me? I already have the single room.”

“It’ll be a win because if you’re right then you won’t have to share with Lachlan. That man’s arse is lethal. Plus, he snores like an angry fucking T-Rex. I swear the walls vibrate while he’s sleeping,” Jack explains.

“I do not snore!” Lachlan counters, and an argument breaks out between them, leaving me laughing while they bicker like children wanting the last
lolly in the jar.

“That’s enough ladies,” Theo interrupts, causing the quarrel to end instantaneously. “And no betting either. How about we focus on the performance? You won’t even be able to see the audience. The lights will be too bright – so it doesn’t fucking matter. Get your head in the game and get your shit ready.”

We all mumble some sort of acceptance or apology and get back to work. Suddenly, we all become very professional. Our complete focus is on our music while we make sure all of our sounds and queues are right. Each of us becomes so engrossed that time just flies by, and before we know it, it’s time to get off the stage and get ready for tonight’s gig.

As we travel
back to the hotel, everyone is talking animatedly about the gig tonight, it’s hard not to get caught up in the excitement as we all grab a quick bite to eat and then retire to our rooms to shower and dress.

Before we know it. It’s show time.

Have
you ever heard your favourite song on the radio and sung along, pretending to be the one performing it on stage to a massive crowd of screaming fans? If your answer is yes, then I have to tell you that nothing your imagination can produce is even close to the real feeling you get when on stage to a crowd of thousands.
Thousands!
And they’re fucking loving us.

I just can’t explain to you how awesome this is. Naomi and I
keep singing our hearts out, the band is playing perfectly together. We haven’t had one missed note, one beat out of place. It’s all been amazing and it’s going to be over too soon.

“Would you like to meet the band?” I say into the microphone
, just before we move on to our last song. The crowd screams excitedly in response. Euphoria washes through me as the din rises. I even have to hold my hands up to get them to calm down. “I’ll take that as a yes,” I laugh. I’m in my element here. This is where I belong. It’s where I was born to be – up on stage bearing my soul through music. Nothing compares.

Disconnecting my microphone from the stand, I start to walk around the stage, introducing us all one by one. The crowd shrieks for each member. But they fucking love Naomi.

“She’s great right?” I comment, as I’m standing next to her. She is looking absolutely amazing tonight in this tight black miniskirt, purple high heels and this sparkly singlet top that drapes loosely from her body. Her hair is piled up high on her head and she has one of those long sparkly earrings that kind of looks like a chandelier hanging out of her left ear, but in her right is a small diamond stud. When I asked her about it before, she told me it was so the left one didn’t get caught in her bow or get in the way of the violin while she played. Whatever – the look works. She’s smoking hot.

She glances at me,
her eyes shining with delight as the crowd screams their agreement. I can tell she is on as much of a high from this as I am. As the roar of the crowd dies down, an idea hits me.

“How about we change things up a little?” I ask,
knowing that my band mates may not be happy with this, but I want to give the crowd what they seem to want – more Naomi. “Who’s a fan of Aiden Price?” I ask. The crowd screams, and I look around toward Theo, noting the stormy look on his face but trying to give him a look that says
trust me, I know what I’m doing
. “Yes me too,” I agree. “He’s also one of Naomi’s favourite artists. So I know she’s going to know this song. We’re going to do a cover of
I Recall
.”

She continues to smile as she leans toward me and hisses in my ear, “
What the hell are you doing?”

“Trust me. Th
ey’ll love it,” I say in hers.

I move back over to my position, avoiding any eye contact with the other members
of the band, especially Theo who’s probably going to lose his shit at me after this.

The first part is just
my guitar and Naomi singing, so they will have time to get over their annoyance before they have to play.

The crowd quiets as I play the first notes and Naomi starts to sing.

I recall
perfectly

The day I met you

Your eyes piercing blue

All thought left me

I recall
perfectly

Your hair stood on end

As you spoke with your friend

And I stopped moving

She closes her eyes, her violin held down at her side as she loses herself in the words. The audience is perfectly quiet. They’re loving it. I know they are.

Come to me tonight

Come to me

You’re everything I could want

Come to me tonight

Come to me

Nothing will keep me from you, you, you…

She lowers her voice to say the last line practically whisper it into the microphone ‘except you my love’.

The p
itch of the song changes as the music speeds up and becomes more intense as my part to sing comes up. As I sing, I’m building towards the chorus hoping to God that everyone else in the band comes in and plays it with me.

Gather around

Listen to my sound

As I lose my mind night after night

You, scream out your love

And take part of me

I strum at my guitar
as I play the break between the verses. It’s an angry sound, completely at odds of the melodic picking that accompanies Naomi’s vocals. The music feels like it’s taking over me as I lean back to the microphone and sing a type of moan to lead into the next verse.

Gather and cry

What I sing is a lie

It sounds like the truth

I speak love, you need proof

Perhaps you’ll forgive me

But I hate, who I am, who I am

Thankfully, the band doesn’t let me down. Relief washes over me the moment I hear Theo come in on the drums at the exact same time as Naomi starts playing on her violin.

I want to recall, the words you whisper to me.

R
ecall, the way your eyes see right through me

I want to recall, who you are

I want to remember

I want to recall, the words you whisper to me.

R
ecall, the way your eyes see right through me

I want to be, what you want

But I’m not who you want

There’s a long musical climax to the song,
as our instruments meld in a cacophony that seems to tell a tale of woe and confusion. I harmonise my voice with the music the same way the original song does, by singing loud ‘La’s and ‘No’s along with the clamour that rises and peters out slowly, ending with Lachlan playing on his bass on his own.

Everything is quiet
, but for the sound of that bass, his fingers plucking out those notes, the sound filling the stadium, like the buzzing of an uncontrolled emotion. The moment he stops, I suck in my breath - the crowd roars. I race over to Naomi, and grab the hand she’s holding the bow in and hold it up over her head, causing them to roar even louder.

As we look at each other grinning, the excitement of the night takes over me, and I grab hold of her face, and capture her mouth with mine. Somehow, the crowd f
inds a way to become even louder, and they spurn me on as I drive my tongue into her mouth and work it against hers.

Even over the noise, I can
feel the vibration from her body as she hums into my mouth. I’ve wanted to kiss her for as long as I’ve known her, but I’ve never felt it was the right time. I’ve never really had the guts to cross that line with her. But tonight, everything seems perfect, and I just can’t help myself.

When I release her, I smile
again, dropping a kiss on the top of her head before walking quickly over to my mic.

“Thank you,
” I call over their screams. “That’s us finished for tonight. But the people you came to see,
Radio Silence
, will be out here in just a few moments.”

We all head off the stage to the tune of the crowd cheering for us
and make our way through the people congratulating us on a great show until we make it to our dressing room.

The second we’re in there,
Theo turns on me. “What the fuck was that?!” he roars, shoving me in the chest with both hands.

“Geni
us,” I say, moving my weight toward him. “You could see how much they loved her out there. I was just giving them what they wanted. They went nuts after every song Naomi sang and played in. They loved
It’s a Crime
, and they loved
Fragile
. We’re good on our own mate, but she makes us brilliant.”

“Just pray we don’
t get in shit for playing someone else’s song in our show,” he growls, giving me a second shove for good measure. “And you didn’t need to kiss her like that,” he adds, giving me a third shove, before stalking across the room and twisting the cap off the beer and taking a long chug.

“Why?” I shrug. “What
was so wrong with it?”

“I don’t really think you should have done that either Marcus,” Naomi adds. “Not in front of everyone like that.”

I think I hide it fairly well, but I feel like I just got punched in the gut. I mean, didn’t she tell me she wanted me to stop screwing around? Didn’t she say ‘the word’? Now I’m confused, but I don’t regret it – not one little bit.

“Yeah, ok. I’
m sorry Naomi,” I concede, I guess I should have done that in private. “I got caught up in the moment. But you have to admit that they loved it. So, I can’t regret kissing you to the sound of a thousand of people cheering us on. Call me a jackass, but that was fucking awesome.”