Page 65 of Belonging to Them
“Let’s go make some music, then.We can film as we work, so you’ll have some good stuff for your channel.”
“Do I need Helena to draw up a collaborator contract for us?”Ella jokes.
“Nope.If I don’t like what you’re doing, I’ll just spank you until you concede.”
“Ooh, sounds fun.Expect me to misbehave soon, then.”
The fourth bedroom is where we’ve set up the studio and all of its equipment.It took us the better part of yesterday.I wasn’t convinced, at first, that the space would be as good as the one I created at my apartment.However, I was wrong.This one is bigger, the lighting is better so we won’t need to compensate with extra lamps, and there’s space to bring in more instruments, should we want them.The loss of Ella’s keyboard is still pretty fresh for her—I know, because I asked—but eventually, Kingston and I want to buy a replacement.Then again, with how well her VideYou channel is going, she might already be saving up.
Conversations for later.Right now, I just want to sing with my girl.
We turn on a couple of cameras at different positions in the room, then start tinkering with the MIDI keyboard and metronome.
“I’ll play guitar to help keep us in key,” I say, “unless you want to set up a drone instead?”
“No, the guitar is good.Unless you think my pitch starts to wander.”
“I’ve never noticed, but I know mine does without the guitar.”
We’ve sung together hundreds of times now, but we haven’t recorded anything like this.Ella’s face is full of concentration, and also joy, as I play the opening chords of my song and start to sing.After a couple of repetitions of the chord progression, Ella joins in, her voice harmonizing and accentuating my song, until her lyrics gain the same volume as mine.Now it’s truly a duet, with the two of us together on equal footing.
When the song is over, we sing it a few more times.
By the time we’re finished, Kingston gets home from work.He and I get Ella naked.And in no time, she’s raising her voice in joy all over again.
* * *
Ella
Two days go by, and while I am seventy-five percent sure I’m not pregnant, there’s the twenty-five percent left over and it’s driving me absolutely nuts.
Not helping matters, my calendar is inconclusive.I can’t figure out when I had my last period.
I fiddle with my necklace, sliding the circle around and around and around.My heartbeat pounds out a steady,what if, what if, what if.What if I am pregnant?What if the guys don’t want a baby?What ifIdon’t want a baby?I’ve done everything right to prevent one, but we could’ve done more.We could’ve continued using condoms, on top of my birth control.
My phone chimes with a call, breaking my cycle of anxiety.The caller is Helena Tran, so I pick up.“Hello?”
“Ella, hi.Glad I caught you.Sunday night, there’s an opening at Red Letter.It’s yours if you can make it.”
Red Letter is exclusive and impossible for amateurs to get into.Pro-level artists only.
“I…”
“Let me help you out,” she says with a laugh.“Yes, Helena, I will be at Red Letter on Sunday night because it’s the top club in SoCal and a wise career move, thank you so much, you’re the best agent ever.”
Laughing, I say, “Yes, all of that.Holy…wow.Helena, how did you do this?Isn’t Red Letter booked up, like, ten years in advance by artists who’ve gone platinum?”
“Something like that,” she says.“But I know the owner and told him if something opens up, I have some fresh new talent on my roster.Baby Mama had to bow out at the last minute, so he gave me a call.And here we are.Let’s talk about your set.”
As we plan out which songs I’ll play and in what order, my mind is whirling.I need to get to a piano, stat, and work on all of this.Rehearse.Crap.This is happening so fast.
But I had my last day of work at Maids in Heaven four days ago.So what else do I have to do except practice and get ready for the show?
“You got this, Ella,” Helena says.“You hear me?”
“Yeah,” I say, mostly speechless otherwise.When we were chatting about logistics, I was fine.Now that we’re in pep talk territory, I feel like I might hurl.
We hang up and I immediately text the guys, letting them know I’ll be spending the next two days at the practice room on campus before my big show.My text is riddled with exclamation points.Then I text my guards to let them know I have someplace to be.
