Page 79 of Hard Rock Desires
These guys were freaking fantastic.
It was so different from watching them on stage. During the concert there had been loud, booming speakers, crazy rainbow spotlights, and a wild, cheering crowd.
In contrast, their practice session was subtle and muted, but that only made them seem more impressive. They weren’t flashy or showy. Zain wasn’t throwing winks and cocky smiles. Anya wasn’t strutting around like a goddess in heels. They just got right down to business.
And that business was making exceptionally brilliant music.
I sat quietly on the lone sofa, not wanting to draw too much attention to myself. When they weren’t absorbed in heated discussions over set lists or jamming on their instruments with rapt expressions, they were laughing and teasing one another. They all had an interesting dynamic, and I soon began to spot certain patterns in their behavior.
“I think we should include a few solos,” Anya said quietly.
The others all stopped their discussions and waited patiently for her to speak her mind. The lead singer rarely spoke up, but when she did, they all stopped and listened.
“It will give the rest of us some time to breathe,” she continued.
They all nodded in agreement.
“I could bring out my acoustic,” Zain said. “Or I can just wail on my electric. Or both,” he added.
“Or how about I take over the solos and you get none?” Finn jammed his elbow into Zain’s ribs. “Your head is already too big; we wouldn’t want it to swell up and burst like a balloon.”
“Dick,” Zain ribbed back and pretended to punch him in the side. “If you really want to start talking about inflated egos, why don’t we start with yours.”
“I’m not the one who’s insisting on having two solos,” Finn pointed out.
“Our fans love my acoustic sets,” Zain said. “I’m just giving them what they want.”
Finn flicked a guitar pick at Zain. It smacked him in the forehead and bounced off. Finn roared with laughter and Zain mock-glared, but I could see him suppressing a chuckle of his own.
The two of them really did act just the way I imagined brothers did. They teased and joked, but it was all in fun, and I could see the real affection they had for one another.
“If you want a solo, why don’t we include one of your violin pieces?” Micah suggested.
I hadn’t known Finn played violin as well as bass guitar, so I was surprised when he pulled the instrument out of its case.
“Watch out, Weston,” he taunted as he tucked the violin under his chin. “I’m going to outshine you again.”
“Will we have enough time for all these new additions to the set list, though?” Zain frowned at Micah, looking put out. “This is just like last time, when you changed the encore at the last minute.”
“I can give up a piano solo to make room,” Micah said reasonably.
The twist of Zain’s lips deepened, but he didn’t say anything else in protest.
The whole exchange was odd to me. Zain hadn’t been mad at Anya for bringing up the idea of solos, but he was upset at Micah for saying the same thing.
In fact, Zain had seemed upset at most of the things Micah suggested. No one else seemed to notice, aside from maybe Anya who looked concerned whenever Zain challenged the keyboardist. But she never spoke up about it, and it wasn’t my place to say anything, either. Even Micah seemed unperturbed, not noticing Zain’s scowl.
Micah was interesting for another reason, though.
“What if you did a piano and violin duet?” their young drummer, Kaylee, interjected. “We’ve got that one from our second indie album. And Zain and Anya can do an unplugged set together.”
“Good idea, Kay,” Micah said.
She beamed.
There was something going on between that girl and Micah. Her face brightened whenever he spoke to her. Her eyes shined when he smiled. But Micah was careful to keep space between them whenever he could.
It hadn’t escaped my notice that Kaylee’s hair was no longer in a messy bun. The usual strawberry curls now hung over her shoulders in beautiful loose waves. She had also put on lipstick, which she hadn’t been wearing when she’d opened the door for me this morning.
