Page 66 of Composed
“Twelve years, still got that ring on her finger.”
Her face falls, and she looks down at her Hummingbird, her shoulders drooping. “I had no idea.”
“They keep it hush from the media.” I shrug. “She’s teaching kids’ ballet now, and some of the parents aren’t big fans of the whole rocker lifestyle thing so they stay out of the spotlight.”
“That makes sense. Guess you’re all pretty private, really. Aside from the music, there’s not a lot about your personal lives out there.”
“It’s just easier that way. Give the press an inch and they’ll run a mile. We saw that a lot in our first couple years. Axel in particular was painted in a pretty shitty light because he slept with a married woman on our second tour. Nobody cared he had no idea. The story they wanted was that he’d broken up a happy home.”
“I remember that. It was everywhere.”
I nod, eyes catching hers. “we only share what we need to, now. Nothing more, nothing less. The music, the tours. Everything else is safe inside these walls.”
Her tongue flicks out, swiping over her lip as silence settles stretches us. Silver sparkles when her tongue stud catches between her teeth.
She looks dejected.
A lump forms in mythroat.
Her mouth opens, her eyes dragging along the floor.
I sit upright. “So how do you want to do this? Lyrics or melody first?”
“Right.” Her nose wrinkles. “Er… I don’t actually know.”
My stomach knots.
She lifts a shoulder. “Like I said, I’m rusty.”
“Maybe we should start with a melody then, At least then we’ll have a rhythm to work with. Since you’ll be up in Chesterton and I’ll be down here. Makes it easier to work separately.”
“Yeah, that might work.” She sifts through the notebooks and papers littering the floor around her. “Can you remember the erm…” She clicks her fingers, a line forming in the centre of her forehead as her eyes crinkle. “Oh my brain’s gone.”
Her hand moves faster, papers flying as she flicks through them until then she halts.
“Aha. This one.” She pushes a pile of sheet music toward me. “I think this might be a good starting point for us.”
I slide off the couch and shuffle across the carpet until they’re in reach. Scanning the papers, my eyes widen. The melody is made up of minor, augmented, and tri-tone chords.
I remember it well, the sound was chilling when I first laid it.
I can’t believe she still has this.
I shoot her a glance. “You always said this was too dark for what we were doing.”
“I mean, yeah. Twelve years ago.” She chuckles, her head tilting side to side. “You were teens, fresh out of college, trying to get signed by a pop-punk label. They didn’t want haunting, they wanted bouncy and upbeat. Now, though?”
Her lips curve. “You can do whatever the hell you want.”
I hum thoughtfully. “You really think it’ll work?”
“There’s only one way to find out.” She snatches the sheet music from my hand and spreads it into a line on the carpet before offering me her Hummingbird with a grin. “Play for me, Rock Star.”
My heart skips at beat at the nickname.
How the fuck can I say no to that?
A bead of sweat rolls down my neck.
