Page 38 of Knot My Band: Part One
I never write with someone else, but I’m dying to do it with her.
“I was thinking of doing some writing. Would you want to join me?”
She nods so fast I’m afraid she’ll hurt her neck.
“Sounds perfect,” she agrees, and there’s a spark in her bright green eyes.
I grab my notebook and the keyboard I keep on the bus for moments like this. Oli surprises me by grabbing a guitar.
We settle side by side on the couch together.
I flick my notebook open past the scribbles of old songs.
“Did you have something you were planning to start with?” Oli asks.
“The energy and synergy we’ve had coming together on the tour. One line keeps circling my head.”
“What is it?”
“Stars collide, a sonic boom echoing through the entire room.” I taste the words, feeling it resonate within me.
She grins, flipping her hair over one shoulder. “Who would think we’d feel this way? Running through the doubts today.”
Her captivating eyes spark with excitement.
“Beats syncin’ up as hearts discover,” I suggest, and ourgazes lock, a silent acknowledgment of the synergy forming between us.
The words are coming together so quickly.
“Love that,” she murmurs, scribbling down the phrase. “What about the melody? Something that starts soft but builds—”
She strums her guitar, and I add in with my keyboard.
“Are you two playing music at three in the morning?” Chase asks, breaking the moment.
Oli laughs, leaning closer to brush her shoulder against mine. “We are writing.”
Chase’s eyes widen before he stares at me. He knows I don’t work well with others when it comes to writing songs, but that’s not the case with Oli.
“Yeah, so go to bed and leave us here.” I flick my eyes toward the bunks, trying to get Chase to take the hint.
He laughs, walks away, and joins the others in bed. I hop up and close the partition between the rooms to try to block the noise.
“Lost but not alone,” I write down, the words scratching onto paper like a declaration as soon as I’m back at the table. “Two souls navigating the noise, finding harmony amidst the chaos.”
Oli nods, biting her lip thoughtfully. “Like they’re guiding each other home.”
We work for hours, writing one song before thinking of a bridge for another. The world outside the bus blurs into streaks of color as the sun starts to come up.
Oli and I are baring our souls to each other through music, and I feel like we’ve broken something down between us.
“Never had a home,” Oli repeats my lyric. “What does thatmean?”
I don’t tense as I confess, “I know Jack told you we met in foster care. Before I found the three of them, I was in a new house every six months. No one wanted me.”
Oli squeezes my hand before singing, “I’m healing through music.”
I nod, agreeing and repeating the line.
