Page 76 of Knot My Band: Part One
I kiss his cheek. “I missed you too.”
Jack and Dax sit as well, waiting for me to explain.
“Aiden and I wrote a duet, and he’s going to sing it with me.”
Dax chokes on air, coughing. “He’s going to sing with you?”
Aiden’s cheeks are bright red.
“Yes, he’s an incredible singer,” I defend him, voice annoyed.
“Dax isn’t surprised because he thinks Aiden is a bad singer. He just refuses to sing unless it’s backup,” Jack explains.
Aiden shrugs. “I’m going to give it a try.”
Chase’s smile is enormous. “That’s great! Let’s go test it out. We have time before sound check!”
Their excitement is a tangible force, wrapping around Aiden’s and my tentative hope and bolstering it into something stronger. It’s the kind of unity that can only come from shared passion and respect.
The kind of thing a proper pack should provide.
We push through the half-full building to the stage that’s set up for our sound check. A few crew members are still out there and look surprised to see us.
“Trying out a new song,” Jack explains. “Could you give us a little time to do that?”
He’s kind and respectful, so the crew smiles and agrees before leaving.
I flick a glance at Aiden. His fingers are poised above the keyboard, the soft brown of his eyes locked with mine.
Walking my way over Aiden, I smile and say, “I have an idea.”
I come to stand next to him in front of the keyboard.
“What are you doing?” he asks.
I bump his shoulder. “I’ll sing here, next to you. It will belike all the other times we worked on the song.”
He takes a deep breath. “Only if you play with me.”
I raise an eyebrow. “I never play on stage.”
“And I never sing,” he counters.
With a sigh, I put my fingers on the keyboard and try not to let them shake. My managers have never let me play while on stage and even though it’s just the five of us, this feels big for me too.
I join Aiden on the intro and start singing into the microphone, propped up on a stand. Aiden usually uses it for backup vocals, but today, it’ll be our main one.
Aiden’s vocals join mine, and it’s hesitant at first before it becomes a rich undercurrent that gives depth to the melody.
The other guys play with us with very few mistakes, even though they’re just seeing the sheet music for the first time.
Aiden’s shyness melts away as he sings, replaced by an intensity that I love.
“Chasing dreams beneath the sun,” we harmonize, and it feels like our hearts are laid bare. The lyrics tell tales of our broken pasts yet hopeful futures. The notes float up, filling the gaps between us all, stitching us closer together.
Dax’s foot taps in rhythm, and I catch the faintest smile tugging at his mouth. Jack’s leaning back, eyes closed, lost in the music we’re creating, while Chase can’t help but bounce slightly in his seat, a spark of excitement lighting up his features.
The song finishes, and my stomach fills with butterflies as we wait for their opinions.
