Cal sitson the steps at the back of the warehouse, close to the technicians behind the mixing desk. Election records are renting this old film studio for rehearsals and it’s the perfect space for us. Situated in the middle of nowhere, it means volume control is not an issue. Considering what’s about to blast from our amps, it’s a musician’s dream come true. There’s no way we could afford rehearsal space like this without Election’s backing. They’ve put a lot of faith in us, which means I have to trust them too.
Cal keeps a low profile while we set up; her shadowy outline is the only thing I can make out due to the glare of spotlights above. I assume she’s worried about seeing Dani—knowing how she feels about the band having girlfriends right now. Cal doesn’t need to be cautious. I won’t let anything get in the way of us. Besides, so far, there’s no sign of Bernie or Dani.
“Can you see us out there?” My hand covers my eyes, searching Cal out all the way to the back corner until she steps into the light. “I’m right here,” she laughs, waving both arms in the air.
I wave back, getting ready to warm up. We need a song, so I call over, “Got any requests, Cal? Anything you like, just to get us going.”
I make out her eyes as they crease, and her mouth forms a tight line while she thinks about it. “How about The Foo Fighters,Times Like These?”
Holy crap, I’m falling in love.Turning on the balls of my feet, I face the boys, my back towards the small audience of technicians and warehouse staff now gathering. Each one of us wears a similar smirk. She doesn’t know it, but it’s the easiest request we’ve ever received. “What do you think Brett, can you manage it?” I shout over, brows raised.
Brett laughs under his breath, “I’m not so sure, Ash.”
“How about you, Tommy? Max?”
“We can give it a shot, right, Max?” Tommy says, looking perplexed while resting his drum sticks in one hand.
“I can only try man,” Max’s deep tone drifts down the mic.
The click of drumsticks connecting, although slightly offbeat, give Brett the signal to join with lead guitar. I strum, kind of haphazardly, along to my own rhythm while Tommy drums a beat which gets pretty bat shit crazy. Max runs his fingers down the arm of his bass, but before we get any more out there, he calls time. “Hold up, hold up, this is shit, man.” We groan in unison, shaking our heads. “Come on, get it together,” Max insists.
I glance over to Cal, who chews her bottom lip and probably wonders what the hell kind of crap she is about to listen to. I try to keep a straight face as I turn my back to her for a second time, facing the rest of the band while throwing a wink. Still smirking, Tommy starts again.
“One, two. One, two, three, four.” I strum hard, leading the opening rift, then Tommy joins on drums and hammersout the beat. Brett expertly plucks the opening on lead and I back it up with rhythm. Max runs a smoother line with one finger, down the arm of his bass and the warehouse comes alive with our powerful sound.
Spinning around on the balls of my feet, I catch Cal’s open mouth, then her pure, beautiful delight when she clocks what we’re up to. Throwing her head back on a laugh, her dark hair sways around her shoulders. Her eyes eventually lock with mine, while she points my way in time with the beat. It’s a knock you off your feet, fuck she’s beautiful, kind of moment. The only way to stop turning into a sappy prick is to spin back towards the band and make them my focus. I jump towards Max, who walks in time, his head banging out the rhythm while his fingers pick the bass line. I back up, mouth to the mic, eyes closed for the first line, but when I open them again, Cal is rocking from side to side, her beautiful dark hair falling across her face. She makes no attempt to move it, instead, shaking it out and singing every god-damn lyric.
With one leg kicked out, resting on my heel and my guitar against my thigh, I keep a constant rhythm. With every chord, my voice echoes through the amps and bounces from every corner of space. Goosebumps rise and explode over my skin once we hit the main chorus. With each strum of my guitar, each chord and every other lyric, I’m singing just for her.
Cal jumps in circles, one hand in the air, not giving a shit who’s looking. I’m no longer able to resist being near her. I run over on the break, noting her eyes finding mine then her line of sight follows my gliding fingers along the neck of my guitar. Singing out the chorus where I stand and with no mic to fall back on, she sings with me. I signal to the rest of the guys who immediately know what I’m up to. When I stop singing mid-verse and let Cal take the solo, the band drop thevolume a notch to catch her beautiful voice. Her eyebrows rise initially, but Cal still has a smile in place when she takes on my challenge. Her voice is powerful and rings out into the darkness, and because she’s holding her own, I can’t help kissing her. It’s rushed and I catch the corner of her mouth when I leave her lips. There’s only enough time to run back to the mic and blast the last line before we finish on a mad rush of guitars and drums.
“Awesome,” an out of breath Cal shouts, then follows it with a long and loud wolf whistle which echoes around the steely walls. I won’t deny, it was, by far, the best warm-up ever, made all the better because she was here.
“Okay, guys. Let’s get down to it.” Tommy shouts after taking a swig from his water bottle.
Cal meets my eyes, the smile never leaving her mouth, so I run over and grab another kiss before we’re forced to rein it in.
Taking my place back at the mic, my eyes trace back in Cal’s direction. There was a time when the band was all I cared about, and music was my only passion, but things change. I can honestly say, if I was given a choice between her body pressed against mine or my guitar placed in the same spot, Cal would win every time. Despite finding it hard to focus on the music, I know I have to get down to work.
Thoughts of Cal naked and in my arms are interrupted. Dani seems harassed as she hurries across the warehouse floor with a much calmer looking Bernie behind her.
“We’re here, don’t panic,” she calls with every stride. I mean, there is no panic. Why would there be?
We have ten songs lined up, but a couple need re-working, so we take several sections at a time. Cal’s eyes are tempting me for pretty much the whole set. I can’t wait to getthis done so I can take her home and show her how much her support means to me.
When we finish, there’s no doubt the new arrangements have gone well and the bounce in my performance is obvious. I put it down to Cal’s infectious energy. She isn’t shy when it comes to music. Her mouth forms each lyric, well the words she knows, while her body sways in rhythm. All I can think about while I watch is how I’ll make her move in the very same way while she’s under me tonight. I can’t wait to feel her heated, soft skin against mine. I want her more than the air I breath.
I get my head back in the game and once we’ve put together a definite running order for the ten songs and stored our equipment; I aim straight for Cal. My urgent need to get her alone overtakes me. However, I’m all too aware I have to keep things cool between us, at least while Bernie and Dani are around. I want them to see we’re together, but I can’t let them see how close we’re becoming. The last thing I need is another lecture from either of them. I’ll admit now, keeping my feelings for Cal on a low is not as easy as I thought it would be.
I make it pretty obvious where I intend to be, but as I approach Cal, I can’t believe who blocks my path as Jade appears from nowhere. I’ve never felt the pit of my stomach drop in this way before.
“You know, you guys just get better and better.” Her arms wrap around my middle before I can do anything to stop it happening. This wasn’t a well done or friendly hug, but a full-on, body pressed to mine, and a quick pinch of my arse, kind of thing. Worst of all, we’re standing right in front of the girl that matters to me most. Probably too embarrassed to know where to look, Cal’s eyes hit the floor. Jade has never shown so much interest in me before and definitely not in ourmusic, which makes me question her motives. Her moves are all for show with an audience of one; namely, Cal.
Jade is out of line and I’m quick to tell her so as I remove her arms from around me. “What the fuck are you doing here and how the hell did you get in?”
Her pout is full and over the top. “I was invited, so what’s the problem?”
My reply is sharp, but I keep my voice low. “Not by me, you weren’t.”
