I grabbed my sticks and stood up, feeling that familiar knot in my stomach. The waiting game was about to commence. It was all part of the process, and the part I hated most, because it never got easier.
“Thanks for coming down,” Kevin said.
“Thanks for having me,” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady, though I could feel the tension of uncertainty mounting.
As I turned to leave, I couldn’t help but wonder if they would call me back, or if this would just be another audition to chalk up as a “close, but not quite” moment. My insecurity gnawed at me, but deep down, I felt like something had shifted. Whether it was the energy, the chemistry, or just the fact that I was finally playing with a band that seemed togetit, I didn’t know.
But I did know one thing—I wasn’t completely surrendering to the self-doubt just yet.
SEVENTEEN
Eric
? Ramble On – Led Zeppelin ?
The rest of the week had dragged on longer than I cared to admit, like one of those half-forgotten dreams you try to shake off, but it sticks with you anyway. I’d spent the last few hours pacing around my apartment, staring at my phone like I could somehow summon a text or a call just by wiling it into existence. But no—nothing.
It had to be coming soon. The audition was four days ago. It’d never taken this long to hear back from a band.
I’d told myself that I wasn’t going to get my hopes up. I had already been through enough auditions to know how these things go. Some nights, you show up and you hit it off with a band. Other nights, you show up and feel like the odd one out. If I’m being honest, I wasn’t sure which way it had gone with Velvet Shadows.
The set had been fun and I’d felt the fire that burned between us, but...sometimes it was hard to tell if that sparkwas mutual or just me trying to convince myself that I hadn’t messed up somehow.
Still, I couldn’t help but replay the audition in my head. Over and over, I went through the songs we’d played—first that chaotic blast of energy, then the slower ballad that required restraint, and finally that last punk track where I really let loose. I’d felt like each beat had landed in the right place, but didtheythink so?
I checked my phone again. Still nothing.
I had just started to convince myself that I wasn’t going to hear from them tonight when my phone rang. My heart stopped for a second as I glanced at the screen, an unknown number staring back at me.
I took a breath, cleared my throat, and answered. “Hello?”
“Eric?”
“Yeah, this is him.”
“Hey man, it’s Josh Calloway from Velvet Shadows. How’s it going?”
I could barely breathe. I forced the words out. “Good. Uh, everything’s good. How about you?”
“We’re doing good,” he said, a small laugh in his voice. “Listen, I’m calling to talk about the audition.”
I swallowed hard, not sure if I was ready for what he was going to say.
“Yeah?” I said, trying to sound casual, but my pulse was racing. “How’d it go?”
“Well, we’ve talked it over and—” He paused for a second, letting the tension build. “We think you’re a good fit, and if you’re still interested, we’d love for you to join the band.”
I felt a burst of heat rush through me, and my breath caught in my throat. For a moment, everything around mewent still. I wasn’t sure if it was the shock of hearing the words or the fact that it felt like I’d been holding my breath since the moment I’d walked out of that rehearsal space. Either way, it now felt like the floor had been ripped out from under me, and for a brief second, I was falling.
“You’re...you’re serious?” I asked, just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.
“Yeah, man. We’re serious. We all think you’ve got the right vibe, the right energy. Max was really stoked about the way you handled that last song, especially. Kevin feels like you’re a good fit with his rhythm, and honestly, I could hear it in your playing too. We all just clicked with you.”
I wanted to scream. I wanted to run around the room, but instead, I stayed still, trying to process what he was saying. The words felt surreal. Hell, this entire moment felt surreal.VelvetShadows. Hearing their name thrown around in local music circles, talking about how they were a band on the rise, and now, they were askingmeto be part of it.
“That’s great,” I finally said, my voice hoarse.
“We’re all excited to have you on board,” Josh said, his voice full of warmth. “We think you’ll bring the right energy. We’ve got a lot of shows lined up this summer, and we were hoping you’d be able to start soon.”
