Page 13 of Lyric & the Heartbeats

She ended the call, and not three seconds later, her phone rang. The number matched the one on Renold’s application.

“Oh, no,” Andi groaned, dragging out the last syllable.

“Block him,” Lyric urged as her phone went silent for exactly three seconds before the ring tone sliced through the air again.

“Blocking, blocking!” The ringing stopped, and once she blocked the number, it remained quiet and they both released a sigh.

“Alrighty then. I need a pick-me-up, how about you?” Lyric asked as she stood and walked to her kitchen.

“Yes, please,” Andi called out.

Lyric poured them both a glass of iced coffee, adding frozen coffee cubes and a little creamer before walking them back to the living room.

“Oh, I forgot you drink the fancy stuff. Gimme,” she said happily, and held out grabby hands.

Lyric grinned as she passed her a glass and reclaimed her seat on the couch. The bowl of half eaten popcorn sat forgotten on the coffee table as Andi queued up the next applicant.

“Nohen here,” a soft voice answered sleepily.

“Hello, Nohen, this is Andi Maylen, agent for Lyric Ceran. I was calling to let you know—”

“Oh, no. If you’re calling to tell me I haven’t made it, just do it. Like a Band-Aid. Rip it off,” he pleaded.

Andi’s lips twitched and they shared a look as she continued. “Calling to let you know you’ve been selected to continue with the audition process.”

“Wait, really?” he asked, voice laced with excitement. “Even though I was late?”

Lyric’s lips twitched, and Andi looked over at her with an arched brow.

“Despite your tardiness, you’re moving on.”

Andi continued laying out the plan, about the consent form and the interview, yada yada. Lyric sipped her coffee, content to listen to the excitement in his voice. She could tell he was practically vibrating on the other line, and she couldn’t stop smiling.

“He seems nice too,” she commented after the call ended.

“Definitely welcome after the last call,” Andi said, and flipped to the next applicant.

“You’ve got Desi, who’s calling?” a feminine voice answered.

“Desi, hi. This is Andi Maylen, agent to Lyric Ceran. Is this a good time?”

“Are you kidding me? Any time is a great time to hear from you. What can I do for you?” she questioned with a hopeful hitch in her voice.

“Just wanted to inform you that you’ve made it to the next round…”

“You’re kidding. Really? Holy shit.”

The more they talked and Desi’s excitement came through the line, the more Lyric liked the idea of having another woman on tour with her. Someone safe, someone she could hopefully confide in when the others became too much to be around.

“I like her,” Lyric announced.

“Me too. I think she’d be a good fit. Besides, how badass would it be for you to have a woman on drums?”

“Hell yeah,” she agreed with a smile.

“Alright. My work here is done,” Andi said once she’d made all the calls.

“Thank you, as always,” Lyric told her, collecting their glasses emptied of coffee, and the half eaten popcorn.