A Beautiful Melody by Lilliana Anderson

back from my wardrobe and survey the mess I’ve made of my room. I run my fingers through my hair, frustrated with myself for not thinking about what I was going to wear tonight.
    “I should have bought something new to wear,” I whine. “I don’t have anything!”
    Stephanie laughs as she looks at the mountain of clothing on my floor.
    “Nomes. I want you to stop this nonsense. I’m going to choose your clothes, and you’re going to go and take a shower. Gary is going to be here in twenty minutes, and then we’re leaving. You don’t have any freak out time left. So go.”
    “God, you’re such a mum now. When did you become the responsible one?” I ask, half in jest as I concede defeat and head for the bathroom.
    “I was always the responsible one,” she grins, picking through my clothes and starting to match items together.
    I laugh as I close the bathroom door, turning the shower on with a shaky hand. I try to breathe and calm down. I’ve gotten myself into such a state, that when I look in the mirror, my face is bright pink.
    “Ok, you can do this. It’s like riding a bike. You never forget how to perform. Right?” I say to my reflection, still feeling very unsure as to whether or not I’m capable of playing in front of a crowd again.
    Quickly, I shake my head and my nervous thoughts away. Steph is right – I don’t have time to freak out or I’ll be late. I test the water temperature and quickly remove my clothes, stepping into the shower recess and allowing the water to pour over my body.
    Closing my eyes, I try to picture myself on stage, strong and confident. Singing and playing at my best. In my mind, the crowd is loving me. Then my doubts take over and the crowd starts to boo me off stage.
    Rapidly, I open my eyes and shake my head again. “Just stop, this isn’t helping,” I admonish myself. “Everything will be fine… Everything will be fine.”
    ***
     

Marcus
    “Where is she Marcus?” Theo glowers. “She’s supposed to be here by now.”
    “She will be Theo, relax . She’ll be here,” I assure him as confidently as I can, although I look at my phone furtively, silently hoping I’m right.
    As if hearing my prayers, she burst s through the door, all breathless and well… gorgeous. I can see immediately what took her so long. She looks absolutely smoking hot in a short girly looking skirt, that’s purple like her violin. They show off her tan legs perfectly, my eyes can’t help but drag down the length of them, pausing at the pair of killer black heels she’s got on her feet.
    “Seriously, i f you fall over in those things, I’m not catching you,” Theo spits out. It’s the first thing anyone has said. The rest of us are just staring at her open mouthed. She’s got her hair pulled up into a messy bun and her face isn’t overly made up. It’s just enough to make her look like she’s glowing.
    “It’s ok Nomes, I’ll catch you,” Lachlan smiles.
    “Thanks,” she smiles, fidgeting slightly. I think Theo has made her feel a little self-conscious now. Fuck he can be a dick.
    “You look gorgeous , Naomi. You’re going to knock them all dead tonight,” I tell her with a wink, glad when I’m rewarded with a huge smile.
    “I hope so, ” she admits.
    “Alright ladies. Enough gushing,” Theo interrupts, clapping his hands together. “We’ve got just enough time to finish setting up before they open the doors . So let’s get this finished.”
    We finish preparing the stage as Theo talks quietly with the venue’s sound guy. Our band is doing well, but at the moment we are responsible for all of our own equipment, sound, bookings and everything else promoting a band entails.
    Theo has taken on the crux of it. He’s got a good head for the business side of things. Admittedly, we wouldn’t be where we are without him. Although, I don’t really tell him that, because I don’t want him thinking he’s the boss or anything. But it’s true. He’s like, our music