couldn’t help but laugh at the pathetic
look on his face. “Dork. Does that ever actually work on anyone?”
He threw his pick at me and it bounced off of my chest, landing
with a ‘tink’ on the wooden floor. “Ouch.” I said in an exaggerated
tone, making him chuckle.
“He’ll bring us the song when he’s ready,”
Chase piped in once the laughter died. “That’s just how Trey works,
you know that,” he said simply.
“Whatever.” O’Shea slugged my shoulder
halfheartedly. “It’s no big deal. I’ve got a few ideas I want to
bounce off of you anyway.”
I tried not to let them see me sigh in relief
as O’Shea grabbed a new pick from his mic stand and went into a
catchy riff he’d been working on. I was off the hook for now, but I
knew that my little white lie wouldn’t buy me much time. I could
already see the hours I’d be spending in my studio at home trying
to come up with something to pitch to them.
O’Shea’s riffs were good, but unfortunately
it wasn’t enough to trigger my own streak of genius like I’d hoped
it might. The studio was almost empty now as I sat on a stool
playing Liza. I saw someone approaching from the corner of my eye
and looked up to see Chase. He stopped when he reached me, a
curious look on his face. (Or maybe it was just a confused look.
It’s sometimes hard to tell with him.)
“Hey man,” I said. “I thought you’d left
already.”
“I’m not in a hurry to get anywhere.”
“No plans with Tatiana?” I was referring to
his current flavor of the week.
“With who?” He laughed at his own joke.
I chuckled and nodded to the couch nearby,
putting my guitar down. He took a seat without hesitation and
pulled off his hat, running a hand over his messy short blond hair.
Chase is my height but he’s he spends more time in the gym than any
of us. I swear he’s packed on more muscle since I saw him just last
week. He doesn’t have a problem meeting girls, but never can seem
to date the same one for long. He’s also never been particularly
observant, which is why his next question surprised me.
“Is everything okay?” he asked.
I heard the sincerity in his voice and looked
up to meet his gaze. A big part of me wanted to confess that I was
struggling with the writing, but the rest of me was screaming that
I shouldn’t give him a reason to panic. I bit my bottom lip for a
second while I debated. Chase probably wouldn’t remember this
conversation by tomorrow so where was the damage in sharing with
him?
I sighed, wondering how much to say and where
to begin. “I’m okay,” I said. “The thought of going into the studio
again is just catching me off guard a bit. I’m sure its just
writer’s block or something, but I feel like there’s this empty
void where the music should be.” (Okay, did I seriously just use
the word void?) I wondered briefly if Chase was following but he
gave me an understanding nod so I continued. “And I’ve been having
these dreams….” I was suddenly reminded of a movie scene involving
a comfortable couch and a shrink. I definitely didn’t want to try
and explain my mystery woman to Chase. He’d either laugh at me or
have me committed. “I don’t know what to do. I’m sure it will
pass.”
“Well that’s easy,” Chase said simply.
I blinked a few times and raised an eyebrow
at him. “It is?”
“You need a girl. That’s all.”
“You think that would solve my problems?” I
asked, grinning, but Aurora’s 7-Up bottle-green eyes came to
mind.
“You never really got any closure with
Nikki,” he continued. “Look, what she did to you wasn’t cool by any
standard, but it’s time to move on.” He studied me for a moment and
said, “Have you ever thought that just maybe you’re trying too
hard. You know, forcing it. Lots of bands don’t do any writing
until they hit the studio. It’s not that big of a deal. You’ll work
it out.”
His faith in me was both reassuring and
overwhelming at the same time.
look on his face. “Dork. Does that ever actually work on anyone?”
He threw his pick at me and it bounced off of my chest, landing
with a ‘tink’ on the wooden floor. “Ouch.” I said in an exaggerated
tone, making him chuckle.
“He’ll bring us the song when he’s ready,”
Chase piped in once the laughter died. “That’s just how Trey works,
you know that,” he said simply.
“Whatever.” O’Shea slugged my shoulder
halfheartedly. “It’s no big deal. I’ve got a few ideas I want to
bounce off of you anyway.”
I tried not to let them see me sigh in relief
as O’Shea grabbed a new pick from his mic stand and went into a
catchy riff he’d been working on. I was off the hook for now, but I
knew that my little white lie wouldn’t buy me much time. I could
already see the hours I’d be spending in my studio at home trying
to come up with something to pitch to them.
O’Shea’s riffs were good, but unfortunately
it wasn’t enough to trigger my own streak of genius like I’d hoped
it might. The studio was almost empty now as I sat on a stool
playing Liza. I saw someone approaching from the corner of my eye
and looked up to see Chase. He stopped when he reached me, a
curious look on his face. (Or maybe it was just a confused look.
It’s sometimes hard to tell with him.)
“Hey man,” I said. “I thought you’d left
already.”
“I’m not in a hurry to get anywhere.”
“No plans with Tatiana?” I was referring to
his current flavor of the week.
“With who?” He laughed at his own joke.
I chuckled and nodded to the couch nearby,
putting my guitar down. He took a seat without hesitation and
pulled off his hat, running a hand over his messy short blond hair.
Chase is my height but he’s he spends more time in the gym than any
of us. I swear he’s packed on more muscle since I saw him just last
week. He doesn’t have a problem meeting girls, but never can seem
to date the same one for long. He’s also never been particularly
observant, which is why his next question surprised me.
“Is everything okay?” he asked.
I heard the sincerity in his voice and looked
up to meet his gaze. A big part of me wanted to confess that I was
struggling with the writing, but the rest of me was screaming that
I shouldn’t give him a reason to panic. I bit my bottom lip for a
second while I debated. Chase probably wouldn’t remember this
conversation by tomorrow so where was the damage in sharing with
him?
I sighed, wondering how much to say and where
to begin. “I’m okay,” I said. “The thought of going into the studio
again is just catching me off guard a bit. I’m sure its just
writer’s block or something, but I feel like there’s this empty
void where the music should be.” (Okay, did I seriously just use
the word void?) I wondered briefly if Chase was following but he
gave me an understanding nod so I continued. “And I’ve been having
these dreams….” I was suddenly reminded of a movie scene involving
a comfortable couch and a shrink. I definitely didn’t want to try
and explain my mystery woman to Chase. He’d either laugh at me or
have me committed. “I don’t know what to do. I’m sure it will
pass.”
“Well that’s easy,” Chase said simply.
I blinked a few times and raised an eyebrow
at him. “It is?”
“You need a girl. That’s all.”
“You think that would solve my problems?” I
asked, grinning, but Aurora’s 7-Up bottle-green eyes came to
mind.
“You never really got any closure with
Nikki,” he continued. “Look, what she did to you wasn’t cool by any
standard, but it’s time to move on.” He studied me for a moment and
said, “Have you ever thought that just maybe you’re trying too
hard. You know, forcing it. Lots of bands don’t do any writing
until they hit the studio. It’s not that big of a deal. You’ll work
it out.”
His faith in me was both reassuring and
overwhelming at the same time.
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