by Tori Brooks
He had another of his serious expressions on his face. It was so strange to see it. Sad. Lonely. Teri resolved to fix that.
• • •
That weekend, Flynn spent a painful six hours on a plane with Bryan trying to get to know him better. Unfortunately, Bryan seemed to know Flynn pretty well and wasn’t impressed with him as a person. He didn’t deny Flynn knew the music industry, but his respect ended there.
“All right,” Flynn said, wishing he hadn’t tried so hard to break Bryan out of his shell. “Can we agree that Jess needs to be dealt with?”
Bryan shrugged. “He’s coming along. Kenny says you’re mostly to thank for that, but I’m not sure you’re really doing anyone any favors.”
“You’d rather Jess was sleeping with every bit of skirt that crossed his path?”
“Of course not. But now he’s dating Holly. He’s not going to get lucky with her, and he’s starting to realize that. Normally he would move on, and he should because they’re not a good match, but he won’t. Jess wants to show Cassie he’s capable of a real relationship.” Bryan put ‘real’ in air quotes, making Flynn have to suppress a smile.
“I thought he was dating Beth, who’s Holly?”
“Beth only wanted a quickie. Holly’s graduating with Cassie, Tiff, Brenda and me. Jess can’t break up with her because it’ll look like it’s just because she won’t put out. He wants to be deeper than that. He doesn’t get it that they don’t have anything in common. Holly’s just using Jess to have a hot boyfriend and he’s so desperate to show Cassie he can make it work, Holly can make him do anything. At least Beth was honest. She used him and let him go.”
Flynn sighed. “I’ll talk to him.”
“No, you’ll have Kenny talk to him.”
“I’m capable of talking to Jess on my own. This one is better coming from me. I started the thing with Cassie.”
“Yeah, good one. He’s not going to get her you know.”
“He knows it’s a long shot. I was honest with him. Jess doesn’t have the life experience to understand sex is an addiction and what it’ll cost him later if he doesn’t get his hormones under control. I can tell him but, unlike you, he’s unlikely to see that it had a negative impact on me.”
“And you think you’re going to score with Teri once she finds out you put Jess on Cassie’s tail?”
“She already knows, and this thing with Teri is a lot more complicated than you realize. I’m not trying to take advantage of her. She’s fragile right now, I know that. But she’s getting better.”
“Kenny told me about you and Paul.”
“Did he tell you that Paul put me here because of that rivalry? Teri’s starting to think it through, so I’m racing against the clock now. So far I’ve sidestepped most of the implications she’s realized, but it won’t be too much longer before she starts to question if I’m still interested.”
“And when she does?”
“I’ll be honest with her.”
“What if she’s not interested?”
“It doesn’t change things with the band.” Flynn studied Bryan for a moment.
“What?” Bryan demanded.
“I’m thinking about Dev’s shyness.”
“I’m familiar with the subject. Kenny won’t let it drop.”
“Any thoughts on that?”
Bryan shrugged. “I help him avoid girls. He’ll grow out of it.”
“It’s contributing to his stage fright. It’s why he and Jess fight while you’re performing.”
“Jess starts it.”
“On purpose to distract Dev, he just can’t handle the result. Kenny’s working on them.”
“Yeah, he’s coaching Dev to find ways to get even without disrupting the show. Kenny told Dev tossing Jess into my drums is as childish as Jess and he can get even all he wants as long as nobody misses a beat.”
“Good for him. I haven’t seen the results yet.”
“Jess knows something’s up. He won’t pick on Dev when we’re playing now. You’ve seen it.”
“Yeah. Dev looks like he’s ready for a fight. I didn’t realize Jess was holding back because he’s worried about what Dev will do. I can’t blame him. I’m curious but, if I were in Jess’s place, I’d be concerned too.” Flynn thought about that for a moment. “Bryan, you see them from a different point of view than Kenny and I do. Dev is waiting for Jess to start something, do you think that’ll override his stage fright?”
“Seriously? You’re going to let us do a show?”
“Something small to test his progress. Maybe I’ll invite Zane out next week.”
“Isn’t Dev flying back out to New York?”
Flynn took a deep breath and carefully started explaining the Oskar Viktor campaign redesign. Bryan was more insightful than anyone warned him about, or maybe realized, and he asked uncomfortable questions. In the end, Bryan knew as much as Teri did about the situation, including that Paul hired a psychologist to consult on Dev’s shyness.
“Everyone knows Dev is shy around girls, and no one but you figured out he wasn’t faking all those horrified looks in the ads?” Bryan asked suspiciously.
“A good photographer can stage a situation to get a reaction, and everyone assumed that was part of it. What no one realized is that it might be causing a problem. I think everyone wanted this to be another way of exposing Dev to crowds, like his skateboarding, but it’s not.”
“And you figured it out.”
“Don’t be so surprised. I see things from a different perspective.”
Bryan nodded but remained unimpressed.
Flynn tried again. “Look, you trust Kenny, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Have any problems when Kenny decided Paul had some good ideas?”
“No.”
“Well, Kenny trusts me doesn’t he? At least I think he does.”
“Yeah, he does.”
“Bit of a quandary if you trust Kenny, and Kenny trusts me, but you don’t trust me.”
Bryan looked at him doubtfully.
“It’s something for you to think about this weekend. I told you everything I can think of offhand, I expect you to use judgment before passing it on to Dev. I’d like you to feel you can talk to me, Bryan, but I’ll settle for you being able to talk to Kenny. You’re mates, it’s more important.”
“You think I’m the weak one in the band.”
Flynn looked at him sharply. “No, why?”
“You’re pulling me off to New York for drum lessons when Kenny says I play fine.”
“Generally you do, your solos need work though. You know that. We’ve worked on it, but Drew can help you more. Losing the guitars in the background distracts you and makes you stumble. I talked to Drew about it and he has some ideas.”
“So you don’t think I’m the weak link?”
Flynn shook his head. “No, Bryan, I don’t. Unfortunately if I were to put that label on one of you right now it’d be Dev. He has a serious problem to overcome, and less motivation to overcome it. He’s not interested in being a musician, he just plays along to hang out with you guys.”
“He’s a kid, give him time.”
“He’s smart though, smart enough to know what he wants. Dev shows drive when he really wants something, and he’s only putting in enough to get by. But you’re right, he’s young and things change. He could wake up tomorrow and suddenly apply himself.”
Flynn sat back in his seat as the plane started to descend. Bryan stared out the window, watching the city grow beneath them. It wasn’t the first time Flynn wondered about Dev’s future with the band. He had the ability, the look, and a desire to at least be part of the band, but Flynn wasn’t foolish enough to think it was enough. The bond of friendship was powerful at that age, especially with a kid as shy as Dev. He wondered what was going to happen when girls stopped scaring him and caught his attention, or when he graduated from high school. Flynn knew Dev was college bound and that would put a strain on the band.
>
He hoped he wasn’t going to bring this band to the big time, only to see them fall apart over something he could so easily see and yet couldn’t prepare them for.
• • •
“So, how’d New York go?” Teri asked Flynn after she took Bryan home. She picked them up at the airport instead of Jess so she could talk to him. She’d been thinking about Flynn’s reluctance to start dating again and her earlier impulse to capture the serious side of him no one ever saw.
“Good,” Flynn nodded. “Bryan and I got to spend much needed time together. We understand each other better now. Being able to just sit and talk with him without any of the others interrupting was long overdue.”
“Glad to hear it then.”
Teri fell silent trying to decide how to suggest her idea. Flynn shifted in his seat to watch her, and she found it difficult to think with his eyes on her.
“Whatever it is, spit it out,” Flynn said finally.
“I don’t suppose you found time to date this weekend.”
“You can’t be serious?” Flynn laughed. “No, I didn’t find time, or the urge either for that matter.”
“I’d like to take some pictures of you.” Teri was stunned to hear the words as she spoke them. She meant to lead up to it, not just blurt it out. Flynn looked amused when she glanced at him. She wanted to have a serious conversation, and he wasn’t going to make it easy. “No joking, please. I . . . I’m not sure how to explain this.”
“You’ve taken tons of pictures of me already. What’s so different this time? Finally getting back into erotica and need a test subject?”
“Flynn, please, no jokes.”
“I wasn’t joking actually. You seem nervous. What else am I supposed to think?”
“That’s fair I suppose.”
“So what new idea do you have? What pictures are left to be taken?”
“Serious ones,” Teri whispered. “Flynn, there’s another side of you no one gets to see. You always cover up what you’re feeling with jokes and smiles. It makes you easy to photograph, there’s no doubt about that. It’s what first tempted me to reach for my camera again, even before you took us to the airport. But . . .” Teri chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip while Flynn waited, watching.
“But what?” he prompted.
“You seem lonely, Flynn. You don’t have to be alone you know.”
He watched her, his eyes intense like they were trying to see through her. His gaze made Teri nervous.
“I wanted to snap some shots of your serious side. I think . . .”
“You think showing the world that I’m not always smiling and kidding around will somehow help me find someone willing to put up with me.”
“You’re not so bad, whatever your past. People should get to see the other side of you.”
“Whatever you want.” Flynn looked away again.
“Really?” Teri perked up, she expected a deep discussion ending in a non-answer or distraction. She certainly didn’t expect him to give in so easily.
“Might take awhile. I tend not to let my guard down around cameras and I can’t say yours will be an exception. I can’t pose it naturally. It’ll be a tribute to your skills if you can stage what I think you’re looking for.”
“I have all the patience in the world,” Teri smiled.
“You’d have to, you have six teens at home. So what’s the setting for this little project of yours?”
“I’ll just take tons of pictures when we have those deep, distracting conversations you’re so fond of and wait to get lucky.”
“Hmm, I’ll have to find more things to distract you from. In that case, how about a working dinner and I’ll tell you about New York?”
“Sounds good,” Teri smiled. She didn’t care how much he tried to distract her, as long as she could keep him semi-serious she should get a few shots.
Chapter Nine
Kenny was a bundle of nerves. Zane Burkin was coming to Seattle to hear them. When Bryan mentioned it, he stared at him in an embarrassing, stunned silence. He didn’t dare believe it. Then he felt guilty for taking Flynn’s advice and mentoring for granted for months and then so obviously hero-worshiping his lead guitarist. The thing was: Zane deserved it. He ran In Like Flynn the way Kenny would like to run A Thousand Words: with efficiency, style, and control. All the things Kenny didn’t have. Zane demanded respect. It seemed like Kenny fought Jess and Dev at every turn. He didn’t even dream of ever attaining the respect Zane had.
And Zane was coming here to see them.
Originally Kenny was sure Bryan heard wrong. He had to have. Just when Kenny decided Bryan really was wrong and even Alicia couldn’t keep him from dwelling on his disappointment, Flynn casually mentioned it over dinner.
“Oh, by the way, guys, Zane’s coming out next week. He’s already heard some of your songs, I’m bringing him out to watch you. No missing cues by throwing someone into the drums. No missing cues period.” Flynn looked at each of them briefly. “Playing for a crowd won’t be any more stressful than playing for Zane. He’s a tough crowd all on his own. I just wanted to warn you. I want you to get me a playlist, pick three songs and we’ll see if I agree.”
Kenny looked around the table, amazed at how relaxed Teri, Nicholas, Cassie, Tiff, and Brenda were. They obviously had no idea of the implications of what Flynn just said. Jess dropped his fork as he stared at Flynn as if waiting for him to start smiling and say he was only kidding. Dev looked like he might actually throw up.
Bryan knew it was coming, but he was still nervous enough to set aside the rest of his dinner. Brenda sat beside Bryan, so far the only girlfriend to start joining them recreationally, and she looked alternately at Flynn and Bryan, trying to figure out why Bryan stopped eating. She even went so far as to put her arms around him, climb onto his lap, and start whispering in his ear. Bryan barely seemed to notice. His dazed expression worried Kenny almost as much as Dev’s greenish hue did. Nothing phased Bryan. Usually. At least they were all taking it seriously.
They did too. After Flynn went home, Bryan stayed over and the four of them stayed up most of the night figuring out which three songs they would play for Zane. Which ones showcased their abilities the best? Which ones could they play flawlessly? Which had the most elegant lyrics?
In the scramble to present their best work, Dev actually picked up a pencil and refined the wording on a few songs. It made Kenny’s heart skip a beat to see him working proactively. Kenny had no patience for pride. He knew Dev had a natural flair for wording and wanted him to work on lyrics, but the younger man previously showed little interest in the songwriting process. With the pressure of Zane’s upcoming visit though, Kenny couldn’t think of how to handle the situation. Should he ignore it? Recognize Dev for the effort? Applaud the achievement? It took only thirty minutes under Dev’s critical eye to polish four songs more than Kenny could have in a week of heartache. They needed Dev’s involvement, Kenny realized with desperation close to despair. He pushed it aside. Now wasn’t the time.
Kenny tried not to stare as Dev handed the songs to him with a shrug and “sorry.”
“It’s all right. Do it again sometime,” Kenny said.
Jess pulled a sheet from Kenny’s hand and glanced at it. “Yeah, he’s better.”
The next morning Dev and Bryan stayed home from school, exhaustion from being up all night allowed them to easily convince Teri they were sick. If Flynn realized the truth, he didn’t tell her. He sat at the kitchen table and drank his coffee while he looked over the changes Dev made to the lyrics on the songs they chose. Kenny put the songs in order of preference, having a fourth on hand as a backup in case Flynn disagreed with one of the first three.
Flynn didn’t. He provisionally approved, withholding final judgment until Dev and Bryan got a couple more hours of sleep and they played the songs with the new lyrics. Jess took the sheets to make sure he had the new lyrics firmly in his mind in place of the old, and all three disappeared downstairs, leaving K
enny sitting quietly alone with Flynn.
Kenny didn’t know whether he felt relieved or not. Flynn approved. That was one hurdle behind them. Zane was pickier by far; even Flynn ranted about it on occasion. Not now of course. Flynn probably didn’t want to freak out Dev any more than he already was. But in their long conversations while Dev and Bryan were in school, Kenny picked Flynn’s brain about the business. About how In Like Flynn wrote their songs, how they recorded them, how they toured, marketed, handled publicity and interviews; anything to gain insight on what lay in front of them. Kenny needed to be prepared.
In Like Flynn had been everywhere and done it all, and Kenny wasn’t going to let a resource like Flynn’s memories go to waste. Now he wanted to question him about Zane, find something that would calm everyone down, himself included. Despite the open and straightforward relationship Kenny had with Flynn, he couldn’t find the words to articulate what he wanted to ask. Settling his head on folded arms, Kenny thought about it miserably.
• • •
Teri stood on the stairs and waited. Dev and Bryan played the ‘I’m too sick to go to school today’ routine. They weren’t sick, of course, just tired from being up all night. She played along, this time.
Teri noticed the boys’ reaction when Flynn mentioned Zane coming out, it was hard to ignore. Between dropped utensils and dropped jaws, Teri wanted to question Flynn about it. Dev and Bryan actually failed to finish dinner, which was worrisome enough in itself. Flynn left before she got a chance to corner him last night. Now she knew the boys stayed up all night and that was the last straw. The band wasn’t allowed to interfere with school.
Dev, Bryan and Jess returned downstairs, leaving Kenny hunched over at the table, head resting on folded arms as he watched Flynn drink his coffee. This was as good a time as any, Teri decided. She left the staircase leading up to her room and set about getting herself a coffee as well. Taking her mug, she sat down at the dining room table and caught Flynn’s attention.
