Siren's Song

by Alexi Raymond

  “I’ve got a melody. I’m just trying to work out some lyrics.” Gabe nodded to Ti. “What’s the gig?”

  A slow smile finally crept over Ti’s face, fitting him better than the scowl he had been trying to enforce. “The 317 Race Day is coming up; we’re playing at the Street Fest downtown. We’re the voice of the fest. I know you’ve got a melody, but I don’t think solitude is gonna work on this one. Get up, let’s go out for lunch and see if we can’t find some inspiration.”

  “It’s…it’s right there. I can see the words, I can hear them! But they won’t come out. It’s pissing me off, man.” Gabe sat up and put his guitar down next to him on its stand. Part of him had to wonder if it was actually that he couldn’t come up with the lyrics, or if it was some sort of subconscious decision—maybe he had already quit the band and simply hadn’t come to terms with it.

  “Up. Let’s go.” Ti went to the computer and clicked through the lyrics Gabe had been up typing before he’d allowed the BE website to distract him the previous night. “Some of these aren’t bad.” Ti nodded. “What was that melody again?”

  Gabe picked his guitar back up. Long notes and a deep tone moaned through the apartment, highlighted by the light plucking of chords. It was slow and sensual with the faintest hint of possibility for speeding it up, different from their usual songs but not bad.

  Ti shook his head. “Nah, these lyrics don’t mix with the melody. That melody is too…ugh, you know, it’s like, moody. It’s sultry, like a chick should sing it at a piano bar, ya know?”

  As Ti leaned away from the computer, Gabe swooped into his place. The gig Ti had landed them was a huge deal for Banshee Exodus, and he couldn’t wait to let the fans know. The lingering worry of his writer’s block would have to get pushed through; maybe a good night’s sleep would be all he needed. “Anymore, man, I don’t know.”

  Opening for washed up bands and playing for every bar in the city was fine; the key to it was performing and hoping you made an impression. Good reviews and a growing fan base gave them hope they were on the right track, even though they’d never been approached by a label. But this event would be huge. There was no doubt representatives would be out looking for the band with enough city connections and reputation to land the Street Fest. This was it—their shot. Did he want it? Gabe pushed the thought away; his guys needed it and his fans would be psyched. Maybe everything was working out the way it needed to. He navigated to the Tour Dates section of their site and updated it from none to the dates of the fest and the location. Then he went into the chat room, surprised to see several names currently logged in this late in the morning.

  WriterGuy: “New update! Banshee Exodus just announced—317 Race Day Street Fest Official Band! Come check us out!”

  Gabe waited and watched, but no one responded. A ding alerted him that someone new had logged in. SongSiren.

  SongSiren: Hey, WriterGuy! Having a good morning?

  WriterGuy: Very good, actually! Banshee Exodus is the official band of the 317 Race Day Street Fest! You coming?

  SongSiren: I wouldn’t miss it! So cool!

  SongSiren: Where’d you get your profile pic? It’s not on any of the official pages.

  Ignoring Ti’s tapping foot at his door, Gabe clicked through his profile to see what picture he’d selected when they had started the site a couple of years ago. It was the first picture they’d taken as a band. The day they got together and messed around playing all of their favorite songs when they realized they sounded really good together. Standing with their arms over each other’s shoulders, they all wore ratty T-shirts, and worn jeans covered their skinny arms and legs. They were sure it would take no more than six months for an agent to hear their collective genius. It also struck him that she’d never asked before. His online friend had been severely stressed lately; what was changing?

  WriterGuy: That was Day 1!

  SongSiren: So cool! You’re lucky to have it!

  Gabe read the message, but his gaze flicked to the new image next to her words. Dark blonde hair hung in loose waves around pale shoulders. She had gray eyes sparkling with excitement, and her forearm remained in the shot as well as him on stage behind her. How did he not remember her? Surely he would have remembered seeing those eyes. Even the digitized version made him forget Ti waiting impatiently.

  WriterGuy: Check out your pic! How’d you do that?

  SongSiren: I got lucky!

  SongSiren: Ugh. Time for work. Gotta go!

  Gabe didn’t bother signing off to her. Over their conversations, he’d learned that once she said she had to go, she was gone. He stretched a worn out blue shirt over his chest and tugged on a pair of jeans, slid his feet into brown sandals, and a heavy hand to his back pocket told him through the well-worn fabric that, indeed, his wallet remained where he had last left it.

  “Shall we?” Gabe ignored the aggravated look on Ti’s face and easily trotted down the steps leading from his apartment to the sidewalk. He started to turn toward the restaurants they frequented the most, but Ti cleared his throat, having not moved from the sidewalk.

  “Whoa, where are we going?”

  “City inspiration is sucked dry. We’re going outside the city.” Ti unlocked the doors, letting a huffing Gabe in the passenger side before punching it down the street.

  Mentally picking his most recent melody in his mind, Gabe struggled to make the lyrics fit. The frustration he felt was only amplified with the image he couldn’t get out of his mind: a gray sky. Thunder clapped in his heart, lightning struck his brain, but the words never formed.

  Chapter 4

  “Sleeping any better?” Sarah winked as Victoria came into the kitchen.

  “Ugh. No. We’re over. I broke it off last night.” Victoria wasn’t in the mood for her friend’s innuendos. The two of them had previously determined that a little lingerie and some kinky sex was all it would take to get Victoria’s relationship back to what it had been. But they had been wrong. She couldn’t stand the way he talked to her outside of the bedroom, and she couldn’t imagine ever sleeping with him again.

  “He’s probably just stressed. Maybe he’ll come back around if you give him some time.” Sarah’s brown bob flipped as she spun with a full tray and headed out into the dining portion of the restaurant.

  With one hand, Victoria stabbed a pen through her bun while the other thrust open the swinging kitchen door as she rushed after Sarah, eager to explain. The pain of the situation wasn’t as close to her heart as it should have been. What hurt was the only friend she was really close to didn’t trust her to make the right decision about her own love life. Do I actually make bad decisions all the time? Todd’s words came back to her, but she pushed them down, yelling to Sarah over the din of the restaurant.

  “It’s over, Sarah.” Her heart paused in her chest, but it didn’t hurt. It simply paused as if to show her she couldn’t make it feel pain with the honest statement.

  “Don’t do anything irrational.” Sarah glared at her with pointed, narrow eyes but continued on to the table she was serving. Victoria stared after her. Her mind was torn between following after her to continue the conversation and following her friend’s thought to give the decision more time. Irrational. Isn’t that what Todd claimed? Maybe there was some truth to it.

  “Victoria, I’ve got two coming your way.” Melanie’s voice cut through her thoughts. Melanie paused until Victoria looked her in the face. “And have you been outside today?” She cocked an eyebrow, and her lips turned up in a vivacious smile. “It’s a scorcher.”

  A small burst of true laughter bubbled up inside, and she let it out easily. Just the distraction she needed. Their secret lingo afforded them the ability to discuss patrons without fear of being caught. The code Melanie had given her was that two hot guys had been deliberately set in her section.

  While washing her hands and taking a breather before heading to the table, Victoria’s mind went back to her earlier conversation with WriterGuy. She’d never
added a picture to her profile before, but as she looked over his and thought about the possibility of meeting someone she’d come to like chatting with, she wanted to put her own up. It was exciting, the thought of meeting someone she considered a friend and yet had no idea what he looked like. Or if he was even a “he”—she’d seen enough TV to know things weren’t always what they seemed.

  Out of all the pictures saved on her computer, there were few she could use for a profile. The hard drive was full of pictures taken with Todd, but one small folder held pictures she’d taken alone at BE concerts. The memory of the drum vibrating through the speakers with every beat, the sway of the crowd around her as they danced, and the happy glow she got from hearing their music fresh from them instead of processed onto a CD, all of it made her swoon. She wanted a picture that best represented her and what the music did for her. Finally, she’d found a self-photo in the front row. Gabe was right behind her on the stage, singing and reaching out to the crowd. The first time she’d seen the picture, she couldn’t believe her luck in positioning it just right.

  Even WriterGuy sounded impressed with the shot. Victoria smiled to herself and headed out to greet her new patrons.

  “How ya guys doing?” Barely looking up from her pad as she approached the table, the silhouettes of the two seated men barely registered in her brain.

  “Good, thanks.” Dark brown eyes smiled at her when she looked up. He looked familiar, but she couldn’t place it. His arms were well-toned, but his shirt fell flat against his chest. Whatever his job was, it consisted of upper body strength alone. She pressed out a tight smile, letting her gaze linger on him, tapping her fingers as she tried to figure out how she knew him.

  “What can I get you guys to drink?” Victoria pulled at the pen in her bun. The cap stuck to the ponytail holder, yanking her hair free along with the pen. Loose waves of hair fell around her. “Sorry, never thought taking drinks would be so dramatic, huh?”

  Laughing at her own uncoordination, Victoria looked up at the man’s partner. Her eyes locked on crystal blues that burned her soul. Breath caught in her chest, pressure and lightness overwhelming her. The itch that ran through her veins to reach out and run her hands through the curls on top of his head almost won out over better judgment. Taking one more second for herself, she gazed upon the lead singer of Banshee Exodus like he was a precious jewel. She only granted herself one chance to lock eyes with him before tearing away from him and regaining her breath. Suddenly, she knew exactly who was with him and why he looked so familiar. There they were. Close enough to touch. Breathing her air. Waiting on her to bring them their drink orders…Victoria took a calming breath and tried to tell herself that, although they were in fact the heart and soul of Banshee Exodus, they were just people. Like her. Yeah, that’s not really working.

  “Um, I’m sorry…what did you want to drink?” Victoria cleared her throat and concentrated on the pen and pad in her hand. Her fingers trembled, but she fought and won the battle to keep them still.

  The kitchen seemed forever away when Victoria finally pushed down the hall and through the steel doors. Talking to one of the cooks, Sarah’s body language flirted overtly, usual behavior that stopped at the sound of Victoria’s heavy stomps headed toward her.

  “Whoa, slow down, what’s going on? Did that guy slap your butt?”

  Victoria stopped where she stood. “What?

  “Well, why else would you be running in here!” Sarah winked at the cook. “Not that I’d run away from it.”

  “Seriously, Sarah? Do you know who Melanie sat for me?” Victoria grabbed two glasses, pushed them under the water tap, and started filling them.

  “Umm? No? She said there were hot guys headed toward you, but I didn’t look.” Sarah took a glass from Victoria and started sipping.

  After gulping down half of the water, Victoria swallowed hard. “It’s Gabe. It’s Gabe and his drummer.” She tried to contain the excitement making her fingers shake.

  Sarah’s eyes went wide in mockery. “Gabe?” She breathed in exaggeratedly and just as quickly dropped the mock excitement. “Who’s Gabe?”

  “Banshee Exodus!”

  Sarah handed Victoria her empty glass. “Oohh! Well that is exciting! So why are you back here?”

  “Getting their drinks.” She looked down at the empty glasses. “Oh! Crap! Their drinks!”

  By the time she made it back to the table, Victoria had calmed herself down enough to mask her excitement. “So, were you ready to order?” She stilled shaking hands by twirling them in the hair hanging over her shoulder.

  *

  When she had walked away from the table, Gabe couldn’t help but watch her gather loose waves of hair and pull them to the side, wrangling them into a low, side ponytail. His eyes were glued to the patch of exposed skin on her neck.

  “Inspired yet?” Ti had chuckled and waved a hand in front of Gabe’s face.

  “I know her.” Gabe’s voice came out in wonder. The universe was too big for this kind of coincidence.

  “Groupie?” Ti tore apart a roll in the bread basket.

  Gabe shook his head, rubbing his jaw. “Man, don’t I wish! Not my scene anyway, you know that.” He wished he could tell her the words WriterGuy had shared with her. He knew her and couldn’t figure out how to act like he didn’t. Not now that she stood in front of him.

  Back in the present, Gabe carefully closed off their conversation as she approached the table with their drinks. Her slender fingers set them down, swapping them for the tab of paper and pen again.

  Ti let out a low chuckle. “Well, Gabe knows what he wants. I have a couple questions actually regarding the menu, though.”

  Gabe’s foot connected with Ti’s shin, eliciting a grunt of pain, but the waitress seemed not to notice. She sat down with grace next to Ti and pointed out her favorites with enthusiasm. The two chatted lightly, but her gaze flickered to him frequently, which he knew because he hadn’t looked away from her. His hands began to sweat. The denim on the top of his thighs soaked up their moisture while Ti finally made a decision and placed his order.

  “And you?” The passion in her eyes struck him like bolts of lightning from under hooded eyes, completely debilitating him.

  “Uhh, yeah, I umm…this.” Gabe pointed to a picture on the menu without even glancing. SongSiren blushed and looked away. How he managed to embarrass her by ordering food, he didn’t exactly know. While she blushed, Gabe took the time to read the silver name tag on her shirt. Victoria. Now to tell her who he was.

  “I’m sorry. I know this is going to come across really creepy.” Victoria looked around nervously.

  “Okay?” Gabe felt his brow furrow as he watched her. From the corner of his eye, he could see Ti covering his face with one hand, straining to look away toward the kitchen.

  “You can’t have that,” Victoria said quietly.

  “Why can’t I?” The hand-sweating stopped, and his heart took pause from its race. All with the refusal to serve him what he’d ordered—even if he didn’t know what it was.

  “That’s fish. And you’re allergic.” Victoria covered her face, apparently trying to hide the blush creeping from her neck, deepening with Ti’s laugh.

  Gabe finally looked to where he’d pointed. Salmon patties. “You’re right. Wow. I guess I wasn’t paying attention to the…” Gabe cut himself off. He knew his info was all over the Internet, and he knew this girl was a fan, but he’d almost let out that he had been paying too much attention to her to register his own health. He couldn’t believe someone he’d spent so much time chatting with online and had “seen” that morning could actually be standing in front of him and be completely unaware of who he was. If he told her now, it would likely sound like a cheap pickup line. From the lead singer of a band. Hell, maybe I should go with it.

  “What were you paying attention to, Gabe?” Ti looked at him, his chin resting on clasped hands.

  “I owe you.” Gabe looked up at Victoria. Not only did he
owe her for saving him from a painful and embarrassing reaction, but lyrics flowed from her. They were an aura surrounding her that he could reach out and touch; a tangible solution to both his musical problem and an intriguing woman he wanted to know more of. “You should sit down, take your lunch break with us.”

  Gabe watched Victoria shift on her feet, her palms swiping against her apron. She shifted again, her fingers coming up to pull together the loose tresses and curled ends of her low ponytail.

  “I-I really couldn’t.”

  Rejected? Gabe struggled to find something to do with his hands. He’d been bracing to stand up and offer her a seat. He had already been thinking of skimming his hand across the small of her back as she took his seat. He wanted to touch her so badly, he wouldn’t even mind that his fingers wouldn’t be skimming across the silk of her skin but the cotton of her work shirt.

  But then again, she had said she was having guy troubles. What if they’d worked it out? The thought of someone else affecting her moods affected him in ways it shouldn’t, especially considering he was technically a stranger, and their only real conversations were under the guise of screen names and censored small talk. Gabe wasn’t the type of guy to give up on what he wanted, and he knew he wanted her badly. If anything, he could be the one to help her work through her issues and win her over that way. Channeling his inner rock star, Gabe crinkled his brows and gave his best pouty face. “But what if I get distracted again?”

  “I guess Ti will have to keep an eye on you.” She smiled at him, seemingly unswayed by his attempt. Her hip was jutted out, shifting the weight from one foot to the other, but she hadn’t left. Gabe held hopes she’d change her mind.

  *

  She could take her lunch now and use it to dine with Gabe. I don’t mean anything to them. He offered because now he knows I buy their CDs. Victoria’s mind pumped excuses out to her, reasons why she shouldn’t eat with them, get to know them. Not surprisingly, the voice in her head sounded a lot like Todd. Gabe’s gesture was nice, but she wasn’t going to make herself look like a fool by invading their space.