“And what?”
“And you naked. He thought we were… and I let him believe it. I didn’t want you and him to… you know?”
“How the hell did I get naked?!”
“I honestly don’t know. You were naked when I got there,” he explains, shrugging his shoulders and holding out his hands in capitulation before a grin creeps over his face. “Nice body by the way,” he adds.
“You jerk! Why didn’t you just cover me up and take me home? Everyone thinks we slept together!”
“I don’t know, I was drunk too, and I didn’t think. I’m sorry.”
“Jesus Christ Marcus. You need to tell Theo the truth.”
“Why?”
“Um, because he’s angry with me for throwing myself at him, and then sleeping with you! Which now I find out didn’t even happen.”
“Yeah… I can’t do that.”
“Excuse me?” I ask disbelievingly.
Marcus wrinkles his nose a little. “He’s going to punch me in the face for it.”
“Well, I’m not coming back unless you tell him. He thinks I’m a slut. I don’t want him thinking that about me.”
“He doesn’t think you’re a slut. He thinks I’m a jackass.”
“Just fix it Marcus. If we’re going to work together. I need this straightened out.”
He steps closer to me again, looking down at me with concern in his eyes. “Don’t make me tell him. I don’t want him to think he can touch you.”
“Why? So you can string me along forever?”
“That’s not what I’m doing.”
“Isn’t it? Besides, there’s no fraternising with band members remember? He’s the one who made the rule,” I whisper, pressing my body firmer against the wall, as his inches closer toward me.
He dips his head low, and I feel his hair brush against my cheek as his lips touch lightly against my ear. “Rules are made to be broken,” he murmurs, sending chills down my spine as his voice vibrates through me.
I place my hand back on his chest, as if I think I can stop him advancing any closer. But the truth is, we’re already as close as we can get. “Just tell him,” I whisper, staring up at him and trying to look as unaffected by him as possible. Although from the way he studies my face, I’m pretty sure he can tell by the deep flush that’s blooming over my cheeks.
His hand rests against the wall above my head as he pushes his weight away from me and reaches into his pocket, retrieving a set of keys. “Fine. Just grab your fiddle. Everyone’s waiting for you.”
With that, he walks out. Leaving me on my own for a moment to calm myself down by fanning myself with the neck of my shirt. That man is trouble.
“You going to be much longer?” Kylie asks suddenly from the doorway. “We’ve got a bar out here to ru – Whoa, what were you just in here doing?”
I blow out my breath and push myself away from the wall. “Nothing. We were just talking.”
“Well, you look very flustered for a girl who was just talking. Who was that anyway? One of your band guys?”
“Yeah. That was Marcus.”
“Well, he’s hot. I’d be back here letting him ravage me as well, if I was you.”
“There was no ravaging. I don’t know that it would be worth it,” I state, moving toward the locker to retrieve my bag.
“Why not?”
“He’s a bit of a love ‘em and leave ‘em guy. He just likes to tease.”
“That can be fun,” she grins before nodding toward my bag. “What’s that about?”
“Um, actually. I kind of have to go. Can you – ”
“Cover for you?” she says over the top of me. “Sure. But you know it’s going to cost you.”
“I’ll put my kindle in your bag,” I concede, rolling my eyes as I retrieve it from my own bag. “How long this time?”
“Another month should do. Although, it’s short notice, so maybe I need it for two…”
“You know what? Keep it,” I say, hitching my bag on my shoulder. “As a thank you. I’ll just read on my iPhone.” I give her a hug as I leave, feeling fairly sure that this might be the last time I ever work with her.
Detouring to my apartment to collect my violin, I notice Marcus waiting for me outside on a motorbike. It makes me feel as though I’m being herded, as if he doesn’t trust me to show up without him. Placing my bag and case on the back seat, I start for Theo’s place. The entire way there, I can see Marcus riding behind me on his bike.
“You didn’t need to follow me. I do know the way on my own,” I inform him, when we arrive at Theo’s. He simply shrugs, leading me inside to find the others in deep discussion as they all sit around a laptop staring at the screen.
“What’s going on?” Marcus asks.
“We’re reading the comments on that YouTube video,” Jack informs us as he looks up from the screen. “I hope you’re not thinking of leaving the band Naomi, these people love you.”
As I walk around behind them, they start to show me what they’ve been looking at. I lean forward, tucking my hair behind my ear as I peer at the screen. The video is of a song from our performance last Friday night, the one where Marcus and I have our singing argument.
“Wow,” I breathe, pointing at the number of views it’s had.
“I know, right?” nods Lachlan.
I shift my eyes slightly as I notice Marcus tap Theo on the shoulder and incline his head toward the door. For a moment, our eyes meet and I nod my thanks, hoping that soon this whole misunderstanding can get cleared up. Then we can move forward and focus on making this band something fantastic.
Chapter 15
Theo
“What?!” I hiss at my brother, who’s just told me the whole reason we stopped talking for the good part of a year, never really happened. “Why the hell would you let me believe that? You knew how much I liked her.”
“I don’t know. I guess I knew you wouldn’t touch her if you thought I had. It was a dick move. I know. But I promise you – I didn’t lay a finger on her. I didn’t even kiss her. It’s just… I liked her too – ok? I didn’t like seeing her with you. I got jealous.”
“Fucking hell. You’re a total dick. Out of all the girls you could be interested in, why her?”
“I don’t know. There’s something about her I guess,” he shrugs.
“If you wanted her so bad, why didn’t you ever go out with her before that night? Why did it have to be after she’d shown interest in me?”
“I don’t know. I just… never found the right moment before then.”
“So you thought if you couldn’t have her, then no one could?”
“I guess…”
“Great. So I’ve been a jerk to her for no reason at all?”
“Yeah. Pretty much,” he laughs.
“You’re all kinds of fucked up you know? I have never known anyone as selfish as you are. Shit. Get her in here. I need to apologise.” My stomach turns sour as I think of all the years I held resentment towards her. I ball my fist up and examine my misplaced knuckle, as I wonder whether it would be worth risking another one by punching my brother again.
Marcus is such a selfish brat. He’s always been the same. That typical baby of the family who gets everything handed to them and can do no wrong. Meanwhile, the oldest kid gets handed all the responsibility and feels like they have to take care of their fuck up for a brother. I sound bitter, I know. But I can’t help it. He just makes it so hard for me to like him.
I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m in a band with the guy. Well, it’s because music is the only thing he doesn’t mess up. It’s the only thing we have in common – kind of like it’s our shared language. Plus, he’s my family, so he can be a dick time and time again and I’ll keep forgiving him for it. It’s just the way we are.
Marcus walks over to the door and calls out to Naomi, who eventually appears in the doorway warily.
“Yes?” she asks, her fingers hooked in the belt loops of her jeans as she bites on her
lip anxiously, looking completely adorable. Oh god, what I wouldn’t give to kiss those lips again… especially now that I know she’s still a Marcus Free Zone.
“It’s done ok? I told him the truth,” Marcus tells her, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“Yeah, I’m sorry for treating you a bit shitty because of it all,” I say softly, watching her closely as she nods her acceptance.
“Listen, I’m sorry that I don’t remember that night. I really am. I’m pretty sure my drink was spiked – not that it’s any excuse. I should have known not to accept a drink from some random guy – it’s like, the number one rule when going out. But, I didn’t mean to come between the two of you. I never would have gone to the party if I had have known that the two guys I was interested in were brothers, and that my actions would drive a wedge between them.”
I bite my lip to stifle a grin, I can’t help it. She just said she liked me. Although, my grin falters when I see the exact same expression mirrored in my brother’s features.
“That’s not the kind of girl I am. However, I hope we can put it all behind us now. Based on what’s happening with that video, we’ve got a big chance to make something magical with this band. We can’t let a little teenage drama that happened years ago come between us and the music. So I suggest we forget about all this shit, forget the party, forget the teenage crushes and focus on making this band as great as we can. What do you say – friends?” she asks, holding her hand out for me to shake.
I briefly remember the first time she did this and feel a slight pang of guilt for being so rude to her then. I slide my hand over hers and shake it, nodding as I say, “Sure. Friends.” I can’t help but feel another pang hit deep in my stomach. It feels a bit like loss, and a lot like regret. But she’s right, we need to focus on the music – anything else could lose us everything we’ve been working toward.
As I watch her do the same handshake with Marcus, I can’t help but think that this girl holds all the power in this band right now. Bringing her in has been the thing that’s getting us noticed, but it could still be the thing that tears us apart.
A slight protectiveness builds up inside of me as I notice that Marcus spends a bit too much time holding onto her hand, talking quietly to her about how great we’re all going to be together. I vow not to let him get close to her. I know my brother. He’s interested in any pretty girl he’s yet to sleep with, and I’m not going to let him ruin this for us just because he can’t keep his dick in his pants.
“Alright, now all the cutesy friendship ceremony is over, let’s get the fuck in there and practice. This tour isn’t going to play the music by itself.
“Tour? I thought we just had a gig?” Naomi asks, looking between us.
“Yeah, the tour is the gig,” Marcus smiles.
“You might want to quit your bar job Naomi, we’re about to tour the country with Radio Silence.”
“Are you serious?! Oh my god!” she squeals, bouncing up and down and hugging the both of us. I can’t help but breathe in as I circle my arms around her small frame, the smell of soap and girly things fills my nostrils, and settles like a soft cloud in my mind. The memory of her all those years ago is still so fresh, it makes it hard for me to let go.
Friends, I remind myself as I release her and watch her run into the studio and jump all over Lachlan and Jack. Everyone is laughing and happy. I just hope things can continue like this.
“She’s a hugger,” Marcus laughs, watching as Jack spins her around excitedly.
“Yeah. She sure is,” I agree.
“Are we cool?” Marcus asks, handing me back the keys to my bike.
“Yeah man, we’re cool.”
***
Naomi
“How’s that song coming along?” I ask Theo, at the end of rehearsal. It’s almost midnight now, and the others have all packed up and gone, keen to get home. It’s been a long night, and everyone has day jobs. Although, we all need to give notice now that we’re going on tour.
“Um… yeah. It’s alright. I’m working through the lyrics. Thanks again for helping with the melody.”
I nod and smile in answer. “Do you think… I could hear them? I mean… if you don’t want to show me that’s fine. I just… um,” I can’t seem to spit out exactly what I want to say. Everything feels so awkward right now between us, and I’m trying, very unsuccessfully, to be as normal as I can.
“Ok. I’ll show you,” he says, picking up an acoustic guitar and sitting on a stool. “Now, don’t laugh. The lyrics are a work in progress,” he smiles, positioning himself before launching into the song, his fingers dancing over the strings as he plucks out the tune. “I’m leaving the intro long,” he explains as the music continues.
When he starts to sing, his voice flows through me like a gentle warmth that tickles my spine and ends with the small hairs on my body standing on end. It’s beautiful, his voice, the lyrics, the music – him…
Woke up this morning and I realised you were gone.
This house feels so empty I never thought our time was done.
I know you asked me to write you a special song
You were my muse, writing without you seems wrong
He looks up at me, still playing the music. I can’t help but smile at him as he plays and talks to me like doing the two together is the easiest thing in the world.
“I want another verse to go in here. Something about windows being open and cold coming in. I’ll work it all out, but this part here is the chorus,” he says, as he starts to sing.
Oh, please know I loved you,
Even though I was unfair
Please know I still want you
I’ll show you that I care.
Placing his hand over the top of the strings, he stops the music. “And that’s all I have so far. Like I said – it’s a work in progress.”
“I like it. You have a really beautiful voice. It reminds me of Aiden Price, that Irish singer – have you heard of him?” I ask, trying to keep him talking to me. Now that he’s lost that anger, I’m finding I just want to be around him. I’d love it if we could go back to the kind of friends we used to be.
“Of course I have. I saw him playing last time he was in Australia. He only does these small intimate shows. It was amazing,” he tells me.
“Wow, I’m jealous. He’s probably one of my all-time favourites. He uses a lot of strings in his songs as well. I love hearing the cello in his song I Recall. It’s really beautiful,” I tell him, leaning up against a low shelving unit that acts as a home to Theo’s MacBook and holds some recording gear.
“What was really beautiful?” Marcus asks, interrupting us, walking across the room and opening a cupboard door, pulling out a worn looking note book.
“Ah, Theo’s song actually. I was just saying how it reminds me of Aiden Price.” I can’t help but feel a little guilty. Like I’m being caught out wanting to spend time with only one brother. Like maybe I’m betraying my other friend. I wonder if there is a possibility that we could all somehow get along and this weirdness that occurs when all three of us are together, will ever go away.
“You’re still going on about him?” Marcus smiles. “She was constantly talking about his music in high school,” he explains, directing his speech at Theo. “Although you knew her then too. I’m sure you heard all about how awesome he is.”
“No actually. Naomi and I spent most of our time writing our own music. She helped me with this song as well actually,” Theo informs him, his eyes darkening as he gives his brother a smile that doesn’t move past his lips.
The two brothers share a silent exchange that I’m not privy to. Although I feel like there’s a decent amount of testosterone involved. My heart sinks a little as I realise how hard this is going to be now.
They both represent a part of my life where I was changing and growing. Marcus’s friendship taught me confidence, and Theo’s friendship taught me to explore my creativity and how to see the depth in people.
Yo
u know, when I think of it, Theo is probably the reason I stayed friends with Marcus for so long. I chose to see him for the musician and friend, instead of the womaniser that he was...well – is.
I realise that I’ve been trapped inside my head thinking for a while now, and the brothers are still glaring at each other.
“Ok. I guess I’d better take off,” I say, as the tension between them begins to get too much for me. “I’ll see you both next time.”
“I’ll walk you out,” they both say at exactly the same time.
A burst of nervous laughter escapes me. “I think I’ll be fine. I’m parked right out front,” I explain, picking up my things and walking out as fast as I can without looking like I’m running away.
As I drive home, I wonder how this is all going to work out. Marcus seems to think he has some sort of claim on me, and now that his brother and I are on speaking terms - I’m not sure what he’s trying to do. It’s as if he wants to keep Theo away from me. But what about what I want? I’ve always regretted losing my friendship with Aramis, and now that he’s back in my life, in the much less made up version of Theo, I’d like to somehow reconnect – as friends of course, anything else would be a fool hardy endeavour. Especially after Marcus and Theo had such a terrible falling out over me all those years ago.
A Beautiful Melody Page 9
