A Song For Us (Fallen Tuesday Book Two) (A Brothers of Rock Novel) (12 page)

With that running through his mind,
Gray readied himself and started to play.

The song finished and the band raced
to listen what they recorded. They crammed into the sound room and all stood
around.

“That was great,” Mack said.

“Sounded great, guys,” Dan said.
“Just great.”

Dan thought everything was great.
His words really didn’t have much impact on the band. He was there just to make
sure the soundboards were working right. Once all the music was done, they’d
meet with Frank and bring in a producer to help mix and master the songs, and
give suggestions.

Dan got the song ready and hit the
play button.

Gray turned around and faced the
back wall. He didn't want to see the rest of the band. He wanted this moment to
himself. He couldn’t help himself as he got into the songs. His fingers
twitched, wishing he were still playing the song. His head bobbed to Mack’s
powerful drumming.

The song ended just as Mack said to
do… the guitars and bass cutting out, the drums continuing, a reverb added to
give the effect that Mack was in a large, open room alone.

It was awesome.

It was perfect.

“That’s the end,” Luke said. “Right
there. Yes.”

Gray turned and faced the rest of
the band. “The end?”

“The end of the album. That’s a
perfect way to end it.”

“I’m okay with that,” Gray said.

“Hell yeah,” Mack said.

Jake and Trent nodded, but Gray
could see from the looks in their eyes that they wanted to tweak the riffs.
Maybe add more. That was fine. That would come in time.

“Shall we call Frank and have him
listen?” Luke offered.

“Yes,” Gray said. “The more we keep
him happy, the more he’ll talk to the record company. That’ll keep them calm.”

“Or annoyed,” Trent said.

“That too.”

“That’s a good thing,” Jake said.
“Maybe if Frank annoys them enough, they’ll tell him to leave them alone until
we’re done with the album.”

Gray laughed.

Luke took out his cell phone and
dialed Frank.

“Good news?” Frank asked when he
answered.

“Want to hear a new song?” Luke asked.

“What do you think?”

The band hovered around Luke’s
phone and listened to the song again. It sounded just as good as when they
played it and listened to it the first time. They let it go all the way out
with Mack’s drumming before talking to Frank again.

“What do you think?” Gray asked.

“Not that you guys would give a
shit about my opinion,” Frank said.

“Good point,” Luke said.

“I like it. I think it would be the
perfect song to end the album.”

“That’s what I said,” Luke said.

“That means you think like Frank,”
Mack said and laughed.

“Appreciate that,” Frank said.
“Again, I’ll stay in touch with the record company. Let’s get these two songs
ready so I can play them for the guys upstairs. Also, as a suggestion…”

“Oh boy,” Luke said.

“Don’t get excited,” Frank said.
“I’m working on this concept for the radio shows and smaller venues. The
logistics are always a pain in the ass. Bigger venues give us bigger revenues.
This small stuff is more for marketing, which means it costs us…”

“Get to the point,” Gray said.

“You need some new slow material to
play. Something that could be done acoustic. I figure if I book you a slot with
a radio show, you’ll get three to four songs. It would be nice to have two new
songs and two old ones. But they have to be done acoustic and still sound like
Fallen Tuesday.”

Gray nodded in agreement but didn’t
say he agreed with Frank. He looked at Luke who was also nodding.

“We talked about something like
that,” Gray said. “We’re working on it.”

“Good to hear. Keep up the good
work.” Luke reached for his phone when Frank’s voice boomed again. “Oh, yeah,
Gray?”

“Right here,” Gray said.

“That plane you needed, it’s all
taken care of. It’ll be landing a little after two. Make sure you’re there.”

Gray opened his mouth but nothing
came out.

The call ended and eyes were on
Gray.

“So, we need a couple slower
songs,” Gray said, dodging the obvious.

“Yeah, we do,” Luke said.

“Screw that,” Mack smirked. A
strong hand clamped down on Gray’s shoulder. “Who the hell are you flying
here?”

Gray sighed. He wasn’t going to get
around this one…

*

It was unbelievable. The
arrangements were all made without Carina’s involvement. She received a phone
call from someone telling her to come to a small, local airport just outside
Liering. A private jet would be waiting for one hour only. The temptation to
call Gray and ask if this was a joke overwhelmed her more than once, but Carina
knew it wasn’t a joke. Gray wanted her to fly to him. Maybe to meet Fallen
Tuesday or maybe to watch them write and record a song.

It was unbelievable.

“This is unbelievable,” Angie said
when she drove Carina to the small airport. “You get to hang out with rock
stars and I get to go to band practice with two guys eye humping me, worrying
about getting in my pants rather than writing a real song that we could maybe
attract a record deal with.”

“I don’t know what to say to that,”
Carina said.

“There’s nothing you can say.”

When Angie stopped the car, she
reached across and grabbed Carina’s wrist. “Look at me, sweetie.”

Carina looked at Angie. “What?”

“He’s doing this either because he
sees something in you with your music… or because he wants you in bed. Either
way, you win.”

“I win?” Carina asked.

“You do. I have no idea what this
is or what’s going on between you two. Consider who he is and what he can do,
right? He doesn’t have to fly you to him. There are thousands of fans, willing
fans…”

“That makes me feel better about
myself,” Carina said.

“Come on. This is really crazy, Carina.
He’s the guitarist for the hottest band right now. You get to go spend time
with him on a private freaking jet. I mean, just look at it.”

“I know,” Carina said. “It has me
nervous. I don’t know what he expects from me. I’m not a… I’m not a whore. I
don’t want to be treated like one. I’m not a groupie, okay?”

“That’s fine,” Angie said. “Just
enjoy yourself. Hey, was Chuck pissed at you for calling off work?”

“Of course,” Carina said. “I don’t
care. I told him it was an emergency.”

“Liar. Look at how much Gray has
changed you.”

“Okay, I’m done now. Thanks for the
ride.”

Carina gave a smile and opened her
door.

“Hey, Carina?” Angie called out.

“What?”

“Don’t fall in love. He is a
rockstar.”

Carina slammed the door and got her
bags out of the backseat. Before she could take a step, someone was there to
assist her. The next few minutes were a complete whirlwind. Carina was ushered
to the plane and then inside. She had never seen the inside of a private jet
before. It was a little small and intimidating, but there was nobody else there
to bother her. The pilot introduced himself and took the cockpit. A woman came
onboard and told Carina she was there to make sure she was comfortable. Carina
sat in a large leather seat and looked out the small window next to her.

She was comfortable.

And nervous as hell.

The plane began to move, and before
long, Carina was in the air. She watched the ground become smaller and just
like that she was officially out of Liering. The flight was very smooth and
very relaxing. She had a bottle of water and her thoughts. She thought of her
grandmother, but she tried to chase the bitter feeling in her stomach that pained
her. Coming to Liering was supposed to just be a temporary stop on her personal
journey to wherever the hell she was meant to go.

At one point Carina closed her eyes
and fell asleep, but the nap was short lived.

When she was told the plane was
beginning its descent, Carina’s anticipation went through the roof. The plane
would touch down and Carina would meet Gray at an airport.

As Carina exited the private jet,
she stopped and looked back.

“My bags,” she said.

The woman behind her patted her
back. “It’s fine. We’ll bring them out for you.”

Carina put her feet on the ground
and looked straight ahead. There waited a sleek black car, parked at an angle.
And there he was. Standing with his arms folded in a black shirt and jeans was
Gray. He was so sexy, and it stopped Carina dead in her tracks.

Gray walked toward Carina. The look
in his eyes was pure and electric. He was captivating and Carina quickly found
herself losing control.

He stopped right in front of her and
smiled. “You’re here.”

“I’m here.”

“How was the flight?”

“Unreal.”

Gray nodded. “I hope you don’t mind
me doing that.”

“The flight?”

“No. Trying to impress you.”

“You think a private jet is going
to impress me?”

Gray reached for one of Carina’s
hands. “I think it’s a good start. But you’ll probably be more impressed with
what’s next…”

Gray didn’t say anything else. He
released his hold on Carina’s hand and slid a hand around her waist. He walked
her to the black car and opened the passenger door, which meant Gray was going
to be driving. The thought of him behind the wheel of the car made Carina gush.
Angie’s words suddenly popped in her mind…
“Don’t fall in love. He is a
rockstar.”

(12)

Gray smiled from ear to ear. He
couldn’t help himself. Carina had actually listened to him. She’d gotten on the
private jet and flown to him. He hadn’t expected Frank to be such an ass about
it though, spilling Gray’s secret in front of the band like that. But it was fine;
Gray played it off just before the band broke up their practice session. As
luck would have it, Amy was taking the afternoon off work, so Luke was desperate
to go spend some time together. Jake and Trent were off to work on some
material, leaving Mack to join them. Unless he decided to do something else.
All of which wasn’t Gray’s problem, even if that sounded mean.

His concern was getting Carina and
now he had her, right next to him in his car.

“Just so you know, I’m not into
that fancy stuff usually,” Gray said.

“What? The private jets?”

“I don’t like it. Everyone tries to
get me to use the jet but I don’t. I usually have to be convinced to go on one.
If we have a meeting or need to be somewhere fast.”

“Why don’t you like it?”

Gray thought for a second. “I hope
I don’t sound like as ass, but I don’t want to be rich and famous.”

“But you are. You’re a rockstar.
You wanted this.”

“The music. The shows. Yes. I mean,
I don’t mind the money, trust me. But what I’m saying is that I don’t need to
be the guy who lives that image. I’m happy with just writing, recording, and
playing shows.”

“And flying women in private jets,”
Carina said.

Gray looked at her and smiled. He
gently placed his hand on top of hers. “You’re my first, Carina.”

They both laughed and Carina’s
cheeks turned red. She was nervous. He squeezed her hand. There was no need to
be nervous.

Gray drove to the studio and
parked. The building was three stories his, white and just plain boring. That
was the done on purpose though. No need to announce to the world that this was
where Fallen Tuesday was hanging out all the time. While the locals had become
accustomed to Fallen Tuesday lingering around town, there were still those who
were shocked to see a rockstar walking down the street.

“What’s this?” Carina asked.

“This is the recording studio,”
Gray said. “I need your help with something.”

“My help?”

“Yeah. I want to show you where I
work, since you showed me where you work. Then I need your help.”

Carina took her hand from Gray.
“I’m a waitress, Gray. I work at a restaurant and club. This is…” Carina’s eyes
looked to the building. “This is serious. Are there people in there?”

“You mean the rest of the band?”
Gray asked.

Carina nodded.

“No. We were working earlier, but
we split up for the day. It’ll just be you and me in there. You don’t have to
be nervous. I wouldn’t lie to you.”

“Okay,” Carina said. “Sorry. This
is just unreal for me still.”

“No need to feel that way.”

Gray exited the car and rushed to Carina’s
side. He offered his hand and she took it. From there, Gray showed her into the
studio, walking up the back set of steps. There were other people in the
building, but that didn’t concern Gray. The studio Fallen Tuesday was using was
located on the top floor. He opened the door and held it for Carina.

“The entire floor is ours,” he
said. “There’s a kitchen in the back. Some couches. A pull out couch. The sound
room. The recording room. Everything we need.”

Gray watched the look on Carina’s
face as she slowly walked the hall, eyeing everything around her. It made him
smile because it only confirmed deeper in his mind that Carina was meant for
music. Not matter how hard she tried to fight it or play it off as a hobby or
something, it was a lie. Music meant something to her and he wanted to know
what it meant and what she wanted to do with it in her life.

Some people were meant to just
play. Some were meant to play small venues. Some jammed to cover songs and
others wrote their own. And for some, like Gray and the rest of Fallen Tuesday,
they were meant to play on big stages for large crowds.

“This is amazing,” Carina said.
“I’ve never seen a studio before.”

Gray took her hand. “Here, come
with me.”

Gray took her to into the sound
room. The mixing boards stretched wall to wall. The chairs and couch where
Fallen Tuesday had been just a short time ago as they listened to their new
song were empty now.

“I’m afraid to touch anything,” Carina
said.

Gray stepped up behind her and casually
inhaled the sweet, flowery scent of her hair. “Don’t be afraid to touch, Carina.”

Gray slipped his hands over Carina’s.
He looked to the window that revealed the large room with all the instruments.
If he focused enough, he could just make out Carina’s reflection in the glass.

Was he flirting with Carina? Yes.
Was he tempting boundaries? Hell yes.

Gray couldn’t control himself.

“What are you thinking right now?”
Gray asked.

“I don’t know,” Carina said. “My
thoughts are muddled.”

“Good or bad?”

“All good, Gray. Trust me. All
good. I’m standing in the studio where Fallen Tuesday is recording their
album.”

Gray put his lips to Carina’s
cheek. He gently kissed her and then moved his lips to her ear.

“Want to hear a song?” Gray
whispered.

“Really? Of course.”

Gray hated to let Carina go and
move away from her. But if all went well, Gray planned on exploring all of Carina’s
mind and body.

“Sit down,” Gray said. He pointed
to a chair.

Carina sat.

Gray dialed up the newest song from
that day and let it play. He still couldn’t sit down when he listened to the
new music. It surged through his entire body when he listened to it. He picked
out each note and heard every thud of a drum and crash of a cymbal. In his mind
he could still see the band playing the song, recording it, making the magic of
music happen.

When the song ended, he looked at Carina.

“And…?” he asked.

“It’s really good,” Carina said.
“You know that already though.”

“I don’t know a thing.”

“Don’t be like that,” Carina said.
“That’s a great song, Gray. Did you guys record more?”

“We have one other completed song
and then a bunch of ideas.” Gray sat in a chair and wheeled it to Carina so his
knees bumped hers. He had no idea why the gesture felt so sexual to him but it
did. “Which brings me to another reason why I needed you here…”

“I don’t like the sound of this,” Carina
said.

“I have a song and I’m not sure about
it,” Gray said. “It’s missing something. Something maybe your ears can help me
with.”

“Me? I’m not… you’re a professional
musician. Why ask me?”

“Professional?” Gray asked and
smiled. “Hardly. The band was talking and we decided we needed a few slower
songs for the album. The one I started writing is slow, but I think it needs a
piano part on it. Maybe the entire thing, I’m not sure.”

Gray looked out the window to all
the instruments. He could feel Carina’s eyes burning through him.

When he looked back at her he
wasn’t sure if she was going to hug him, slap him, or leave the room.

“You want me to write a song with
you?”

“Yes,” Gray said. “Yes. Right now.
There’s no pressure, we’re here for fun. Let me play what I have and then you
give me your thoughts.”

Gray stood and took Carina’s hand.
She was flustered. Her mouth was open and she shook her head.

“I can’t… I’ve never…”

“Carina,” Gray smiled as he said
her name. “I’m not asking you marry me. I’m asking you to play the piano with
me. You spend your time working in that club, watching at all those musicians,
letting it eat you away. You have a keyboard in your bedroom. It’s in you, Carina.
This is your chance, right now, with me. Let’s write something.”

Gray showed Carina into the next
room. To him it was more like an office. Carina’s eyes suggested this was a shrine
to what could become an important timeframe in the history of Fallen Tuesday.

“Let me grab an acoustic guitar,”
Gray said. He pointed to an amp next to his head and cab stack and said, “Sit
down. Relax.”

Carina listened and took a seat,
but her right leg bounced. Gray put the guitar back down and then stood in
front of Carina, bending his legs so he could be eye level with her.

“Are you really nervous?” he asked.
“If so, I don’t want you to be forced into anything. It’s just that I sense greatness
in you.”

“Wow. Thank you,” Carina said. “My
mind is still in awe over this.”

“Tell me something about you then,”
Gray said. “Make me feel like you feel.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Try me. Tell me about the
apartment. Why there? Why are you stuck?”

“Who said I’m stuck?”

“Your eyes tell me you’re stuck,”
Gray said. “So don’t lie to me.”

“Fine,” Carina said. “I’m stuck.”

“Why?”

“My grandmother died.”

Gray widened his eyes. “Oh. Did she
live with you?”

“No. She was in a center for the
elderly. She needed the help though, so bad. I couldn’t just let her suffer
alone. So I came to Liering and did the best I could for her. She didn’t have
any money, so I had to work and that’s why I ended up in that apartment
building. It’s all I can afford.”

Gray clenched his teeth. It angered
him that he had started to forget what it felt like to struggle because of
money. The days of living in dirty apartments and musty garages may have been
memories but Gray never wanted to forget where he came from.

“She’s gone now,” Carina said. “I
know she’s no longer suffering. But for me, I’m stuck between then and now.”

Gray reached out and touched Carina’s
face. “You’re an amazing woman for helping her. I’m sorry there wasn’t anything
she could give you. I’m sure she would have.”

“I never wanted anything,” Carina
said. “Just as long as she was happy. Or at least as happy as I could make
her.”

“I can’t control the
then
part of your life,” Gray said, “but I sure as hell can help with the
now
.”

Gray leaned forward and kissed Carina.
He couldn’t get enough of her lips. He loved that look she had right before he
kissed her and right after.

“Everything you just said to me is
what makes a musician into a songwriter,” Gray said. “Channeling those
feelings. That fear. That love. That anger, even. It’s what makes us tick. It’s
what makes us appreciate the good we still have.”

Carina blinked and then wiped her
eye. She nodded. “Let’s play some music then.”

Gray smiled. “That’s the sexiest
thing you’ve ever said to me.”

Gray grabbed his guitar and a
stool. He sat and strummed, making sure the guitar was in tune. He then started
to play the slow song that had begun in Mack’s basement and made it to the
studio. Playing it again confirmed something was missing about it. The notes
were beautiful, and the sound was there, but it really needed a deeper part.

When he finished, he said, “That’s
the song.”

“I love it.”

“No. I think you like it. It’s
missing something.”

Carina looked hesitant but then she
began to nod. “Yeah.”

“I’d like to keep it clean,” Gray
said. “I don’t want Jake coming in with any loud guitar parts. I don’t want any
wild drums. I think the song can carry itself with the basic tune and then some
heavy lyrics.”

“Piano would work,” Carina said.

“Try me,” Gray said. He nodded to
the piano in the corner.

Carina stood and her face was red.
“If I mess up…”

“It’s just us. There is no messing
up. This is the writing process.”

Gray carried the guitar and the
stool to the piano. He set himself up and watched as Carina sat before the
massive instrument. This was certainly much different than the small battery
operated keyboard in her bedroom. It was intimidating, which was perfect,
because he wanted to push Carina. He knew the second she got out of her comfort
zone and understood just how great she was, she would be unstoppable.

“Do you need me to show you the
chords?” Gray asked.

Carina shook her head. “I picked it
up.”

“Amazing,” he whispered.

Carina began to play the song on
the piano. She played just the chords using her left hand, becoming comfortable
with the arrangement and the sound. As she played, Gray watched with his heart
racing. He fingered the chords and gently strummed them with his fingers,
barely making a sound. Carina continued to play the same part, over and over.
Her head nodded along.

When she touched the piano with her
right hand, she played a few notes. A couple notes were sour, definitely not in
the same key, but Carina didn’t stop. She kept playing right through the
mistakes.

Gray soon found himself unable to
play. He watched and listened in amazement and Carina pieced together a piano
part for the song. She made it through the intro, the first verse, and chorus.
Then she abruptly stopped.

“Gray?” she asked. “Is this okay?”

“You have no idea how okay it is,”
he said. “That’s perfect, Carina.”

“It’s slow.”

“It’s supposed to be slow.”

“It’s slower than how you played
it.”

“Maybe that was the problem,” Gray
said. “Let’s play it again. You take the lead and I’ll follow with the guitar.
I’ll be for background noise and nothing else. The piano has to be dominant.”

“Okay.”

The two of them began to play
again. Gray’s focus finally slipped away from Carina to the song. This was what
the song needed. It needed the slower tempo and the piano. That deep haunting
sound mixed with Luke’s vocals would be pure gold.

At the end of the first chorus,
they both stopped.

“I think we need some filler
there,” Gray said. “Something between the chorus and verse, right? I want each
part to be different. This song is going to be hard to write, play, and
perform. Because it’s going to matter.”