Later that afternoon, Zoë stood with sheer frustration while tapping her knee against a nearby amp. She and the guys were in the garage trying to make alterations to the songs that were written when Kevin had been in the band. But since his vocals were so much different than hers, Zoë had a difficult time trying to make the songs sound right with her own voice.
“I don’t understand it,” she said irritated. “My voice never does this. I can usually sing any song.”
“Well, these songs are independent. They haven’t been specially mixed and made for everybody in the whole world to sing,” Brian said trying to make her feel better. “They were just something that we put together in a garage.”
“I guess I know what you mean,” she said calming down. “But I still wish my voice would cooperate.”
“Maybe it’s just nerves,” Ricky replied.
“Nerves? I never get nervous,” she said nonchalantly.
“Why don’t we just write more songs?” Jerome suggested.
“Hey, that’s actually a good idea,” Brian said. “If we’re going to get a new singer we might as well write some new material.”
“But what about this week’s gig?” Ricky asked. “There’s no way that we’ll be able to write new stuff before then.”
“We might as well just cancel any upcoming gigs for the time being. That way we can exercise our new sound.” Brian lifted the guitar strap off his shoulder and set the guitar against the wall.
“Hey I’m in for anything you guys want to do,” Zoë said eagerly. “As long as we get to jam a lot.”
Brian scratched his head and thought for a minute. “Listen guys I have to go get some old sheet music that my dad left for me in the basement. Why don’t you guys start on some covers until I get back?” He tried to gesture Ricky without Jerome noticing.
It took Ricky a moment but he finally got Brian’s hint and followed him out of the garage. Jerome hadn’t even noticed that his cousin left until he looked up and saw that the drum set held no occupant.
“Where did Ricky go?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Zoë said. “I think he took off with Brian. It’s weird. I didn’t even hear him leave.”
“Yeah, he does that a lot.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s just been secretive and quiet lately. I don’t know what’s wrong with him anymore. I know he’s still bothered by Samantha’s death but…” he trailed off not able to finish his sentence.
“Maybe he just needs a little more time,” she said.
“Yeah, I guess,” he said. Then realizing for the first time that they were alone together things got quiet between the two of them. He didn’t know what to say or even how to act around her. Every move he made felt mechanical.
At least when he was with his friends he could relax and be himself. But right there he was on his own when it came to thinking up stuff to talk about. He looked up at her and smiled.
She smiled back. “I have a good idea,” she said with a slight sense of desire in her voice.
Jerome wondered if she was thinking the same thing she was thinking. All he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and kiss her. He didn’t care who walked in on them. “What’s that?” he asked.
“We should sing a song together,” she said. What little hope he had been hanging onto at that moment had shattered. “I could sing a song and you could accompany me on the acoustic guitar.”
“The acoustic guitar?” he said dumbfounded.
“Yeah what else?” she said almost laughing at his reaction.
He suddenly realized how stupid he looked and turned around quick to cover his embarrassment. He should’ve known she wouldn’t want to do anything like that with him. He should’ve been used to it by now, he thought as he bent down to pick up the guitar. “What song do you want to play?” he asked in a flat voice.
Zoë averted her eyes to the ceiling as she thought. “How about ‘All of Me’ We both know that one.”
He shrugged. “Okay.” He half-heartedly began to strum the familiar tune.
But when Zoë started singing it was not like it had been with the other songs. She was nailing every note with her authentic tone. The sound of her voice alone was enough for him to momentarily forget about his dour feelings against her.
As he continued to nail every chord of the soft song he looked into her eyes and she looked back. It was like a transformation. The more he played the closer he felt to her.
As her voice grew higher for the bridge, she began to step closer to him. By song, they were inseparable. It surprised him how much chemistry they held for each other at that very moment. Soon their faces were only inches apart as Zoë edged closer to Jerome.
His heart swelled in his chest as they came to the chorus. The only thing he wanted to do was drop the guitar and kiss her affectionately but he knew he couldn’t do that. If he did, it would disrupt the moment between them and he didn’t know if he would ever be able to get it back again.
He let himself get lost in the trance as he stared into her blue eyes. They were soft and full of emotion and he was so sure that she had to be feeling what he was feeling.
When the song was over they both stood there mesmerized by each other’s presence. “You have a beautiful voice,” he said softly.
She smiled and he hoped that she would take a few more steps closer. “Thanks,” she said. Her voice shook a bit and he could tell she was nervous. He looked down and noticed her sweaty palms. He looked back up at her to find that she was still staring at him. She looked away awkwardly. “I guess I better get home.”
“Oh,” he said not trying to hide the disappointment in his voice.
“But maybe we can work on more songs tomorrow,” she said.
“I’d love that,” he said just a bit too eagerly.
She’d walked off in such a hurry that she almost tripped over the thick cords that were lying on the floor. She didn’t even look back to see if he had noticed. All she wanted to do was get out of there in a hurry. She didn’t know what was happening. It wasn’t like her to get nervous so why had she been nervous then? She didn’t know what had gone on between the two of them but all she knew was that she wanted to get out of there fast.
“I don’t understand it,” she said irritated. “My voice never does this. I can usually sing any song.”
“Well, these songs are independent. They haven’t been specially mixed and made for everybody in the whole world to sing,” Brian said trying to make her feel better. “They were just something that we put together in a garage.”
“I guess I know what you mean,” she said calming down. “But I still wish my voice would cooperate.”
“Maybe it’s just nerves,” Ricky replied.
“Nerves? I never get nervous,” she said nonchalantly.
“Why don’t we just write more songs?” Jerome suggested.
“Hey, that’s actually a good idea,” Brian said. “If we’re going to get a new singer we might as well write some new material.”
“But what about this week’s gig?” Ricky asked. “There’s no way that we’ll be able to write new stuff before then.”
“We might as well just cancel any upcoming gigs for the time being. That way we can exercise our new sound.” Brian lifted the guitar strap off his shoulder and set the guitar against the wall.
“Hey I’m in for anything you guys want to do,” Zoë said eagerly. “As long as we get to jam a lot.”
Brian scratched his head and thought for a minute. “Listen guys I have to go get some old sheet music that my dad left for me in the basement. Why don’t you guys start on some covers until I get back?” He tried to gesture Ricky without Jerome noticing.
It took Ricky a moment but he finally got Brian’s hint and followed him out of the garage. Jerome hadn’t even noticed that his cousin left until he looked up and saw that the drum set held no occupant.
“Where did Ricky go?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Zoë said. “I think he took off with Brian. It’s weird. I didn’t even hear him leave.”
“Yeah, he does that a lot.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s just been secretive and quiet lately. I don’t know what’s wrong with him anymore. I know he’s still bothered by Samantha’s death but…” he trailed off not able to finish his sentence.
“Maybe he just needs a little more time,” she said.
“Yeah, I guess,” he said. Then realizing for the first time that they were alone together things got quiet between the two of them. He didn’t know what to say or even how to act around her. Every move he made felt mechanical.
At least when he was with his friends he could relax and be himself. But right there he was on his own when it came to thinking up stuff to talk about. He looked up at her and smiled.
She smiled back. “I have a good idea,” she said with a slight sense of desire in her voice.
Jerome wondered if she was thinking the same thing she was thinking. All he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and kiss her. He didn’t care who walked in on them. “What’s that?” he asked.
“We should sing a song together,” she said. What little hope he had been hanging onto at that moment had shattered. “I could sing a song and you could accompany me on the acoustic guitar.”
“The acoustic guitar?” he said dumbfounded.
“Yeah what else?” she said almost laughing at his reaction.
He suddenly realized how stupid he looked and turned around quick to cover his embarrassment. He should’ve known she wouldn’t want to do anything like that with him. He should’ve been used to it by now, he thought as he bent down to pick up the guitar. “What song do you want to play?” he asked in a flat voice.
Zoë averted her eyes to the ceiling as she thought. “How about ‘All of Me’ We both know that one.”
He shrugged. “Okay.” He half-heartedly began to strum the familiar tune.
But when Zoë started singing it was not like it had been with the other songs. She was nailing every note with her authentic tone. The sound of her voice alone was enough for him to momentarily forget about his dour feelings against her.
As he continued to nail every chord of the soft song he looked into her eyes and she looked back. It was like a transformation. The more he played the closer he felt to her.
As her voice grew higher for the bridge, she began to step closer to him. By song, they were inseparable. It surprised him how much chemistry they held for each other at that very moment. Soon their faces were only inches apart as Zoë edged closer to Jerome.
His heart swelled in his chest as they came to the chorus. The only thing he wanted to do was drop the guitar and kiss her affectionately but he knew he couldn’t do that. If he did, it would disrupt the moment between them and he didn’t know if he would ever be able to get it back again.
He let himself get lost in the trance as he stared into her blue eyes. They were soft and full of emotion and he was so sure that she had to be feeling what he was feeling.
When the song was over they both stood there mesmerized by each other’s presence. “You have a beautiful voice,” he said softly.
She smiled and he hoped that she would take a few more steps closer. “Thanks,” she said. Her voice shook a bit and he could tell she was nervous. He looked down and noticed her sweaty palms. He looked back up at her to find that she was still staring at him. She looked away awkwardly. “I guess I better get home.”
“Oh,” he said not trying to hide the disappointment in his voice.
“But maybe we can work on more songs tomorrow,” she said.
“I’d love that,” he said just a bit too eagerly.
She’d walked off in such a hurry that she almost tripped over the thick cords that were lying on the floor. She didn’t even look back to see if he had noticed. All she wanted to do was get out of there in a hurry. She didn’t know what was happening. It wasn’t like her to get nervous so why had she been nervous then? She didn’t know what had gone on between the two of them but all she knew was that she wanted to get out of there fast.