Transitions (A Thousand Words Book 1)

by Brooks, Tori

  “Does that include the duet with Erika Atlas?” Lindsay asked, moving closer so her lips brushed Dev’s as she spoke. Dev froze.

  “No. I’ll meet up with her in a studio in New York next weekend.”

  “Why didn’t you mention that? Why did I have to find out about this project from Ruby? Why do I need Olly to watch the music industry rumor mill for hints of what’s happening with you? And why are you hanging out with Erika Atlas when you promised me you wouldn’t . . .” Lindsay broke out in tears and turned away from Dev as she succumbed to her sobs.

  Dev ran his fingers through her hair, feeling the softness. “I was torn. I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to be upset, and didn’t know how to tell you so you wouldn’t be. That being said, it was only finalized about a week and a half ago. I figured I would tell you about it this weekend. In person seemed like a better idea. I know how you get about things like this.

  “Now, who are Olly and Ruby? And why are they watching the gossip columns?”

  “Ruby and I met in a therapy group my mom sends me to. She’s a couple years older than me. Olly’s her boyfriend,” Lindsay said with a sniffle. “They worry.”

  “About you dating me?”

  Lindsay nodded. “They don’t get it because they don’t know you the way I do and I don’t tell them much.”

  “So they’re trying to help you out by spying on me.” Dev stroked her back as he considered this. “You know what? Whatever. If they want to waste time stalking celebrity gossip sites, that’s their business.”

  “I was hoping we could double with them this weekend, but you’re going to be busy,” Lindsay said and Dev heard how upset she was. She laid down again and curled up with her back to him.

  “I’m sorry. We’ve got almost enough material now for two albums, we need to get some tracks recorded and one released. We’re already losing momentum and it’s not going to get any easier. I’ll see if we can cut out early Saturday. I still want time with you. If it’s important to you that I meet your friends, I’ll figure something out.”

  “You’ll schedule me around your studio time. Thanks.”

  “Don’t be like that,” Dev said, laying down beside her and letting his arm rest in the snug notch her waist created. “I love programming, but this is my job. You know that. I love you. You’re important to me.”

  Lindsay was quiet, but she rolled to face him. Dev reached over and wiped a tear from her cheek.

  “I know,” she whispered.

  Dev slid closer. “Listen, don’t worry about Erika. This is for publicity as much as anything. She has an established fan base and this may draw attention to us. For tonight, can I just have my Lindsay back?” Dev asked.

  Lindsay smiled and wiggled over into his arms. She kissed him, and Dev could almost believe that everything was okay after all. Of course she wasn’t completely over it. He’d have to do something to make it up to her, but he was willing to do almost whatever it took.

  ○ ○ ○

  Dev kicked back and looked over the new song with a critical eye, searching for how Kenny was going to pick this one apart. He could play it safe and just write a poem about Lindsay, but he didn’t want to. After fighting with her over that stupid ad campaign, he didn’t want to risk what might spill out onto paper. It wasn’t like he couldn’t take it back, not really. Okay, to him he couldn’t take it back, even though no one would see it. If he wrote it, the words were out there. The bitterness at . . .

  If he wanted to be honest with himself, he was annoyed that she hated the campaign. He thought it was clever. Dev was tired of people comparing him to Jess as if he somehow didn’t measure up when they were just different. And unless they were handing out awards for nailing the most women, it was Jess that wasn’t measuring up.

  It wasn’t fair of him to feel that way and Dev knew it. Jess was outgoing and confident around other people in a way Dev never would be. While he wouldn’t openly shout his friend’s personal attributes to the world, Dev wouldn’t criticize him for not choosing more academic pursuits either. Unless they were joking of course.

  Oskar Viktor’s Best Friends campaign was a great idea in Dev’s mind because it pointed out what he couldn’t quite articulate himself – that they were simply different. And it also allowed Dev to be the role model that he felt he should be.

  Lindsay’s protest cut deep, in part because he didn’t expect it from her. She was always supportive and it made him feel guilty that he never once considered what it must be like for her to have him as a boyfriend. Even after their talk, he still didn’t really know.

  Her displeasure also brought to mind Kenny’s initial fight against the campaign. Dev remembered being floored when he and Alec took Oskar’s proposal back to the band one weekend when they were in Boston.

  “Kenny, I’m honestly a little surprised,” Dev said. “I thought you’d flip for the free publicity.”

  “Yeah,” Jess echoed Dev’s surprise, a look of shock on his face. “If anything I would have thought Dev wouldn’t want to risk me overshadowing his pin-up stats.”

  Dev gave Jess a withering look.

  “Dev, you don’t get it,” Kenny said. “Jess connects with our listeners. You don’t. This is going to make it worse.”

  “Kenny, your listeners love him,” Alec said. Dev was suddenly grateful that Alec was there for this particular meeting. He heard Oskar’s pitch in person, so he knew exactly what the designer had in mind. Maybe it was just that Dev didn’t explain it right.

  “They love him, because they think he’s cute and sweet and they don’t know any better,” Kenny patiently answered Alec. “No offense, Dev, you’re like a little brother to all of us. But you’re a pain in the ass.

  “It isn’t just this campaign, it’s the fact that you’re still doing any campaigns for Oskar. You admit you don’t have time. You don’t need the experience, you can stand in front of a camera like a pro even if they do drop a model in beside you. Lindsay earned her chocolate on that one, you don’t freak out anymore. Yippee.

  “It’s not like Oskar can’t replace you. The band doesn’t need the exposure. In fact, I’d rather have you a bit more focused on lyrics than photo shoots, I think I’ve made that clear. Yet there you are, still letting Oskar use you as the focal point of his men’s line campaigns. It’s a hell of a deal for him, and you’re right, it is a little free advertising for us. But it’s not worth it.

  “This in particular isn’t worth it. I don’t particularly want the fans knowing you’re inaccessible. I’d rather they didn’t know you’re waging a very quiet war with your stepfather who’s a music icon.”

  “Of course they wouldn’t put in things like that, Kenny,” Alec said.

  “Really? So Dev will step up and say he’s all about abstinence and fidelity, and against alcohol. And you don’t think it’ll take some industrious reporter all of two seconds to point out Flynn married Trisha because she was pregnant, he was divorced three times because of affairs, he’s a known alcoholic, and say ‘Hey, wait, you never see those two in the same room together, do you?’ Because it’ll happen, Alec.”

  “I think you’re overreacting, Kenny,” Bryan said.

  “Am I?”

  “Oskar advised against saying I believe in abstinence,” Dev said.

  “Really? What did he tell you to say?” Kenny demanded.

  Alec held up his hand. “Kenny, you’re frustrated, but Dev is still working for Oskar. That’s his decision, not ours. This campaign, contrasting Dev and Jess, it’s Oskar’s gesture to keep Dev from doing an interview and genuinely being cornered by those same reporters you were just worried about. You’re right, we don’t want them asking probing questions, but Dev wants to get his feelings about certain things on the record. This is a safe way to do it.

  “Granted Oskar will benefit from it, sure. So will A Thousand Words. I think mostly Dev will benefit. I’m not worried about it hurting Dev or Flynn so much as potential backlash on Jess. I think we’ll have to watch
that,” Alec said.

  Jess shrugged. “If anyone’s been paying attention at all, nothing should be a surprise.”

  “Just the same, I think we should be careful.” With those words, Alec stopped Kenny’s tantrum and the campaign moved forward. Alec watched feedback on the website for the impact of the campaign and a week before Dev came home for Thanksgiving, Kenny flew out to Boston.

  “This is going to be good, isn’t it?” Dev asked.

  “Surprising,” Kenny said with a nod. Then Kenny made himself comfortable in an overstuffed chair overlooking the dining room and waited quietly all night while Dev and his study group worked through their projects. Dev glanced Kenny’s way a couple of times. His friend just watched and listened as they worked and made a case for a new student being little more than a script kiddie. He felt bad making Kenny wait, but Dev wasn’t expecting him so there was little he could do about it.

  “All right,” Dev said while he cleared away the last of the pizza boxes. He smiled at a cartoon toddler at a keyboard Noah drew on one, then threw it away with the rest. “Hit me with it.”

  “First, what’s a script kiddie?”

  “Someone who tries to impress people by hacking systems using programs someone else wrote instead of writing their own.”

  “So you were being rude.” Kenny stared at him as if seeing Dev in a new light.

  “We were being descriptive. Not to say Pat can’t write code, he might be able to. But if he can’t write malicious code, then he shouldn’t pretend to. Who’s he trying to impress? Like anyone wouldn’t catch on,” Dev scoffed then caught himself. Did he just admit to anything? Technically no, but this was Kenny he was talking to.

  “This is kind of our thing, Kenny. Everyone at this table spotted him for what he was.” There, anonymity amid the numbers. Hopefully.

  “Yeah. Whatever. Anyway, you know Alec’s been watching the fan reactions to that Best Friends campaign.”

  “And you’ve been looking over his shoulder,” Dev finished for him with a nod.

  “I was rightfully concerned.”

  “Fine, you were concerned. What about it?”

  “It could still go sideways on us, but it appears it might have been a good idea after all,” Kenny finished.

  Dev stared at him. He sort of wanted to ask Kenny to repeat that, maybe even ask if he could get it in writing. His dad’s long ago lecture about taking the high road rang dimly in his memory and Dev reluctantly let it go.

  “What changed your mind?” Dev asked.

  Kenny visibly relaxed when he seemed to realize Dev wasn’t going to hassle him. “Parents like you. Against all odds, they read the bit about what you stand for and completely overlook the other side of the same page detailing what Jess stands for. We’ve been declared a family-friendly band.”

  A family-friendly band? With Jess as the face photographed at a new club with a new date every weekend? The voice everyone heard in interviews with his ‘you only live once’ attitude? Not to mention a wardrobe that should make sensible mothers cringe.

  “That doesn’t make sense.” Dev shook his head.

  Kenny glared at him.

  “Not that I’m complaining!” he backtracked. “It’s just – Jess.”

  “Yeah. Apparently you make up for him. He really isn’t that bad. As a band, he doesn’t make our image any worse than anyone else out there. When we toss you into the mix though, it tips things in our favor. Also, because you’re sensitive about so many things, we don’t have any explicit lyrics or content warnings. Jess can imply all he likes, but a lot of bands –”

  “Yeah, I know. The explicit content warning label isn’t really a deterrent.”

  “Not for teenagers, or most of them anyway. Apparently parents are paying attention. Or some of them anyway. When it comes to pre-teens, we just got a boost. They don’t have a lot of disposable income, so it’s their parents buying CDs and downloads for them for their birthdays, Christmas, or whatever.”

  The dining room table was clean enough, Dev decided. He wasn’t getting anything done anyway, so he walked over to sit beside Kenny on the sofa.

  “That’s great, but what does it really mean?” Dev asked.

  “Time will tell. I talked to Alec about it. We may get more playtime at school dances where the PTA has a lot of control over what the DJ plays. Church functions too. A little in the way of sales and concert tickets, maybe. We think. The thing is, it puts some pressure on you to maintain that favor. Somehow I think you’ll be okay. You’re not putting on an act, they like you for you.”

  No pressure indeed, Dev sighed and pulled his mind back to the present. Kenny was happy about the ad campaign, and the one person Dev could always count on wasn’t. At least now he knew why.

  Dev shook the memory away, irritably. He stared at the song in his hand. Kenny wasn’t going to go for it. He’d say it was too ‘green.’ It’d probably spark another debate that A Thousand Words didn’t do political or environmental statements. Parental approval was on Dev’s side now and Kenny wanted to keep it that way, so maybe it was time for them to make environmental statements. Although political might be risky. It wasn’t worth it, Dev decided.

  Glancing at the time, Dev was astonished to find he’d been waffling over the song for longer than he thought. He was supposed to pick up Lindsay and meet her friends. Dev already forgot their names, only that they sounded like cartoon characters. Pushing the music aside again, he vowed he’d look at again later. He didn’t have time, but Dev decided he needed to start having more of an opinion on the direction the band was going. It was his image on the line too.

  Chapter Ten

  Dev took an instant dislike to Olly and Ruby, but he made the best of it. Lindsay didn’t get along with some of his friends, and he wouldn’t dream of putting her through the headaches it caused him by letting her know he didn’t like hers. It worried him, but he let it go. Dev wouldn’t see them often anyway, and maybe Lindsay would get over whatever drew her to them.

  He left Seattle and barely recovered from dealing with Olly and Ruby before he was in New York dealing with Erika Atlas. Kenny insisted Dev needed to do this project. It was a great opportunity for A Thousand Words to expand their fan base. Alec pointed out it would be good for Dev’s image too. Dev wasn’t sure about that, but couldn’t argue it either. He simply didn’t understand the process well enough.

  Erika intimidated Dev and he kept remembering how upset Lindsay was about this project. For some reason, it upset her even more when Dev admitted his relief that Erika was cool with using A Thousand Words as the band for the duet. Lindsay immediately questioned Erika’s motives. Dev promised again that he would keep his interaction with her at a minimum, although he wasn’t sure how that would be possible.

  Dev rode to the studio with Kenny and Bryan, alternately listening to Kenny’s pep talk and Bryan’s rational explanation that he and Erika were both big names in the industry. Bryan thought it was perfectly reasonable for them to pair up for a duet. It’s what artists did and it was all public relations and marketing, so Dev shouldn’t worry.

  By the time they arrived, thanks to Bryan, Dev was much calmer. He’d met other musicians, they had their first album out – with three top-ten hits from it, they were popular. He could handle this.

  Erika was waiting at the studio, and suddenly Dev wasn’t so sure he could handle this. Her long, dark hair sported blue stripes framing her face. Erika’s eyelashes were unnaturally long and thick. He knew it was mascara, Dev just wasn’t used to it being quite that effective. Her eyes stood out and her lips shimmered to get his attention.

  He had to get through this. Just don’t look at her, Dev told himself. Lindsay was going to kill him.

  Kenny handed him his guitar and Dev pushed his discomfort of working with Erika aside as he got down to business. They already learned to play the song and Jess took Dev aside to help him practice singing it. Overall, the studio appointment went almost like the ones before. Almost.


  Dev tried his best to just keep his distance from Erika, but she proved impossible to avoid. As they were all stuck in a couple of small rooms together, that shouldn’t have surprised him. There wasn’t any reason for Erika to be in the studio chamber when Dev, Kenny, and Bryan laid down the musical tracks, so she sat in the sound booth and watched. Dev felt her eyes on him, but at least there was a glass wall between them.

  ○ ○ ○

  Jess was late for Dev’s studio appointment with Erika, and Kenny and Bryan were going to have his head if he didn’t get there soon. It took him too long to think of a better cover story than just showing up to be supportive. That was too obvious. Bryan could get away with standing in a corner as a show of quiet support, but Dev wouldn’t buy that from Jess. The kid would immediately look for an ulterior motive, and rightly so. Their relationship was different. Once he thought of the balloons, he had to go buy some, sign autographs, buy a bucket, sign more autographs, and talk some fans into helping him fill up the balloons in the hardware store’s tiny bathroom. That last part wasn’t really that hard.

  Tipping the taxi driver to set a speed record to get him the nearly twenty blocks he needed to go earned Jess a look of disapproval. Clearly the man wasn’t a fan. The driver also questioned Jess thoroughly about the contents of the bucket, verifying several times that there was only water in the balloons and it was merely a childish prank. Jess left the taxi gratefully and dashed inside.

  Dev, Kenny, and Bryan were still doing their bit laying down the tracks.

  “You look relieved,” Erika said.

  Jess looked at her in surprise, then again when he saw what she was wearing. It was autumn and most women were pulling out their clingy cashmere sweaters. Jess already missed ‘look at me’ season, but he enjoyed ‘soft and fuzzy’ season as well. Except Erika missed the memo. She was wearing a thin silk blouse that barely covered her thin silk camisole, which didn’t fully cover her lace bra. None of it did much to hide the fact that it was air conditioned in the sound booth and she was clearly chilly. It was a nice look for her.