Lyric & the Heartbeats

by Kole, Lana

  “Just wanted to inform you that you’ve made it to the next round…”

  “You’re kidding. Really? Holy shit.”

  The more they talked and Desi’s excitement came through the line, the more Lyric liked the idea of having another woman on tour with her. Someone safe, someone she could hopefully confide in when the others became too much to be around.

  “I like her,” Lyric announced.

  “Me too. I think she’d be a good fit. Besides, how badass would it be for you to have a woman on drums?”

  “Hell yeah,” she agreed with a smile.

  “Alright. My work here is done,” Andi said once she’d made all the calls.

  “Thank you, as always,” Lyric told her, collecting their glasses emptied of coffee, and the half eaten popcorn.

  “It’s my job.”

  “Oh, hush,” she called out from the kitchen. “I know you loved listening to them too.”

  When she entered the living room again, Andi was standing with her tote resting in the couch cushion, a weepy smile on her lips.

  “No,” Lyric scolded. “No crying.”

  “Aw, but I am anyway.” She sniffed. “You’re going on your first tour. I’m so proud of you.”

  Lyric tried to run, but the beta grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into a hug. “You’re gonna do awesome, and don’t worry about the bassists. If none of them fit, we’ll scour the country if we have to. We’ll find someone.”

  Lyric returned the hug gently. “Okay. Okay, you’re right. Thank you.”

  “Love you, girl. I’ll pick you up for the second round, but I know I’ll talk to you before then.”

  Andi gave her another rib crushing squeeze before releasing her and grabbing her bag. “Toodles!”

  Lyric couldn’t help but laugh as she finger waved over her shoulder. “Toodles, bitch,” she called out as she opened the door.

  After locking up behind her, Lyric collapsed on the couch and stacked the applications into a neat pile before sliding them into a folder and throwing them back in her tote bag.

  She tried to listen to Andi, tried not to focus on the empty position of the bassist, but she couldn’t help it.

  When she envisioned herself on stage, lights gleaming down and warming her skin as she stared out into the crowd, it was easy to imagine those beside her.

  She tried not to be biased, but Nohen was there to her right, guitar clutched in hand with a friendly, open smile on his face as he played along. Behind her, lifted up on a raised stage, was Desi, bashing the drums to pieces with her passion. And on the keys, shrouded in mystery and hiding from the limelight, was Adra.

  She’d only seen them perform once, and heard their voices a handful of times, but she just had this hunch. In her gut, in her chest. That they were… right.

  But to her left, when she looked over, she couldn’t imagine any of the applicants who she’d chosen to see again.

  “That’s what the second round is for,” she reminded herself, blinking her eyes open.

  The stage disappeared, and with it, her mismatched band. She sighed. Hopefully, she’d click with someone on the second round. To fill the last empty space. The missing piece.

  Because if not?

  She didn’t know where else to look.

  “There he is,” Adra announced, grabbing another mug and directing the mouth of the carafe into the empty porcelain. “Have fun?”

  “Hey, Odd,” Emerson greeted, wiping at his eyes as he locked the door behind him. “Long couple of nights. After the set, I ended up playing at Damon’s house really late, crashed there. Then we jammed all day yesterday. Didn’t realize what time it was and didn’t want to wake you up.”

  The thoughtfulness of his roommate would never cease to amaze him. He slid the steaming mug of black coffee across their chipped counter to his roomie. “I appreciate that. I’ve been stressing about—”

  “The audition. I know. Speaking of, you won’t believe who was at the club for my set.” He gripped the mug with both hands and brought it to his lips. Adra waited patiently. Emerson didn’t usually remember that many words of the English language before his kickstart of caffeine.

  “Who?” he prompted, glancing at the clock as he sipped his own doctored coffee.

  “Miss Lyric Ceran herself.”

  Adra’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding.”

  I knew I should’ve gone to see him play.

  But he’d been too busy practicing his own music, preparing for the second round of auditions.

  “Nope. She was there with some girl. Purple hair, lots of piercings.”

  Ah, must be Andi, her agent.

  “That’s awesome, man! She got to see you play. That’s great.”

  Emerson’s brows dipped. “She’s seen me play before. Practically stole my chance to get signed. She kind of pissed me off.”

  Cocking his head to the side, Adra studied his roommate. “How so?”

  “Well…” Now he ducked his head. “You’re going to think I’m an ass.”

  Which probably meant he’d been an ass. “What did you do?”

  “She asked me if I wanted to audition for her tour.”

  Adra’s brain skipped like a scratch on a CD. “What was that?”

  “Yeah… she saw me play and caught me as I was walking by her table. Told me I’d impressed her. Then asked me to join her tour.”

  Adra sat his mug down and crossed his arms to wait. In the meantime, he tried to fend off any annoyance, at least before he understood the entire situation. “What part of that pissed you off?”

  Emerson glanced up, wincing before turning his attention to his mug. Tucking a strand of hair behind his ear, he murmured something too low to register before sipping his coffee.

  “Stop hiding behind caffeine. What did you say to her?”

  “I might’ve… told her I didn’t want to be added to some” —he glanced up again— “spoiled omega’s collection.”

  Adra’s brain short-circuited. “You’re so stupid. Why did you say that? Do you know how many people auditioned for this tour? Do you know how many got callbacks?”

  With a sigh, he brushed his hair out of his face and groaned. “I know. I’m such a shit. It just… ugh. I read too much into it, I think.”

  Adra pulled out a rickety chair and carefully eased his weight down into it. “Why the hell were you a jerk to the most popular rising artist on today’s radio?”

  “I don’t… I think it’s because she’s the most popular artist on today’s radio? I mean, I’d just played a pretty impressive set, and in the next minute she assumed I could drop everything and go on tour with her? What the hell is that about?” he vented.

  Adra groaned. “You’re… I don’t know what to say about that. Are you jealous because she’s successful and you’re not? That’s a pretty dumb thing to throw a career away over.”

  “What are you talking about, career?” Emerson asked, sipping his coffee with a scowl.

  Throwing his arms in the air, Adra tried to control his irritation, but failed. “Are you stupid? Touring with Lyric fudging Ceran would be life changing! Even if it was one tour, imagine putting that on a resume!”

  “Fuck,” Emerson said after a long moment, cursing without hesitation. “I am so stupid.”

  Adra almost sighed with relief. But then the dummy had to keep talking.

  “But I’m still not signing up to be part of an omega’s collection.”

  Rolling his eyes, Adra resisted the urge to shake his roommate. “It’s a month and a half long tour. Playing music. We’re auditioning for her band, not a pack,” Adra retorted. The words made him pause, and he tilted his head to the side, considering them.

  “I’m just… I’m not ready to put myself out there like that,” Emerson said, avoiding his gaze.

  Pointing a finger at him, Adra dumped the dregs of his coffee into the sink and sat the empty mug down. “No, you’re too prideful to admit that you messed up, and too stubborn to accept
help from anyone, even if they don’t know they’re helping.”

  When he received no answer in response, Adra scoffed and grabbed his keys. “You’re an idiot. I’m going to my audition where I hope with all my soul that she sees something in me and takes me on tour. Dude, I’d welcome her pity because it would get me a paycheck and I could get out of here,” he said, motioning to their beat-up apartment in one half of the crumbling duplex. “If you knew what was good for you, you’d suck it up, apologize, and beg her to let you audition.”

  Adra scoffed and slammed the door behind him. He fumed all the way to the hotel on Lyric’s behalf.

  She was a talented musician, and had high standards for her touring band, if the dwindled numbers were any indication.

  Adra just hoped he was lucky enough to stand out.

  We’re auditioning for her band, not a pack.

  Just how crushed would Adra be if she didn’t choose him for the position?

  No, he’d be fine. Nothing would compare to how crushed he’d been after his first pack…

  His heart threatened to beat out of his chest at just the memory, and he pushed it aside. He focused on navigating traffic and getting to the hotel.

  And if by some miracle, Lyric chose him?

  That omega would surely own him.

  “Ready?” Andi asked, clipboard in hand and a smile on her lips.

  With a deep breath, Lyric nodded. “As I’ll ever be.”

  Lyric stood in the center of a large, elegant room. It was the conference hall of a prestigious hotel. She hadn’t set foot in one so fancy since she’d been little, but the ceilings still seemed forever tall.

  Andi tapped her Bluetooth earpiece and said something to the guards outside the large doors, but all Lyric could focus on was the shiny brass knobs.

  Through those doors would walk the remaining applicants. It was time for round two. They’d all been the subject of intense interviews with the omega center, and all had passed with flying colors—except one.

  And Lyric had to finally choose who her bandmates would be. Who she’d be spending twenty-four hours a day with for six weeks straight. And that wasn’t counting the two weeks they’d spend preparing.

  Her thoughts ground to a halt when the handles turned. It was almost a relief when Adra walked through first, a smile curling his lips as he looked down at the floor and chuckled at something. It was like seeing a familiar face, and the tension in her shoulders eased.

  He technically was a familiar face. She’d watched his audition tape enough she could practically quote it. From the embarrassing introduction they’d had, to the way his fingers moved over the keys like magic, to the awkward goodbye they’d shared.

  His gaze latched onto her as he glanced up, and his footsteps stuttered before he paused in the middle of the tiled floor.

  “Hey, watch it,” a feminine voice said, and a tiny, dark-haired woman shoved his arm as she walked past him. “Oh, someone’s a little starstruck,” Desi teased over her shoulder.

  Adra’s cheeks darkened with embarrassment, and Lyric couldn’t resist the smile that graced her lips.

  Desi shot her a wink as she took a seat behind the drums like she belonged there.

  “C’mere, big guy,” she called, and waved Adra over. He took his place behind the keyboard and the synth setup and drifted his fingers over the shiny keys gently.

  They’d been instructed to leave their own equipment at home. This round was supposed to be more casual. Lyric had narrowed it down to the most talented… now she just had to narrow it down to the people she felt she could spend two months with and not want to wring their necks.

  The doors closed with a loud bang, and Lyric stood, ready to introduce herself, and wiped her sweaty hands on her jeans.

  All eyes turned to her, and she eyed the empty chair. Someone was miss—

  Knocking sounded on the door, and Lyric turned toward it, realizing who it would be a split second before Andi opened the doors.

  “I’m so sorry,” Nohen blurted, straightening his button-up shirt. “So sorry,” he muttered, rushing through the room to the empty chair.

  “I take it time management is not one of your skills then?” Lyric couldn’t help but tease.

  He ruffled a hand through his short, dark waves and sent her a lopsided grin. For a split second, she was struck stupid. He was utterly, absolutely attractive. With his warm olive skin and even warmer smile filled with absolutely no shame, she knew she needed to tear her gaze from his golden orbs before—

  “Time may not be on my side, but trust me, I know where my priorities are.”

  Heat rushed through Lyric’s body, and she did have to tear her gaze from his to focus on the rest of the room. But out of the corner of her eye, she noticed him take a seat near Desi and Adra, offering them another half smile.

  Was it just coincidence that the three people she felt most connected to had already flocked together?

  Andi clicked her pen nearby, and Lyric snapped back into the moment.

  “Welcome to round two,” she started, and then laughed softly. “That sounds so dramatic. First, thank you for being here. I was impressed in one way or another by each of you and want to see what else you can do. Underneath your chairs is a set of sheet music from one of my most complicated songs.” She waited while rustling paper filled the room, giving them time to look it over. “I want to hear you play it. It doesn’t have to be perfect, because I know it’s a difficult piece, especially the section I chose. But even more than that…”

  Andi took over, like they’d rehearsed. “You’re going to be spending six weeks crammed into a bus with four other strangers, who are most likely already in this room. Figure out the music on your own, ask for help, offer assistance, just do whatever you personally feel most comfortable with. There’s no wrong answer.”

  Which really meant there wouldn’t be a wrong answer until Lyric found the correct one.

  What Andi didn’t tell them was that Lyric would be inserting her nose into their practice sessions and trying to get to know them all while they played and, hopefully, chitchatted with each other.

  Andi dismissed them to do their own thing, and Lyric walked over to her.

  “That one is going to be a problem,” Andi stated, glancing toward Nohen.

  A smile threatened to curl her lips. “I don’t know. It’s kind of… cute?”

  “Cute, huh?” Andi asked dryly. “He’s been late. Twice.”

  “I know,” Lyric rushed to say. “But…” She didn’t know. Something about him just made her want to scoop him up and squeeze him. Or maybe for him to return the favor.

  She’d spent a few hours watching his video as well. Walking in dripping wet, late, and still playing the guitar effortlessly. The complicated riffs he’d produced had been flawless, even with his unruly hair hanging in his face.

  Speaking of complicated…

  Her gaze tracked the trio of her thoughts to the corner of the room, where they were each smiling and working together. Nohen had stolen one of the many guitars they’d provided and was tapping his fingers against the body while he stared at the paper in Desi’s hand.

  She passed the paper to Adra and pulled a pair of drumsticks from her pocket. Then she drummed on the cushion of the chair in a rhythm Lyric recognized from her own song.

  And the part that really blew Lyric’s mind? Desi wasn’t even looking at the sheet music, yet she didn’t trip up once, not at least until the very end. The dark-haired woman frowned before she started from the top, concentration lined in her expression.

  Lyric forced herself to avert her gaze, studying the rest of the room.

  A few loners had broken off and were strumming guitars or humming to themselves, focus painted their faces, and Lyric avoided them for the moment. She didn’t want to ruin their concentration.

  So instead, she approached a pair. Two guys, both strumming guitars, and they smiled as she sat down.

  “How’s it going?” she asked.

/>   Two pairs of green and blue eyes twinkled up at her, and the green-eyed one spoke first.

  “I had no idea this piece was so complicated. It sounds so… effortless when I hear it on the radio.”

  “Thanks,” Lyric said simply.

  “I honestly should’ve done a little more research, but who collabed with you on it?” the blue-eyed one asked.

  Lyric frowned at that. “Uh… no one. I wrote the lyrics and composed the music. But if what you’re asking is who mastered it, I worked with Oliver at Blue Lights Recording Studio.”

  They were both quiet for a moment, their jaws slowly sliding open. It made her cheeks heat.

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I never knew it was just you on this song. Most artists have several producers in their ears and, well…” The blue-eyed one began.

  “This one’s so good, I just assumed a whole team had worked on it,” the other finished.

  Lyric beamed. “Wow. That’s such a nice compliment. Thank you,” she said brightly. “But no, just me. I’m very… adamant about my originality and sound.”

  “For good reason,” blue said while green nodded.

  They were sweet. Impressed and polite. But Lyric only felt as if she was just talking shop with two strangers. Which is exactly what she was doing.

  The two musicians didn’t really pique her interest.

  But at least they seemed serious and dedicated.

  Which could mean they were a safe option…

  Lyric wished she could say it wasn’t a chore to check in with each other applicant, but every time she stopped to join in on the conversation to try to get to know someone new, her mind kept turning to the group in the corner of the room. She couldn’t see them, but she could hear them laugh and play together.

  Hiding her interest and curiosity, she walked toward the corner while chanting, Casual. Be casual.

  They watched her approach, and their conversation slowly drifted into silence. But it didn’t make awkwardness prickle over her senses like usual. Instead, it was almost like they were waiting for her signal.

  “Do you guys know each other?” she asked, easing into a seat when Nohen scooted a spare one closer.