Lyric & the Heartbeats

by Kole, Lana

  None of them spoke, and a bead of sweat trailed down Lyric’s neck. “Adra, your station spins, if you want it to. The whole thing does, but it’s also been built to spin just the center, the part your feet are on.”

  Part of her had hoped they’d love the design as much as she did, but the longer they remained silent, the more she doubted that was true.

  “Emerson, you don’t have a fancy platform or anything, which is probably good, now that we know you don’t like the spotlight. But you have some pretty cool options for bass. And you too, Nohen, though you guys are more than welcome to jump on Desi’s stage, or Adra’s, or—”

  “You did all this for four band members you hadn’t even met yet?” Adra finally asked.

  Heat filled her cheeks at what she hoped was awe in his voice. “Well, they were going to be playing alongside me every night. I wanted them—you—to look as badass as we’re going to feel up there. And it wasn’t all me, there was a design team—”

  “Mission fudging accomplished,” Adra breathed.

  Lyric’s heart skipped a beat, and she stilled as he finally approached the stage. “I can—I can go up, right?”

  “Yes! Yeah, of course,” she said a little more coolly. She rolled her lips in to keep from rambling more about the stage, and purposely avoided looking at Emerson and Nohen. They hated it.

  Which was… fine. It had been all her idea, and she hadn’t really consulted anyone but the designers and contractors for it, so it was totally, absolutely cool if they hated—

  “It’s gorgeous,” Nohen finally said, and took a step forward. Then he turned back and looked at her. “When do we get to see it lit up?”

  The nerves in her chest wilted and she smiled. “Whenever you want. That’s what we’re here for. To run through the set and make sure everything works right.”

  “Hell yes!” Nohen took off for the stage and glanced around in search of his—he let out an otherworldly shout and dove stage right—guitars.

  “They’re fucking gorgeous!” he yelled, and came back onto stage carrying one.

  Lyric beamed at the one he’d chosen. It was one of her favorites, clear with flowers preserved into the resin. Eccentric, but pretty.

  She liked pretty things. Sue her.

  “It’s over the top,” Emerson finally murmured while he looked up at the stage beside her.

  Her heart sank, but she kept her face blank. She wouldn’t allow him to see how his words affected her—

  “But I’m starting to learn that’s not such a bad thing, princess,” he finished.

  She didn’t know if she wanted to smack him or kiss him. Lyric went with the smack, and her palm hit his arm. “You suck. Don’t scare me like that,” she complained.

  Emerson didn’t even spare her a glance, but he took a step toward the stage with a smile on his lips. “Let’s play.”

  “Play with your new toys first,” Lyric countered. “I’ll be back.”

  Lyric turned on her heel and headed for the back of the venue where the sound and lighting booth had been set up.

  Andi, lit by the glow of her cell phone, waved at her from beside the booth and began the trek to meet her in the middle. As she drew closer, Lyric watched the frown on her face deepen before she locked it away like the phone she slid into her pocket. “Come meet the sound guy. He’s safe.”

  Glancing over her shoulder, Lyric spied a man who was older than her, probably in his thirties, and waved as he met her gaze.

  “Hey there, I’m Jimmy,” he greeted when Andi and Lyric drew closer. As he reached his hand out, Lyric realized he was a beta. Safe. As if she’d expect anything less from Andi’s arrangement.

  Lyric smiled. “Hey, Jimmy. How’s everything looking?”

  “It’s great. We’re all setup, and everything should go as planned.” He offered a friendly wink. “Emphasis on should. But that’s what practice is for, right?”

  “Right,” she agreed. “Are we good to start whenever?”

  “Yeah. We already did a sound check, so we’re just looking to go through the set, start to finish, make sure all the pieces work and nothing is missing.”

  “Got it. We’ll give you a shout. Is Tom here?”

  Tom was the monitor engineer, one of the best ones Andi had ever introduced her to. They’d first crossed paths at a local show Lyric had played, and they’d stayed in touch as her career had grown. His job was to balance the music they played into their in-ear monitors, which would help them stay on beat, and allow them to hear each instrument, vocals, and any backing tracks they needed without the fuss of the stage noise.

  “He’s here, should be back any minute,” he said, and made a point to glance around.

  “Oh, good. It’s been a while. Thanks, Jimmy. Let us know when you’re ready for us to start.”

  “You got it.” With a nod, Jimmy turned back to his station and flipped a few switches, adjusting a few levels, and the lights adjusted in real time.

  Lyric approached the stage again but froze in the center of the venue.

  “Wow,” she breathed.

  Months ago, when she had first come up with the stage concept, she’d almost scrapped the whole idea. Stained glass was impossible, and adding in moving parts was too risky. Too much could go wrong, and it was expensive.

  But Andi had pushed her to work with the label, finding cheaper substitutes, and convinced her to fight for the idea she had for her stage. The set designer hired by the label had been the true genius, finding real, working parts to bring her ideas to life.

  And there it was, manifested into reality.

  Her reality.

  To think that in only a few days, she’d be on that stage, performing for thousands of people.

  “Once you get done, I need to talk to you.” Andi’s voice came from behind her, breaking into her moment. It was the serious tone that caught her attention.

  Lyric turned to meet her, and the grin that had been slowly sliding into place faltered. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  Andi’s steps stumbled a bit, and she handed a small case over. “This has all of your guys’ temporary monitors in there, just for practice. You have an appointment this evening at 6pm to get fitted for your in-ears. Payment’s already been handled, so just show up. Let the others know.”

  Lyric’s heart sped up, and she stepped forward, clutching the case in one hand and grabbing Andi’s hand with the other. “Andi, are you okay?”

  Andi sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly, her bottom lip quivering. “It’s my mom…”

  Her voice choked off, and Lyric pulled her into a hug before she finished. Her mom’s health had been declining over the past few months, and while her death was expected, it didn’t make it any easier.

  “Is she gone?” Lyric whispered, hugging her friend tight.

  Andi squeezed her arms around Lyric and shook her head. “Not yet. But the doctor’s say it could be days.”

  Lyric’s heart cracked in half for her. While her own relationship with her mother hadn’t been great, Lyric knew Andi’s mom was like her best friend.

  “Andi, you need to be with her,” Lyric said.

  Her friend froze against her and pulled back with watery eyes. “But, Lyric, it’s your first—”

  “No. At the end of the day, it’s just a job, but she is your mom. Find a temporary replacement for manager and join us when you can. If you can. There’s no pressure to return too soon.”

  “But there’s—”

  Lyric cut off her words again. “I know you’re a perfectionist, but I promise I’ll be okay. You cannot miss out on these last few days with your mom because of me. Because of a job.”

  “But—”

  “No. My calendar is synced with yours, I’ll just look at it more closely. I can keep up with appointments, and once we’re on tour, it’s just a matter of getting to the next city.”

  “The photoshoots—”

  “And going to the photoshoots. Which, again, are on the calendar,
right?”

  Andi operated her entire life by a calendar on her phone, and each appointment was filled in with contact details and important information. Even if the replacement they found was a complete idiot, Lyric would be able to handle the important stuff by herself.

  Andi nodded slowly, eyes wide and watering so much that the tears finally spilled over. Unable to handle it, Lyric pulled her in for another hug and held her best friend tight.

  “I love you, okay? Everything’s gonna be okay. You just take care of yourself, and if you need me, I’ll fly out, no matter what time it is or whether we have a show or not. Do not go through this alone, okay?”

  Andi nodded against her shoulder. She had no other brothers or sisters, which was why her and Lyric were so close. They were each other’s family, and Andi’s mom was as much Lyric’s family as she was.

  “Give her a hug for me, okay?”

  “She’ll wanna see you,” Andi murmured. “You know she loves you too.”

  “Okay, just tell me when.”

  “I’ll find out. And I’ll find a replacement.”

  Andi pulled back and wiped at her eyes. “All that matters today is testing the stage and getting your monitors fitted. Don’t miss the appointment.”

  Lyric frowned at her and grabbed her hand, pulling her toward the exit. “Actually, all that matters is you going home to be with your mom. Don’t worry about me, I’ve got it covered.”

  “Lyric,” Andi whispered as she pulled her to a stop just outside the doors. The late morning sunshine beamed down on them, but all it did was shine bright light on the dark circles beneath Andi’s eyes. “Thanks.”

  Instead of answering her, Lyric just pulled her in for another hug and squeezed tight. “I love you. Go get some sleep.”

  Andi released another shaky breath as she pulled away. “Okay. I love you too. Good luck with practice.”

  Lyric tightened her hand around the case of monitors as Andi walked away, and any nerves she’d felt over the stage, over rehearsing, was overshadowed by worry for her friend.

  One thing at a time.

  For now, rehearsal. Then the fitting. Then she could worry.

  But when she returned to the stage, Desi, Emerson, Adra, and Nohen were all gathered by the stairs, their expressions pinched as they exchanged hushed words.

  Nohen spotted her first, and he stepped forward. “Is everything okay?”

  Lyric sighed and nodded. Then she gave them the light version of what was going on with Andi, ending with, “So we might be working with a new tour manager.”

  “Will Andi be okay?” Adra asked, and her heart cracked open a little more.

  “I don’t know. But all we can do is keep practicing and show her that we’ll be okay without her. Out of everything she has going on, I want this tour to be the last thing on her mind.”

  Emerson nodded, brows dipped in seriousness. “We’ll help however we can.”

  She swallowed hard and nodded, their concern reaching right into her chest to squeeze her heart. “Thanks, guys. For now, let’s just make sure at least the stage production is good to go. Are you ready for this?”

  Lyric sucked in a deep breath, trying to answer her own question as a chorus of ‘hell yeahs’ reverberated around the arena from their little huddle.

  “Let’s do this!” Desi cheered.

  By the time the set wrapped up, she was exhausted.

  Heaviness dragged at her limbs, but after saying goodbye to some of the crew, she left the venue and stepped outside into the evening sun. The others were right behind her, and she stretched, muffling a groan of pain.

  “I’m starving,” Adra said, and scratched his stomach. Lyric watched as the shirt he was wearing formed to his body as he wiggled his fingers across the fabric, noticing that not an ounce of fat seemed to lie beneath it.

  No alphas. No pack. No distractions, no conflict.

  Yet, despite her mantra, what came out of her mouth was, “There’s still an hour and a half before the fitting appointment. How about food?”

  “Alright, spill,” she said, wiggling her fingers in Desi’s direction. “I wanna know all about this girlfriend of yours.”

  Lyric shoved another bite in her mouth, her tastebuds zinging with the hot and tangy spicy lime sauce she’d squeezed on top of her chicken tacos.

  Desi got this dreamy look on her face and pulled out her phone with no hesitation. “This is her,” she announced, swiping through her photos. When she landed on one, she chuckled softly before turning her phone around.

  Lyric couldn’t help the giggle that burst out of her. “Is she holding a sandwich?”

  The woman in question was asleep, eyes closed and mouth half opened in slumber. And resting next to her head was her hand… with a sub sandwich.

  “Yes! She had a shoot last way longer than anticipated, and by the time she got home, she grabbed half of my sandwich and crawled in bed. When I got in there, she’d only had like one bite before she fell asleep. She’d kill me if she knew I showed it to you. Here’s a better one.”

  Lyric stared at the adoration on Desi’s face and a gentle pang squeezed her heart. How fucking sweet were they?

  The next picture Desi showed made Lyric’s eyes bug out of her head, while Adra murmured, “Damn.”

  “She’s a total babe!” Nohen shouted.

  “She really is, whoa. Who took that?” Lyric asked.

  The photo looked professional. Against a brick wall stood a woman with a pixie hair cut hidden by a wide brimmed hat, in a long, flowing dress as she posed. She was looking down, a secret little smile on her face. Even though it was clearly a timed or at least directed photo, it still managed to look completely candid.

  “I did,” Desi announced. “Well, I mean, only a little. Amber picked the spot and the pose and even set the camera up, I was just supposed to press the button.”

  Desi went on to share more about their relationship, how they met—at a beta bar—how they originally just hooked up but kept running into each other. “At first, she was dead set on avoiding me, so I figured she wasn’t interested.” Desi shrugged. “Which, fine. I’ve been rejected before. But she cornered me in the bar one night when I was two seconds from taking someone else home, and she stole me away.”

  Desi sighed and stared off into the distance. Then she blinked and focused on them before her cheeks heated. “Wow, I just info dumped on you guys in a big way. Sorry. Someone else go.”

  “You guys sound so cute together,” Lyric said instead. “How long have you been together?”

  “Almost a year.”

  “When’s the anniversary?” Adra inquired, his deep voice kind and excited. “Are you going to do something big?”

  Desi glanced to Lyric before looking away. “Actually, I’ll be on the road the day of, but I’m planning a big surprise before I leave. It’ll be the longest we’ve spent away from each other since we moved in together.”

  “Oh, no,” Lyric exclaimed, her heart hurting for the couple. “Desi, I’m sorry. That really sucks—”

  “No! It’s fine. She’s beyond excited for me, and I cannot accept an apology for the best thing that’s happened to me—you know, besides Amber.”

  Lyric still couldn’t help the way she felt bad for them. She made a mental note to find out the date and make sure the bus was vacated so they could do… something. A facetime date, a phone call, whatever.

  As someone who’d never let a significant other stay around for that long, a year seemed like a big deal. It should be properly celebrated. Or at least as properly as one could from across the country.

  “Hate to burst the bubble, but we’ve got about twenty minutes to get to the appointment,” Emerson warned with a glance at his watch.

  Lyric doubled down on her taco and politely shoveled it in her mouth. They’d chosen a restaurant a few blocks over from the store, so it wouldn’t take them that long to walk over, but she didn’t want to be late.

  They wrapped up, and Lyric sipped her
water as she stood, gazing at the chips and salsa longingly. She snagged a chip and dipped it into the bowl, a dollop of salsa on the top as she shoved it between her lips.

  She turned to find the others waiting on her and she brushed her hands together before shrugging. “What? I was hungry too,” she complained.

  Lyric tried not to look too deep into the fond smiles on their faces.

  No alphas. No pack. No distractions, no conflict.

  After paying, they made their way outside and headed toward the shop for the monitors. It came into view by the second block, and Nohen whistled at the brick building. “Damn. These are gonna be expensive.”

  “Good thing they’re covered by the label,” Lyric sang sweetly, and stepped forward to get the door—

  But she was intercepted as Adra stepped around her, beating her to it and pointedly opening it for her. “Nah-ah. I’ll get the door,” he said softly.

  Lyric’s cheeks heated, and she’d never been flattered by a man—especially an alpha—being so adamant about being a gentleman.

  “Ladies first,” he declared, and she walked in first, followed by Desi.

  “That’s new. I always do that for Amber,” Desi whispered.

  With a chuckle, Lyric approached the receptionist and signed them in. By the time the pen clinked against the cup when she was done, a man walked into the lobby.

  “Ms. Ceran, welcome. I’m Matthew Tern, the audiologist who’s going to fit you for monitors. Everyone ready to get fitted?”

  They followed him back down a short hallway and into a room that reminded her of a doctor’s examination room, though more spacious. Stools and chairs were pushed against the left wall, and the right wall was taken up by a set of cabinets. The countertops were covered in a mix of strange tech devices and 3D diagrams of the ear canal. Plus other doctory things she avoided paying attention to. Doctors weren’t her favorite.