Driving Tempo

by Raine Thomas

  The small room where they waited almost vibrated in anticipation...though maybe that was the noise from the connecting room. In part to celebrate and in part to promote the new single, the band’s label was hosting a pre-release party for Eternal Muse that evening in St. Louis. Guests had already started to arrive. Once Christopher had updated them, the band would be transitioning into the adjacent ballroom to join the fun.

  “It’s going to be good news,” Lily said to no one in particular.

  Archer guessed she was trying to break the tense silence and had said the first thing that came to mind. He was perched on the arm of the chair she was sitting in and gave her shoulder an appreciative squeeze.

  “Of course it is,” Sydney said from her spot beside Keith on the room’s loveseat. “The song is amazing. The response has already been phenomenal.”

  “And you’ve done so much work promoting it,” Rosemary added. She had joined them at Lily’s insistence and had opted to stand near Lily’s chair. “Fernando said the station has been getting so many requests for the song that they had to direct people to social media to free up their phone lines.”

  Archer had only learned about Rosemary’s connection to L.A.’s hottest radio DJ, Nando Cruz, the day before when Sage mentioned it in passing. Apparently Rosemary’s roommate and best friend, Monique, was dating him. It had only taken a call for Rosemary to confirm that Cruz would be among the first to air “Not Mine.” She had also gotten an unreleased dance version of the song from Sage, which Cruz said he’d play during his gig at a popular local club that night.

  After revealing all of this, Sage had then gone on to inform the band about the plan he and Noelle had hatched to try and get a response from Kaila. Archer wasn’t completely on board with the idea. He worried that Rosemary might get more invested than Sage expected. Lily expressed the same concern when she heard about it.

  Still, they were grown people. They could make their own decisions. And, quite frankly, it would give House of Archer more content, easing some of the burden from him and Lily.

  “Thanks again for your help with that,” Archer said to Rosemary now.

  “Sure.”

  It so happened that Archer’s gaze brushed over Sage at that moment and caught the smile on his face. The smile disappeared when he realized Archer was looking at him. It made Archer wonder if Rosemary was the only one he needed to worry about when it came to getting overly invested in this harebrained scheme.

  Before he could dwell on it further, the door opened and Christopher walked in. Everyone immediately came to attention. Archer’s grip tightened on Lily’s shoulder as he tried and failed to read Christopher’s expression. Lily reached up and took his hand, either trying to ease the pressure on her shoulder or offering him her support.

  “Okay, boys and girls,” Christopher began, looking around the room. “I’ll just rip off the Band-Aid and let you know that ‘Not Mine’ won’t be debuting at number one.”

  Archer’s posture slumped with the same disappointment he heard in Christopher’s voice. Although he had been telling himself not to get his hopes up, he really had thought they might achieve that elusive accomplishment that only a handful of other artists had ever managed. He could tell everyone else shared his disappointment as he looked among his band mates.

  “But don’t be too hard on yourselves,” Christopher consoled them. “The number one song is performing so well that no one could catch it.”

  “Which song is that?” Xander asked.

  Christopher paused. Archer saw the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Lily must have seen it too, as she had stopped breathing.

  “‘Welcome to Wonderland,’” Christopher said at last.

  Lily gasped and clutched Archer’s hand like he might run from the room. He gripped hers just as tightly. His heart pounded like a thudding bass drum.

  The Void had released “Welcome to Wonderland” the year before on their album Sojourn. It hadn’t ever reached the number one slot. Although it had re-emerged on the charts due to the popularity of House of Archer, it hadn’t even been in the Top 10 the week before. The show’s quick rise in popularity had definitely influenced sales.

  As he had hoped, House of Archer was changing everything.

  “It’s the fastest climbing single on the charts,” Christopher went on. “I know it’s early yet, but there are rumblings of Grammy nods for ‘Wonderland.’ Not only that, but if ‘Not Mine’ continues on its current path, it might make the list since the songs both released within the eligibility window. We’ve got a couple months to see how it performs.”

  Archer’s lips parted. No words came forth.

  Not one, but two Void songs potentially receiving Grammy nominations? Could it really be possible?

  “So where is ‘Not Mine’ going to debut?” Keith asked.

  Christopher grinned. “Right now it’s looking like number five, though that could change with the overnight sales.”

  It wasn’t number one, but it was still the highest debut they’d ever had. Lily jumped up and threw her arms around Archer as the rest of the band whooped and cheered. He didn’t hesitate to pull her against him and kiss her thoroughly, ignoring everyone else in the room.

  For a moment, he thought only of Lily...the feel of her, the taste of her, the love he held for her.

  None of this would have been possible without her. He’d never be able to repay her for everything she had done to help him in the pursuit of his dreams.

  He couldn’t believe how much things had changed in less than two months. He was engaged to his best friend. He had Hollywood begging him to take acting roles and other artists clambering for him to collaborate with them on their albums. There was a reality show based on his life sitting in the number one slot among its network’s rankings. And he was very likely going to be sitting at the Grammy Awards with his band mates in a few months.

  Could life get any better?

  When they parted, he saw similar excitement in Lily’s beautiful eyes. It meant even more to him that she was sharing this experience.

  “So enjoy the party tonight,” Christopher was saying. “You’ve all earned it. Just remember that you have a concert to perform tomorrow.”

  In other words, they couldn’t get completely trashed. That wasn’t typically an issue with The Void anyway. Archer wasn’t worried and he knew their manager wasn’t either. The warning had likely been issued for the cameras in the room to make The Void appear edgier than they really were.

  Archer took a couple of minutes to exchange handshakes and hugs with everyone in the room. They deserved their moment of self-congratulation before acting like this was all par for the course among the public.

  As everyone headed for the door to join the party, Christopher said, “Lily, can I chat with you for a minute?”

  “Of course,” she said, looking at Archer in silent apology.

  He smiled. “I’ll wait out in the hall with Trey until you’re ready.”

  “Thanks.”

  She stood on her toes to give him one last kiss before nudging him gently towards the door. He gave her a wink and stepped out into the hallway dividing the smaller room from the event space. The event team had set up this space with floating walls to give the band privacy. It didn’t do much to kill the noise of the thumping music, but at least it kept their fans at bay.

  Duff, one of the House of Archer camera operators, stood in the hallway, his camera on his shoulder as he captured anything he could. Archer didn’t miss Sage taking Rosemary’s hand as they passed the camera and headed into the party. Once again, he questioned the wisdom of their plan. Once again, he told himself it really wasn’t his business.

  His phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and scanned the series of text messages awaiting him. They were all from his boyhood friend, Peter Barruco.

  He and Peter had met in Detroit during the auditions for The Living Years, where they were both trying for the part of Josh Anderson. Archer ultimatel
y got the part, but their time together during the initial audition and call-backs had forged a solid friendship.

  Peter currently alternated his time between Detroit and L.A., doing what he could to nurture his acting career. It had regrettably not amounted to much even with Archer pulling what strings he could to get him auditions. When times were tight, Peter drifted towards his supportive family in Detroit, which was where he had been when Archer recently reached out to share the news of his engagement.

  “Holy shit,” Peter had said. “Engaged?”

  “Yep.”

  “To Lily?”

  Archer had taken his friend’s disbelief in stride. Peter and Lily had only met a few times and didn’t know each other very well. All Peter had known before this phone call was that Lily was his best friend.

  “Yep,” Archer had repeated. “So, you gonna stand up for me or what?”

  “Hell, yeah,” Peter laughed. “Sign me up. I’m already planning the most unbelievable bachelor party you’ve ever seen.”

  Archer had told him that Keith would be taking care of it as the best man, but Peter couldn’t be swayed. It was part of his fun-loving personality that Archer enjoyed.

  Peter had taken the party planning to heart, as most of his text messages related somehow or other to his bachelor party. Some of the links were to websites that Archer wasn’t about to click on, certain he’d get an STD just from viewing them.

  “Mobile strippers?” Lily said over his shoulder, making him jump. “That’s handy.”

  Archer lowered his phone and saw her amused expression. “Yeah. Peter’s idea of a good time.”

  Lily schooled her expression, but not before he spotted a hint of annoyance. “Well just remember if you opt for something like that for your bachelor party, I’ll be hiring the entire Australian Thunder from Down Under troupe to come and entertain me wherever I wish. Money is no object, remember?”

  He put his arm around her shoulder and nodded soberly. “I understand, dear.”

  She laughed, easing the tension he hadn’t realized had balled between his shoulders. “What did Christopher want?” he asked.

  She shrugged and tugged him so he started walking with her towards the party entrance. “Just reviewing some social media stuff.”

  Something in her tone told him she wasn’t giving him the full truth. He couldn’t imagine what she and Christopher might have discussed that she would want to keep from him. Was he misinterpreting things?

  The wave of music pouring from the release party’s open door pushed the concern from his thoughts. Whatever had happened between Lily and Christopher, Archer was sure she would tell him when she was ready.

  They were about to celebrate one of the most significant accomplishments in The Void’s history. It was time to enjoy the moment.

  Chapter Ten

  Relief filled Lily when Dane didn’t press her for details about her conversation with Christopher. Though the topic of their conversation had been expected, it had given her a major headache.

  The Void’s manager had asked whether Lily had made her decision about whether she would accept the full-time position he had offered her a little over two weeks ago. She would be promoted to the band’s Social Media Director and would be allowed to hire anyone she wanted to support her. The salary Christopher had offered was more than double anything she had ever earned in a year. Lily hadn’t believed Christopher when he first mentioned it.

  “Lily,” he had explained when he interpreted her disbelief, “I’ve never known anyone in your role who has accomplished what you have in only two months. I know things are also being helped along by the show,” he went on when she started to object, “but there wouldn’t be a show without you. I truly believe the House of Archer team would have canceled it due to lack of air-able content.”

  She must have made a face at that, as Christopher smiled. “I’m well aware that you never wanted to become a public figure,” he said. “At least not in the way you’ve been portrayed on the show. But that’s just one more reason you deserve this position and the salary attached to it. You’ve more than proven you’re willing to do whatever it takes to help The Void succeed.

  “Although this goes against the first rule of negotiation, Lily, I’ll admit that we’ll do whatever it takes to encourage you to accept this position. We need you.”

  Lily knew they did, which only made her hesitation to accept the role more stressful to bear. Thinking about taking the position, as enticing as it was, made her feel like a sellout.

  Yes, Christopher had assured her that she could continue to pursue her writing career even while in the new role, but she couldn’t imagine actually having the time to give her writing the attention it needed to achieve any success. She had been so busy lately working on Void tasks and wedding planning that she hadn’t had time to write anything new in over a week. It had been all she could do to submit her article about Noelle’s fiancée, Mandy, to Rolling Stone and follow up about the article she had written about Brewer Street a few weeks ago.

  There was no doubt this job was causing her writing career to languish. Rather ironically, that was the exact opposite result she had anticipated when joining the tour. She supposed that hiring an assistant would help ease some of the load on her shoulders, but would it be enough?

  She worried that if she accepted this position she would lose her energy and passion for pursuing the stories she really wanted to write, caving into the “easier” path. That was something she knew could lead to misery and resentment.

  On the other hand, if she accepted the role, she’d be establishing herself in a legitimate career, building a reputation outside of House of Archer, and making a ton of money. She’d also be working closely with Dane and The Void, whom she thought of as her family. Anyone else would probably jump at this chance.

  “I promised I’d have an answer for you by the end of this week,” Lily had told Christopher. “I’m close to making a decision. Can I take the next few days to make sure I’m comfortable with it before I answer?”

  “Of course,” he said. “I’m glad you’re giving it such careful consideration.”

  His agreement to give her more time had done little to ease her mind. She felt no closer to reasoning out what she should do than she had a couple of weeks ago.

  Usually she would discuss such things with Dane. As her best friend, he had advised her through many difficult decisions. Now, though, he was far too close to the situation to give her any objective feedback.

  What was she going to do?

  She had to table her internal debate as she and Dane reached the doors leading to the party. It was time to celebrate the huge success they’d achieved with “Not Mine.”

  Focusing on that lightened the heavy weight on her mind. Being a key part of something so incredible really did make her happy. She had helped Dane achieve some of his most elusive dreams. Very little was more exciting or important to her than that.

  As though he had read her mind, he leaned down to place a brief kiss on her lips. Cameras flashed, barely registering in Lily’s thoughts.

  She’d gotten used to the media attention, something that didn’t exactly thrill her. She knew that even if she stepped out of Dane’s life right then and there, she would never reclaim the person she had once been. This tour had left her life forever altered.

  It’s for the best, she told herself, even as part of her mourned.

  She and Dane entered the room wearing their camera-ready smiles. Through the sea of cameras held by film crews and fans, Lily caught Rosemary’s gaze from where she stood beside Sage. Lily’s smile transitioned into a genuine one when Rosemary grinned and waved at her. The sisters had spent at least part of each of the last few days together working on wedding plans. Their meetings had given them a chance to get to know each other a little better. Lily had learned that her sister had a sarcastic streak a mile wide and a canny ability to cut to the chase without making it feel abrupt. It was easy to see how she was such a
successful event planner.

  Sydney had joined them in the planning sessions at Lily’s request. Having attended several of her friends’ weddings over the past year, Sydney had some good insights into what had worked well and what had left guests talking in a bad way. Since she would be one of the bridesmaids, Lily thought Sydney should participate in some of the decision-making. They had even had a few conference calls with their busy friend, Aria, who would also be standing up at the wedding.

  Lily was delighted that they were making so much progress. It felt like the September wedding might be possible with Rosemary handling everything. Lily had never been more proud of one of her family members.

  Cheers from the party crowd pulled Lily’s attention from her sister. The event space was filled with bodies, though the guest count of just over a hundred guests was rather tame for a release party. The party had been thrown together, much like everything surrounding this album. The Void had never recorded and released music this quickly. Lily had to believe that it was all coming together with such success because it was meant to be.

  Most of the guests at this party worked for the owner of the band’s record label, Tyson Wilde, who was also in attendance. The L.A. party would include more friends and family members of the band, making that one more personal and probably more enjoyable. For now, Lily would pretend that all of the strangers from Wilde’s entourage and the select media representatives in attendance were the most important people on the planet. After all, this wouldn’t be possible without them.

  Aside from those attendees were five other guests who had won their invites. Lily had hosted a big social media contest that ran for two weeks leading up to the release party as a way to gain more interest in the new single. Those who entered the contest had the chance to win an invitation to the release party as well as the chance to shadow Lily for an upcoming date to be determined where they would guest post for the day.