“At our gig in a couple of month,” she said proudly.
Derek choked on his mouthful, and Nic screwed up her face.
“I’m singing at that gig you know,” Charli added.
“You are, are you?” Derek asked, obviously this being news to him.
“Yep, Bryce said I could. I’ve been practising.”
“He did, and she has,” I confirmed.
“Yeah,” Nate moaned. “She has been practising a lot.”
I squinted my eyes at my son, a warning to be nice or else.
Lucy stood up and took her plate to the sink. “Perfect, a family gig. Nic, do you want to join in too?” She raised her eyebrows at her partner.
“Do you want to change Alexander’s nappies for a month?” Nic counter offered back.
“Point taken,” Lucy replied in a sweet voice. “So what song are you going to play for him, Alexis? Do you need help choosing? The gig is in two months you might want to start practising it.” Um, fuck! I only just picked up the bloody guitar, steady on.
“I haven’t really thought about it, Luce, maybe “The Only Exception” by Paramore. I don’t know.”
“Actually, that would be doable, Alexis. It’s a very basic song to learn on the guitar for most part, and I could play what you might not be able to learn in such a short space of time,” Derek said as the cogs in his brain started to turn.
“Yes, great song choice Alexis and perfect for your voice,” Lucy added, her brain cogs turning too. I’m sorry, did you just say my voice?
“What do you mean perfect for my voice?”
“It’s the perfect song for you to play and sing to Bryce at our gig. Oh my God, he is gonna die when you perform this for him.” She was so excited.
“I dunno, it’s one thing doing it in private for him, but up on stage at one of your gigs? I don’t think I can do that.” Already I felt clammy and nervous.
“Alexis, how much do you love him?”
“Lucy, that’s unfair.” You sneaky little guilt tripper.
“Well? How much?”
“More than anything.”
“Then you should do it, because I can tell you this would absolutely blow his mind.” Really?
“Can you sing?” asked Derek.
“Not—”
“Yes, she can,” Lucy interrupted.
“I can hold a tune, that’s different from being able to sing,” I corrected.
“Pfft, I know for a fact you can sing,”
“How?”
“How did Bryce say you put it? Oh, yeah...Creepy Research.”
Oh, for the love of...
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
So, it was set. In just over two months’ time when I was no longer supported by crutches and a hideous looking boot, I would be performing “The Only Exception” for Bryce at one of Live Trepidation’s gigs. How the flying fuck did they talk me into that? Oh, yeah...it was because it was ‘going to absolutely blow his mind’. How could I have possibly refused when Lucy put it like that? And, after giving it more thought, he had gone over and beyond when it came to doing things for me: helicopter rescue, Tel V Awards, 4Life, ‘Kings of Leon’, Uluru, Brylexis, the list went on. I really had no choice, and I had to perform the absolute shit out of it because he deserved nothing less.
For the past few days, Derek and I had been practising as much as we possibly could, and my lessons had gone from actually learning how to understand and play music, to listen, copy, and wing it—which had been working nicely. Already, I was getting used to the 6/8 time signature and the introduction of the capo on the second fret. I was also getting used to different methods of strumming the strings.
***
Bryce was due home the next day, and I was beyond excited. I couldn’t wait to touch him, inhale him and taste him. God, I sound like a Mr. Clark devouring monster. The thing was, I was a greedy little monster when it came to him. I could not wait to have him in close proximity again. He was my drug of choice and I had suffered withdrawals for the past week. As much as I was looking forward to seeing him, I was also grateful for the time he was spending away as it was giving me more of an opportunity to practise with Derek. I didn’t see how that was going to continue after Bryce returned, apart from sneaking off to practise with Derek behind Bryce’s back. I hated that idea. I knew too well that that kind of behaviour could only lead to bad things, things like lying, deceit and wrong assumptions.
***
Derek and I had been practising for a couple of hours and my fingers were sore. I’d wanted a rest, so he had me watch him play the verse and chorus of the song over and over, because essentially—where the chords were concerned—the verse and chorus were one and the same.