"Can we work on our song again?" I ask after a long pause.
He glances at me, clearly pleased. "Which one?"
It's my turn to be surprised. "What do you mean?"
His grin turns mischievous as he picks up the guitar.
"Fire up that laptop."
∞∞∞
We work into the afternoon, taking a break for some food at one point when we realize we never even ate breakfast. I choose the meal this time and force him to eat a salad.
"What?" Casey asks, his fork stalling in mid-air as he observes my satisfied smirk.
"Nothing. Just enjoying the moment."
He looks skeptical and shakes his head.
"And what moment is that? Enjoying a meal with a super hot rock star, or watching me eat vegetables?"
I grin. "It can't be both?"
"You're acting like my mom again," he warns, and I shrug.
"Good. You need it. Vitamins, Casey. You need vitamins."
"There are vitamins in fries."
"What would TJ say?"
Casey almost drops his fork and laughs. "TJ … don't remind me. Please."
"What? You know I'm right."
"Right about what?"
Casey and I glance over at Luke who does his magical appearing act at the presence of food. He grabs the extra salad and joins us at the table. We went formal for lunch.
"TJ would want you to consume a well-balanced meal," I explain, and Luke glances at Casey in surprised amusement.
"TJ Barringer?"
Casey nods and rolls his eyes.
Luke laughs. "How does she know TJ?"
"I don't," I defend. "Only by reputation."
"Oh, really? Interesting," Luke responds.
"She was with me when TJ called about the new tracks."
Luke seems to understand and starts on his salad.
"Not to mention you guys talk about him. I remember stuff."
"Don't we know it," Casey mumbles, and Luke smirks.
"Heard you kids working again," Luke comments, surprising both of us.
Casey nods. "Yeah, Callie has a lot of good ideas."
"Oh, please," I scoff. "I sit there and offer moral support while you work your magic."
Casey gives me a mock glare. "Those aren't my lyrics."
"They're not lyrics, they're verses. It's a poem."
"Not anymore," Luke counters, and I turn on him.
"Wait, whose side are you on anyway?"
Luke shrugs. "Sorry, hon, but poetry set to music is called a 'song.'"
I roll my eyes, but my grin breaks when his does. "Fine, whatever."
"Accept it, Callie. You're a songwriter now," Casey echoes.
My eyes widen. "No, I'm not. Wait. Really? But … "
He just shrugs and gives me that smile that always seems to calm me and excite me at the same time.
"I'm having trouble with the hook into the chorus, though," Casey continues, back to business, and I can see that means more to Luke than it does to me.
Luke nods. "Let's hear it."
I'm sure Casey is as startled as I am at the request, but he does a better job hiding it.
"Ok, yeah, sure." He pushes back from the table and retrieves the guitar.
Luke continues eating but watches Casey intently as he plays through what we have of our mirror song. I can see the music working its way through Luke's head as he listens, concentrating, evaluating.
Casey finishes, and I sense this moment means more to him than I can possibly understand. He rests the guitar on his lap and pretends to pick at a scratch, but I'm pretty sure he's just distracting himself as he waits for the verdict.
After a long silence, Luke nods. "It's good, Case. Really good. I see what you mean about the hook, though. Try throwing the F# minor in after the A and add an extra two beats to the break."
Casey's eyes light up. "You mean, bring the chorus back in late on the offbeat?"
Luke nods. "Exactly. Plus, the minor at the end of the bridge will give it a bigger cut. Hanging on the 4 was fine, but I think the 2 will give you more depth." His gaze turns serious as he studies his friend. "Case, the chorus is killer. Really, really good."
I can't help but smile at the look on Casey's face, the pure relief and joy. The moment is so beautiful, I'm almost annoyed that Luke ruins it by drawing me in. I hate taking anything away from them.
"You, too, Callie. I know those are your words."
"Mostly. Casey changed them around a bit and added some."
Luke shrugs. "Yeah, but you understand that's not because there was anything wrong with the original. They just have to flow with the music. It's all a give and take in the process."
I nod and smile. "Of course. He made it better, there's no question."
Then, suddenly, Luke's eyes change, and I see something there I've never seen before. A light, a spark. I've seen it in Casey many times now, but never Luke.
Surprised, I can only watch as he turns back to Casey and asks for the guitar. Casey is just as shocked and hands it to him, almost reverently.
Luke pushes back his chair and examines the instrument in his hands for a moment. Casey and I watch in awe as he holds it, his fingers touching the strings like they might break if he applies any pressure. I can't even begin to guess what's going through his mind, or Casey's for that matter, but I'm so happy I feel ready to explode.
Finally, Luke seems able to accept the fact that he's holding a guitar again and begins picking out a string of notes that flows into a seamless melody. It's beautiful. I don't know much about music, but I know whatever this is would sound perfect with what Casey just played. Casey seems to understand the significance of that even more than I do.
"Sweeny's lick," Casey murmurs, and Luke nods, raising his eyes to meet Casey's.
"For the bridge. I think we just layer rhythm for the chorus. Maybe some killer reverb on the 'hello' vocal?"
Casey nods. "Definitely. I was thinking even a tight band-pass filter on the second line."
Luke considers that and shrugs. "Yeah, that could work too. I'm hearing it."
They continue like that for a few minutes, and my jaw is on the floor. They're too wrapped up to notice.
I think I'm the only one who heard Luke use the word "we."
∞∞∞
"How easy do you think it would be to get into Jackson Street tomorrow?" Casey asks once they finally seem content with whatever they'd just created in their heads. "I know we haven't used them in a while, but Julian's a pro."
Luke shrugs. "I don't know. TJ might be able to get you in. You want to lay some of this down?"
It's Casey's turn to shrug. "Thinking about it. Why not? It's out there now. Might as well see what it sounds like. Wish we were home and could just use our own stuff, but Jackson Street is cool. Julian has gear we can use, right?"
Luke nods. "Probably. He's got his studio guys, too, if you want to mess around. You might need to give him a heads up though so he can get them in. Send TJ a work tape. He'll lose his mind."
Casey nods, and I can see something change in his expression. He's going to ask. I know it. We all know it.
Luke swallows and shakes his head. At least he's not angry this time. Sad, more than anything. I can see it hurts him to keep letting Casey down. I can see how much he loves him.
"I can't, man. You know that. I just … " He stops and draws in a deep breath. "You've got my support on this."
Casey deflates, and my heart breaks at his disappointment. "Yeah, no, of course," he says with a weak smile. "It would have been … no, yeah." He lets out a dry laugh, but there's no humor in it.
"Good luck, though. I think you have something," Luke offers as consolation. He clasps his friend's shoulder as he passes, and I watch Casey try to put himself back together.
I'm not sure what to say when we're alone. I don't want to embarrass him, but it also kills me to watch the previous joy siphoned out of him. Hope can be a devastating thing, and when it comes to Luke, it often proves to be even more treacherous.
"I should go call TJ and see if he can set something up.," Casey mutters. I'm not even sure he's talking to me.
"Casey … "
He pushes up from the table and waves me off. "It's fine. Not a big deal." But he's lying, and we both know it. "I'll be back in a few minutes," he says, pulling out his phone.
Alone again, I sigh and study the empty lunch dishes in frustration.
∞∞∞
When it rains it pours. TJ isn't able to get Casey into the studio until Friday, which is four days later than he wanted. The setback also gives me the opportunity to watch Casey sulk for the first time. Luke's rejection, coupled with his frustrated creativity, is apparently more than he can handle at once, and after two hours of watching them pout alone in silence, I finally get sick of both of them.
Casey doesn't seem as upset as I would have hoped when I tell him I'm going back to my place for a bit. I need to check in on my own life, as well as collect some more supplies. Maybe even do laundry. He does little more than shrug and tell me he'll let me know if anything comes up. I'm hurt, but I get it, and give him the space he seems to so desperately want.