Free The Thousand Year Curse (The Curse Books) by Taylor Lavati

 
    "Do you want me to?" I question back, giving my eye brows a flirty little wiggle.
    "I do." He answers, his face completely serious.  
    "Okay." He takes my hand the second I speak and he leads me down the basement stairs.  
    The basement is carpeted which is perfect because the air is toasty warm down here. Tons of instruments are scattered all around the room. Right off the bat, a guitar, bass and a keyboard lay in open cases on the floor. A set of drums are assembled against the wall, too.  
    Some couches are to the right of the stairs and a small coffee table. There's a bar too. The basement is surprisingly large. I'd venture to say it's bigger than all the upstairs put together.  
    This is the ultimate band hangout zone. Ollie must bring his band mates down here to play a lot. I wonder who he will play with since he doesn't know anyone here. He'll probably recruit Junior.  
    On the other side of the stairs is a microphone and a sound box. I'm not completely sure what all of the stuff is. It is all extremely professional. I imagine a recording artist building something similar in their house. I certainly do not want to touch anything. I would instantly break whatever it is.
    I can tell Ollie must spend most of his time here. Just the appreciation on his face beams with pride and joy. I definitely prefer the upstairs atmosphere but I can tell Ollie loves the basement. I smile at him trying to convey how much I like it.  
    Ollie leads me over to the couches and I take a seat unsure of what he's going to play but I can't wait. I've never been serenaded before. If that's even what's going on—I'm not sure.  
    Junior has set himself up on the drum set. He's only playing around but he's always fun to watch. He plays for fun, being amazing is an added perk for him. I love watching the passion roll off him.
      I examine Ollie as he tunes his guitar, his foot propped up on the stool. He is so focused, he won't notice me staring at him.  
    He has a guitar pick between his teeth as he plucks the strings and adjusts. His face is relaxed and his light hair curls around his ears in the cutest way. You can tell he needs a haircut, but I like his locks overgrown. I fight the urge to stand up and run my fingers through the strands, twisting them in my fingers. Creepy, I know. I bite my lip as a distraction.
    "What do you want me to play for you?" He asks me after he finishes.  
    "Something good." I respond quickly trying to sound all seductive and mysterious but I come off rude and short. I blush a little at my failed attempt to be cool. He gives me a seductive nod and the gesture makes me redden more.
    "You know I like when you do that." He tells me peeking out over his long lashes. His voice all deep, manly like.
    "Zip it, mister." I tell him trying to hide behind my hair. I sink back in the seat and wait for him to start the song. I figure his choice in song should give me some insight into who he is.  
    "I'm going to try something original, okay?" He says but his eyes stay focused down, never leaving his guitar. Junior and Ollie converse for a second then focus back on their respected instruments.  
    Junior starts in first with a steady beat.  
    Boom. Boom. Boom.
    It's hypnotizing. Ollie comes in after sixteen counts, strumming his guitar immediately sweeping me away with the rhythmic tones.  
    I keep expecting him to sing but he doesn't. The song doesn't need his voice to lead it as the music sings to me. The beats might as well be speaking directly to me. The solid bass line makes the song almost like a spell.  
    Faintly inside my head, I hear his voice calling to me. I get dizzy but don't let it take over me. I focus on only Ollie's voice—everything else vanishes. I close my eyes to truly listen to what he's playing. I want to listen to the words in his notes. I've missed the beginning of the song but I pick up a couple lines.

    Love has led me here,  
    Love,  
    a god all powerful with us who dwell on the