Free Sound Bites: A Rock & Roll Love Story by Rachel K. Burke Page A

on my living room chair, even though I hadn’t invited him in. I noticed that he was in an unusually good mood.
    “So, don’t you want to know how it went?” he asked.
    My anger quickly subsided as I studied how cute his left dimple was when he smirked. His hair looked more messy than usual and he hadn’t shaved in days, but it was sexy on him. I always liked guys with facial hair. It made them look more like men. I wondered what it would feel like brushed up against my face.
    “Of course I want to know how it went,” I said, withholding an eye roll. “Spill.”
    His eyes glowed with excitement as he dished the details about the evening: how nervous he was, how cool his band mates were, the compliments they gave him throughout the practice. His confidence was definitely headed in the right direction.
    I wasted no time driving the nail home. “So, what happens now?”
    “Well, we have to practice for a few more weeks. Then they want me to play a gig with them at Chaos Lounge at the end of the month.”
    Chaos was a well-known rock club on the north side of Boston. It contained a front room and a back room. The front was smaller and dedicated to the local, non-mainstream scene, while the back was much more spacious and usually only famous bands played there. I actually preferred the front room simply because I liked smaller shows. They always felt more intimate to me. I liked to pretend that the singer was singing directly to me. I couldn’t do that in the back room because often times I could barely even see the stage.
    “Front room or back room?” I asked.
    Dylan rolled his eyes. “Come on, now. Obviously the front. I think I’d have a mental breakdown playing in the back room in front of all those people.”
    My heart started to race. “So you’re really going to do it? You’re going to play the show?”
    Dylan fidgeted with my throw pillow, pulling off all the loose threads and tossing them onto the floor. “Renee, like I said before, I’m going to try . Which means I will continue rehearsing with them over the next couple of weeks and pray that it gets easier every time. But I can’t predict how I’m going to feel once the night of the show arrives.”
    I rolled my eyes, annoyed at the fact that he acted as though it was no big deal if he chickened out. “So, let’s say that the rehearsals go well, and then the night of the show comes and you want out. What then? Are you going to cancel the show?”
    Dylan threw his head back and rested it on the back of the couch. “We’ve already worked it out. If I can’t do it, Justin will fill in. He actually has a pretty good voice.” Dylan squinted and threw his shoulders back, doing his best macho-man impression. “Just not as good as mine.”
    I couldn’t help but laugh, even though I had a sneaking suspicion that Dylan was going to wuss out once it came down to the wire, especially if he knew he had a backup plan.
    “Once you guys have practiced a few times and you feel more comfortable, would you mind if I went to a rehearsal sometime?” I couldn’t help it. I was dying to see Dylan in action with a full band.
    Dylan shot me a look that looked like a cross between admiration and annoyance. “You just don’t give up do you?”
     

 
     
    Chapter 11
     
     
     
     
    The rehearsal studio smelled like mildew and had the scariest elevator I’d ever seen in my life. It was transparent and resembled a giant cage, so I could actually see the floors as we ascended. The hallway leading up to their rehearsal room was even more frightening than the elevator. The walls were covered in gang graffiti and the rugs smelled like someone had marinated them in stale beer.
    “Hey, you.” I recognized Dylan’s sultry rasp instantly. He was hovering in the doorway to their rehearsal room, giving me that devilish look that made my insides feel like melted ice cream.
    “Hey,” I said. “How’s it going?”
    “Good. We’re just getting ready to start