Free Take Me Home Tonight by Erika Kelly Page A

you never hang out?”
    â€œGot other shit to do.”
    Again, that knowing look. “You got so much shit to do right this minute you can’t have a biscuit with the guys?”
    Why was she pushing it?
    â€œJust sit with them. Come on, did you eat breakfast?”
    He shook his head.
    â€œWell, lucky you, because I found an awesome recipe forhuevos rancheros. Some chiles, a warm corn tortilla. Splash of sour cream. It’s pretty delish, if you ask me.”
    â€œI’m good.” He opened the door. “Just gonna take a walk before being shut in the studio all day.”
    She got up. “We should just say it, you know? We’re going to be around each other, and we don’t want it to be weird.”
    â€œSay what?”
    â€œLast night.” Her gaze dropped to his package. “I saw your wiener.”
    For a long moment, they just stared at each other, and then he burst out laughing. “You weren’t the first.” He stepped through the door. “And you won’t be the last.” And then he jumped off the stairs and took off across the grass, heading for the ocean.
    *   *   *
    Rarely did a band work together so well, so perfectly in sync with each other, that it made playing a crystal pure joy. But that was how it was with Blue Fire. Calix closed his eyes, blending into the music, letting it flow into and through him.
    The guys had a pretty good gig out here. The studio was right in Slater and Emmie’s backyard, their house not even a mile down the road from Violet’s.
    After the last note faded away, Ben tossed his drumsticks into the air. Everyone looked at each other, faces impassive, and then all of a sudden, they broke into laughter.
    This band had a lot of moments like this—they liked each other. Really connected. And, he had to admit, it felt good. Really fucking good.
    If he could join a band, it would be this one. But he couldn’t. Not yet.
    So it wasn’t worth thinking about.
    â€œThat was great, you guys,” Sam, the recording engineer, said into the talkback mic.
    Coop pulled off his headphones. “You think he toned down some of that reverb on the backing tracks like we asked?” He lifted his shirt to wipe the perspiration off his face.
    â€œI think we’ll just have to
trust
that he
knows
what he’s
doing
,” Ben said, imitating Dak’s patronizing voice, going heavy on the Valley Girl accent. Though Dak didn’t sound quite like that, he still placed a strange emphasis on certain words.
    Calix found Derek watching him. The bass player shook his head.
    â€œWhat?” Calix asked.
    â€œDude, you were scorching on keys.”
    Calix turned to find his water bottle. “Thanks. Yeah, good session.”
    Slater came out of the isolation booth, the only one not smiling.
    â€œYou got a clothespin on your sac, man?” Coop joked.
    â€œIt was off, right?” Slater opened the door to the control room. “How’d that sound?”
    Dak didn’t even look up from the mixing board.
    â€œDak, man,” Slater said. “How’d it sound?”
    The guy shoved his messy, dark blond hair out of his eyes and pushed his black glasses up his nose. “Huh? Oh, cool, yeah. I think I want to try it with Calix on vocals.”
    Derek set his Fender in the stand and joined them in the control room. “What’re you talking about?”
    â€œWe’re going to slow it down. It’s not working as a rock song. I want to try it as a ballad, and Calix has perfect pitch.”
    â€œSo does Slater,” Ben said at the same time Coop said, “That song is not a ballad.”
    â€œWe’ll try it that way and see,” Dak said.
    With a frustrated expression, Coop squared his shoulders. “It’s clearly not a ballad.”
    â€œI want to hear it with Calix,” Dak said.
    â€œGuys.” Calix pushed through them to stand in front of Dak.