Free Strings by Kat Green

that!’              
                  ‘I can't believe you did that for us!’ Luke picked her up and kissed her.
                  They’d only been together for two weeks, but the feelings between them were growing stronger every day. They spent most evenings together, usually at Toby’s, which was the venue for the band’s practice sessions. His neighbours were used to hearing their music, but they tried to be considerate, keeping the noise levels reasonable and the times sociable.
                  Although he hadn’t slept at his parents’ place for days now, this was the first night Luke and Melissa had really spent the whole evening alone together. It was a rare night off from band activities, and they had decided to just relax together at Melissa’s place.
                  The phone call inviting them to compete at Amplified had nearly ended badly. The man who had phoned Luke sounded a lot like Dale, and Luke had initially thought it was a wind-up. Luckily, Melissa was nearby and heard his confused response.
                  ‘Amplified? What the ... if this is you, Dale—’
                  Melissa had to intervene quickly, and pointed at herself whispering, ‘It was me … I did it – it’s real!’
                  Luke quickly realised that she was being honest, and that the call was genuine. He accepted the offer politely, and sheepishly apologised for the initial misunderstanding. He looked a little dazed as he hung up, looking at her for an explanation of what had just happened.
                  ‘Wow, this is mad…’ was the only response he could manage after Melissa explained everything and brought him up to date. He was still trying to comprehend what it meant for them – it was huge. But then it dawned on him that they had only two weeks to prepare, and he began to panic. Should he write some new material or stick with what they knew? He seemed to want Melissa’s opinion, and it was a nice feeling for her.
                  ‘Luke, you’ll be fantastic whatever you do, so just do what you feel is right. But if you ask me, you should stick with what you know and have practiced playing 100 times. There isn’t time to write and rehearse anything new, and even if you did, would it be better than what you have now? I doubt it.’ She did insist that whatever they did, they must include “Weekend High” because it was her favourite. Luke said she could have whatever she wanted.
                  ‘What made you enter us? You really think we can do it?’ He couldn’t get his head round the fact that she had done this for them. Deep down, he knew it was exactly the sort of thing he’d been wanting them to do for a while, but he just hadn’t plucked up the courage to do it himself. It was a terrifying prospect, but at the same time very exciting.
                  ‘Of course you can do it! I entered you because you are an amazing band! You’re much better than you give yourselves credit for.’ He laughed and made a joke about himself. He didn't seem to realise how good they were, or he did a very good job of hiding it. Melissa suspected it was to protect himself from rejection or ridicule, and she knew that he wouldn’t want to come across as arrogant.
    She went on. ‘I wouldn't have even considered it if I didn't think you were good enough. I can't explain it … I just saw the flyer by chance and it was as though I was being told to do it, like destiny or something. I nearly did it the first night I met you but I waited until I’d seen you play again.’ She told him how she nearly decided against it, and how she was undecided right up until the deadline. ‘I know we barely knew each other back then, and I knew I was taking a big risk. I didn't even know if we’d be together—’
                  He cut her off by kissing her again.