And then I join in, drawing the bow over the strings, letting my fingers move of their own volition. As soon as I start to play, my nerves melt away.
Compared to orchestral arrangements, this piece is child’s play, though I’d never say that to the band. The song is upbeat, energetic, and it’s easy to lose myself in it.
The song is only a few minutes long, much shorter than I’m used to. My solo is already coming up.
The bass and rhythm guitar fade out, which leaves me on violin, Dex on lead guitar, and Sebastian on the drums.
The guitar stops, and I crescendo into the solo. My eyes close. All I hear is my own playing and Sebastian’s consistent rhythm on the kick behind me.
I still have my eyes closed when Dex’s guitar comes back in, and then my playing decrescendos into silence, and I open my eyes to watch him play.
He’s concentrating, his eyes down on the frets, and I like watching the way his left hand moves up and down the neck of the guitar, his tendons flexing under his tattooed skin. Something about it makes me warm.
Those butterflies are back again. Not the nervous ones. The other ones.
Pulling my attention away from him, I join in with the violin once more, and the bass and rhythm guitar pick up again soon after. We shift into the outro, and just like that, our first playthrough is complete.
A beat of silence passes, and then Sebastian lets out an energetic whoop.
“Fuck yeah! That violin sounds so sick!”
Lucas takes a step toward me and offers his fist for a bump, and I shyly return it, which makes his green eyes crinkle with a smile. “That’s pretty sweet,” he says.
Michael gives me a short applause. Then my gaze shifts to Dex. He’s wearing that same expression he had on his face the day he listened to me in the warm-up room: a bit of a lazy smirk, just twisted enough that I’m not sure if he’s smiling at me or laughing at me. It’s unsettling.
“All right,” Naomi says, calling my attention away from Dex. “Good first run. Let’s track drums now.”
Each instrument gets tracked individually, and the producers start layering the sounds over one another. We’re given headphones so we can hear the music as we play, and I’m not nearly as nervous when it’s time to track the violin.
“Just play it straight through,” Naomi says. “If you make a mistake, stop, and we’ll rerecord it.”
The music starts in my headphones: drums and bass, then rhythm and lead guitar. I’m the last to track, so everyone else has already recorded, and they’re lounging about on the stools now, all eyes on me.
I start to play, and everything is going great—until I turn and catch Dex staring at me.
His sideways smile has turned into a big beaming grin, and he’s leaning forward on his stool, his eyes laser focused on me. I keep playing, but my eyes are locked on his, and I can’t seem to look away. He flicks his lip ring again, and I completely mangle the measure I’m playing.
“Stop!” Wes calls.
My cheeks burn as I finally tear my eyes away from Dex and lower my violin.
What’s gotten into me? There’s no reason I should’ve messed that measure up.
“Mr. Reid, leave the girl alone,” Wes says, and I know I’m about to melt into a puddle of embarrassment. “Ms. Miller, take it from the last measure.”
I nod and lift my violin once more.
From here on out, I’m not looking Dex’s way again.
Once we’ve wrapped the recording for the rhythm section, the producers call it a day. I’m so grateful we’re done; I’m not sure I could take another minute in that room with Dex.
Despite what the producer said, Dex kept staring at me from across the room, and not in a vaguely curious sort of way; no, he was staring in that way you stare when you see someone you know from a distance or a few cars over and you’re desperately trying to get their attention with nothing but your eyes. But I didn’t give him the satisfaction.
After that first blunder, I stayed completely focused, and we finished my tracking with little fanfare. Now I’m wiping my violin down and putting it away while the band chats behind me.
“Nice job today, Nora,” Naomi tells me when I straighten up.
“Thanks. That was . . . fun.”
I wasn’t sure it would be, but it was. There’s something invigorating about playing live music with other musicians, and there was a special spark with the band that can be hard to achieve with such a large orchestra.
“I’m not sure if or when we’ll need you again, but I’ll let you know.” She gives me a quick hug, then leaves the room with Wes, and I’m left feeling unsure.
Is that it? Was this the only time I’ll get to play with the band? It makes sense, I guess, since they’ll be recording vocals next and certainly don’t need me for that. But in a small way, I’m a bit disappointed.
With my violin put away, there’s nothing left for me to do except leave. I pick up my case and head toward the door.
“Nora, wait!” Sebastian jogs over to me. “Thanks for playing with us.” He holds his fist out like Lucas did earlier, and I bump it with mine.
“I enjoyed it,” I say.
His eyes crinkle in the corners when he smiles.
The others notice I’m leaving. Michael gives me a friendly hug, and Lucas just lifts a hand lazily from across the room.
“I’ll walk out with you,” Dex says.
