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“Oh!” The lyrics.
Drew arched a brow. “Oh?”
I fumbled around in the pockets of my slacks underneath the pillow until I felt the folded-up pieces of paper I’d neatly stored in there before I left the office. A last-minute rush of nerves entered my bloodstream, but it was too late. I’d handed him the pages.
Drew unfolded them slowly with a curious expression written on his face. He bent his head to read, and his waves hung almost down to his eyes. He pushed back his locks and smiled at me a little before turning back to the words.
“You did these?” he asked at almost a whisper when he was done.
“Uh, yeah.” I nodded apprehensively. “Thoughts?”
He set the pages on the coffee table and turned so that he was facing me again. “I love them.” I paled a bit and he patted me on the shoulder. “I’m not just saying that, man. I really do. All drafts need work, but those are some damn good drafts. Do you have a beat?”
And just like that, my heart started soaring.
After showing Drew my songs, he helped me conjure a beat. We played with different melodies and octaves; experimented with a combination of my singing and screaming the lyrics, and after a couple of weeks, we had two songs that were our pride and joy. The only problem was that we needed more than a singer and a drummer.
I hadn’t seen Sean since we’d graduated because I’d been a bit preoccupied with, well, Drew. And work. But mostly Drew. One night after we’d practiced the songs as well as a couple of covers, we drank a few beers on the couch, drenched in sweat from all our work, and I took my phone out and texted Sean whether or not he was still interested in starting a band.
It took less than a minute for him to reply that duh, of course, he was.
I had never told Sean about my love for singing and explaining that to him via a text message didn’t feel right. So, I just told him we had a couple of people—a singer and a drummer—who were looking for a guitar player and a bassist.
After texting back and forth for about five minutes, Sean was set to come over with one of his buddies who he played with the next night. When I mentioned it to Drew, he was nothing but smiles. That night, we each had several beers, watched dumb movies, and for the first time in a long time, allowed ourselves to sit close to the other on the couch.
August was almostover when Sean came over with Brian one night. In less than a week, Drew would be going back to school, and I could tell by his fluctuating moods that he didn’t want to go back.
I didn’t bring it up, though. He was happy when playing the drums or talking music, so I let him be. I knew he’d come to me if he needed it.
Sean and his new roommate, Brian, came over for dinner because Drew’s mom insisted on cookingarroz con gandules.I’d never met Brian but liked him instantly. When Drew opened the door to let them in, he smiled and immediately came over to hug me. The dude was a little shorter than me, but not by much.
When he released me, he beamed and smiled at me. “I feel like I know so much about you from Sean. Sorry, I get a little carried away sometimes,” he said.
I couldn’t help but smile at him. Brian wore his hair in twists, had large, purple gauges in his ears, and had a contagious smile. He was on the stockier side but had thick muscles, which made his hamstrings practically pop out of his black skinny jeans.
After we made our way to the dinner table, we all sat down and helped ourselves to Drew’s mother’sPernil Asado.Amy’s senior year had already begun, and she was over at a friend’s house studying and Mr. Dawson was working late, so it was just us and Mama Dawson.
“So, what’re you boys up to tonight?” Drew’s mom asked with a cocked and perfectly lined brow.
Drew didn’t talk to his parents much about his drumming, even though I’m sure they’d heard us practicing. I didn’t understand why. His parents were as good as they could come in my book. Drew opened his mouth to speak, but Sean beat him to it.
“I guess we’re playing some music after this, yeah?” he asked with a clueless grin.
Drew’s mother nodded and took a bite of her dinner. “Sounds fun. Not going out?”
Drew shook his head. “No, I think we’re going to see about maybe…” he trailed off and pretended to clear his throat. His eyes dropped to the plate in front of him. His mother looked confused.
“We’re just going to play some music and see how we all play together,” I answered for him. “And maybe after that, we’ll play video games or something.” I shrugged as nonchalantly as possible.
The next thirty minutes were spent answering Drew’s mother’s questions, though she’d stopped asking about the music not long after we started eating. I wanted to ask Drew why he was so hesitant about it with his parents, and why they weren’t eager to talk about his drumming but thought better of it. I’d ask him later when Sean and Brian were gone.
With full stomachs, the four of us made our way down to the basement after we helped clear the table. I had offered to help with the dishes, but Drew’s mom simply gave me a peck on the cheek and waved me away. After only being in their home for a month, Mama Dawson (a nickname I’d started calling her after I became more settled) had become more of a parent to me than anyone else. I dreaded the day I’d have to move out. She squeezed my cheeks and said,“¡Que se diviertan!”and smacked my ass with a cleaning towel as I jogged away.
Once in the basement, Sean and Brian took out their instruments and began tuning. Drew was grinning like a wildebeest, and I retrieved a few beers from the fridge and passed them out, too eager to stand still while they prepped.
After I handed them their beers, Sean looked at me pointedly. “Alright. Who’s this singer?”
Drew stared at me, probably because he’d assumed I’d told Sean about my voice already. “Seriously?” Drew questioned. He slapped my back a little harder than was necessary and then shook my shoulders playfully. He rolled his light brown eyes dramatically and turned to Sean. “Ashis the singer.”
