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21
The next morning, I was sitting on our back veranda stairs, savouring my morning cuppa. It was predicted to be another scorcher, and I was enjoying the outdoors whilst I could still stand the rising temperature.
“Hey, there you are,” Luke exclaimed, walking out from the side of the house. “I knocked, but there was no answer.”
My heart leapt. “Oh, hey! Sorry, Mum’s in town.” I eyed his casual attire and scruffy hair. “Aren’t you working today?”
“Nah, I took the day off.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Have you got any plans? I want to show you something.”
Luke’s sparkling eyes had me intrigued. “Gee, I’m not sure if I can fit you into busy schedule.” I smirked.
“Yeah, yeah, c’mon then,” he chuckled, and impatiently motioned me to follow.
I deserted my mug on the porch and chased after him. He was already half way home before I caught up, and I wondered what had him so animated.
He marched through the house, and ushered me into the music room with a growing smile.
The piano and Chesterfield remained in position, but the furniture on the other side of the room had been moved to make way for Luke’s old recording equipment.
“Oh my god, Luke, when did you do all this?”
Luke scratched the back of his head. “I…er…couldn’t sleep last night, so I just started pulling everything out. Before I knew it, it was set up and ready to record…I just needed you.”
I shook my head. “You never cease to amaze me, Luke Easton.”
He shrugged with a small smile, and glanced my way. “I guess I’ve been feeling a little inspired lately.”
I gazed down at the basic audio equipment that recorded my very first demo, and ran my hand over the vintage microphone that produced a sound you couldn’t find in a mainstream studio. Trust me, I had tried.
“I can’t believe you still have all this. You know I’ve been trying to replicate this sound for years?”
Luke’s eyebrows arched. “No…really?”
“I loved that demo you created. It was so raw and honest, and not remotely like the fabricated crap that’s around these days.”
My heart raced as I sat down in front of the mic, and shook away my memory of the naive teenager who sat there nine years prior. “Can we try it?”
“That’s why you’re here.” Luke smiled, and grabbed his guitar.
* * *
As expected, his set up was flawless and the sound was as perfect as I remembered.
Amazingly, we ran through most of the songs with ease. I had never worked with someone so seamlessly before. We both instinctively knew what to do and when to do it. The last track we recorded was our duet and we somehow managed to do it all in one amazing take.
It was well into the afternoon, when we decided to celebrate with a bottle of wine and a playback. Whilst I uploaded the final recordings to my ‘Easton Blue’ titled USB, Luke filled two glasses and handed me one. We both relaxed in the leather couch and waited for the first track to play. Luke’s equipment definitely didn’t offer the polished results of a professional studio, but there was something so beautifully understated about our recordings that I just loved.
By the time our duet played, we were already deep into our second bottle. We watched each other in admiration, as our voices perfectly intertwined through the melody that filled the room. Luke silently raised his drink and clinked my glass, his gaze never leaving mine. Our hands touched and I shivered. We had created something beautiful together and it felt so…intimate.
My heart hammered in my chest as Luke lifted his free hand to cup my face. He gently stroked my cheek with his thumb, studying me. I closed my eyes and leant further into his palm. I missed his touch. Slowly, and cautiously, I opened my eyes and lifted my gaze to meet his. I struggled to catch my breath, afraid of being burnt by the heat in his stare.
“You should go,” Luke whispered in warning.
“I know.” I didn’t move.
Luke pulled my face to his, pausing momentarily, before pressing his hungry lips into mine. I let out a whimper of want and wrapped my arms around his neck. I nursed my glass precariously in my hand as I brought my body closer to his. As much as I could deny my head, my body wanted him more than I could control. We dropped our empty glasses and became intoxicated in each other instead. I straddled his lap and his hands slipped beneath my shirt and up my back. Desire rippled through me as he roughly kissed down my neck and over my collarbone.
“Luke!” My brother yelled out from the kitchen. I didn’t even hear the front door open.
