Chapter 14

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

Ryder

I take a sip of water as the soundcheck comes to an end. All we have to do now is wait for Liv. Tom absentmindedly twirls his drumsticks, his long black hair falling into his eyes, while Brian tunes his guitar for the umpteenth time, a nervous habit he always gets before a gig. He’s a towering figure with a face full of metal, but at least as anxious as River. The fucker sure knows how to play though. I’m no slouch myself, but I’ve never quite reached his level.

Cara strolls over to me.

“Is your girlfriend standing us up?” she asks, a hint of irritation in her voice, and I roll my eyes.

“Relax, Cara. It’s only been five minutes,” I reply. Just then, my phone buzzes with a text from Liv.

Outside, sorry for the delay.

“She’s here,” I tell Cara before heading up the stairs from the basement, which doubles as our band room.

Tom, Brian, and Cara are roommates who share a rental house. They asked me to move in, but there’s no way I’m giving up my room at Jaxon’s house to live with those smelly dudes. I already see enough of them as it is.

Liv is parked in the driveway, leaning against her car.

“Hey, baby,” I say, and she greets me with a smile. I pull her into a kiss, tempted to deepen it, but I don’t want to ruffle Cara’s feathers. She can be a real bitch when she’s irritated. “Thanks for coming,” I say as we part from the kiss.

“Sure, I’m excited,” she replies, her grin widening. She opens the trunk of her car and retrieves a large backpack.

“What’s that?” I ask, my curiosity piqued.

“Equipment,” she responds simply.

Okay then.We head down to the basement, and I introduce Liv to Tom, Brian, and Cara. She smiles and waves.

“Hey, guys. Don’t mind me fangirling over here. You were unbelievably good at the bar last month. I wish I had taken a video to listen to afterwards,” she says, and in just three sentences, Liv manages to win them over. I don’t know how she does it, but there’s just no way not to like this girl.

“Thanks, Liv,” Cara says with a chuckle. “Wait until you hear the music we really play. All those mainstream covers are getting us gigs, but we’re only good when we play rock songs.”

“Oh, I can’t wait,” Liv says, beaming. She places her backpack in front of her and unzips it, revealing a collection of expensive-looking cameras, microphones, a gimbal, a tripod, and other filming equipment.

“Where did you get all this?” I ask, a little shocked.

“I bought it,” she says with a shrug. “That’s why I’m a little late. I had to charge the batteries first, but we can start now.”

“You didn’t have to go through all this trouble, Liv. I thought you were just going to do a video on your phone,” I say. I can’t believe she bought all this just to film us.

“Don’t insult me, Ryder. I’m a professional, and I seem to remember you saying that money shouldn’t be a problem for me,” she teases.

I grimace. Yeah, I did say that.

“What, you a gold digger, Davies?” Cara asks, chuckling behind me.

“Shut up,” I tell her, feeling embarrassed as I watch Liv expertly assemble the equipment. Once she’s done setting up, she explains her plan to us.

“I hope it’s okay that you guys have to play the song a few times. First, I’m just going to listen so I can assess what setup I need to use for the takes, then I’ll start filming. We’ll do the whole song from the beginning, and after that, I’ll get some detail shots of you guys playing the instruments and singing.”

We’re all impressed by her professionalism and stare at her for a moment. She starts to squirm.

“Uh, yeah, okay… You guys can start,” she says, and I chuckle before pecking her on the lips.

“You heard the lady,” I tell the band, and we get into our positions.

“I never would’ve thought Davies would get a girlfriend,” Tom whispers loudly to Bill.

“Can’t blame him. Look at her,” he says. I grin and look at Liv, who’s ducking her head, blushing and focusing on the camera.

“Ready, baby?” I ask her, and she gives me a thumbs-up.

We get into position and start playing a Written by Wolves song called “Forever & Always.” It’s right up our alley, showcasing our skills, and while not a mainstream cover, it sets us apart from the hundreds of other bands out there. Plus, it’s just a damn good song.

Tom’s drums provide a steady beat, while Brian’s guitar riffs and Cara’s bass line weave together perfectly with me stringing my guitar. Cara’s harmonies in the background add an extra layer of richness to the sound of my voice. I look over at Liv, who’s listening to us with rapt attention. It’s clear she’s impressed as she smiles at me, her gaze filled with awe, and I can’t help but feel a surge of pride. This is what I’m meant to do—playing music with these guys, creating something together. I close my eyes and let the music take me away.

When the song comes to an end, Liv breaks into applause.

“Wow, you guys are amazing!” she exclaims. “You’re right, Cara—this is your kind of music. Damn, I don’t get why you guys aren’t famous already.”

“Believe me, we’re trying,” I reply, smiling at her. “It’s tough to make it in the music industry, but we’re not giving up.”

“We just need more exposure,” Brian says with a nod. “That’s where you come in.”

“I’ll do my best to make you guys look and sound as amazing as you are,” Liv says, smiling. “I have a feeling you’re going to be big one day.”

We start playing again, and Liv moves around, adjusting the camera angles and getting different shots of us. We play the song a few times, and all the while, she’s constantly tweaking the setup to get the perfect shots. It’s clear she’s a pro, and I’m grateful to have her doing this for us. After we finish the final take, she grins at us.

“That was great!” she exclaims. “You guys sounded amazing.”

“Looks like you’re dating a talented filmmaker now, Davies,” Cara says, giving me a nudge.

“Looks like I am,” I say, grinning at Liv. “Thanks for doing this. It means a lot to us.”

“No problem,” she replies with a shrug. “I had a great time. I’ll get started on editing the footage and upload it to YouTube as soon as possible.”

Liv starts packing up her equipment while the rest of us talk. When she’s finished, I tell everyone I’m going to walk her out. They all say their thanks and goodbyes to her. I put her backpack over my shoulder, then lead her back to her car. We get the stuff into her trunk, and I push her against the car with my body.

“Thank you,” I say, my hands moving to gather her hair behind her head. “You have no idea how much it means to us, to me, that you did all this…and that you believe in me.”

“I’d be dumb not to,” she says, smiling up at me. “There’s no way not to notice your talent. Brian is right—you guys just need a little more exposure, and I’m happy to help out with what I can. Getting views on videos was part of my living, after all.”

Liv gets on her tiptoes to kiss me, and this time, I give in fully. We kiss deeply before she breaks away panting, a blush on her cheeks.

“I’m sorry I can’t bring you home, baby, but I promised them I’d get in some practice,” I say, and she squeezes my hand.

“I’m going to go home and work on your video,” she says. “That’s going to take a few hours, so I’ll be busy anyway.”

I open the driver’s door for her, and she gets in, then I lean down and kiss her one last time.

“I love you, drive safely,” I whisper before closing the door and watching her back out of the driveway, then rush away. When I get back into the basement, the others are already chatting excitedly about the video.

“Why did we never think about doing a YouTube channel? It makes so much sense,” Brian says.

“Because we have no fucking clue about social media or doing videos. Sure, it’s a good strategy, but only if you do it right,” Tom replies.

“Yeah, well, Liv sure looks like she knows what she’s doing,” Cara says, laughing. “Ryder, I swear, if you fuck this up, I’m going to kill you. Keep that girl happy so we can keep our own little camerawoman and marketing genius.”

“I’m planning to do just that,” I say with a grin.

Then we get back to our instruments, rehearsing songs for the next few hours.