Page 17 of Flawless Lyric

Walking into the kitchen, I grab my phone and get ready to Google the store when all my notifications pop up at once. Missed texts and one missed call. Tapping on my voicemail, I hear Micah’s voice.

“A little birdie told me you had a rough day, so I had a little care package sent over. You might want to check your front porch before bed, Beauty.”

Running through the house I flop onto my bed and rip open the box that Micah sent. Tears threaten to fall when I see a box of chamomile tea, an eye mask, and some lavender bath soak.

No one has ever cared for me like this before. Ever.

Why, oh why, am I falling for someone so young? Who just so happens to be my boss’s son…

7

MICAH

Mom invitedme to have lunch with her tomorrow. Out of the blue. Now I’m wondering if she’s figured out what’s going on with me and Lyric. Or if my siblings had something to do with it. An intervention of sorts. I guess I’ll find out in the next twenty-four hours.

That’s how I found out that Lyric was having a bad day. Maybe leaving her with a searing kiss put her in a bad mood. Doubt it. I’d say she was needy for my cock and wanted a repeat performance. If I get my way, it will be sooner rather than later.

Last night, she sent me a thank you after opening her care package. Today, I’m giving her some much-needed space. No texts, voicemails, or visits. Which doesn’t sit well with me, but I also know she needs time to process everything. If I’m too pushy, she could feel cornered and that’s the last thing I want. Patience is not my strong suit, but I’ll do my best. It wasn’t long ago that I was preaching to Zander and Ace about being patient with Melody and Harmony. Knowing they’d eventually come around. And they did. Now I need to practice what I preach.

Since Caleb called an impromptu meeting, I’ll be leaving soon anyway. None of us have any clue what it’s all about, but we agreed we’re not going back to work anytime soon. We think two albums, a world tour, and then a US tour in two years is more than enough. We’re entitled to some vacation time and we’re calling in our marker. Today.

While I have some time to kill, I’m going to play. I was bit by the bug yesterday at practice. I realized that music is just as much a part of me as my arms and legs. It’s something I’ve done since the age of ten. My mother insisted I play the piano. Yeah, I wasn’t very happy back then. All of my friends were playing sports and I was going to piano recitals. My parents insisted that all of her children play at least one instrument. I’m the only one who continued playing throughout the years. And now I have an amazing career with Rebel Riot.

Sitting on the bench, I run my fingers along the keys. Loving the way they feel and the tone they create. Others might find it annoying. Much like fingernails on a chalkboard. Not me. It’s my therapy. Much like working out or going for a walk, playing the piano is a great stress reliever. It soothes my soul. I’d forgotten how important it is for me to continue practicing daily while on vacation. That ends today.

For the next few hours, I get lost in the music and the peace it brings me. I play random mixes, stuff from old classics, to covers of other bands and our songs as well. And while doing so, I picture Lyric sitting in front of me while her hands move atop mine. There’s so much I want to show her, as well as share with her.

If she’ll let me.

Forty minutes later, I’m walking into the iconic Morris Music. I’m a little on edge because I have no idea what to expect from today’s visit. Caleb doesn’t normally call a last-minute meeting unless it’s something important.

Grace smiles as I approach her desk. “It’s great to see you, Micah. Go on in, he’s expecting you.”

“You, too. Any idea what it’s all about?” Hey, you can’t hate me for asking.

“Not a clue, but we’ll both know soon enough.” That we will.

I knock on the door and head straight in. The guys are already here so I grab the only empty seat. They all look as anxious as I feel.

“Now that we’re all here, I have some great news to share,” Caleb says. “Music Weekly wants to dedicate their September issue to Rebel Riot for their twentieth anniversary special. As I’m sure you all know, it’s an honor to be featured in their magazine but more so since it’s an anniversary issue. It will be great exposure while on hiatus. Normally I would accept, but since it’s your vacation, I wanted to run it by all of you first.”

“What’s the catch, Caleb?” Zander says. “You never run it by us first unless there’s a catch.” Once a leadman, always a leadman.

“You’re right. I don’t. It’s the usual interviews, photoshoots, and press conferences. With that said, it’s an anniversary issue and they want to go all out for this one. They want Rebel Riot and several other bands of my choosing to perform for Labor Day weekend. It will be three days of live music at Olympia Stadium, and tickets will go on sale as soon as everything’s finalized.” If I recall, Melody’s due around that time.

“What if we don’t take the gig?” Jax pipes in.

“Then it gets passed down to their second choice.” Caleb leans back as we mull it over. My turn to put in my two cents.

“Who’s their second choice?” All eyes turn to me because I know they all want to know as much as I do.

“The Sinful Seven. They might not have ten plus years like you do, but they will in a few more years.”

“It’s not fair for us to make that kind of decision since Ace isn’t here,” Zander states.

“I spoke to him earlier and he assured me he’s on board with whatever decision you choose.” I say go for it, but we all need to agree first. “I need to let them know by Monday the latest. So feel free to talk it over this weekend and let me know as soon as you decide.” We’re interrupted by his buzzer.

“Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Morris, but your two o’clock is here.”

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