Page 37 of Musical Games
He raised his eyebrows in question; she nodded and turned the page. They sang their songs into life, her confidence growing with every note. It was one thing for the two of them to believe in their work, but this was confirmation they were on the right track. By the time they finished, the only audience member not in tears was Liam.
‘Oh my god, that was incredible!’ cried Zoe.
Fiona’s gaze flicked between Jamie and her, a strange expression on her face. ‘If that doesn’t get you Brad, then I don’t know what will.’
Jamie stood, turning away from her.Shutters down, judgement back. Pain and inadequacy smashed together, sparking a fire of fury. ‘I hope so,’ she replied, tossing her hair. ‘I want to be sunning myself in LA by the end of the month.’
* * *
Jamie stood in the kitchen,the strip lighting setting his teeth on edge as it hummed and fizzed above him. His mum had refused to let him or Duncan change it, saying it wasn’t broken, so didn’t need to be fixed. He had the overwhelming urge to reach up with his guitar and smash it to pieces. His sister walked in, carrying Liam.
She shut the door behind her. ‘You babysitting as normal tomorrow night?’
He shrugged. ‘I guess.’
‘You need to bring Sam.’
‘I don’t think it’s her kind of thing.’
‘You don’t know that. Ask Zoe what her favourite food is and cook it.’
He put his guitar on the table and leaned against the worktop, his arms crossed. ‘Why?’
‘Why do you think, you big lump?’ she hissed. ‘Impress her. Show her the real you.’
‘Why should I bother?’
‘Fuck’s sake, Jamie. She likes you. You’ve got to make the effort.’
He shook his head. ‘You have no idea what you’re talking about. She’s here for Brad. I’m just a means to an end.’
His sister advanced on him, jabbing her finger into the middle of his chest. ‘Bullshit. Sam’s been banging on about you to Zoe since last year. And I see how she looks at you. Fuck’s sake, Jamie. Brad Bauer’s irrelevant. He’s got nothing on you.’
‘What, multimillionaire Brad Bauer? The Hollywood superstar and every woman’s dream? You’ve lost your mind.’
His sister let out a strangled scream. ‘He’s far too old for her and completely mental. It’s never going to happen. And in her heart of hearts, Sam knows that too. Seriously, Jamie, what the fuck have you got to lose? Sheneedsyou to write this music. She’s not going to bugger off if you make a crap joke or do your shiteMagic Mikemoves.’
‘Hey, I can body-pop like the best.’
‘Then show her. Stop being such a grumpy git. Stop being so afraid.’
The door opened and Sam poked her head in. ‘Hi, er, am I disturbing you?’
‘No, no, not at all,’ replied Fiona with a big smile. ‘Jamie usually babysits for Dunc and me once a week and I wondered if you were going to be coming too? It’s tomorrow night. You don’t get paid, but you do get fed and we’ve got a fifty-inch flatscreen TV.’
Sam smiled. ‘That sounds amazing. What time do you want us there?’
12
Each morning, Sam woke thinking of Jamie and every time, she had a different excuse as to why. She was stressed and nervous and he was a safe distraction. She was projecting her fantasies of Brad onto him. He was a puzzle to be solved. He was a character study for future acting roles. He was objectively good-looking with an incredible physique. She was reading too many of Fiona’s scorching hot romance novels before bed. She hadn’t had sex for far too long.
Her legs twitched. She was tense and restless. Maybe she needed more magnesium? Perhaps she should go for a run? She shuddered at the thought of voluntary exercise. When she sang with Jamie it was like they were soulmates. Like they’d known each other forever. But the rest of the time it was like living with a sullen teenager who didn’t like anything she said or did. She didn’t know how to navigate around him and it seemed whatever she tried, she hit the same brick wall.
She heard the shower in the bathroom next door and her mouth watered imagining him in it. She’d already promised herself if their music worked on Brad, she was going to buy herself a bottle of his shower gel. She hadn’t gone as far as using it herself, but still felt like an addict each time she flipped the lid to breathe it in. Her nipples hardened under her pyjama top as desire tugged between her legs. She rolled onto her side and pulled out her phone to mindlessly scroll through social media. She would not touch herself thinking of the man on the other side of the wall.
After breakfast,they returned to his room to work on more songs. Jamie seemed in a better mood after the disaster of their walk the previous day. She had no idea what he had been arguing about with Fiona, but it seemed to have lightened him up. They laid out the bones of two more songs, then her stomach prompted her to check the time.
‘Do you want to break for lunch?’ she asked.
