Chapter Seven
Shake It
“So,” Liam says, breaking the lengthy silence. “How do we write a song?”
I bite my lip, staring down at the keyboard, which reaches my waist with the stand. “Um,” I lightly slide my fingers across the white keys, pressing a few random notes. “I’m not entirely sure. I think normally you start with lyrics, unless of course you have a tune stuck in your head.”
“And do you?” Liam asks me, his eyes fastened on mine. His eyes the color of silver when it melts, blues mixing into the grays with each blink…
“Do I what?” I reply, having completely lost track of the conversation.
“Have a tune stuck in your head?” Blink. Silver. Blink. Blue.
Get a life, Finley. I mentally shake my head.
“Not particularly, no. Do you?”
Liam sighs, disappointed. “No.”
Another long silence. Tired of standing, I grab the chair from Liam’s desk and situate it in front of the keyboard. I start to play a few random notes, attempting to weave them together to create some form of music. Liam begins to strum along.
“This isn’t working,” he eventually says, pausing his playing.
My hands still. “I know.” I lay my head on the piano keys, releasing a disharmony of notes and knocking my glasses askew. “I think we need to take a break.”
Liam nods quickly. “Agreed. Wanna check on Tara and the twins with me?”
“Sure.” I follow him down the staircase and into the family room, where he opens a glass door that gives glimpses into the backyard. “I hope they’re still alive,” he muses, holding the door for me as I walk down the two stone steps.
I snort. “Yeah, me too.”
The backyard is small but well-groomed. Freshly trimmed green grass landscapes the narrow space and tall bushes line the back fence. A round table with chairs sits on a square of concrete against the house, a porch swing not too far away. A swing set with two swings is squeezed into the corner, on which two children are swinging happily.
“Jackie! Josh!” Liam calls, stepping onto the grass and going to his swinging siblings. “Where’s Tara?”
The twins stop their swings, looking up at him in sync.
“Taking a shower,” Jackie replies.
“She didn’t like our makeover,” Josh adds.
Side-by-side, it’s easy to tell they’re twins. Both have dark brown hair –Josh’s cut short and Jackie’s A-line barely brushing the middle of her neck. Their features are delicate, almost pixie-ish, all the more enhanced with their matching deep blue eyes that seem to be permanently wide-eyed.
“Surprise, surprise.” Liam rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. “Why did you guys do that to Tara?”
The twins exchange a glance and turn back to their brother.
“She was sleeping.” Jackie shrugs.
“We don’t waste opportunities,” Josh says knowledgably.
I muffle my chuckle with my hand. Jackie and Josh’s matching large eyes snap to me.
“Who’s your girlfriend?” Jackie asks.
I move forward onto the grass to stand beside Liam. “I’m Finley,” I introduce, smiling at the brunettes.
Josh gives me a one-over and winks at Liam. “Nice.”
