Destiny Rules: The Sequel

Chapter 3

One Week Later

Stevie sat with her feet propped up on the corner of the couch, splayed out and scribbling notes on one of the many lyric sheets she held in her lap. Even now, she was still making slight changes as they began going through the recording process. Across the room, Lindsey and Mick riffed off one another at the soundboard, going back and forth eagerly just like they had been all week. In another corner, John and Christine sat hunched over a newspaper they were sharing, trying to occupy themselves during the current lull.

"Stevie, I'm off to go pick up Lily since Lori can't today," Karen announced in the doorway, "You're sure you don't want me to bring her here?"

Stevie shook her head, "No, it's okay, we're just getting started. Bring her home so she can get her homework done. Mick already said he'd drive me home."

Karen nodded and waved off before slipping out of the house. The truth was, Stevie was relieved that she felt much more at peace here than she did a week ago. The tension, though definitely still there, had settled down slightly between she and Lindsey as they all got accustomed to the recording process again. In fact, so far the five of them were having fun getting back into the swing of things. In some moments, it even felt just like the old days.

"Hey, wanna lay down some of those harmonies now, Steph?" Lindsey asked, causing them both to pause in surprise. Her heart raced at his minor slip up. He never called her Steph in front of anyone else— especially not anymore.

"I..." she stuttered, failing to hide her momentary undoing, "Yeah, of course."

She tried not to notice the blush on his cheeks, he was flustered at his own slip of tongue - that much was obvious. The overwhelming silence around them led them both to believe they weren't the only two who noticed Lindsey's nickname. She quickly shuffled over to the stool with the microphone stand, situating herself as she felt everyone's eyes on her.

"Can I use your headphones?" She asked Lindsey quietly, "I like yours better."

He smiled, immediately ripping them from his own neck and handing them to her. All week he'd been trying not to be a sucker for her every request and complaint, but he found himself unable to resist trying to satisfy her in any way her could. Their fingers brushed as he handed the black headphone set to her, his tongue subconsciously slipping out of his mouth and over his lower lip at the feeling of her touch.

"Thanks," she muttered softly, returning her attention to her lyric sheet.

"We're going to start with To Steal Your Heart Away for today."

"Okay," she avoided his eyes, instead looking back to the sheets in front of her searching for the correct one.

All alone we go /On day after day 

All alone we suffer / Oh, to steal your heart away

It's the same old thing / In the same old way

All alone we suffer / Oh, to steal your heart away

"Did my voice crack just there?" Stevie took a pause from singing to finally look up at him, his eyes closed as he listened to her vocals through his headphones.

"No, it was perfect."

"Oh."

His eyes opened to meet hers, a soft smile dancing on his lips at her uncertainty. It made him feel better to know she was nervous too. As they sat opposite one another, singing the words he wrote about her, it was impossible not to be affected by it all. For a minute, they were the only two in the room - the presence of Mick, Christine, John, and all their assistants no longer registering. Brushing it off, she quickly went back to singing.