Scared to Sing

Chapter 4

~Keith's POV~

"Hey guys" I said, greeting my producer and engineer. It would be just us three today and Ellie if she decided to come. Yesterday we had recorded the actual track and today we would be recording my vocals.

I talked with the producer for a while, waiting for Ellie to arrive. I had no idea if she was coming, we hadn't spoken since I had breakfast with her in the diner over the weekend.

"We should start." "Yeah, I guess we should." I replied, checking my watch. It almost 11 and there was still no sign of Ellie, if she was coming, she was almost an hour late. Deep down I knew she probably wasn't coming. I had pushed her to far and I knew that, but my heart still hoped.

We set up and then spent the next few hours recording. I finally sat down for a break. "Something's missing in the chorus." I said, talking to my producer. "What do you mean?" "It needs a female's voice." I said, leaning back in my chair and running my fingers through my hair.

"That's a great idea! Did you have anyone specific in mind?" "I asked Ellie brooks, but she said no.." "Okay well, you could just ask someone else. How about Miranda Lambert? Carrie Underwood? Faith Hill? Karen or Kimberley from Little Big town or both?" He rattled off names but I wasn't listening.

I sighed. "No, Ellie's voice is perfect for this song. I don't want anyone else to sing on it with me." "But she said no." My producer pointed out. "I know, but I think I can convince her. I just need some time."

"You're album has to be out by the end of the year." He reminded me.
"Yeah I know, we can record my vocals today and if I can't get her to say yes by the end of October, then we can get someone else."
"Okay man, whatever you say." He agreed.

It was mid July and I was going on tour in a few weeks which meant that I had less than four months to convince her. I didn't want to push Ellie or force her into anything but I knew she loved singing and I wanted her to see what she was missing.

We spent the rest of the day recording and by the time we finished up, it was late. I packed up my stuff and thanked the producer and engineer before leaving the building and making my way to my car.

The car ride home was long and quiet. When I arrived home, I was surprised to find a car parked on the side of the street. It was Ellie's and she was leaning aginst it, waiting.

It was the middle of summer but she looked cold, wearing only a short white dress and shoes. I pulled into the driveway, parked and got out of my car before making my way over to her. "Hey" I said with a smile. "Hey" she said quietly, forcing a smile back. She seemed nervous and I wondered if something was wrong.

"You okay?" I asked. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just wanted to talk to you." I nodded. "Do you wanna come in? You look like you're freezing." "Yeah, I should've brought a jacket." She said. Ellie followed me up the porch to the front door. I unlocked it and held it open for her before closing it again behind us.

"Sorry about the mess." I apologised. "Don't worry about it, my apartment is ten times worse than this. I used to live with my bestfriend and she did all the cleaning and now that she's moved out, the place is a dump." She explained.

"Would you like something to drink?" I offered as we moved into the kitchen. "No thanks, I'm okay." I poured myself a glass of water and leaned against the counter, facing Ellie.

"She just got engaged and her and her fiancé bought a cute little house that they moved into." Ellie continued telling me about her bestfriend. "Actually, they're having a house party on saturday and you're invited..."

"I'm invited to your bestfriends house party?" I said, surprised. "Yeah, she's a huge fan and would love to meet you. It would mean a lot to her if you came....it would mean a lot to me if you came."

I nodded. "You could've just called, you didn't have to come all the way here just to invite me to a party. How did you get my address anyway?" I asked curiously."I called your manager and he gave it to me." She replied.

The conversation drifted into silence for a few moments. "I'm sorry for not showing at the studio today, I was kinda scared that you would force me to sing or something."

"Ellie, I would never force you to do anything, although I must admit that I kind of hoped that maybe bringing you to a recording studio might remind you of what you're missing."

"I don't sing anymore and I'm asking you to just accept that." I saw her blue eyes shine for a moment before she quickly looked away and I wondered what could have possibly hurt her so much that it would make her give up singing - something she loved. Even talking about it was painful for her.

"What happened?" I asked softly, not wanting to push her. "It's a long story, I don't want to tell you....I mean, I barely know you." Her voice cracked as she spoke while trying to hold back the tears. My heart broke for this girl as she stood in my kitchen trying desperately trying not to cry.

I was never good with these kinds of situations but I knew I needed to comfort her.

I moved over to her and gently embraced her in a hug. I had no idea how she would react, especially since she didn't seem to trust me at all but she relaxed a bit and put her head on my chest for a moment. "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, but we're friends and I want you to know that you can trust me." I said, quietly.

I could feel her tears soaking through my shirt but I didn't care.

"Thank you." She said quietly, quickly wiping the tears from her eyes. She pulled away after a few seconds and looked at my shirt. She smiled. "Gosh, I'm so pathetic. I'm sorry about your shirt." "It's okay." I replied, not taking my eyes of her. The conversation drifted into silence again. Her blue eyes stared into me. "I promise to never cry in your kitchen again." She said with a smile.

"You can cry in my kitchen anytime you want." She gave a light laugh."I should go, it's getting late..." She said. I nodded and walked her out to her car. "So I'll see on Saturday? "Sure, I'll be there." I promised. "Great, I'll text you the details."
"Goodnight Keith." She kissed my cheek before getting into her car. I just stood there, frozen for a second. "Goodnight Ellie."

A/N I am sooooooo sorry for not updating for so long :( I have a weeks break from school starting Friday so hopefully I'll be writing more. Once again, I'm sorry. I really hope you like this. Thanks for reading :)