"So, what song should we record first?" Michael asked the boys. Luke's eyes scanned the sheets of music and pulled out one. Michael took it from his hand. " If you don't know. Is that okay with you guys?" Calum and Ashton nodded and headed toward their instruments and began to record their parts. Luke and Michael sat down and waited for another booth to open up.
"What do you think they are doing right now?"Luke wondered aloud. Michael thought for a moment, and then responded.
"I think they aren't moping around like we are doing. They probably have boyfriends and forgot about us, or they are living their dreams."Before Luke could think of a follow up question, the door in front of them opened. A man stood before them, papers in his hand.
"Who is ready to record a new hit song" The two boys followed the man into the room. Luke went into the room with his guitar while Michael went into the one with his. The man sat down at the sound table and messed around with the buttons until he was satisfied."Luke, whenever you are ready."
Luke began strumming on his guitar."Tonight we're fading fast. I just want to make this last." He took a breath." If I could say the things that I want to say, I'd find a way to make you stay.Never let you get away. Catch you in all of the games," Luke sucked in air."So go ahead, rip my heart out. Show me what love is all about. So go ahead, rip my heart out. That's what love is all about." The man stopped him.
"Okay Luke, it was really good, but the last part lacked emotion. I need you to really bring out all the emotion you have towards these lyrics." Luke nodded. "Okay, start whenever you are ready."
Luke took a deep breath in and nodded." Go ahead rip my heart out, show me what love is all about. Go ahead rip my heart out. That's what love is all about." Luke sang the words, his eyes closed and tears streaming down his face. "I want you to want me this way, and I need you to need me to stay. If you say that you don't feel a thing. If you don't know, let me go,"The man in front of the recording booth stood up and began to applaud. Luke smiled and wiped the tears off of his cheeks.
In the next booth was Michael, who was having no problem controlling his emotions. He sang backup vocals for all of Luke's parts and sang in the chorus. He poured his emotion into playing his parts on the guitar. He only had to redo a few parts, so recording his parts didn't take that long. When he was done, he was told to sit in the lounge and do whatever he wanted. Michael plopped down on the overstuffed, red couch. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his pictures. He looked at the screen with glazed over eyes, wiping a tear from cheek every now and then.
Calum read through the words of his verse. He was told to have more emotion. The only emotion present in his voice was anger. He was told to place himself in this person's shoes. He remembered when they found Michael after she left. He was so broken and fragile. Everyone looked at him and instantly began crying themselves.
"Calum, did you write this part of the song?" The man asked. Calum shook his head." That's obvious. Pretend you were the one who wrote it. Who wrote it anyway?"
"Micheal." Calum responded. Every person in the recording studio, the band aside, thought that either Luke or Calum had written the song. The man walked out of the door and went into the lounge. Michael panicked, not knowing why the man was in here for.
"So, since you wrote the song, we want to hear how you would sing a part Calum needs help on. If that's okay with you," Michael nodded and followed the man into the sound booth. Calum stared questioningly at his friend.
"Okay, since Michael is the one who wrote the song, he is going to sing it and you will try to copy the emotion in his voice," James, Michael had asked the man's name, said to Calum. He got out of the booth and Michael filled his place." Whenever you are ready."
"Let's forget the past.I swear we'll make this last.Cause I remember the taste of your skin tonight, and the way you looked you had those eyes. I remember the way it felt inside, and the names of the songs that made you cry." Michael paused, taking a deep breath." You would scream, we would fight, you would call me crazy. I would laugh, you were mad, but you always kissed me. And the shirt that I had, that you always borrowed, when I woke it was gone, there was no tomorrow," Michael finished. James and Calum looked at him, jaws dropped and eyes wide." What? was I that bad?" He inquired.
"No mate, we just didn't think you had it in you. I mean, we knew you could sing, but not that full of feeling," James rambled on. Michael's cheeks began to warm up. Calum switched places with Michael in the booth. Michael left the room and went back to the lounge area. Ashton was sitting in the spot he had previously sat in. Michael ran towards the couch and jumped on Ashton's lap, wrapping his arms around his friend's neck for security.
"Michael, what the hell are you doing?" Ashton asked his friend.Michael looked innocent and ignored his question.
"How was recording you part?"Michael wondered.
"It went pretty good. Only took a few takes," Ashton explained."Are you okay?"
"Yeah, why do you ask?"
"You are currently in my lap, after you recorded one of the most thoughtful and heartbreaking songs I have ever heard, and asking how recording my part was. That just seems strange."
"Well, you do have a point there."
As the days and weeks melted together, the four boys wrote and recorded songs. They composed an album full of songs. Some you could dance to, sing along to, cry to, and relate to. The four songs Michael wrote, including the one he wrote with Luke, were recorded and were due to be released to the public. As the release date for if you don't know approached, Michael became worried. Worried if people didn't like the song. Worried about if she didn't hear it. If she didn't hear any of the songs. Now all he had to do was wait
