Stripped

Chapter 8

Rain poured down on me while I waited outside my apartment for a cab. Jake had offered to pick me up but I decided against it, the less time we were alone the better. Kara had thrown me out of the apartment early because I was stressing so much. So, beneath Kara's rainbow umbrella,  I paced, hoping to burn off some nervous energy before I got to rehearsal. A yellow taxi pulled up and I hopped in giving the driver the address to my destination.

A ranch-style house came into view, the garage door wide open. A group of guys were standing around a drum kit sipping beers. As I climbed out of the car and paid the driver, their eyes stayed trained on me. They kept their gaze fixed on my face almost as if they were afraid to look at anything below my neck. It was understandable seeing as the last time these guys saw me I was half naked and sitting on their laps. I felt a blush creep across my cheeks but I was determined to be cool. "Hello." I said timidly, giving them a dorky wave.

Jake saw me and practically plowed over everyone to get to me and swept me up in his arms. He squeezed me tightly and I couldn't help but let him. He smelled so good and having his arms around me made me feel safe.  I relished the feeling of those strong arms encircling me far more than I should have. "I'm so glad you're here." He said into my ear before placing me back down on my feet. Keeping one arm around my shoulders he turned me toward his friends and introduced me. "You guys might remember this special lady here, this is Layla. Layla these are the guys." He pointed at and named each of his band mates, "We have our guitarist Ryan, bassist Alex, and our drummer Nick."

In a feeble attempt to break the ice I cracked a stupid joke, "So do I get to play the tambourine?"

The guys all laughed loudly and Nick took it upon himself to indeed hand me a tambourine. "Hope you can keep a beat," he mumbled through my nervous laughter.

"Are you all warmed up?" Jake asked but I shook my head, the thought hadn't even occurred to me.

I shook my head, "Can we stick with something simple to start? That should warm me up plenty."

Jake's eyes warmed, "I know just the song." He cued Ryan and he started to play.

A warm feeling swept over me when the all too  familiar notes of "She Will Be Loved" poured out of Ryan's guitar. I waited for Jake's cue and joined him on the chorus, taking over the high part that he had omitted when he sang it on his own. And at that moment it was only Jake and I, we were fifteen years old and practicing with his guitar in his bedroom. I took over the second verse just like we used to practice and I felt all of their eyes on me. My cheeks burned but I closed my eyes to block out their watchful eyes. "Tap on my window and knock on my door, I want to make you feel beautiful," I sang as I had done at least a million times before. But for the first time in a long time it sounded like I thought it should. Our voices harmonized sweetly  and the lyrics fell from the two of us easily, neither of us faltered.

We reached the end of the song and the room went completely silent . My eyes stayed shut tightly, afraid to see the looks on their faces. The silence lasted so long that I thought I had made a complete fool of myself. But then I opened my eyes and I found Jake looking at me with a watery gaze. Our eyes stayed locked on each other until a voice shattered the silence.

"Wow," Jake and I turned to see Nick staring  at me with a look of surprised awe on his face. "He wasn't kidding. You're amazing."

Unsure of what to do with all this flattery all I could manage was to mumble a very quiet, "Thank you." Ryan and Nick both seemed pleased with me as an addition to the band but Alex gave me an odd look. I couldn't shake the feeling of his eyes on my back when I turned back toward the microphone. I chalked it up to him not wanting a girl in the band and ignored his stare. Deciding that I could ask Jake about it later.