Sketch

69 - Sam

Dedicated to Ambitiousgirl143! Sorry for the wait guys.  Having a job sucks sometimes!

The gig's got us all fired up.  We're rehearsing every day and writing the new album is going really well.  We've written three news songs including Room for Two, and Stan and Tanya seem impressed with what we've come up with so far. 

Ollie's jamming on my acoustic guitar with Emmy while Vince chats to Todd and Stan about a drum solo he's come up with.  He'd shown us earlier and I have to admit I'd been really impressed.  He finally seems to be taking Sketch seriously again.  I guess after Michelle left his motivation took a nose dive along with everyone else's.  Now though, especially with Alex agreeing to meet up with us again soon, he really appears to be back into the swing of things.

I hear Emmy start to sing and look up from my notebook where I'm writing new lyrics, to see her smiling in my direction.  I grin back at her.  Stan catches our shared expression and even he smiles.  We must be doing something right if Stan's smiling.  He's a naturally gruff and grumpy guy but I don't mind.  He's one of the best producers in London right now.  If he wasn't already helping us out due to his alliance to Walter's record company, I'd give my right leg to work with him.  I need both my arms for playing guitar and holding Emmy.

We're getting on great right now, maybe even better than before.  She makes me so happy.

"What you working on?"

The smile I'm already wearing widens at the sight of Emmy carrying my guitar over to me.  She sits down on the chair next to me, balancing the guitar in her lap.  It's only then that I realise the room's quiet.

"I'm working on something new," I reply, noticing all eyes on me.  "It's called Quick and Easy."

Emmy nods, holding the neck of the guitar with one hand and reaching over to stroke the hair at the back of my neck with the other as she reads my notepad.  I give her an appreciative smile and she blushes.

"Let's hear it then," Stan says, clapping his hands together and spinning to face me on his desk chair.

I blink at the room.  "It's not really done yet."

"No worries," Ollie says with a shrug.  "We can help.  I'm feeling in a writing mood."

I laugh.  Hard.  Ollie's never in a writing mood.  He just likes to play the music I write.

"Go on," Emmy says.

Biting my lip I hand her the notebook. "You sing it."

She removes her hand from my neck so she can hold the notebook.  Her eyes flit over my messy handwriting for a long moment.  "Slow?"

I nod, looking to Stan.  "Yeah.  Acoustic maybe."

Stan smiles again and it doesn't scare me so much this time.  "Whatever you want.  I'm just the brains.  You guys are the musicians."

"Hell yeah!" Vince exclaims, earning himself a laugh from Ollie.

"Okay," Emmy says, clearing her throat before she hums under her breath softly.  The sound raises goosebumps on my arms.  "So this is it.  No mistakes.  One last chance.  Gone in seconds flat.  Take my hand.  Shed a tear.  But I don't want to lose you like that."

It's only the bridge and a rough copy at that, but it brings back memories.  I look to Emmy to see her shaking her head sadly.  It brings things back for her too.

I lean over her shoulder, smelling her shampoo and kissing her neck briefly.  "One last goodbye.  Comes around too soon.  Not meant to be like this.  So much for quick and easy."