CODA

Six

"Where the hell are you going?" Olive asks as Carter comes into the living room, dressed in comfortable clothes, a bag over her shoulder and her guitar in hand.

"She has a date." Ava slurs around a mouth full of food.

"Not a date." Carter rolls her eyes, glancing at her phone.

"It's a date, Car. Just call it what it is. Should we expect you back tonight or in the morning?" Ava rolls her eyes.

"With who?" Oli frowns, glancing from one of her friends to the other.

"Tall, dark, handsome, in need of growing his curls back out so Carter has something to tug at when he fucks her into oblivion." Ava shrugs, tossing her dish into the sink.

"Oh, Calum. Got it." Olive nods.

"Okay, first off, we are writing, he's helping me with some of these songs I've got partially done. Being a good friend. We are not going to be doing any sort of fucking. Now or ever." Carter sighs.

"Keep telling yourself that, Car, but it's gonna happen. Sooner than you think too." Delanee chuckles, wandering into the room.

"Aren't you the one who said you'd hit that pretty hard if given the chance?"
Ava smirks, "Just sayin'."

"Ya, but why would he want to hit this. He has thousands of women to pick from. Why would he pick me?"

"Because anyone who watches you two interact can physically feel the sexual tension that hangs over you." Delanee pats her back softly as there is a knock at the door.

"Now go, and when you do hit that. We get details. Bye." Ava laughs

"Shut up. That door isn't sound proof." Carter hisses, hurrying over to answer it.

"Sounds like a party's happening here." Calum grins.

"Just some obnoxious girls being too loud." Carter chuckles, noticing his tattoos and muscles with the short sleeve shirt he has on today.

"Ready?"

"Ya. Thanks for picking me up, I didn't want to Uber with all this." She nods, picking up her guitar case again.

"I got it for you." Calum smiles, pulling the case from her hand.

"Have fun, Car, get some work done." Delanee calls loudly.

"I will." Carter smiles, her cheeks turning red as she sees Ava sign something blatantly to her.

"Hit that."

"Stop!" Carter signs back quickly, pulling the door closed before anyone can sign anything else.

"What was that about?" Calum chuckles, leading her down the stairwell.

"Ava being Ava, Don't worry about it." Carter chuckles.

"Alright." Calum gives her a funny look but drops it, loading her guitar into the back of his Range Rover once they've made it to the parking lot.

"Little fancy for this side of LA." Carter laughs as she climbs into the front seat.

"Well I don't live on this side of LA, and you won't for long either, just you wait. You are going to get a deal with this label this week and then it's going to be nothing but rising to the top for CODA." Calum smiles as he backs out of his parking spot.

"I hope so." Carter sighs, "I want this more than anything in the world. To be able to make music that people enjoy, to gain a platform, to become someone that people can look up to. It has been my dream for so long."