I turned the GPS off when I pulled up at the corner of this bar called "Lila's."
Putting the car in park and pulling the key out of the ignition, I finally read the text I got from Mia.
Mia: You forgot your keys.
My hand fell to my empty pocket to double-check. Dang.
I quickly typed back.
Me: Crap. Bring them both with you. If anything, I'll stop by the café after practice to grab them. :)
Mia: No prob. See you later!
I slipped the phone back into my pocket and got out of the truck.
The text I'd gotten from Dean told me to walk around back and knock on the side door.
I followed his instructions. Spotting a dark wooden door, I knocked twice.
"Coming!" I heard a girl's voice shout from the other side before opening it three seconds later.
A petite girl, emphasis on the word "petite," her head didn't even reach my chest. She has a head of curly jet black hair and caramel skin. She had to crane her head up to look at me from the doorway.
If I had to take a guess, I would say she was around my age or a little older, but that's only because she was rocking a sleeve of arm tattoos. Smiling politely, she said, "Hi, you must be Grey?"
I nodded with a smile and held my hand out for her to shake. "Yup, that's me."
She shook it firmly. "It's nice to meet you. The guys have been bragging about their new lead singer all morning. I'm pretty sure they're excited to have you on the team. Come on in." She waved me inside. We went into the hallway, then through another door, and down a flight of stairs. "I'm Mari, by the way," she told me over her shoulder, halfway down.
I smiled. "Mari? Is that short for something," I asked out of curiosity.
She cast her gaze downward. "Unfortunately, it's short for Mariposa. My mom thought it was cute." She shook her head. "Don't ask me why," she muttered.
I chuckled. "It's nice. I like it." I reassured her.
Mari shrugged her shoulders. "If you say so, dude." I saw her hide a little smirk.
We made it to the bottom, which I was guessing was the basement, but it looked like it could pass as a studio apartment. It was very modern and sleek. The floors had a grey wood laminate, and the walls were a crisp white that almost looked blinding with the recessed lights on. In the middle of the room was an oversized black leather sectional couch and in front of it was a glass entertainment stand with a TV and what looked like PlayStation underneath it and a record player. To the far left was where all the music equipment and instruments were set up. There was a glass dining table on the right with some books stacked on both ends like it was used more for studying and homework than eating.
"Guys! Grey's here!" Mari announced to the empty room.
The three guys came scrambling out of one of the doors under the staircase.
"Hey, Grey!" Dean waved with a burrito in one hand. He used the other to smooth over his disheveled hair that fell past his eyebrows.
"Yo man, what's up?" Tobias said next, leaning one shoulder against the door frame with his arms crossed against his chest.
"Hi!" Tatum said last, pushing himself out from between the two larger guys.
Mari pointed an accusing finger at the group. "Did you guys already devour the breakfast burritos I bought down?" she yelled.
They all put on a mask of innocence while Dean hid his half-eaten burrito behind his back.
Then they all blurted out at once.
"No!" Dean replied, rapidly shaking his head. He denied everything, never mind the fact that he had been caught with the evidence. And that he had a string of melted cheese hanging from the side of his mouth.
"What?" Tobias looked at her in feigned shock. He appeared to be offended by the accusation.
"Of course not!" Tatum said like it was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.
Mari marched towards them and went into what I can now tell was the kitchen. "You guys are unbelievable!" Her yelling continued from behind them.
"Sorry!" They mumbled in unison, but not one of them looked guilty enough to mean it.
"When mom finishes baking the peanut butter cookies, I'll tell her not to send a tray down here for you jerks," Mari threatened, taking her time to glare at every single one of them. "Minus Grey, he can have some to go."
I grinned.
"Awe, Mari, don't be like that," Dean opened his arms to hug her, and she slapped them away. He pouted looked like a wounded puppy.
"Now that wouldn't be nice," Tatum muttered under his breath, fidgeting with his fingers.
"How dare you try to rob us of all that deliciousness!" Tobias complained. "I demand justice! Who's with me?" He raised his fist in the air.
Well, this was getting entertaining.
I leaned against the armrest of the couch and stuffed my hands in my pocket. If only I had some nachos to eat.
"I second this motion," Tatum spoke up, raising his pointer finger in the air while still managing to avoid eye contact with Mari, who no doubt was waiting to unleash her wrath onto them.
"Me three. I demand peanut butter cookies! We demand peanut butter cookies," Dean took a quick bite of his burrito that he brought out from hiding and then raised it in the air.
All three of them looked to Mari for a reaction, and she simply quirked a brow. She looked more amused than anything but also a tad bit annoyed with them.
Mari closed her eyes and huffed out a heavy breath before opening them again. She mumbled something inaudible. Putting both hands on her hip, she said, "You think you guys are in a position to make demands of me right now?" she asked in a dangerously low tone.
Dean took a step back, shielding himself behind Tobias, and Tatum shuffled to the other side of the kitchen, out of the line of fire. "You greedy bastards left me nothing to eat!" She threw up her hands.
I watched Tatum move behind her and open the microwave, reaching for something inside. I smiled when I realized what he had grabbed.
"How could you guys be so self-" Mari gasped.
Tatum interrupted her rant, holding up a plate of untouched burritos in front of her face.
Mari's eyes went wide, and the biggest grin spread across her face with dimples and all. "OMG, I LOVE YOU!" she squealed. She threw her arms around his neck. "You're so sweet." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.
The poor guy was beet red, but Mari didn't seem to notice. Not like the other guys did.
They made little kissy faces behind her back, teasing Tatum. He mouthed something that looked like "F off."
"See, we saved you some." Tobias jumped in, studying his hands into his pockets.
Tatum looked at him with a stony expression. "No, I saved you some. He..." He gestured to Tobias. "Wasn't going to leave you crumb."
Tobias jokingly gave him the finger, and Dean stepped in between them, playing peacemaker.
"Guys, guys guys!" He held up both hands like he was surrendering even though he didn't start this war. With the way he was acting, I thought he would bust out with some quotes about peace, love, and friendships. But instead, he said, "You're making us look bad in front of the new guy," he whispered, nodding his head in my direction. "Behave," he added in a stern tone.
I laughed out loud, bringing everyone's attention to me.
These guys are a trip! We're going to get along just fine.
***
The actual practice went on for about an hour and a half. All of us had quickly fallen into the rhythm of playing together. We practiced a few songs that they had sang at some earlier gigs, and luckily for me, I knew the words to all of them. The guys didn't have a certain genre that they stuck to, and they liked making a song into their own.
I understood that. Last night I was singing an acoustic version of a pop song. Putting my own flare on music was kind of my thing too.
We practiced a few slower songs with Dean on the violin, and then he switched it for a bass guitar. We worked on getting the exact sound we wanted, fiddling with certain chords and asking each other their thoughts on it. I went back and forth between simply singing and then singing while playing the guitar.
Rarely off beat, these guys were no joke. I was impressed last night, but I was even more so now.
I almost doubted the little talent I had. I didn't spend years honing my skill like them. I played by ear, but I also learned a lot from dad. Music was just an outlet for me growing up. One that I gave up to chase other things.
I wondered if they would soon realize I might not be as awesome as they initially thought. But nothing I've done so far has made them question my talent. Either that or they're just being all-around nice guys.
After a four jam session, we decided to call it a day.
Mari had been in and out, taking trips upstairs and then coming back down to work on some summer class assignments. She mentioned that she was helping her mom bake for a family friend's baby shower tomorrow. So she had her hands full, juggling between the two tasks.
I figured she must be used to listening to the guys practicing because she didn't get easily distracted by them, but she did pause a few times to listen to a specific song she liked.
And I couldn't help but notice how her eyes always seemed to find their way to Tatum every time.
I thought something might be going on with these two. And I have to say, I could see them as a couple. There was chemistry there that I imagined made them perfect for each other.
Not that I was a relationship expert or anything.
Oh dang. Was this how everybody felt about Mia and me? I mentally sighed.
During one of our little snack breaks which thankfully, included peanut butter cookies and milk, I learned that Mari's parents owned the building. The bar upstairs was her mom's, and she ran it with the help of her dad, who was also the co-owner of one of the biggest law firms in town. The top two floors were divided into three apartments. Mari lived in the biggest one that the guys described as the "penthouse," with her parents. They rented out the other two units to none other than... you guessed it, these guys.
Dean and Tobias share one and Tatum, shared the studio apartment by himself.
"Okay, guys, I have to head out," Mari said, piling up all her books onto one side of the table. If I'm not mistaken, they appear to be law books. I didn't get the chance to ask what she was majoring in.
"Where are you going?" No surprise that Tatum spoke up first.
Mari gave him a slight shrug as she continued to pack away her books. "Some guy I met at the mall asked me out for a late lunch today. He seems nice so, I said I would go." She peeked up at them from under her eyelashes while nervously waiting for the guys to respond.
"YOU'RE GOING ON A DATE?" Tatum said, jumping off his keyboard bench and knocking it over in the process.
Mari's eyes went wide. "Um...Umm..." she began to stutter. I didn't think she expected that exact reaction from him. She might be regretting bringing it up at all.
All the guys were now sporting straight faces.
Slamming a book onto the table, Mari pointed at them. "See! This is why I should never tell you guys anything!" she grumbled.
Dean stepped forward, slipping the guitar strap from over his head. "I just want to know who he is and what's his name?" he said calmly like he wasn't asking for too much.
"If he does anything you don't like, you better call me. Put my number on speed dial," Tobias said firmly.
Tatum stayed silent this time with his eyes on his keyboard, deep in thought.
Mari looked to me next. "I'm not sure if I'm supposed to say something here or what. But I can understand where these guys are coming from." I thought back to how overprotective I always was with Mia. It was worse when I thought about her dating other guys. Guys could be real jerks sometimes to the sweetest girls.
"Of course you do!" she shouted, slapping her hand on her forehead.
I smiled apologetically.
"Anyways, I don't want to be late. So you guys are free to continue to be all..." She flitted her hands in the air. "Whatever you all are right now. Bye!" She wiggled her fingers.
There was a mixture of "See you later, bye and yeah, whatever." From the guys. Minus Tatum, who didn't utter a thing.
Dean turned to him, "You alright, man?" His eyebrows furrowed with concern.
Tobias frowned, glancing over at him too.
"I'm super," Tatum said with his face remaining emotionless as he walked off to the kitchen for a drink.
I knew the last thing Tatum must want right now was to talk about how bummed he was feeling.
I placed my guitar back in the case, packing it up.
"So, what are your plans for the rest of the day, Grey?" Dean asked, plopping onto the couch while Tobias played with his phone.
"I don't have anything planned." Not until I needed to pick up Mia.
"Okay, so Pizza on us, and we can watch a movie or something. Let's get to know each other better." Dean cringed after speaking the words.
Tobias snorted upon hearing them, while Tatum just shook his head at his choice of words.
"Lines like that are the reason why you're still single," Tobias remarked.
Dean shot a glare at him. "Anyways, What do you say, Grey?"
"Sure," I replied.
A few hours, two empty pizza boxes, and multiple cans of fruit punch later, I think we had covered the basics as well as the most random things about each other's lives.
So here was the cliff notes version of it all.
Dean Walker and Tobias Graham are both 20 years old, born and raised in Portland, Oregon, and they've been best friends since they were ten. They met at this music summer camp and then realized they went to the same school but never met. They grew up together, playing music and a few sports like lacrosse and basketball. They moved 4 hours away to this town for college two years ago, which is how they met Tatum.
Tatum Reed was born and raised here. He's 18, just like me, but he started college at 17. He has been living on his own since he was 16. He didn't specify why but judging by the looks on everyone's faces when they were treading around the topic, he had a rough upbringing. He taught himself how to play the keyboard when he was 13. One of his neighbors tossed his keyboard out on the curb, and he picked it up, cleaned it off, bought a book on how to play keyboards, and boom! He became the most talented keyboardist I've met to date.
The guys had another member too up until a couple of months ago, but he got signed to a label who only wanted him, not the band, so he up and left them hanging. What an A-hole. I hoped he grew to regret that move in the future.
This group had more potential than I think they knew. They haven't decided where exactly they wanted to take this band, but they're just having fun playing music for now. And I think that one was of the things I liked about them the most. They tended to live in the moment.
The three of them haven't known each other for long, but they've been through a lot together.
"So Grey, did you ever take music lessons?" Tobias asked, chugging down the last of his drink.
I shook my head, leaning back on the couch. "My dad taught me everything I know. Growing up, I thought he was some musical god because there wasn't an instrument he couldn't master. He played the harmonica, the piano, guitar, and drums. I used to love watching him perform backstage when he used to switch out the instruments in between songs." I said, thinking back to the memories of my dad, rocking in out on stage with his band.
"Your dad was in a band?" Dean asked incredulously. "Was he like famous or anything?"
I shrugged a shoulder then began to massage the back of my neck with one of my hands. "Uh, it was an indie band, so you probably never heard of them," I told them the name, and all three of their jaws were left hanging.
"No flipping way!" Tatum exclaimed with his eyes going as wide as saucers. "Your dad was Roman McNamara? He was an indie rock legend!"
"I have all his CDs!" Dean yelled out with that look of shock still itched on his face. He looked at me like really looked at me. "I don't know why I didn't see it before. You're like his carbon copy. We're in the presence of indie rock royalty," he added a gasp, making the moment more dramatic than it needed to be.
Tobias interjected, "I would have done anything to see him in concert growing up. I missed so many opportunities. It's literally like a lifelong regret." His voice held a tinge of sadness. His eyes met mine, and I recognized the expression on his face instantly. I've seen it half my life. Sympathy. "I hope I don't kill your mood by bringing this up, especially since this was a long time ago, and I'm sure you've heard it a million times, but I'm sorry for your loss."
Dean quickly added, "We all are." The guys nodded in agreement.
I felt a ghost of a smile on my lips. "Thank you. I appreciate that." And I meant it.
There was this almost awkward silence as if no one knew what to change the subject to from there.
Tobias spoke first, "I hope you know that we don't think of your dad as a legend because of his music alone. It was his outlook on life that moved us and his selflessness when it came to helping others. The way he passed was a tragedy, and he deserved better than an ending like that. All in all, nobody can't say your dad wasn't a hero in his own right."
"Agreed," Dean chimed in.
"No doubt about it," Tobias said after him.
My gaze traveled around the room. A part of me almost got choked up. Minus Mia, who was like one of my dad's favorite people in the world and vice versa, I've never met anyone close to my age that were fans of my dad who thought so highly of him. The mark you leave on the world will continue to touch people long after you're gone. "That means a lot to me," I said with a calmness that gave away none of the emotions that I had stirring up on the inside.
They all nodded. "You're welcome," they replied in unison.
My phone vibrated with a text. I smiled upon seeing Mia's number.
Mia: I think I forgot to tell you what time to pick me up. My shift will be over in an hour.
I checked the time.
I replied. No prob. I'll be there
"You have to leave?" Tatum asked.
"Not this very second," I replied to him as I was replying to Mia.
"Was that your girlfriend?" Dean asked, nudging me with his elbow and waggling his eyebrows.
A huge grin took over my face. "Yes."
"Is it that blonde-haired girl you were talking to at the café? She's hot!" Tobias said with a smirk.
"Yup, that's her. My Mia."
The next thing I know, we were gossiping about my relationship. I told them how we'd been friends forever and all the dating drama from high school, leading up to us moving in together, etc.
"AWE! You guys are cute!" Dean pouted with hands over his chest.
"Dude." I mumbled under my breath, shaking my head.
Tobias rolled his eyes. "Ignore him. His life is lonely and sad."
Dean scowled at him. "Your heartless that's why you're single. In case you didn't know," he fired back.
Tatum chuckled under his breath. "He isn't wrong," he mumbled.
Tobias took offense, and his face turned expressionless. "I'm single by choice. I don't do relationships. Who can take anybody seriously at this age anyway?"
All their eyes shifted back to me as if to say, exhibit A was sitting right over there.
Tobias pointed to me, "He's a special case. He met his dream girl when he was in elementary school. They're practically soulmates. How often does that happen?" Tobias crossed his arms against his chest. "Let me answer that, hardly ever," he huffed out a breath.
"Can I ask you something?" Tatum said out of the blue five seconds later.
"Sure thing."
He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs, and he started twiddling his thumbs nervously. "How did you get out of the friend zone?" he mumbled, keeping his eyes cast downward.
The room grew silent.
I wasn't sure how to answer that. Maybe because I didn't know for sure if I was entirely out of it, it was uncertain what would happen by the time summer was over. Mia might not want this like I did or she might get scared and want things to go back to the way they were before. I knew she had feelings for me, but what if her fear of us falling apart became bigger than the possibility of us staying together?
My mind flashed back to this morning, how she seemed to overthink the small stuff. It was so easy for me to slip into boyfriend mode because it felt natural. Those little sleepovers, sharing a bathroom, forehead kisses, I did all those stuff when she was my best friend. Mia was so much more.
I felt my heart start to race. Mia always had this effect on me.
"I was honest," I told Tatum. "I saw an opportunity to speak up, tell her how I feel, and I took it. Luckily, she felt the same. A part of me felt like we were on the same page, but I was never sure until recently." I smiled at the thought.
Tatum nodded with understanding. Finally meeting my gaze, he said, "Thanks."
"No problem."
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I checked it.
Mia= Um, no rush or anything, but you're kind of late. Did you forget about me? LOL
I launched to my feet after rechecking the time. "Gotta go, guys."
I snatched up the guitar case. "Same time to tomorrow?" I asked, heading for the staircase.
"Yup," Dean replied. "See you later." He gave me the two-finger salute.
"Peace out, bro." Tobias lifted up the peace sign.
Tatum offered a smile and did a short wave, "Sayonara." He would be the one to say something like that.
I laughed, "Later!" I shouted over my shoulder.
I bounded up the stairs two at a time. I couldn't wait to see my girlfriend.