Watching him in his element in this setting is a whole new experience. Even from across the room, and through the glass, I can feel him. Feel what he feels while he plays.
“Pretty cool having a front row seat to mastery in motion, isn’t it,” Jared observes quietly from my left, the headphones he’s been wearing, slid off one ear to talk to me.
“Kind of amazing, actually.” Speaking out loud draws my attention to the lump that’s formed in my throat. I can’t believe how hard this is hitting me. If I’m not careful, I may start crying right here and now. And I’m not even sure why. Would they be happy tears? Maybe. But it’s not just overwhelming joy surging through me. It’s grief too. Heartache collected and buried where I could hold it until I had time and strength to heal it.
Now I can’t help wondering if all that’s left to do, is to simply let it go.
I wait until Knox isn’t looking to casually swipe at my eyes, removing any hint of emotion that dared make itself visible.
Thankfully, Jared has put his headphones back in place and seems entirely focused on his work at the board again, allowing me to get a grip without worrying about watching eyes.
Better yet, Knox starts to play again.
Next thing I know, an entire hour has gone by of Knox playing and tweaking his song while Jared continues adding to the magic on his end, giving feedback in between each round. It’s better than any private concert I’d ever imagined. Every time I think the song can’t get any better, they add a new dimension, making me love it even more.
“Hey, I wanna try something. You up for it?” Jared asks Knox through the speaker connecting both spaces.
“Always.” Knox grins, intrigue rising in his blue eyes.
“Cool.” Jared moves his finger from the speaker and turns toward me. I notice he’s wearing his headphone half off again, only this time, I didn’t catch him make the adjustment. “I need a favor.”
“Sure.” Being a fly on the wall has been awesome, but getting to participate in some small way, is bound to be even more fun.
“Can you go in the booth with Knox?”
My brow crinkles but I don’t voice my confusion. “I can.” And I do.
Slowly. But I go in and join Knox as requested.
“Hey, beautiful.”
I want to make a face at him and tell him not to be cheesy. But I can’t. Because I love it. “Hey,” I mumble back, reverting to some version of me much younger and far less jaded. “Apparently, I’m doing Jared a favor.”
“Yes,” Jared’s voice comes in over the speaker. “And I’m going to need you to get much closer to the mic to do it.”
I’m still confused. And I’m suddenly reminded of the time I nearly failed an employee evaluation due to my struggles with authority. I don’t like following orders that don’t make sense to me. “What is it exactly I’ll be doing in here to help out?”
“Singing,” Jared announces like it’s obvious. “Let’s start with the chorus, hear how you two harmonize, and go from there.”
“Excuse me?” Instantly I take a step back, putting more distance between me and the mic. Not less as instructed.
Meanwhile, Knox looks pleasantly surprised. “You up for it?”
I start to shake my head, but Jared offers his response faster, “She’s definitely up for it. Been listening to her for the last half hour or so. She’s got something. You’ll dig it, trust me.”
I guess now I have a better idea of how long Jared’s headphones have been off his one ear. If I had known he was listening that whole time, I would have practiced a little more self-control. “This...is crazy.” It’s not much of an argument, but I can see myself on the losing end of things if I try to take the route of reason.
“Are you suddenly scared of singing in front of us?” Knox asks, a smile lingering in his eyes even as his mouth is curved with tender concern. “Because I’ve already heard you put on a full concert from inside your shower.”
I close my eyes, summoning the floor to open up and swallow me. “You were supposed to politely pretend you never heard that,” I grumble.
“I thought you two were on a tight schedule,” Jared interrupts, grinning. “Also, I wanna hear if this sounds as cool in real life as it does in my head. Squash the fear and let’s do this.”
I take a breath and slowly let it out. “This isn’t weird? Like I’m overstepping while you’re working?”
“You’re literally trying to backstep while we’re trying to drag you over,” Knox points out, chuckling. Then he gets serious. “Besides, I can’t think of anything that could capture this song more perfectly than singing it with you.”
God, I wish he’d stop doing that. “You better never use your powers on me for evil,” I warn him, taking one big, intentional step in toward the mic. “Let’s do this.”
