Just Playing by Ingela Bohm

Author:Ingela Bohm [Bohm, Ingela]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-06-30T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

These empty pages longed for words

I would never say

The world's vacant stages made way for lines

Written in my DNA

(Ending, Gardiner/Vaughan)

Michael

It was four am on the fifth day when Michael found him sleeping with headphones around his neck at the mixer table. Stopping short in the doorway, he shook his head fondly. Only Jamie could be so relaxed in a work setting, leaning on what was essentially a bed of nails. His head was resting on his arm, and the buttons and levers were digging into his skin like thorns. It looked awful.

Reaching out, Michael gently shook him awake. Jamie groaned and sat up, blinking in confusion at his surroundings.

“What are you doing here?” Michael asked, unable to keep too much affection out of his voice.

“Nothing,” Jamie muttered and hastily doffed the headphones. “Just…” He paused for the fraction of a second, but Michael knew him too well not to recognize an attempt to come up with a plausible lie. “… listening for places that need more guitar.” He beamed triumphantly.

Michael shrugged and smiled indulgently. “I can understand how that would keep you up all night.”

Jamie grinned. “Because it’s basically the whole album.”

“Because you had to listen through it several times just to find one place,” Michael shot back, and Jamie accepted defeat with a goofy grimace.

Michael frowned. It wasn’t like Jamie to give in so easily. He was definitely trying to hide something. Intrigued, Michael snatched the headphones before Jamie could stop him and started the song he had been listening to when he fell asleep. The oriental-sounding intro of Orphan Bats floated into his ears and Michael gave his blushing friend a wry smile. Suddenly his lie seemed a lot more credible. Heart sinking at the memory of the number of fights they had already had over this track, he removed the headphones. When Michael tried to sigh, he felt as if there was a weight on his chest. As if all his unshed tears had gathered in a petrified cage around his lungs, pressing inwards.

“Aw, c’mon, it’s alright,” Jamie mumbled shame-facedly. So he knew he was being an asshole with his constant tantrums? And now he wanted to take it all back? Well, come recording time, he would once again be all over the rest of them with his demands for more control. “I do like it, you know,” he added, but his voice was so strained that Michael didn’t know what to think.

“You don’t have to like it,” he lied.

“No?” Jamie snorted. “Fine tour that would be.”

There was a prolonged silence where they didn’t meet each other’s gaze. Then Michael sat down, determined to see this through. They must get it out in the open, once and for all. Had to finish this damned eternal argument. He plugged another pair of headphones into the mixer table, put them on and motioned at Jamie to put his on again too. He looked apprehensive, but obeyed. Michael even imagined he could see Jamie’s hands trembling, but that was just ridiculous.

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