Mozart, Metallica, and Me...Wynnie

"I don't like this…" I said nervously, looking around the small red room that was about as big as a closet in my opinion, a walk-in closet, but a closet all the same.

"Relax." CC chuckled into a mic on the other side, "It's fun."

"It's claustrophobic." I mumbled.

"God, Andy, she sounds like you." Ashley laughed.

"Can we just…not do this." I pleaded. Sammi smirked from next to CC.

"We're doing this." She grinned before turning to my brother and pushing him out. "But, the boys can leave, I know how this is done."

"She's my girlfriend!" CC protested at the same time Jinxx said "She's my sister!"

"Too bad, she's self-conscious so I'm running this show!" She cheered.

"Please don't leave me alone with her…" I begged, but she'd somehow managed to clear the room except for herself and Juliet who stayed behind, lounging on the only other spinning chair next to Sammi's stuff. I could see the boys jiggling the locked--thanks to my sister-in-law--door knob and peeking through the small strip of a window on the door.

"So, you have your music?" Juliet pressed a button to speak as Sammi sat back down. I nodded weakly. I didn't like this. I was starting to panic.

"So, play it, like you're in front of a concert hall." Sammi smiled. "You have everything there. You have all of your violins, you have an electric piano," Which is just a fancy way of saying a full key-board for the most part, "and a couple of guitars--"

"None of which are mine." I pointed out.

"That one's your brother's." She nodded to one behind me. "Just take that. If it breaks, he can afford a new one."

The instruments made the room feel more crowded, there was less room to move. I was standing in front of a microphone and I wasn't even tracking vocals.

"Okay." Juliet was looking funny at a sheet of what seemed to be directions. "Your electric violin should work in the guitar jack, what brand amp do you use?"

"An acoustic image?" I made it a question.

"Model number?" She turned the paper and unfolded it a few more times.

"Depends? A Ten2 S4 or a Coda…whichever, they sound the same with it…" I shrugged, "I use a Roland too, but that one's my cheap shitty amp."

"Here's a more intelligent question." Sammi looked over the other girl's shoulder. "What brand is the violin?"

"Um…" I shrugged. "I have the Yamaha SV-255, the Yamaha SV-200, the Jordan Barbera, and I have my Violectra 6-string…" I trailed off.

Juliet's eyes almost bugged out of her head.

"Holy shit, I don't even play violin and I've heard of that thing. That's fucking crazy expensive! How can you even afford it?!"

"It's only…" I bit my lip nervously, "It's…but…it's actually cheaper than some of the nice 6-strings on the market…"

"It's imported?" She asked.

"Yeah, it's a U.K. brand…"

"Damn…" She shook her head. "I wanna hear that!"

"What amp does it go in?" I frowned.

"Well, the Yamaha's can go into the Yamaha jack…we'll just mess around with the other two until the sound is pretty." Sammi shrugged and I laughed. "Yamaha is the first one on your…right." I nodded and noted the location before turning to get my stuff set up.

Today was going to be a long day.

By lunch, I was exhausted. We'd only tracked two songs in full…well…okay…one and a fourth.

Christ, I'm expected to finish six in the next few weeks?

I'm going to die.

"You have a fucking Violectra?" My brother practically shouted when I came out of the room with Sammi and Juliet.

"W-w-what?" I stammered.

"I was looking through the window--"

"Because that's not creepy." Sammi nodded, laughing.

"--You have a Violectra?! And you play a 6-string?!"

"Y-yes?" I bit my lip.

"Holy shit!" He exclaimed.

"You knew the brand from looking through a tiny-ass window from a distance?" Ashley made a face.

"They're imported, they're made in the UK." Juliet explained, "Even I know what they are, they're gorgeous."

"Not to mention expensive." Sammi agreed. "I was searching it on my iPhone…"

"I didn't get internet there." Juliet frowned at her and I chuckled.

"Fucking insane."

"I feel bad because I know absolutely nothing about your instrument." CC joked, "But we can get lunch now, so I think we should."

I shook my head with a small smile.

"Let's go."

***

"Isn't recording fun or what?" CC wrapped his arms around my middle when we entered the house. I laughed.

"It's tiring. I don't know how many times I played those two songs, but I'm exhausted." I turned my head to nuzzle his neck. I heard an excited scampering, the clicking of claws on tile floor, which meant someone had felt the door close behind us. "Can you take him for a walk?"

"Yeah." He nodded, kissing my forehead.

"Don't let him get away with anything." I warned. CC, I found, went way too easy on the puppy when he misbehaved and I was not having a spoiled dog in this household. He's a puppy now, but wait until he's throwing mini-dog tantrums because I won't let him sniff every kid who walks by. He stops when he needs to go to the bathroom or I let him stop and he can't be running out in the street. CC just gave him a long leash and said run with it.

I don't like that method.

"You're already criticizing me on my parenting?" He chuckled, leaning his forehead against mine and giving me an eskimo kiss before pressing a gentle kid to my lips. "Can't we at least wait until out kids only have two legs to do that?"

"Nope." I teased, reaching up and kissing him softly again. Willy whined and poked a paw hesitantly at my foot.

I chuckled and looked down.

One thing I was thankful for about this house was that I could leave Willy here alone and not be worried about him needing to go to the bathroom. There was a doggy door out back and we not only had the yard fenced in, but he has an electric collar that lets him walk around the first floor of the house (so he doesn't get into anything upstairs) and the backyard. It made life so much less stressful when I was gone for an entire day at a shoot or something and CC was out.

"And take off his electric collar." I reminded, heading towards the bedroom.

"Gee, thanks." He rolled his eyes as I looked back. "I'm not stupid."

"I'm not stupid." I mimicked, growing weary that he'd be offended, but he doesn't get offended easily lucky for me and he has a playful sense of humor. So, he just looked amused.

"I'm still working on my imitation of you, but that needs work too."

I laughed.

"I'll practice then."

He smiled and nodded, reaching down to unhook Willy's black collar and putting on his little light blue one that made his eyes pop, it was a gift from Andy and Juliet actually because Andy claimed that blue eyes look good in blue. He hooked on his leash and saluted me before leaving and I shook my head in amusement at the pair.

I walked up to our room and sat down on the bed. I was tired, but not tired enough to fall asleep, I just wanted something easy and calm to do.

My mom used to look at photo-albums when she was like this, I remember. I figured I might as well take a page from her book and do the same. So, I dug amongst the boxes under the bed, the only boxes left unpacked, and pulled out a few.

My mom gave them to me when I moved. Most of them were from when I was a lot younger, and I skipped through them to Jeremy's high-school graduation. Okay, so maybe I do still call him that to myself sometimes. I looked up to him with sad eyes, I was only in middle-school I guess. And he was leaving, and he was my best friend. I guess, that did call for some tears.

So, that was probably why I was crying in the picture. But, I still put on a smile for the next one, both of us smiling at the camera. The next one was him and his girlfriend at the time, I don't even remember her name. I do remember that he literally broke up with her something like two days after that was taken and I laughed because I never liked her.

Sammi was the only one I ever liked of the one's I'd met and that's probably because she was a nice person and she actually understood why I didn't talk and didn't push me, just tried to be herself and be friendly.

In the next photo-album was more of my concerts, at school and regionals as well as states. There were tons of holiday pictures of me and my brother stealing the family camera and making weird faces as well as another family Christmas by the tree. Both my brother and I looking exhausted as our mother had actually woken us up, both of us far too old to be waking up at six to open presents, after we'd been out for sibling time late the night before.

Then were pictures from summer. That was the last summer that he and I were really close. After that, we started growing apart. He was twenty-one and he always had friends to hang out with, even back home. I remember feeling dejected. And, he tried to make time for me, but it was always an hour or so before another party or another band practice or another movie or whatever came up and half of our plans would be scratched.

Then, I think it was the year after that when he met Sammi. They weren't really dating yet, I don't think. Maybe he'd met her before that, I don't know. But, that was when I started hearing about her. Not too long after that, I met her. Although, they were still "just friends," but Jeremy wouldn't shut up about her. It was literally "Sammi this" and "Sammi that" and "Sammi broke a guitar string at her lesson yesterday, but God damn, Wynn, she was so cute doing it." He sounded like an immature, little school-girl. It was fucking crazy.

And, I guess we kind of grew back together for a bit, where he'd tell me things again. I mean, now they were only about his little crush, but he confided in me and I liked the feeling.

The day he officially moved out for forever, he jumped over to LA, he left me for good.

Those pictures were the hardest to look at. The pictures of us emptying his room, so dad could make it a study, while movers took things and loaded them on the truck. We lost touch for the most part after that, which is, I guess, how the rest of my life fell into place. He'd call once in a while to see how everyone was, he'd stop by for a Thanksgiving or two (though not many because Sammi's vegetarian and he'd seemingly forgotten I was to, making his excuse "she doesn't eat turkey, so we might as well not come"). I think he's just a stupid big brother, boys will be boys and they really don't balance relationships well.

I mean Sammi speaks with her family all the time, you know that? She's actually a decent daughter! Clearly!

Then there's me and my brother who couldn't even be bothered.

Sheesh, I feel like a shitty person.

I really don't know much about my brother after he officially moved out and to LA. Like I said, I saw him only a few times. We did Skype a couple of times, though, because he wanted to know how I was settling into college. For the most part, that's how I met his band. That and through the show or two I'd gone to with my parents just to support him while he was in town.

Wow, photo albums bring a lot back.

"Looking at old pictures of little Wynnie?" CC chuckled, I hadn't realized he'd sat down beside me until he spoke and wrapped his arms around me.

I nodded and closed the book, turning to look at him.

"So, I think we should have a serious talk." He said, suddenly sounding every year of his age, even though he's only a year older.

I bit my lip nervously and nodded. He kissed my nose.

"It's nothing to get nervous about, I promise." He smiled. "I just thought we should think about some stuff."

"Okay." I nodded, speaking quietly.

"So, I know we decided to move in together because we decided we aren't ready to get married yet, right?" He continued anyways, "We took it a little slow compared to the others, not that I'm complaining, I'm happy with our speed." He said quickly, "But, I…shit I don't want to talk about this." He groaned, falling back on the bed. I looked at him from where I sat, confused. He sighed. "Wynn, we need to start thinking. I don't want to be some idiot thinking you're the one and you want to be with me when you don't."

"I do, Chris--" He cut me off with a genuine smile.

"Good, but that still leaves us here." He motioned to us. "We're not ready to get married just yet, we agreed. It's only been two years, and we rushed our relationship a little at the start, we hardly knew each other." I raised an eyebrow and he smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I know, my fault." He took my hand and pulled me over to him, placing the hand he'd taken over his heart. "But, you're twenty-six now, right, babe? And we have time, but I think we should really consider how much time we seriously have…"

I cocked my head to the side.

"Wynn, would you ever want kids?" He searched my eyes.

I bit my lip and drew back, sitting at the edge of the bed and looking in the mirror.

I'd never…I'd never seriously considered the idea. We'd joked about it, of course. The actual idea of being married, of possibly raising a family while he's only home for a week, maybe, at a time unless he's recording, while I'm working a million jobs and adding a music project onto it.

Was it even plausible, even in a few years, to ever consider kids an option.

I relayed that thought to him out lout and he frowned, sitting up and wrapping his arms around me, resting his chin on my shoulder and staring at us in the mirror as well.

"I mean…I'd love to…one day…but yeah, I guess there'd be some seriously difficult scheduling to do…" He sighed.

"Chris, Sammi and my brother don't even have a kid." I pointed out.

"But, they both travel. Sammi won't even be here for three months after this week." He pointed out, "It's a lot more difficult a decision for them, if they were to take the leap…"

I sighed.

"I just was thinking about it." He shrugged, turning his head to kiss my temple.

"You're not suggesting that we try now, are you?" I asked cautiously, turning to look into his eyes.

"N-no! Definitely not right now!" He spluttered. "I just meant--like--if--if we want kids…I mean ideally we'd have to have them before your late thirties…I just thought I'd bring it up as an option…put it on the table and all that…"

"You want to get married?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah, we sorted that out already." He chuckled, kissing my lips softly. "I want to marry you."

"And then you want kids?" I frowned.

"Well, ideally, if we can make it work." He nodded.

"I'm pretty sure there's medicine if it doesn't." I teased.

"Not my dick, you jerk!" He laughed, tickling me and I squirmed, giggling as he pulled me into his lap. "And before you warp my statement into anything else, let me clarify. If we can make if work for us, because we're both busy and I'm not home most of the year."

"Unless you're recording." I nodded.

"Unless I'm recording." He agreed.

"Why are you so famous?" I asked playfully. He chuckled.

"Because I'm fucking amazing."

I shook my head, grinning.

"I could always leave the band if we needed to--"

"No!" I tackled him. I really don't know what possessed me to do that, but now I was straddling his hips as he laid down on the bed, looking as shocked as I felt. I continued, much more quietly. "This band is everything to you, it's who you are--"

"This is usually where the girl says 'it's why I love you' and I can be like 'damn it! I thought you actually cared about me.'" CC chuckled, pulling my hands forward so I was leaning down over him.

"It is why I love you." I pointed out, "It's part of who you are."

"Fair enough." He grinned.

"So I don't have to worry about picking out nursery room colors yet, right?" I asked him, "You don't just wanna start trying?"

"Hell no, our parents would come together and kill me if I did that!" He joked. "No, Wynn, I just wanted to lay it all out on the table now."

I nodded with a smile.

"If I do say so myself, you look incredibly sexy right now." He grinned, I rolled my eyes.

"You wanna fuck, Coma?"

"Please and thank-you." He leaned up and kissed me quickly. I raised an eyebrow. "This is out of character for you, can we just savor the moment?"

"Is that what you're calling it?" I laughed.

"Mhmm," and he brought my lips down to his.

Thank God our dog is deaf…