Get Rhythm

[FLORA]

Twp and a half weeks had gone by since the party. I between that time I had gotten a lot closer with John and the the rest of his band mates. Tessa and I had had a few girl days, but the bakery occupied a lot of my time. John had helped me paint the bakery, I got in most of the supplies I needed. This entire week the bakery would be shut down because construction would start first thing Monday morning on the bar. To thank his Dad for getting me into contact with Andrew, the carpenter who would build my bar, I decided to make a dozen cupcakes.

When I met Andrew and we discussed plans I knew he would be as great as John said he was when he began asking me about incorporating the cupcake displays into the bar rather than having a separate area. We decided there would be a huge section inside the bar that was glass and where all the pastries I made would sit.

I pulled into the parking lot near the bakery and got out of my car. I unlocked the bakery and went inside, turning on lights. The wooden floors had been put in Friday, they were beautiful. Finally everything was coming together.

"Hey there," Andrew said, entering the shop with some of his tools in hand.

"Hi Andrew, great to see you!"

"You too. The rest of my guys should be here soon. I'm thinking this is going to be a two to three day thing to make all the adjustments and then get everything in and perfect. If you want to give me keys so you don't have to unlock I can lock up behind us and just call you when we'll be out of your hair."

"That's actually perfect. I have a duplicate so you can take this one," I said. I pulled the key off of my keyring and handed it to Andrew. It was a relief to not have to go back and fourth between the shop and home whenever they were arriving and leaving.

After going over a few last details I left the shop as Andrew's crew was arriving. My phone buzzed in my purse. I pulled it out to see a text from John.

'Come hang out at 8123? We're playing some new songs for Tim and a few guys...'

I smiled and typed a quick reply. I decided to just walk the short distance to 8123. The walk went by quickly, but my skin was still a little damp from the Arizona heat. The air inside was cool against my skin and I knew I would be almost cold in no time.

"Can I help you?"

"Yeah, I'm looking for The Maine and Tim Kirch... John asked me to come."

The girl nodded. "Just go up and to your last door on the right."

I followed her directions and quickly slipped into Tim's office. Luckily the guys hadn't arrived so I wasn't making the boys look tacky. John smiled and stood properly from where he had been leaning against a cabinet. He walked over to me and threw his arm over my shoulder.

"Perfect arm rest."

I rolled my eyes at his smirk. "Hey guys."

"Hey Flora," they all responded, each smiling warmly at me. I'd gotten to know all of them better as well. Pat wiggled his way into my heart faster than anyone else though because of his naturally welcoming and warm nature.

"Sorry we're running a bit late. Should we go ahead and get to the studio?" a guy asked, walking in with another guy following him. They were both dressed causally and seemed around our age. I'm not sure who they were though.

"Absolutely," Tim said with a confident smile. We all headed down to the basement where the studio was. John and I were at the end of the group, holding hands. I squeezed his hand to steady its shaking.

"You're going to do great, John. Don't be nervous."

He laughed, "Wanna know something ridiculous?"

"Of course," I quickly agreed.

"I think I'm more nervous for you to hear us for the first time than I am for these guys to."

I looked up at John, biting my lip. A light blush was on my cheeks. I smiled warmly. "You impress me all the time, O'Callaghan. I doubt today will be any different." I bumped his hip with mine. "Who are these guys anyway?"

"Butch Walker and one of his close friends who is also a fucking musical genius. He smiled and pulled me into his body for a quick hug before we walked into the studio. The guys went into the recording room while Tim, the 'geniuses', and I sat outside.

"Go ahead guys," Tim said, pressing a button so the guys could hear him.

The guys said something to each other we couldn't hear, then began a song. John took a deep breath and cleared his throat before beginning.

"Turn it up, it's my song.
I can't sing but I'll sing along.
I can feel it in my bones,
a little rock, a little roll."

John's voice was beautiful, clear but with a slight rasp to it. He looked beautiful while he sang too, you could tell how much he poured himself into this. I don't think I'd ever been more turned on in my entire life.

At the end of that song the guys went straight into the next one. A devilish smirk fell onto John's lips as he made contact with me and began to sing.

"I'm feeling pretty dirty baby
Forgive my sins.
I get the feeling you can save me honey,
My heroine.

Your hips, my hands, you swing and you dance,
Yea, I'm feeling pretty lonely baby
Just let me in
Just let me in."

I was totally wrong earlier. The way John sang that song and the way he looked me up and down made my mouth dry. He knew what he was doing, it was obvious in his eyes and by the smirk on his face when they were finished.

They played several more songs before coming out of the room. John came and sat beside me on the couch, resting his hand on my leg. I leaned into his side a nd got close to his ear.

"Amazing. You guys blew me away, John Oh."

He smiled and gripped my leg a little harder. He stayed silent as Tim began talking about the direction they wanted to go with the new album. All of the guys added their input when they felt needed. Butch and Jay had nothing but praise for the new sound.

"I think you guys have grown so much, I love this sound you've got going."

"It's a little early for a new record, but were thinking about sending stuff to the label anyway," John grinned.

"I would do it, I mean I really think you guys have a solid album here. Maybe write a few more songs, tweak one note here or there. I say do it," Jay nodded.

I smiled. I felt John's happiness radiating off of him. We all talked a little longer, the topics eventually moving from music to broader topics. It was pretty cool actually, that I was in here hanging out with these awesome musicians.

"Wanna go to dinner?" John asked, nudging me as we walked out of 8123. He was walking me back to my car.

"You're always trying to feed me," I laughed.

He shook his head, "I'm always trying to hang out with you."

I grinned. "Why don't you just come over? Fi's out of town anyway for the company... I can cook us dinner and we can have a best friend sleep over."

John nodded. "I like the sound of that. I'll pick of some alcohol... What would you like?"

"Mm, maybe some wine and just some beer for after dinner."

"Alright doll, red or white?"

"Red."

"When do you want me to come over?"

I shrugged, "How about seven?" He agreed and we finished the walk to my car. I insisted on dropping him back off at 8123. I drove by the store and picked up some chicken, corn on the cob, and mashed potatoes. For dessert I decided I would bake some brownies. When I got home I quickly threw together a lemon sauce to pour over the chicken and I put it in the oven. Then I ran around the house and cleaned up a bit. I changed into a pair of black denim shorts and a green racerback tank top. I quickly finished cooking everything and set two plates on the kitchen table just as someone knocked on my door. I opened it to find John standing there with the alcohol and flowers.

"Ooh, I love carnations," I exclaimed, picking up the pale pink flowers and moving them into a vase. "Thank you."

"Welcome. Your nickname is Floral, alright? I decided that because you always smell like flowers."

I laughed, "Whatever you say. The wine glasses are in the cabinet, sit down and eat."

John poured us each a glass of wine, pouring well over half way of the cup making me laugh. "I got a few bottles of wine," he shrugged. "Besides, we aren't out anywhere, fuck that half a glass bullshit. We both know we're going to drink more than that, so why not save the time?"

I laughed loudly. John kept me laughing throughout dinner. John was polite, charming... The conversation was easy, as always. I realized how true it is that John is my best friend as we laughed over an inside joke. When we were done eating I brought the cupcakes to the living room and put them on the table. We sat on the couch and turned on the television.

"What do you wanna watch?"

"Doesn't matter," John shrugged, pulling the cap off of one bottle of beer and handing it to me. He then opened one for himself. I thanked him and just put it on Burn Notice.

"I really like the way your band sounds," I smiled.

John smiled too. "Thanks. We're all really proud of where we are right now. I can't wait to get feedback from the record label."

"I'm sure it will all be ridiculously positive," I chuckled.

"Everyone said to tell you thanks for the cupcakes and that they are amazing," John said.

I laughed, "Tell them anytime."

"Hey, no way! No way is my family already on cupcake anytime privileges before I, your best friend, am!"

"John you would have me making them everyday!"

He laughed, "No. Only when the bakery was closed. It is your own fault. Don't be such a great baker!"

"You feed my ego," I laughed.

"All deserved," he muttered. "Do you ever miss North Carolina?"

"Oh yeah." I shook my head. "It's so beautiful there. Where I lived the weather was perfect, never to extreme in any direction. I love the South. I love that literary history... I think North Carolina really is a wonderful place to live."

"Do you like Tempe, though?"

"I do," I nodded. I have really great friends here," I chuckled. "My goals are being met... Life is awesome."

"You're so... cheery."

"I'm thankful... I know I'm better off than a lot of people, unfortunately. A lot of bad things happen John but the world is still beautiful. Don't get so jaded that you think otherwise."

He smiled at me and took a long sip of his beer. "I'm thankful... I just get... Lost in my head, I guess. It's that moody musician thing I guess," he chuckled.

"You're too hard on yourself," I replied.

He shrugged. He pulled me into his side and we began focusing on the show. Time flew by and before we knew it the clock read one in the morning.

"Wanna go lay in bed?" I asked, meaning to stand but falling right back down. The red wine got to me.

"Yeah, come one light weight," John chuckled. His arms were wrapped around me until we got to my bedroom. I quickly changed into night clothes and got into bed and turned on the television. I felt myself falling asleep fairly quickly. I forced my eyes open to look at John who was staring at me.

"I'm glad we're friends John Oh."

"Me too," he whispered. I moved closer to him and John pulled me onto his chest. It took me no time to fall asleep with the rhythm of John's breathing and his soft humming.