Author's Note: Okay people. I'm going to ask a favor before you actually read this chapter and it will involve you using your imaginations a bit. I'm trying to set the mood here so everyone has his or her own imaginative performance for this chapter in the form of musical foreplay. I know, I know, I'm a pushy, demanding bitch, but genetics are what they are and I lacked nurture growing up.
-Go to YouTube
-Search "We are the In Crowd Rumor Mill" and play the original video and listen to the song. Now, in place of the lead female singer, imagine your own idealized Anastasia in terms of looks, and in place of the male singer, imagine your idealized Elliot. Now play it again in your head with your idealized people. Hopefully you will smile like I do when I do this with my idealized versions of the characters.
-The other search is "We are the in crowd kiss me again" and do the same with your Anastasia and your idealized Ethan since it's a different male singer and the song/video is the inspiration for part of my story.
Or if you don't want to search youtube, go to "pinterest / xwingana / off-key-life" to watch
Full Disclosure: I'm not a teenager. Heck, even my kids are in their 20's. I just like good music and find inspiration from it. Okay, plus I have the emotional maturity of a nine year old, but heck, I have to play my strength, right?
Let me know what you thought of the band in PMs or reviews, whichever you are most comfortable doing. You can even leave comments on my pinterest board for this story. Let me know what songs inspire your creativity! I'm always looking for good music.
Thanks for reading! Please humor this old broad! And yes, it's a short chapter because it was the right place to end it. Sorry about that.
Ana - forever the day dreamer
Chapter 2 – Outside the Comfort Zone
As I get out of the car, Taylor and I exchange a glance and a smirk. We've spent enough time together over the last four years that sometimes I swear we don't even need words to communicate, which works for me because I loathe long-winded people. "I think we should follow Miss Steele as the better show will be watching Elliot attempt to get her on stage."
"Agreed," Taylor replies with a smirk. "If I were a betting man, I'd wager he'll get her on stage, she'll freeze, and then run off stage without singing a note. Ryan has barely heard her speak, much less sing and they've spent a significant amount of time together during practices both in Portland and here."
"Miss Steele will never take the stage," I counter. "She might be brave enough do wear a massive amount of Seattle Sounders gear in the heart of Portland Timbers country, but Elliot will fail to get her on stage."
"Ana!" we hear Elliot call out to her as she walks about fifteen feet in front of us. Looking around we see Elliot rush over to her and pull her into a tight embrace before setting her back down. He takes her backpack from her before greeting Taylor and I. "Thanks for getting her here bro."
We follow Elliot as he leads Ana into his band's dressing room, where we find Kate, her brother Ethan, Ryan, and the new guitarist. You can feel the subtle anxiety slowly building in the room.
"Where are Tara and Ed?" Ana whispers with dread in her soft, melodic voice.
She's a smart cookie. She's pretty much figured out what's going on. There's no missing the panic on her pretty face. Her posture has gone from submissive to I'd say defiant, but it's more like she's mentally preparing herself for Elliot's ambush.
"In London," he replies watching her closely. "They won't be back until the middle of next week."
She tilts her head slightly, while staring at him with a blank expression on her pretty face. Oddly, I can see Elliot's nerves getting the better of him when Miss Steele crosses her arms like an angry Sunday school teacher and the blank look is replaced by a not so subtle glare. No words pass between them, just a staring contest. Finally, Miss Steele whispers a soft but firm, no, before turning and heading toward the door.
"Oh come on Ana," Elliot pleads as he runs his fingers through his wavy blonde hair. "You're the only one that knows the songs and the arrangements. It has to be you. It's either that or the biggest show of our career doesn't happen. Don't let your shyness and fear stop you. I mean, come on, you wore that outfit as you traipsed around Portland and you were lucky you didn't get your ass kicked all the way here. That took major balls to do."
We watch as she turns to look at him. "When did you know about London?"
Taylor and I smirk as Elliot shifts nervously on the balls of his feet. Finally he confesses, "I knew last week."
"Was it good for you?" she asked softly.
Now he has the blank look on his face. "I don't follow."
"Screwing yourself. Was it good for you?" she asks. Taylor and I can't help but chuckle, which earns us a glare from Miss Steele. "You two were in on this, weren't you?" she asked us. There was no missing the disappointment in her eyes.
"They found out less than an hour before they fetched you in Portland. I had to practically beg my brother to help me," Elliot stammers in an effort to shift the blame back to where it belongs – with him.
"You can do this Ana," Kate chimes in as she hands her a glass of cranberry juice and leads her to the nearest couch. "I know you can and deep down I know you wanted to do this at one point in your life."
"A person can't be six years old forever Kate," Ana sighs sadly. "Life changes your priorities over time. This isn't something I'm capable of doing nor do I want to do it."
"Your dad's here. He can't wait to hear you sing on stage," Kate counters. "You know he loves it when you sing."
"My dad is here? He knew too?" she softly stammers. Her eyes darken before tearing up. There is no missing the disappointment with her best friends and father that's etched on her young face. Her whole body is shaking uncontrollably now. "I can't do this. I just can't."
Kate sits at her side. "You can and you will. If you don't you are letting the band down. Now chug that glass of liquid courage so we can get you into your outfit for on stage."
Miss Steele looks at the glass in her hand and sets it on the coffee table. "You know I don't drink Kate. So it's okay for you all to let me down and pull this stunt with me, but it's not acceptable for me to let you guys down? It feels like a double standard and all around, I'm screwed. They had a week to find someone and get her ready. Did they even try?" Frankly, I'm shocked that there isn't anger in Miss Steele's voice, just disappointment.
We watch as Elliot squats before her and takes her trembling hand in his. "You can do this. I know you can. It's six songs. That's it. I get that your terrified, but honestly, we really need you. All you have to do is shake off some of that shyness, step outside your comfort zone, and do your best impression out there of Tara. A couple of shots of tequila will help with that shyness. Trust me."
Surprisingly, she glances over at Ethan Kavanagh looking for confirmation. He gives her his best reassuring smile and a nod. Oddly, I haven't felt anything toward Ethan Kavanagh over the past year that I've known him. Hell, I've been apathetic to his existence. I'd met him a few times before, but I didn't loathe him like I do his sister, but suddenly, I don't particularly like him or is it the fact that Miss Steele looked at him for reassurance?
"If I agree to attempt this, and that's a big if, what would I have to wear?" she stammers with growing anxiety. We watch as Kate pulled out two hangers from the nearby closet. The first contains a small, black leather vest and a tiny pair of black shorts. The second contains black lacy undergarments including a push up bra and fishnet stockings. Finally, Elliot hands Ana a box containing four-inch heel, black, leather and lace, thigh-high boots.
"Is this hooker gear or did you raid your closet?" Miss Steele finally snaps at Kate. It's the first time she did more than whisper or talk softly in my presence. I laugh loudly. Beneath the shy exterior Miss Steele has spunk after all. Though the way she's currently glaring at me, it's probably better that I at least try to look contrite, but it's difficult when I try to imagine her wearing that outfit. "I will not dress like a prostitute. It's not happening. Oh and by the way, you know I can barely walk on heels, let alone heels that size. What were you thinking?"
"It's similar to the outfits Tara wore on stage but in your size," Elliot countered. "Do you think she looked like a hooker?" Miss Steele merely shrugs at him in response, but there's no missing the blush on her cheeks. "I need you to trust me on this Ana. You'll look just as hot as Tara did, if not hotter. I know in my soul you can do this and be spectacular. If I wasn't positive, I wouldn't have asked." She glares at him with her arms crossed, but I can tell it's half-hearted. "Okay," Elliot adds, "I wouldn't have manipulated the situation."
Surprisingly, we watch as she walks over to the small bar in the corner, pours herself a double shot of tequila and downs it in one quick chug. When she stops choking and coughing, she takes the outfit from Kate and stomps into the en-suite bathroom muttering under her breath about hating them. After a minute, Kate joins her and I can't help but glance at my watch – twenty minutes to show time. Elliot proceeded to kick Taylor and I out toward our seats.
Thankfully I'd purchased tickets to the fundraising concert when Elliot's band found out they were the opening act. I bought the best row in the house. My dozen tickets went to my parents, Mia, Ros and Gwen, Kate, my PA Andrea and her date, Flynn and his wife, and finally Taylor and I took the last two seats. When I first purchased the tickets I had no intention of really going because spending that much time seated next to Kate just grated on my nerves. She has from the day I met her. She's your typical reporter – abrasive when she's after a story, she asks too many questions, and though she came from an excellent family, I felt Elliot could do better.
I will admit that she is the most intelligent woman he's ever dated, so that's one positive for her. She liked to figure people out like puzzles. It's a trait we have in common, but neither of us will apply that need to know about ourselves. For a man with secrets, having someone like Kate Kavanagh around me leaves me on edge. I like my secrets to remain buried and my private life just that – private. The media is no ones friend. They aren't to be trusted and Kate is the media; hence, she's untrustworthy. If Elliot would get her to sign an NDA, I might feel a bit better, but then again, I might not. Who the fuck knows?
Finally the lights dim, the crowd quiets, and the deep blue curtain rises slowly. Elliot and his band are on stage, minus their female lead singer. Taylor and I glance at each other and shrug as we wonder if Kate is still backstage.
"Good evening ladies and gentleman. Thank you for contributing to this fundraiser for autism research," Elliot begins. "We'd like to thank our corporate partners who helped make this show a reality – Microsoft Corporation and Seattle Children's Hospital. We are Apathy Blues and while many of you may know us locally, we have a treat for you tonight. Our lead female vocalist and her guitarist husband are in London, so substituting for her is our songwriting partner in her first-ever public performance, Miss Anastasia Steele. She's a shy little thing, so on the count of three everyone scream: Anastasia get your butt out here and sing for us!"
Elliot's got a shit-eating grin on his face right now. "One – Two – Three – Anastasia get your butt out here and sing for us!" everyone yelled.
A second later, from behind Ryan on drums, we see Anastasia Steele stumble toward the center of the stage. If I'm not mistaken, Kate gave her a hard shove out there. She almost fell because of the heels, but Ethan managed to grab her bare arm so she remained upright. This is going to be a disaster.
When Miss Steele stands before her microphone and the spotlight hits her, I'm speechless. She no longer looks like a shy, sullen, teenager, but between the sexy outfit, her now red lips, and her long dark wavy hair accenting her pushed up cleavage she's breathtakingly beautiful and looks like she's made for sin. No doubt, every red-blooded, heterosexual male in this place has to feel his pants get a bit tighter. I know mine are. All I want to do is cover her up so only I can see her. What the fuck is with feeling like this? It's alarming.
The first song begins with chimes, drums and guitar. Miss Steele looks terrified until Elliot shreds his guitar for the first time and she mechanically begins singing. Every so often she glances toward Elliot or Ethan for reassurance. By the second line of the song, she's performing as if she'd been doing this her entire life. I expected her voice to be soft and sultry, but it was pure rocker-chick. Every emotion she was feeling was poured into the song. There was no missing the words were personal to her.
Elliot was absolutely right. I never thought I'd say that, but he was. She was better than Tara. They sounded like they were made to harmonize with each other. Hell, even the other members of the band were looking at her in awe, especially Ethan and Ryan. The last strong note she hit before the final closing verse blew me away. I'm a classical music type of person, though I will listen to some rock music.
The lyrics were hers, so I force myself to listen to them closely as I watch them perform their next four songs. For the first time ever, I feel like Elliot actually has a chance at moving his dream career of being a musician forward. He always said he needed the right lyricist to compose with and he'd found her. Hell, she even played the keyboard on two songs. Their songs were about fear, loneliness, and hope. Their voices moved between anger, despair, amusement, and at times they even sounded sweet together. The shy Miss Steele was not one to underestimate. That much was now blatantly obvious.
"For our last song, I'm going to step back from the microphone a bit and allow my good friend Ethan to step forward and have the duet honors in place of our missing Ed, who normally performs this song with his wife Tara," Elliot comments with a smirk.
We watched as Ethan set down his guitar and approached the microphone next to Miss Steele. I hadn't heard this song as it began with Ethan on vocals, but it quickly became apparent it was a duet about secret crushes. They sang together like they'd known each other forever. His arms were around her during part of the performance and they were constantly exchanging glances. Her voice was so sweet, yet in the pit of my stomach I felt bitter. Try as I might to shake off this feeling, I failed miserably. When the final line to the song was sung, kiss me again, Ethan gently turned her, pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately as the curtain came down to thunderous applause. Kate looked thrilled as she stood just off-stage.
Two hours later, the second part of the fundraiser is over. Taylor and I head backstage with Kate, my family, and a tall, thing middle age gentleman I'm assuming is Miss Steele's father to congratulate Elliot and the band. When we get there, we're surprised to find Elliot holding an ice pack on his left eye and Ethan with a fat lip.
"What happened?" Kate stammered rushing over to Elliot. "I can guess how Ethan got the fat lip because I know Ana wasn't receptive to that lip lock."
"Correct," Ethan muttered disappointedly.
"I told Ana that our next show was going to be awesome and I couldn't wait to start writing for our new CD," Elliot informed us. "She got mad at me and told me to find someone else to work with because without trust there's nothing. I told her not to be like that after I blocked her repeatedly from leaving, so she punched me in the face, told me off, and left. She didn't even change. She grabbed her stuff and bolted."
Kate picks up something from the floor that looks like a small clutch purse and rifles through it. "Oh El, so she's running around the streets of Seattle at ten o'clock at night without any money or ID. She doesn't know anyone here but you and Ryan. How long has she been gone?"
"She left five minutes after the performance ended," Elliot replied before swearing.
"You should have known better Elliot. You'd pushed my Annie far enough for one night," Ray Steele informed him with a smirk. "Once she realizes she doesn't have money or identification, she'll come back here. We just have to wait her out."
Kate introduced Ray Steele to everyone. He seemed nice enough and was clearly ex-military, short hair and all. He kept himself in good shape for someone around fifty. The sound of his cell phone ringing interrupts the introductions. "This is Ray," he answers. We watch as he listens to whomever called him. "I'll be there in the next fifteen minutes to straighten this mess out officer. Where are you located?" After a brief pause, Ray adds, "This is all a misunderstanding officer, regardless of how she's dressed and how it looked. I can assure you that my daughter is not selling her body for cash on the streets of Seattle and the gentleman with her is just a college friend who picked her up after a concert." Another pause. "Yes officer, I understand that she reeks of tequila but there's an explanation for that." Ray glares at Elliot and Kate before adding, "I'll explain when I get there."
When he hangs up, he asks us, "how far is the police station on Twelfth Avenue from here?"
Author's Second Note: So did you listen to the songs first? Can you see why I drew inspiration from them?