CHAPTER THREE
"Stop!" Noah shouted, raising his head to look at his band mates who sat around him in a circle. "This isn't working. Anyone disagree?" They'd been at it for hours, writing songs for their new album but nothing sounded 'right' to him. Their record company wanted an album in just over two months, so they'd all agreed to take a few days off then get back to the studio to hammer it out. So far it had been a disaster. It had only been four days, but a disaster all the same. Noah and Ryker usually wrote the songs together and once they'd got the basics of the track, they'd bring in the rest of the band. He was now questioning the wisdom, or lack thereof, of bringing everyone in from the start.
"It doesn't sound like us, man," Dylan voiced what he knew the rest of them were thinking. "Our songs are full of energy and even after a few rifts, fans know it's one of ours. That just wasn't... it," he sighed as he fell back on the couch and put his feet on the coffee table that lay in the center of their circle, littered with half empty bottles of water and food wrappers. He usually sat on the edge of the couch so he could hit his drumsticks off the table, adding to the layers of their songs. Sitting back was a sign of defeat.
Ryker put his elbows on his knees, hung his head and placed his fingers, interlocked behind his head and sighed. Noah felt the same. In the past, the two of them had written songs with no issue. They'd even come up with one of their hit songs in the bathroom before going on stage one night. Their songs flowed easily to them... usually.
"I got nothing," he sighed as he placed his Vans on the table and flipped back on his couch in defeat.
CJ, the quietest member of the band let out a groan, "I don't know about you guys but I feel wiped. Normally after we come off tour I'm wiped, sure, but I still have loads of energy to do other stuff and enjoy our time off, but this time I'm just... wiped."
"What about you Liam?" Dylan asked. Dylan was the leader of the group who kept everyone organized and on track. Noah could see the fire slowly go out in his eyes as well and knew they were in trouble. Perhaps their last tour really would be their last. They'd had an amazing ten years run.
Liam stood up and went over to the refrigerator and pulled out a fresh bottle of water without saying a word. He opened the top and drank half the bottle before turning his attention back to the band, "I think we should call it a day," he said and dropped his eyes to the floor.
The silence in the room was deafening as Liam's words sunk in. Then there was uproar. "Are you crazy?" shouted Dylan at the same time as Ryker shot from his seat and shouted, "No way, man." Even CJ raised his voice to shout, "No!" Noah looked around at everyone in shock. There was no way he wanted the band to split, sure he was jaded with the whole experience but he knew he wasn't ready to give it all up yet. "Do you want to call it a day?" he asked Liam.
A smirk appeared on Liam's face as he looked up, "Just thought I'd check. You guys are acting like teenage girls not invited to prom. We're Stroke of Midnight guys! I know it's harder for us to relax and unwind without the paparazzi popping up in your face or a fan wanting something, but remember what we've been through. Why we started in the first place. You wanna give all that up? That's what you're doing right now."
"Maybe you're right," huffed Ryker.
"There're no maybes about it," said Liam, plunking himself back on the couch between Dylan and CJ, and placing his feet on the table. "We need a real break, not a couple of days where we spend it catching up on sleep and seeing the family. I mean a break where we come back refreshed and energized to give our fans our best music yet."
Noah could feel the repressed energy in the room lifting and a smile appeared on his face. A real break sounded like heaven right now. He looked around the room and saw everyone else seemed to be on the same page.
"I could do with a real break," said Ryker with a grin, "Get back my lyric writing magic."
"Ha," snorted Noah, "lyric writing magic? We won't be putting anything like that in our songs." He turned somber, "But I agree, we all need a real break. We've just over two months to record this album, Ryker do you reckon we could do it in less?"
"Yeah, I think with a three week break we'd knock out what ten new tracks? We've got a few ideas in the book anyway we could bring out. Might even start when I'm away - once I get my head squared."
"That's my boys," grinned Liam, "Knew you could pull yourself out of that funk. So where we all going?" He said as he sat up and rubbed his hands together, looking around at everyone.
"Oh no," said Ryker, "I just bought myself a lakeside cabin on Lake Tahoe and much as I love you guys, after living on a tour bus with you all for the last eight months this is a trip I'm taking on my own."
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement apart from Liam whose grin slipped faster than Bambi on ice. "You guys are all leaving me?" he moaned.
Dylan slapped Liam on the thigh as he stood up, "Yep, I wouldn't mind a trip out to Miami to visit that chick I met there and there's no way I want you hanging around."
CJ shifted to look at Liam's crestfallen face, "I guess you could come with me to visit Aspen. I'm sure she wouldn't mind an extra guest," he offered with a raised eyebrow. Aspen was CJ's younger sister who'd moved to San Diego to study and never came back home after graduating.
Noah thought a slight blush appeared on Liam's face as he mumbled, "Nah, it's fine. It might be best if we all do our own thing."
"What are you going to do, Noah?" asked Dylan.
Now wasn't that the million dollar question.