Chapter Twenty-Three
Silas
“Hello, Silas speaking,” I said as I answered the phone. I’d battled to fall asleep the night before from all the excitement and had slept in that morning. That was the problem with my battles at night; I always had to make up for it in the morning. I was still half asleep when my phone rang and woke me up. I didn’t even look to see who it was that was calling me. I almost asked them why they were calling so early when I saw that it was already nine-thirty. Although, nine-thirty on a Saturday morning was still relatively early to call someone.
“Silas, it’s Annie here. Garren’s secretary. He said you would be expecting my call. Sorry about calling you on a weekend. I’ve already been at my desk for two hours, so I didn’t realize how early it was until I looked at the clock.”
I sat up. I immediately felt completely awake. If I had been hung over, I could imagine her words would’ve caused me to turn sober too. That was how big the shock was to hear who it was. “Hi, Annie, thanks for calling. And it’s not early at all, I’ve been up for ages,” I lied. I wasn’t sure why it even mattered, but I didn’t want her to think that I was lazy. I felt the need to get her to like me.
“Wonderful. Looks like the two of us will get along great then. Not many early birds around here. They’re all night owls who sleep the morning away. Now, Garren has asked me to make some arrangements with you. You’ll realize soon enough that he’s not one to mess around. When he wants something done, he wants it done immediately. Which, to be fair, is pretty nice in this line of work. If there was ever the right agent to find you, it was him. I’m not just saying that because he’s my boss. He really knows what he is doing. I’m excited to hear your songs, Silas. Garren said some great things about you, and he honestly doesn’t just sign anybody up. He obviously has great faith in you.”
I liked Annie. She was direct and to the point, with a bubbly personality to match. “I’m excited for you to hear them too. I’m still in shock that all of this is happening.”
“Yeah, he told me that he didn’t even go out there to see you. He was going for another band completely.”
“I know. I don’t usually believe in things happening for a reason and all that serendipitous stuff, but I’m starting to think otherwise now.”
“Oh, I totally believe it. I love it when this happens though. It’s a lot more organic when he just happens to stumble across someone. Also, it makes for a good story. There’s nothing like the story of a young artist singing his heart out despite not being signed up to get the hearts racing. It’s the whole rags-to-riches thing that everyone loves so much. I hear you’re also quite the looker,” she said, and I found myself blushing even though there was nobody around me.
“Uh . . .”
She laughed. “Don’t worry; you don’t have to answer that. Keep your modesty. There is nothing sexier than a man who is both good looking and modest. It’s a rare and unusual trait for someone to have. Now, before I embarrass you any further, I wanted to talk to you about getting you over here. Like I said, Garren is keen to get started pretty quickly.”
“That’s great. I’m more than ready.”
“Good. Are you currently in a job that you need to take time off from?”
“I work in construction but it was always on a freelance basis, and my boss was always aware that I had plans toward a singing career. So, there’s nothing holding me back, thankfully. I was with him with Garren called, and he told me that I didn’t have to see through the project we were working on. There are quite a few other guys on site, so it’s no problem.”
“Oh, that works out well then. I thought I was going to have to call your boss for you and tell him why it’s such a good idea to let you go. I’ve had to do that before you know. I can be really persuasive when I want to be, but it’s always good when this part of the job is already done for me. So, in that case, are you happy with me getting you a flight on Sunday?”
“Sunday? As in this Sunday? As in tomorrow?” I asked. Surely not. Surely he wouldn’t ask me to move so quickly. He must know that I needed time. I expected her to tell me that she obviously meant the following Sunday. A week was still super short notice, but it was at least better than a day.
She chuckled. “I told you he likes to move quickly. Yeah, I mean tomorrow. Tomorrow late morning, if that makes it any easier.”
“Wow. Uh, I mean, yeah, of course. Of course I’m fine with it. The sooner, the better really.”
“Great! I was hoping you’d say that. Thanks for being so understanding with all of this. Trust me; you won’t regret it. Now, I don’t want you to worry about a thing. I’m going to book your flight now and email you all the details. And of course, your accommodation will all be taken care of.”
“You’re paying for my flight?” I said in surprise. I hadn’t expected that at all. I’d actually been worried about how I was going to afford it, but I had been fully prepared to make a plan.
She laughed. “Welcome to the business. Don’t worry, if Garren turns you into a star, then spending some money on flights and accommodation is really no big deal at all. This is all worth it for him.”
“I’m shocked. And I appreciate this so much.”
“I’m glad to hear it, and I look forward to meeting you. I like that you are so grounded. You won’t believe how self-obsessed some people can be in this industry. Some of them demand things from me before they’ve even been signed up.”
“You’re kidding! That’s crazy. They should be grateful. It’s so difficult to get an opportunity like this. I’m never going to stop being thankful for it.”
“Good. I’m going to remind you of this conversation when you’re famous. So, what email can I get you on?” she asked.
We exchanged details and said our goodbyes. I sat there, staring at the phone as if trying to make sense of what was happening. How was this all happening so fast? Was I really going to become famous? How was that even possible? My phone rang again, and I jumped up in surprise. I just hoped it wasn’t Annie calling to tell me that the whole thing had been one elaborate prank. I still sometimes didn’t believe it was real. But it wasn’t Annie. It was Dominic. I’d messaged him the night before to tell him that I had some big news for him.
“Sorry, I only got your message now. What’s up? You said you had news?”
“Dom, I have huge news. HUGE.”
He laughed. “Then tell me already. Don’t keep me hanging.”
“An agent has signed me up!”
“What? Are you serious? How did it happen? Oh wow, I’ve been waiting for this phone call for a very long time. Tell me everything!”
I told him all about how Riley had gotten me a gig at her work and how Garren had come up to me when I was finished and handed me a card.
“I literally just got off the phone with his secretary now. I almost didn’t think it was going to happen, but it’s all real. I checked the guy out too, and he’s definitely an agent. A pretty big one too. They’re flying me out tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow! Wow, that’s quick.”
“I know,” I said and laughed. My laugh sounded a bit maniacal as the realization of what was happening finally began to dawn on me. “I’m still in shock. It’s all happening so fast. I haven’t had much time to really process it all. It’s like I’m on a rollercoaster that won’t come down.”
“Are you moving there for good?” he asked.
“Oh no, it’s just for me to record the album. I’ll come back after that, although I have no idea what happens once I’m done with the record. I actually know very little about this side of the business. I just know I want to sing. I’m sure I will figure it out as I go along. I’ll have to. It’s time for a huge learning curve to come my way.”
“This is amazing! I’m so happy for you. You see, I told you not to give up. Not many people can say that they stuck to their dream like you did until it came true.”
I thought about how close I had come to giving up, and how I had almost taken on a full-time job with Gary. I shook my head at the thought.
“I can’t believe this is happening.”
“Well, you better believe it. I always knew you’d be famous one day. Proud of you, bro.”
“Thanks, man. I was hoping to see you before I left but I’m not sure I’ll have time now. I didn’t expect to leave so soon.”
“Yeah, I’m actually going away for some tournament later today anyway. I’ll just have to come and visit you. How long does it take to make a record? How long will you be away?”
I laughed. “I have no idea.”
“You’re about to find out! Keep me posted.”
Dominic was right. I was about to step into a world I had no idea about, and soon I’d know more about the business than ever before. In a way, it was actually nice not knowing what was coming. It allowed me to just leave it all into Garren’s hands and do my best to make sure he chose the right guy. I was going to prove to him that I was hard working and willing to get ahead in the business. I hadn’t come this far to let it all come crashing down. All I ever wanted was an opportunity to prove myself and I was going to make sure that nothing stood in my way.
The only thing that was making me feel down was the idea of leaving Riley just as I was really getting to know her. Just the other day I was thinking about asking her to be my girlfriend, but now I wasn’t sure if that was a good idea anymore. I liked her, more than I sometimes cared to admit, but how could I ask her to go out with me and then just leave her? As much as I was looking forward to recording the album, I was also looking forward to coming back to be with her. I hope she waited for me. She had been out all day and messaged me to say she would meet me at the restaurant.
I was first to arrive there and took a seat facing the door so that I could see when she walked in. I wasn’t sure why, but I actually felt nervous to see her. Even though we hung out all the time and had slept together already a few times, this was the first time we were really going on a date. I wanted to make sure it was special.
When Riley walked in, I gasped. She was wearing a tight black dress that hugged her figure. Her hair was down and straightened, and the only makeup she had on was bright red lipstick to match the color of heels. I was used to seeing her in jeans and t-shirts, or even pajamas. She was cute when she walked around the house, but now she was drop-dead gorgeous. I liked both aspects of her personality.
“Riley, wow, you look so incredible,” I said and stood up to kiss her on the cheek.
“Thank you,” she said as she took a seat opposite me. “I figured I’d dress up for our first date.”
I laughed. “Wow, we sure do things backwards, don’t we? You look absolutely amazing.”
As she sat down, a waiter came to take our drinks order. I shot him a smile. “We’ll have a bottle of champagne please,” I said to him.
He walked away, and Riley looked at me. “Uh, I was just kidding about the champagne, you know. That stuff is expensive.”
“I want to celebrate with you. Oh, and you might have been kidding about the champagne, but I wasn’t kidding about the kiss.”
“That’s fine by me,” she said and smiled.
My nerves soon dissipated as we started to talk. As usual, Riley was so easy to talk to. We had the same sense of humor, and soon we were laughing so much I could barely breathe. The champagne only seemed to make things funnier.
“So, how does this rate compared to your other dates?” she said near the end of the night.
“Oh, this is a solid nine,” I said.
“Nine? Where am I missing a point?”
“The kiss.”
“Oh, well, that comes later. Then I’ll be up to a ten?”
“Oh yes.”
“You’re easy to please,” she said.
I shook my head. “No, the date is just that good. I’d rate my date before about a four.”
She giggled. “A four? What happened?”
“There was no champagne, for starters.”
“Oh dear. What kind of a date is that?”
“A dull one. There was no laughter, either. Unless you count her and I laughing at different things. Our senses of humor didn’t match up at all.”
“Any kissing?”
“An awkward peck on the cheek. The food was good, though. That’s where the four points came in.”
“I’m glad to see that your date with me has been such an improvement.”
“A huge improvement.”
“You’re lucky this is your last date with me because there’s no way I could top a ten out of ten.”
She was smiling, but her words knocked the wind out of me. What did she mean by that?
“Aren’t you going to let me take you out on a date again?” I said in what I hoped was a casual tone.
“You’re leaving tomorrow, so unless you want a date first thing tomorrow morning, I don’t think we have time for one.”
“I’m not going to be gone forever though.”
She nodded. “I know. But I’m sure you’ll be gone for a while. And I’m sure there will be a lot of girls there that will want to go out on dates with you.”
I frowned. “Why would I want to go on dates with anyone else when I already have a ten out of ten here in front of me?”
She smiled. “You’re sweet. Don’t change, Silas.”
“I won’t change. And I’m coming back soon. You’ll see.”
We changed the subject then. I think both of us realized it was getting a bit too serious, and too sad. We had enjoyed a wonderful dinner together, but the realization that it was the last time we’d be spending together for a while was starting to dawn on us both. It was so typical that the moment I met the woman of my dreams, a whole new dream came true and took me away from her. The longer the night went on, the more determined I became to start a new dream for myself. I still wanted to become a famous singer, but I wanted to do it all with Riley at my side.
I looked at her. Her lipstick was almost entirely off now after dinner, and a few strands of her hair had fallen over her face. She took a final sip of champagne and declared how delicious it was, and I chuckled at her enthusiasm. She was a little tipsy, and every sentence she spoke was now enthused with a small giggle.
“Come on,” I said to her. “Let me take you home.”
Home. As I said the words, I knew that Riley’s big house would always feel like home to me. I hadn’t lived there long, but it felt more like home to me than anything had ever before. I wasn’t sure if it was just the sheer magnitude of the place, or whether it was just because I was living with Riley, but I had fallen in love with that house very quickly.