He shifted his weight carefully so that he was closer to her on the couch; leaning gently over her shoulder to see what page she had been reviewing. Noting what she was reading he shook his head. �Naw, I actually just came up with that this morning�after practice. Sometimes I get melodies first, sometimes I get lyrics first,� he pointed to the page, �this time the words came first.�
She nodded slowly, reading the page one last time before setting the notebook on the table before them. She sat staring at the open book, now an arms length away from her, for a few more moments before prying her gaze to look at him.
�What?� he asked lightly.
She shook her head quickly, �Nothing.�
��are they that bad?� he asked hesitantly, his eyebrows scrunched together in genuine concern.
She shook her head again, slower this time. �No�they�re wonderful,� she looked down at her hands for a moment and then back up at him with a soft smile. �I�m really impressed actually.�
Joel�s eyebrows flew up. �Really? Well�well when I get a melody for that one I�ll sing it to you, I promise.�
Her smile grew slightly and she replied, �I�d like that. I sort of�get a vibe from it actually�I�m curious to see what you�ll come up with��
�A vibe? Like�you have an idea for a melody?� She knew she had sparked his interest and was unsure if she was going to regret it or not.
She sighed quietly, nodding. �I don�t know. I don�t really write music so��
�Well just�sing it to me�� he reached over, handing her the notebook again.
She shook her head firmly, placing the notebook back on the table before them. �No. I don�t sing.�
�You do too�Daisy told me today that you had a great voice. She told me you just refuse to sing in front of people but�I�m not people. I just want to hear this melody, I swear.� He held his hands up in quiet surrender, his eyes a little wide and almost charmingly innocent.
Rose�s eyes were narrowed, however, and she grumbled quietly, �I�m not going to sing. Come up with your own melody. It�s your song. Not mine.�
Before he could think better of it, Joel let out a frustrated sigh. �Fine. Forget it.�
�I�m sorry Joel, I just can�t. I can�t sing for you, and I can�t share some random melody that zipped through my head when I read those words. I just�can�t.� Her voice had a hint of desperation in it and it almost seemed that if she could, she really would, which was enough for Joel.
He nodded slowly, placing his hand on her arm gently, his voice softer this time. �I�m sorry�I didn�t mean to pressure you.� He tilted her chin up gently with his free hand, meeting her gaze again. �I just�remember how nice your voice sounded when you were humming while we unpacked�and I wanted to hear it again. And I would love to hear the melody that comes to your mind when you read my words. But I can wait; until you�re comfortable, until you�re ready. I�m sorry.�
Rose was a little shocked by his hands on her and she sat frozen, staring up at him, until the sound of the door opening behind him jolted her back to reality. Joel turned towards the door just in time to see his twin somewhat burst inside, yelling loudly down the hallway, �Yeah PEANUT see you later!� Benji turned to see them both staring at him and blinked a few times before asking, �What? Did I interrupt something?�
Joel shook his head a little, removing his hand from Rose�s chin, letting it fall back to the couch. They stood in unison, her leaning over to grab her purse, muttering, �I should get going�� Joel eyed Benji as they slipped past him and into the hallway. Rose turned to Joel and said, �You really don�t have to walk me back Joel, I just live down the hall��
Joel smirked a little, �Aw, a lot could happen on the way down the hall,� he teased.
She smiled at him and then on complete impulse leaned up and kissed his cheek, whispering, �See you later,� as she pulled away.
Joel stood watching her walk down the hallway away from him, too stunned to move or speak, his mouth hanging open slightly. He blinked a few times and watched her disappear around the corner before turning back towards his own door, only to be met by his brother�s sly grin. Joel�s eyes immediately narrowed and he shoved past him back into the apartment, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall, staring Benji down. Benji�s smirk only grew at Joel�s obvious irritation, which in turn, only irritated Joel more. They stood staring at each other for a moment before Joel finally said, �You have perfect fuckin� timing.�
�Sorry.� Benji said simply, in a completely unapologetic manner.
�You�re drunk,� Joel retorted in the same simplistic tone, noting Benji�s bloodshot eyes.
�And you�re never getting into flower girl�s panties,� Benji shot back, teetering a little as he plopped down heavily on the couch, sitting directly on top of Joel�s hat and shirt. He fished his hand beneath himself and pulled out the hat, squinting his eyes in a failed attempt to identify what he had sat on before tossing it carelessly to the side. Joel huffed with frustration and picked the hat up off the ground.
�Her name is Rose. I�m going to bed,� Joel stated, turning away from his brother with disgust and shutting the door to his bedroom with a small thud.
�Rose. Daisy. Violet. Petunia,� Benji muttered to himself, laughing at his own joke. He continued to list names until he finally fell asleep where he sat; his chin slumped against his chest, his mouth hanging open slightly, his breathing forced and uneven.
Meanwhile, Rose unlocked her apartment door to find Daisy sitting in almost the exact same position as she had left her, except now her book was tossed on the floor, the bookmark peeking slightly out of the top of the pages while Daisy�s attention focused on the television in front of her. Clueless was on and Daisy was quietly quoting the movie to herself as Rose walked in. Daisy looked at the clock on the VCR and then back at her friend, �Back so soon?�
Rose nodded. �Yeah. I told you I wouldn�t be long.�
Daisy huffed a little, muting the TV. �Well, tell me everything.�
Rose sat down next to her friend and tossed her purse across the room, successfully landing it on the table. �Nothing happened. We talked, he showed me some lyrics, we drank a Coke, Benji came home, and I left.�
Daisy stared at her friend for a moment. �You didn�t even kiss him?�
Rose started to protest but then sighed. �On the cheek.�
Daisy�s face burst into a ridiculous smile. �Well that�s something. Were his lyrics good?�
Rose nodded again, �Yeah they were really good. I was kinda shocked.�
�Why would you be shocked? You know he�s a nice guy�there�s gotta be something good in there. I bet he�s really deep.�
Rose shrugged a bit, �I don�t know how deep he is but his lyrics are incredible. And�he reads me like a book. It drives me nuts.� She eyed her friend a little, biting her lip.
Daisy quirked an eyebrow with interest, twisting the wrist cuff on her hand as she spoke, �He reads you like a book? Like he knows what you�re thinking, or he knows how you are?�
�Both. It�s like he knows exactly what�s going on in my head and he knows exactly what all my hang ups are.�
�And he still likes you.�
�He doesn�t like me.�
�You�re nuts.�
�I�m going to bed,� Rose shook her head a bit as she hoisted herself off the couch, ending the conversation.
Daisy could also read her friend like a book, and knew this conversation was as good as over. Taking her final stab at the situation she said sweetly, but with a sarcastic undertone, �Sweet Dreaaaaaaaams.�
Rose snorted as she closed herself in her bedroom and slipped into her pajamas, humming the melody that she could not seem to shake from her head.
Chapter 3, Part 2 | Chapter 4