Ketchum, ID

ch 14 - both

Jo

Alex and I sat back on our stools as Julien, Lucy, and Phoebe went back into the recording room. Alex and I listened as they tuned their guitars and fixed their microphones. It had started to get late, and I could tell Alex was getting hungry. They couldn't stop fidgeting in their seat.

"Do you guys mind if we rerecord Salt In The Wound?" Phoebe asked.

"I have a few things I want to fix," Julien further explained.

"You guys do whatever you need to do. We're here invading on your time, spend it however you want," I said with a smile. "I may need to take Alex to get something to eat, do you guys want anything?"

"How did you know I was hungry?" Alex asked me without pressing the button that let us hear them.

"Please, I know you better than I know myself," I said, rolling my eyes. "You have your signs," I pointed out as they were laughing.

"If you let us know where you go we could text you, I'm getting hungry too," Lucy said.

"Sounds good, boys. We'll return with gifts," Alex said, raising their hand to their forehead to salute the women in front of us.

Alex and I grabbed our bags, and they handed me their keys.

"I'm too hungry to drive," they explained with a mock hair flip.

I rolled my eyes at them yet again as I walked over to the driver's side. We decided to go to Panda Express so I texted the group to see if they wanted anything. After getting everyone's orders, we started the drive back to the studio.

"So are we not going to talk about the cuteness that happened earlier?" Alex asked, turning their body in their seat to face me.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I replied honestly.

"I'm talking about Julien leaping out of her seat to give you a hug after you sang for us," they said with a smirk on their face.

"Oh. Yes, that was cute," I admitted, feeling my cheeks turn pink.

"She also watched you so intently while you were singing, which I know you didn't notice because your eyes were closed the whole time."

"I was nervous! You can't fault me for being nervous. I never sing in front of people face to face in such an intimate way, let alone people who make music professionally."

"I'm just saying. She couldn't take her eyes off of you."

"She's sweet, I'll give her that."

"Quit acting like that doesn't make your heart beat at 3 times its normal speed," Alex said, letting out a laugh.

"It does. Four times as fast even," I admitted.

"I know it does, babe."

Julien

After we finally had a version of Salt In The Wound that we liked, we all sat down on the couch, waiting for Alex and Jo to come back. We had played the song back three times before Alex had texted saying they were going to Panda Express, so we all texted our orders and waited patiently for them to get back.

"I'm so glad we went last night," I said, not looking up from my phone.

"Phoebe, I need you to pinch me," Lucy said with wide eyes. "There is no way I just heard our Julien say she was glad she went out last night."

"I think I need you to pinch me too," Phoebe said.

They each pinched each other, causing them both to laugh, then turned their attention back to me.

"I'm serious!" I whined. "Alex and Jo are cool."

"I know they are," Phoebe said. "It's a shame that we met them when we're only here for two more weeks."

"I keep forgetting that we don't just live here," Lucy said with a laugh. "We've been here for what feels like forever. We're regulars at a coffee shop, we go to themed nights at the bar, we have friends here now!"

"Well what do you say? Let's dissolve the band, move to Idaho," I joked.

"Wait wait wait," Phoebe said. "Say that one more time."

"Let's dissolve the band and move to Idaho? I wasn't being serious, I like making music too much to dissolve the band."

"No, I know. But wouldn't that make a cool song lyric?" Phoebe asked as Alex and Jo walked through the doors.

"We're baaaaack," Alex's voice rang through the room.

"And we come bearing gifts," Jo said with a smile.