Rhythm and the Blue Line Ch. 01

"You can play both?" Brody gave a low whistle. "I'm impressed."

"I started on the piano, then moved to guitar. I play both for the band. We have songs with two guitars and keyboards, though, and I didn't want to give those up by giving up the keyboards." She tapped a few more keys on the computer. "That's why I didn't just take over as lead guitarist in the band, and why we seem to keep looking for new guitarists."

"Gotcha. Can I go with the keyboard?" Brody helped her up and she made her way over to the synth case.

"Sure. Could you give me a hand?" Ryan gestured at the case. "Sorry, it's a pain to get that out by myself right now."

"No problem." Brody nodded and helped her get her synth set up, then handed her the laptop bag at her request.

Ryan smiled but kept her eyes down as she scrolled through her files. She didn't know why she was so unsettled. She ran things by the band all the time, and sometimes by some other friends uninvolved in music so that she could get a more objective opinion. Choosing something now seemed like an impossible task, even though she knew this was half a joke. At last she found something and settled herself on the seat.

"Okay, but I have to tell you—Lara writes the lyrics and sings, I write the music. So I don't have any words for this one. But I'll play the vocal melody with my right hand." She played a quick scale to warm up.

Brody nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

Ryan sat, took a deep breath, stared at the keys and pretended no one else was there. She wasn't sure she'd manage otherwise, which annoyed her but she ignored that, too. She'd played in front of people countless times. Then she realized she wanted him to like it. That bothered her enough that she forgot to be nervous and began playing. At the moment, it was a mid-tempo song, but that might change with Lara's input.

When she was done, she forced herself to look up. "So, what did you think?"

He was staring at her and she couldn't interpret his expression.

"Ah, okay." Ryan turned on the bench and started to haul herself upright. "I wasn't sure about it, anyway. You don't have to keep staring at me like that." It was unnerving and she wanted him to stop. She tried giving him a grin. "See, you shouldn't have made that bet."

"You wrote that."

She nodded, unsure if he was asking or not. His eyes were fixed on her and it was an effort to keep moving. As she tried to take a hopping step towards the couch, she stumbled and Brody caught her.

"Sorry," she said, then cleared her throat. Why am I so nervous? "I seem to do that a lot."

"Ryan, that was . . . that was amazing." Brody grinned and she relaxed. "I mean, I listen to music. I know people write notes and lyrics, but I've never, you know, seen it in action."

"It's still a work in progress." She felt better that Brody liked the song, but she didn't know quite what to say.

"Well then, I can't wait to hear the finished product."

"Okay. Um, cool. Do you mind if I sit down now?"

"What? Oh, sorry." Brody helped her over to an empty chair.

"Thanks, I've got it." Ryan looked up when he kept his hands around her waist. "What?"

"I want to kiss you, and it'd be easier if you were standing."

Alarms went off in Ryan's head, and she put her hands on his arms, applying enough pressure that he stepped back, although he didn't let go.

She cleared her throat. "That's flattering, Brody, but I don't think that's a good idea."

"No?" He thought. "Hmmm. You're a hard sell. Let's move to the bedroom where I can make a better pitch."

Ryan couldn't help but laugh. "Whoa, there, tiger. I didn't have that much sake."

Brody grinned. "We could get more."

She smiled but shook her head, regretting the words as they came out but knowing she had to say them. "I'm serious, Brody. I appreciate everything you did—going out, keeping me from getting too angry, listening to my music. It was really sweet. But . . . okay, I might be assuming here, but I'm not looking for anything else."

She hoped she hadn't assumed too much. For all she knew, he'd wanted a friendly peck on the cheek. However, she didn't think she was that inept at reading a guy's signals and so had guessed he'd wanted a bit more. She couldn't tell if he looked disappointed or not as he studied her.

"Hmmm." His non-reply didn't calm her nerves.

"And what does that mean?" She tried to keep her tone light.

"Nothing. Just means I'll have to find a new plan." Brody shrugged and helped her sit, then sat himself on the couch opposite. "You're not the usual girl I meet."

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Is that a compliment?" It was a relief to sit, as her ankle was throbbing.

"An observation, but not an insult, I promise." Brody paused, then flashed a grin once more. "You sure you don't want to try a kiss? I'm told I'm pretty good."

Ryan snorted. "Brody, trust me when I say that telling a woman you've had a lot of experience with other women is not necessarily a good selling point."

"Ouch!" Brody put a hand over his chest.

Once again, Ryan couldn't stifle a laugh. "I'm sure you'll recover. But you'll recover alone." She emphasized the last word as he was about to speak, sure that another half-serious proposition was on the way. "Thanks again, Brody."

"You're welcome." He reached over and squeezed her arm. "I had a good time, really. And thanks for the song. That was so cool."

Ryan warmed at the remark. "Thanks, I'm glad you liked it."

"Okay, I'm out of here." He stood and helped her as she got out of the chair and grabbed her crutches. "We have a game tomorrow in New York. You going to watch?"

"I'll try." Ryan walked with him to the door. "We're rehearsing tomorrow. But I'll check in, at least."

"Good enough. Take it easy, Ryan."

"You too, and good luck tomorrow."

She locked the door behind him and yawned as she made her way around, turning out lights. One advantage to Lara spending so much time with Trout was that Ryan wasn't tied to anyone else's schedule and so could sleep, or not, as she liked. Tonight she was beat, and bed beckoned.

Her mind replayed the night's events as she got ready for bed. Lara, she knew, would flip when she found out that Ryan had rejected Brody's advances. Well, that could be fun, Ryan thought. She could string Lara along a bit before telling her how it turned out. It was fun to wind her friend up like that, and it wasn't like Lara didn't do the same.

He's nice, thought Ryan, but there's just too much stuff in the way.