Raze (Riven 3)

Felix leaned on the bar, nails white where he pressed his fingertips tightly to the wood.

“Um,” he said. He sounded choked. “So. Here’s the thing. Shit.”

He looked so nervous that I worried he might pass out. Before I was even aware I was doing it, I put my hand on top of his.

“Hey,” I said. “Do you need a minute? Some water?”

He blinked at me with huge eyes.

“Water, please. Thanks.”

I gave him some and cut a look to Theo, hoping he’d take it easy on the guy.

Felix gulped the water as fast as he had the G&T. Then he scrubbed his palms over his face.

“Shit, okay. Here’s the thing. I didn’t realize it was gonna be so…And you guys are so…Okay. I love to sing, but I’m not…I don’t want to be, like, a rock star. But…”

He took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and spoke in a rush.

“You have to hear my sister. She’s an amazing singer, and she’s like the most down-to-earth human alive, so she wouldn’t fuck up a tour, and she’s not a diva, and, um, she’s kinda waiting at the coffee shop on the corner in case you guys wanna give her a chance? Please. Please give her a chance.”

He had to stop to take another breath, and I saw the irritation on Coco’s face, but Theo just looked curious.

“Seriously?” Coco said, hands on her hips and eyes flashing.

“I’m really sorry I brought you here under false pretenses,” Felix said. “I know that’s shitty. But…if you’d just give her a chance…”

“Oh, for Christ’s sake,” Coco said, and she shot Theo a look. She paused for a long minute during which Felix squirmed. “Fine. I mean, we’re already here.” She jabbed a finger at Felix. “But that is shitty. And unprofessional. And…borderline creepy, actually.”

Felix hung his head.

“Sorry.”

Coco sighed.

“Okay, then. Text her so we can get on with this. Decker,” she hissed. “Did you know?”

“What? No way! Coco, I’d never! But…okay, now that this happened, I kinda love the idea of a female lead singer for the band.”

Coco’s raised eyebrow seemed to say she didn’t hate the idea either, but she remained pointedly silent.

Felix’s phone buzzed.

“Okay, she’s on her way.”

Coco nodded shortly, then tugged Theo by the sleeve. The two of them moved off to discuss something quietly, out of earshot.

Felix collapsed onto the barstool in relief and I refilled his water.

“Thank you,” he said to me quietly.

I nodded.

“You okay?”

“Fuuuck. I think so. I…Was that really bad, what I just did?”

Tendrils of hair clung to his face and his eyes were huge and liquid.

“It was a lie,” I said. “False pretenses, like you said. But really bad?” I shrugged. “At most, you wasted their time. I’ve seen a lot worse.”

He let out a sigh.

“Fuck, I thought I was gonna pass out. I didn’t know it’d be so terrifying to lie to rock stars.”

He laughed nervously and tugged the elastic from his hair. It spilled over his face in glossy waves, and I pressed my hands to my thighs to ensure I didn’t reach out and touch it. Then he put it up again and it looked the same as it had before he took it down, stray pieces falling back around his face.

Felix’s sister glided through the door with her head high and smiled.

“Hey,” she said. “I’m Sofia.”

“Oh,” Theo said. “You were onstage with Felix in the video, but we didn’t hear you.”

She nodded and held out her hand. All in all, this was probably the most hand-shaking that had ever happened at one time within the walls of this bar.

“It’s so good to meet you. I’m a big fan,” Sofia said, somehow managing to seem in control even as she said it.

“Thanks. This is Coco Swift. She’s—”

“An amazing guitarist,” Sofia said, walking confidently to Coco and holding out her hand. “Thank you very much for taking the time to give me a chance. I know I’m not what you wanted to hear, but I hope I don’t disappoint you.”

Coco seemed equally impressed and disarmed by her confidence despite the awkwardness of the situation. She accepted Sofia’s hand.

“All right then,” she said somewhat stiffly. “Show us what you’ve got.”

Sofia nodded. She squared her shoulders in a gesture a lot like her brother’s, then began to sing where she stood. It was a Riven song, I knew, but I couldn’t have said which one. It began low, and Sofia closed her eyes as she ground out smooth, deep notes. The song climbed up the scale, and her voice transitioned smoothly from warm and low to round and bright as it got higher.

In the chorus her voice soared and she visibly relaxed, head bobbing and foot tapping the rhythm.

At the bar, Felix was smiling a fond, proud smile it was hard to look away from. Theo was watching Sofia with excited eyes, head bobbing to her rhythm. Coco had begun listening with raised eyebrows and arms crossed over her chest. Now, though, her lips were parted and she was staring at Sofia intently.