Note: If you've read Chapter 13 before I published this chapter (14), please do me a favor and go back to the last page of Chapter 13. I added some stuff there for the beginning of this chapter to make some sense. Thank you and enjoy!!! (=

Harvey

"Let's take a break," I said to the band as I exited the studio through the back door and into an empty alley. I hadn't stopped thinking about her. I checked my phone for any new notifications.

Nothing.

A sunken feeling consumed me. I felt defeated.

I wanted to hear from her. I wanted to hear her voice. I unlocked my phone and opened my contact list. Ally was one of the first to appear. I pressed on her name and two options appeared.

Call
Send Message

I pressed call.

Then, the cowardness in me immediately hit the end button before it even rang. What if she was busy. What if she didn't want to talk to me. Maybe that was the reason why she never responded. Fuck. Maybe I should just text her first to spare myself from all of these mindless what-ifs.

Me (4:47 pm): Can I call you?

Ally (4:48 pm): Sure...

Within seconds, my phone was glued to my ear.

Trrrt. Trrrt.

"Hello," Ally answered.

"Hey," I said. Finally. My ears were filled by her angelic voice. It was soft and calming. I relaxed as I leaned against the brick wall of the building. I finally noticed the sun attempting to beamed its rays in between the surrounding buildings. I inhaled the crisp air that was slowly drying the sweat that tickled my head and neck. Chills ran throughout my body. Small bumps appeared on my arm as my hair erected in response to the cold. Or was it excitement?

"Hi," she replied back with a playful tone in her voice.

I chuckled.

"What's going on?"

"I just wanted to hear your voice," I confessed.

"Is this what you were expecting?" She asked.

"Better. It's so much sweeter than I expected."

"Ha. You're full of shit. How often do you use this line?" She chuckled on the other line.

I was taken aback by her response. She was playful and it was adorable. Just what I needed.

"Just once today. I might have to use it again tomorrow, who knows?"

"Ah! Okay, I'm done. Bye," she said with no remorse.

"No. No, wait! I was kidding!" I said, freaking out. What the hell was she doing to me?

Silence filled the line.

"Hello?" I said like a lost child. I expected a response but I was greeted with more silence until a sudden burst of laughter echoed in my ears.

"You're so easy," she teased through her laughter.

"Oh, yeah? Let's see about that."

"Is that a challenge?"

"You're the challenge." Shit. Why did I say that out loud?

"Excuse me?" She sounded like she was in an attack-mode.

"I challenge myself to make you fall in love with me." I blurted. Where the fuck did this come from?

"Wow. You're quite the joker, huh? Well, good luck with that," she said, not once did her voice break.

"Thanks. I think luck is in my favor anyway," I said with confidence. Nice save, Harvey.

She giggled on the other line. "What are you doing?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"I'm trying to make you fall in love with me, haven't I made that clear yet?" I smirked at my confidence. I really am full of shit.

"Oh my God, I'm so done with you," she said it with a straight tone in her voice, but I knew she was far from it.

"Then, why are you smiling right now?" A guess. A lucky guess. I was the one smiling. Like an idiot.

"I hate you," she replied defeatedly. "But, seriously, what are you doing?"

"Ouch! I'm on break from our practice and I thought I should give you a call and hear your sweet voice to give me inspiration."

She was curious about what type of practice I was taking a break from. So, I told her about my love for music and our salvaged band. I told her that it was formed in high school and dismantled when we all graduated from it and how we reconnected again.

"I'm at Eric's father's studio. Remember the blonde guy I was with yesterday? The one you thought was my partner?" I explained and shook my head from disbelief of her assumption.

"I would've never guessed. What's your role? Drummer? You look like a drummer," she assumed.

I grinned at her assumption. Wrong, again.

"You're really bad at reading people. I sing and play the guitar. Brad is the drummer. Aaron plays the keyboard and second voice, and Eric plays the bass and sings too. But, I'm pretty much the main attraction of the show."

I checked my wristwatch and I knew I had to say goodbye to her, for now.

"That's interesting. I would love to hear you sing."

"I will do more than singing to you, just wait," I promised.

"HA! You're too much. How long is your break?"

Eric and Aaron exited through the backdoor and produced a loud bang as the door swung onto the brick wall. Eric pulled out his carton of American Spirit from his jean pocket and handed it to Aaron.

"So this is where you've been hiding," Aaron commented as he walked towards me

"Unfortunately, time's up. Can I call you later tonight?" I asked, hopeful she would say yes.

I shook my head with refusal as Eric offered me a cigarette.

"I'm good," I whispered my refusal to him and pointed my right index finger towards the phone, a hint for him to give me some privacy.

"Hey! Is that our server from last night?" Eric intentionally asked out loud for Ally to hear. I quickly jerked away and kicked my left foot in the air towards him, but missed. Lucky bastard.

"You're an obnoxious little prick, aren't you?" I said to him and shook my head with annoyance. "Sorry, that was Eric," I shamefully whispered through the phone.

"It's alright! He sounds very chirpy," Ally admitted.

I heard Aaron laughing his ass off and when I turned around to face them, I saw Eric humping the wooden pole of the street light. What a dog. A filthy dog.

My mouth fell open from disbelief. I shouldn't be surprised anymore. "He's having too much fun right now," I said. I needed to save myself from the embarrassment my friends were doomed to wreak the longer I stayed on the phone.

"Hey, Ally, have you seen my- ... Oh, is that Nick? Hey Nick!" A female voice said from the other line, practically yelling her greeting.

What the fuck? Wait, who the fuck was Nick?

Does it matter?

"No-." I heard her whisper back. She was still talking to someone, but it was impossible to understand anything she was saying. She must have covered her phone.

For a while, I thought she had forgotten she was on the phone with me. "Sorry about that," she apologized.

"It's alright. So, who's Nick?" I broke the ice and inquired as I lifted my palm towards Eric and Aaron, who were still goofing around, cueing them to hold their tongues.

Ally dryly cleared her throat. "Can we talk about that later?" She excused herself with a low, monotonous voice, which insinuated the need to change the subject.

"Yeah, sorry for eavesdropping. But, I have to go actually. I'm glad I spent my break talking to you. I'll call you later tonight, is that okay?" I stood in the middle of the alley, with my back turned away from the boys, who were finishing up their smoke.

"It's nothing. Tonight will be fine. Have a good session, Mr. Hughes," Ally muttered.

"Have a good day, beautiful. Until later," I said before ending the call.

"Who the fuck is Nick?" I asked out loud, unconsciously letting my friends hear my thought. I felt an unsettling heat built up inside me.

"You alright bro?" Aaron asked as he opened the back door for us to enter first.

"Yeah," I nodded at him as I stepped into the building, following Eric into the hallway illuminated by a line of recessed ceiling lights. Aaron entered the building, letting the door slammed behind us.

I didn't flinch a muscle when the door produced that loud bang as it closed, but my heart jolted with an unresolved question.

Who the fuck is Nick?

A/N: What do you guys think about Harvey's challenge? And who can Nick be? Do you think he'll be a significant character in this story?

***Don't forget to vote and comment on your thoughts/feelings/feedback. Thank you! Gracias! Maraming Salamat! Merci! Grazie! Xièxiè! Arigatō!***