Barry took me to a nice diner in the area. We walked in together and sat down at a booth in the corner of the room.
"So how long have you been drumming?" I asked Barry.
"I was about seven when I started" he said. He told me about his grandmother telling him he reminded her of her brother who was a drummer. He told me all about his first snare before getting his first set. It was fascinating to hear.
"Can I ask you a question?" He asked. I nodded. "If you've been playing just as long, why haven't you made a career out of it? You clearly have to skill and passion to"
"I guess I never liked playing for an audience. I only played for myself as stress relief. I always wanted to work on drums, but in my small town opportunity was hard to come by" I explained.
"Well thankful Brent gave you this chance" he said with a smile. I smiled back and nodded.
"Yeah he's lucky he left town and got his big break. He actually wanted me to play drums for him, but I declined. I was in a tough spot at the time and couldn't leave town" I said as I put my head in my hands. "Luckily he found you"
"Yeah I guess we're both lucky" he said.

A waitress came to take our orders. We both ordered eggs bacon and toast. Once the waitress left with the menus we went back to talking.
"So how long have you know Brent? I know you said you were both little" Barry said after taking a sip of his coffee. I paused to think about it.
"We met back when we were five. I moved next door and the rest is history" I recalled.
"Wow, that far back? You two must be good friends" Barry said.
"Yeah we were pretty close throughout our school days. We hung out all the time, until Brent left to pursuit his dreams. We grew apart after that" I said sadly.
"Well, if it makes you feel better, I've heard him share a lot of good stories about you" Barry said warmly.
"That's nice to hear. The few times we did talk, he talked so nicely about you and the others as well" I said with a smile.

Our food arrived so we started eating. As we ate we continued to talk drums. I loved hearing Barry talk about the different drums he used. Some of the ones he listed I knew I could never afford, so it was nice hearing his experience with them. I told him more about my set back home. I was surprised to see him so interested in what I had to say. It was nice.

Once we finished eating Barry paid and left a tip. I wanted to pitch in but he kept insisting it was his treat. We walked out together and got into his car.
"Did you need to stop at the hotel?" He asked.
"No, I'm fine" I said. Brent should still have Blu and Moose with him, and that's all I cared about. Barry nodded and we took towards the studio.

We got to the studio and went inside to meet up with the others. Moose was sitting in Brent's lap as he talked with Eric. Blu came running towards me and jumped up onto my legs.
"Hey bud, were you good for uncle Brent?" I asked while petting him.
"He dragged me across the lawn when he saw a chipmunk. But other than that he was great" Brent said, gently scratching Moose behind the ears.
"He looks happy" I said. Moose was completely relaxed in his lap.
"They're both good" Brent said with a smile.
"I hope we aren't too late" Barry said as he took a seat next to Zach.
"Nah, we were just hanging out while waiting on you" Zach said.
"Want to sit in on this meeting? Learn what we're doing?" Brent asked. I nodded and took a seat next to him. Blu jumped into my lap and yawned.

It was interesting seeing them work out a song. They were still in the writing process, but they all had something to say about it. Brent wrote down lyrics on his phone while Barry and Zach discussed the rhythm. Eric talked with Brent about the lyrics while they wrote.
"Do you need me to move Moose?" I whispered the Brent as he held his phone out over the sleeping pup.
"He's fine" he whispered back. I nodded and put my attention back to Blu. He had now fallen asleep in my lap as well.

The meeting went on for a while so I decided to take the dogs out for a walk. Moose was hesitant to leave his comfy spot on Brent's lap, but he agreed to follow me out with Blu. I put their leashes on and walked them around the area. It felt nice getting out into the fresh air and getting to stretch. Blu pulled me into the grass and started rolling around while Moose started sniffing a tree. I'm so lucky I'm able to keep these two with me. I found a bench by the parking lot so I walked over and took a seat, just enjoying the nice weather. Moose jumped up and curled up in my lap while Blu sat on my feet.

"This seat taken?" I looked over to see Barry walking over. Blu sprung to his feet and walked over to him, wagging his tail. 
"Nope, want to join me?" I asked, moving over to make room. Barry smiled and gave Blu a pat before taking a seat next to me. Moose gave a low growl so I shushed him. 
"Grumpy pup?" Barry asked nervously. 
"I think he's mad I moved over. Trust me, if he was mad at you he'd let you know" I giggled. Barry relaxed and held his hand out for Moose to sniff. Moose just turned his head away and fell asleep in my lap. 
"Lazy boy" Barry said softly, making me smile. Blu sat down on my feet again but had his head in Barry's lap, asking for attention. 
"He likes you" I said. 
"He likes everyone, don't you bud?" He spoke kindly to Blu, making me smile as I watched Blu's tail wag faster. 
"So what makes you want to join me on this lovely day?" I asked, leaning slightly towards him.
"Just taking a break from work, and I wanted to see what you were up to" He said with a smile, making me blush.

I didn't realize how long Barry and I sat outside talking until Brent came out. 
"Riley, it's getting late. Ready to head to the hotel?" He asked as he walked over. 
"Sorry Brent, I didn't realize it was getting late" I said as I placed Moose on the ground and stood up. 
"You're good. We just finished up" He said. 
"You guys didn't need me, did you?" Barry asked as he stood up. 
"Nah, we would've gotten you if we did. You didn't miss anything important man" Brent said, patting Barry's shoulder. 
"Well, we should get going then. I gotta feed these two" I said. "Thanks for hanging out with me Barry"
"No problem, it was a good time. See you tomorrow" He said warmly. He held his arms out and I blushed as he pulled me in for a quick hug. 
"See you tomorrow. Have a good night" I said shyly. Brent laughed and said goodbye to his friend before we walked back to his car. 

I let Blu and Moose into the backseat of Brent's car before getting into the passenger seat. Brent gave me a goofy look as I sat down. 
"What?" I asked.
"When are you going to ask him out?" He asked back as he started the car. I started blushing again. 
"I don't know what you mean" I said, turning away. Brent laughed again. 
"You two clearly like each other. He normally goes off on his own during his breaks, I've never seen him want to spend it with one person for long" He said.
"I'm just getting to know him. We're going to spend a lot of time working together after all" I defended myself. 
"Whatever. I know both of you well, something is going on between you" He said. I was quiet the rest of the ride, not wanting to argue with Brent over it. 

We got to the hotel and I said goodnight to Brent as he walked inside. I stayed out with the pups for a few minutes. We walked around until I felt they were ready to go inside for the night. Once we got to my room I fed them and sat on my bed. 
"Maybe Brent is right, but I barely know Barry" I said to the dogs, knowing they couldn't care less about what I was saying. "I don't want to start something with him and risk it going bad, it could ruin this job for me" Blu looked up at me for a moment before going back to eating. I smiled and laid back in my bed, staring at the ceiling. Moments later I felt Moose and Blu join me. Moose curled up on the pillow next to me while Blu laid on my legs, pinning me down. 
"Good night boys" I whispered before closing my eyes, getting some rest for the night .