CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

ROCK ME — ONE DIRECTION
I want you to hit the pedal, heavy metal, show me you care!

MAY, 1995.
TWO MONTHS BEFORE.

THE MONTH OF April closed with Olivia's acceptance into UCLA's music education program. Everyone was happy for her—the band celebrated at Sonny's, her mom baked her a cake, and the Pattersons made her her favourite lunch. But despite getting into one of the top schools in California, everyone could see how unsure she was about accepting the offer. Whenever it came up in conversation, she would force a smile and quickly change the subject.

Olivia tried to tell herself that she wanted to go to college, but deep down, she knew that wasn't the case. When she applied, she was full of doubt and unsure of the band's future, but as the months passed by and their fanbase grew, she quickly realized that she didn't want to keep her options open. She wanted the band and everything that came with it.

If she accepted the college's offer, she wouldn't be giving the band the attention it deserved. She couldn't do that to the boys, nor could she do that to herself. She'd regret it for the rest of her life if she did.

So she decided to take a gap year.

"Are you sure that's what you want?" Sylvia questioned as she and Olivia watched Mikey's basketball game. She would support her daughter through anything, but she wanted to make sure that Olivia was making this decision for herself and not her friends.

"Yeah," Olivia nodded. She loved performing and she fully believed that it was the one thing she was born to do. Glancing over at the four boys cheering on the sidelines of the court, she replied, "I have a feeling this year is going to be our year, especially with the demo we're recording later."

Sylvia looked down at her watch. "Speaking of which, shouldn't you guys get going?" She held her wrist out for Olivia.

The younger girl did a double take at the time and excused herself in a hurry. "Hey, we've gotta go," she said as she reached the boys of Sunset Curve. "We're going to be late and we still haven't decided what songs we're going to record."

Panic set in as the boys scrambled to leave. They shouted for Mikey's attention and the thirteen year old looked over to see the older teenagers pointing to the door and apologizing for having to leave early. He gave them a wave and ran down the court.

Sunset Curve piled into Reggie's BMW and left the neighbourhood of Los Feliz. They used their travel time to throw together a setlist comprising of their most popular songs. Since they already had the bootleg of their first ever performance, they wanted to record songs that weren't on the first CD.

"Alright," Olivia said, struggling to write the list in her journal as the car moved, "one more song, guys. What's it gonna be?"

"What about the one we were writing for Alex?" Luke flipped through his own notebook, missing the way his girlfriend shook her head.

"Bright's not done yet, remember?" It would've been amazing to record that song and Olivia had no doubt that it would be the best song on the record if it were finished.

On the other side of Olivia, Alex placed a hand over his heart. "Aw," he cooed, "you guys a wrote a song for me?"

"Yeah, I'll show it to you later."

"Wait," Reggie said, glancing at Olivia through the rearview mirror, "you wrote a song for Alex and not me?"

"Or me?" Bobby added.

Olivia rolled her eyes before giving them a flat look. "Can we get back on track, please?" She turned to Luke. "Are you sure you don't want to record Unsaid Emily?"

He nodded his head, finding that the song was too personal and sad for their demo. They wanted to show how versatile they were, not make their listeners cry.

Bobby reached over and plucked the tattered notebook from Luke's grasp. He flipped through it before landing on a random page. Staring back at him was the lyrics to one of the secret session songs. "What about Rock Me?"

Olivia raised a brow at the unknown song. "Rock Me? What is that?"

"You don't know about that song?" Reggie asked, thinking that Olivia had to have stumbled upon the secret songs by now.

Bobby looked at Olivia, then Luke, then back to Olivia with his eyes wide with shock. "Wait, you mean—?" A thunderous cackle left his lips as he filled with amusement. "I forgot that there are songs you don't know about. Oh, this is rich. Go on, Luke, tell Livy about the song you wrote for her."

Olivia twisted to face her boyfriend. "Okay, now I'm intrigued." She raised a brow expectantly.

"It's nothing," he dismissed, trying to salvage any control he had left.

Alex snorted. "It's definitely not nothing."

"Come on," Olivia urged, nudging his leg, "don't be shy."

Luke let out a frustrated groan before caving in. "Alright, fine! It's about— Okay, so when a man and a woman, or a woman and a woman, or two guys, or—"

"Luke," Alex interjected, "get on with it."

The shaggy haired brunet narrowed his eyes at him. "When two people love—" He paused, his eyes widening slightly before he recovered. "When two people really like each other—"

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Bobby exclaimed. He shifted his attention to Olivia. "The song's about sex. It's a rock song about wanting to have sex with someone. More specifically with—"

"Dude, shut up!"

"You're the one who wrote it!" Bobby defended with a laugh. "R-O-C-K me? Come on, you were just begging for me to tease you!"

"Hey, that song is better than anything you've ever written."

"It is a really good song." Reggie shrugged.

"Perfect," Olivia chirped. "If it's such a good song, let's put it on the EP."

"No!" Luke protested. "No! Let's not!"

The other members of Sunset Curve (minus Reggie since he was driving) shared a look.

"How about we take a vote?" Olivia suggested, wanting nothing more than to hear this new mystery song. "All those in favour, raise a hand."

"Seriously, Liv?" Luke frowned as everyone but him voted to record the song.

"What?" Olivia grinned, her hand still in the air, "I want to hear it."

"Oh, you'll adore it," Bobby said with a sly smirk.

Alex smiled at the pouting guitarist. "You're outnumbered."

"You guys are the worst," Luke grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"You love us," Olivia mused, leaning in closer before planting a kiss on his cheek.

The boy tried to fight it, but a smile grew on his face.

CHERRY BEACH RECORDING Studio was located on the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue. The outside of the building looked like any other storefront and the band was shocked when they arrived at the address Olivia's father had sent her. They had passed the building a hundred times and had no idea that it had been turned into a recording studio.

Reggie parked the car, but no one dared to make a move. Excitement couldn't explain what they were feeling. Recording this demo would be their first real introduction to the music industry. They'd be working with producers, and sound engineers, and people who worked with famous musicians for a living. They'd get to experience how a song was recorded first hand and get a glimpse into their future.

Luke was the first to get out of the car, always ready to jump into a new situation especially when it had to do with chasing his dreams. One by one, the members of Sunset Curve followed his lead until Olivia and Alex were sitting alone in the backseat.

While Olivia and Alex were excited to record their demo, they were also scared shitless. Neither of them handled change well. They were anxious beings who liked routines and set procedures. They were perfectionists who wanted to escape any form of criticism. They had no idea what to expect and they were terrified that they would mess up.

"Guys, come on." Impatience was laced throughout the tone of Bobby's voice as he ducked his head through the open car door. "We're already behind schedule."

Luke elbowed his side and pulled him away, muttering something about giving the pair time.

Olivia placed her hand in Alex's and gave him a reassuring squeeze. "We're going to go in there and we're going to kick ass," she stated, trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to convince Alex. She felt very nauseous about the whole ordeal.

Alex didn't say a word, but he looked over at her and gave her a small nod. That was all the response she needed.

The pair got out of the car and joined their band by the entrance of the studio.

"You guys ready?" Reggie asked, putting an arm around Alex.

"Yeah." Alex nodded. "We're good."

Alex, Reggie, and Bobby all turned to enter the building, but instead of following, Luke and Olivia stayed behind.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Luke asked quietly, taking her hands in his. He wanted to record their songs more than anything, but if Olivia wasn't ready, then he was fully prepared to get into Reggie's car and drive away.

Olivia took a deep breath and looked off to the side. Through the window, she could see the other boys talking to who she assumed was the owner of the studio.

"I'm sure," she sighed, turning back to her boyfriend.

Luke nodded and placed his hands on her cheeks. "You're a star," he reminded. As an afterthought, he quickly added, "And you look very pretty today."

The corners of Olivia's lips quirked upwards as Luke pulled her in for a kiss.

She loved him, she loved him, she loved him. And he loved her.

Her sun and his star.

When they broke apart, Olivia took his hand and they joined their band inside.

Melissa Mincieli was a very sweet woman who was more than excited for the young teens before her. Seeing the passion and drive musicians had to create something magical was the reason she founded the studio.

After pleasantries were exchanged and the band was introduced to all of the employees, they were escorted into the studio. 

The inside of Cherry Beach Recording Studio was every musician's wet dream.

When you entered the recording studio, the first thing you saw was the control room. There was a leather couch pressed up against the maroon wall and a tall table with bar stools. At the front of the room was the control board which took up the length of the north facing wall. Olivia had no idea what any of the buttons did, but she knew that if Mikey were here, he'd be freaking out.

Above the soundboard was a large window that looked into the live room. The inside of the live room consisted of panelled walls, tapestries, and a floor covered in Persian carpets. Every instrument Olivia could think of was propped on a stand, but the thing that she was most excited to get her hands on was the grand piano.

"Holy shit," Luke breathed, his eyes wide in astonishment.

Melissa let out a laugh and gently pushed them in the direction of the live room's entrance. "Go ahead," she urged. "We're going to need you to play through a song so we can adjust everything on our side."

The five teens shared a look before rushing over to the door. They pushed and shoved each other, each wanting to be the first person to step foot in the room.

Bobby was the victor and he strolled in like he owned the place. His bandmates rolled their eyes, but their irritation dissipated as soon as they found their way to their respective instruments.

Above their heads, Melissa's voice flowed through the intercom. "All the microphones are on, just give us a thumbs up and we'll start recording."

The five teens decided to play Now or Never. They wanted the first song on their EP to set the bar for their listener's expectations and they felt that Now or Never did that.

The entire time they performed, Luke couldn't keep his eyes off of Olivia. He had witnessed her sing more times than he could count and each time was better than the last. She still got nervous before shows, but she had come a long way from the shy girl he met in detention and an even father way from the girl who threw up before their sixth grade talent show.

He had the privilege of watching as she grew into the woman she was always meant to be. She was a force of nature and he was so incredibly proud of her. All of the boys were.

When Now or Never was finished, the band spent some time re-recording separate parts and adding harmonies to bring more depth to the song.

About an hour and a half later, the recording of Now or Never was officially finished. The feeling they got was unreal and it was like someone injected both serotonin and adrenaline into their veins.

Their surge in energy allowed them to teach Olivia her parts in Rock Me (much to Luke's dismay), and before they knew it, they were recording.

Halfway through the pre-chorus, Olivia took her microphone off of its stand and walked over to Luke. "Under the moonlight as we stared at the sea, the words you whispered I will always believe!" She wore a teasing grin, knowing how opposed Luke was to performing this song.

He shook his head at her, but he wasn't upset. He looked far too pleased with himself to be upset.

"I want you to rock me, rock me, rock me, yeah."

The sound of strong guitar riffs filled the air, accompanied by perfectly blended harmonies.

"I want you to rock me, rock me, rock me, yeah."

Luke left his microphone stand and made his way over to Olivia. While still hammering on his guitar, he bent down so his face was directly in front of Olivia's face. "I want you to hit the pedal, heavy metal, show me you care!" He sang into her mic, staring into her eyes and leaving her a flustered mess. "I want you to rock me, rock me, rock me, yeah!"

Olivia watched him in disbelief as he backed away and winked. She nearly missed the next line and shook herself free from the sudden tension she felt.

The song continued and Olivia could feel the smug expressions of the boys around her. She refused to look at anyone but the people in the control room.

When the song finished, Melissa asked them to run through it again.

Olivia turned to the boys with narrowed eyes. "Don't start," she warned, placing her mic back on its stand.

"I didn't say anything," said Alex. He looked off to the side, but everyone could see his grin.

Reggie turned to Luke and gave him a smirk. "I think she wants to rock you too."

Bobby, who was drinking water, spit it out with a laugh and ended up in a coughing fit.

Olivia glared at each of them—Luke included—and turned to the control room again. "You deserved that," she muttered bitterly, sending one last look to Bobby who was still coughing.

In the control room, Melissa and the rest of her workers found that Sunset Curve had to be the easiest musicians they've ever worked with. They weren't divas with superiority complexes and actually trusted that they knew what they were doing.

It was refreshing to have people like them in their sound booth, so when their scheduled studio time was finished, they invited the five teens back to finish their demo the next day.

Sunset Curve accepted with wide smiles and re-entered the control room. In their absence, the control room had gained one more occupant.

Olivia's father stood next to Melissa, chatting about the young girl's talent. When his gaze landed on her, he excused himself from the conversation and walked over.

The boys gave Olivia and her father some privacy and headed to the soundboard to ask Melissa if they could hear their recordings again.

Shoving her hands into her pockets and rocking on the balls of her feet, Olivia looked up at her dad.

"You guys are really good," he complimented with a proud twinkle in his eye.

"Good enough to play the Orpheum?"

"Oh, definitely." He nodded.

There were a few moments of hesitation before Olivia finally broke the silence. "Thank you for today."

He was taken back by the sincerity in her voice. It had been so long since she spoke to him without any resentment. "No problem, Livy. Just trying to make good on some of those promises I made."

Olivia noticed the reference to the conversation they had at the bakery. Maybe they really could mend their relationship. He was trying and he seemed genuine. So instead of correcting him for using her family reserved nickname, she smiled softly and walked over to her friends.

RAE SPEAKS !

i do have to say, the boy are the biggest Luv shippers

also this book is coming to an end :( i think there's like 5 or 6 chapters left ???

next update is a double update though!