Divided Road (The Road to Rocktoberfest 2024)

Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

Jared peered around the corner of the stage. He wiped his hands on his jeans. Seeing Whit’s Glen performing up close didn’t come close to easing his nerves. Those guys were pro and looked it. They’d caught the crowd with their first note and held it with their mix of heavy rock and ballads.

“Once we get on stage and into the music, you’ll be fine.” Owen came up behind Jared and slipped his arm around Jared’s waist.

“You’re way more composed than I am.”

Everyone had their shit more together than Jared. He’d known how big this audience was, but seeing it brought a new wave of what he was trying to fool himself wasn’t terror.

Owen kissed Jared’s neck. “Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. We’re all nervous, and just hiding it better.”

Jared sighed. “I guess.”

“Don’t think about the audience. Play for me. Remember how we wrote these songs together. Or think of us playing music together.” Owen chuckled. “Or focus on the good time we had last night.”

“Before we were interrupted, you mean.” Jared had to admit he’d enjoyed the expression on Tyler’s and Phil’s faces a little too much. Maybe they should have offered to give them the van for a bit. Yeah, nah. Nowhere to go at that time of night, and they’d all decided getting some sleep was probably the better idea.

Whit’s Glen finished their final song, thanked their audience, and left the stage amidst thunderous applause.

“We’re on in five.” Rachel walked over to them. “Go out there and enjoy yourselves. Once you stop doing that, what’s the point, right? The audience will love you, I’m sure of it.” She glanced over to where the rest of the band was huddled. “Go join in the band hug. Traditions are important, and besides, it’s great for nerves.”

Jared had never played with a band with a tradition of a group hug before each performance. But then he’d never felt like he belonged in any of the other bands he’d joined and they’d definitely lacked in the family vibe Flightless had going on.

Kaci crooked her finger at Jared and Owen, shaking her head when Rachel didn’t join them. “Hey, you. This is for all of us, and we wouldn’t be here without you.”

Clay pulled Rachel into their hug. Jared and Tyler moved over to let her in. They held the hug for a full minute, and then Clay let out a low whistle. “Go Flightless!”

“Go Flightless!” They all echoed.

Duncan Fray stepped up to the mic while the stagehands worked in the background, readying the stage for the next act.

“Thanks for being such a fabulous audience!” Duncan grinned at the crowd. “And for showing your appreciation for Whit’s Glen. I’ve been a fan of theirs for years, so I’m very excited that they were able to come back to play for us again this year.” He waited for the applause to die down again. “Next up, we have a treat for you. Flightless is a band who is going places. They hail from Wellington, and this is their first stint at Frays, although I’m hoping they’ll come back next year!”

The audience clapped, but more hesitantly this time. Flightless was one of a few bands that weren’t as well known.

No pressure.

“You might not know their music, but after today, you’ll be wanting more.” Duncan tapped his earpiece, the sign that he’d received word that the stage was ready. “Please welcome to the stage, Owen, Clay, Kaci, Phil, Tyler, and Jared, better known as Flightless!”

“Right, this is it,” Clay whispered. “We’re well-rehearsed. We know what we’re doing. Let’s go kick some music arse.” He lifted his head, walked out onto the stage, and waved to the audience.

Kaci followed him and took her place behind her drums. Jared was next, and then Phil and Tyler. Jared caught Owen’s eye, trying to avoid being freaked out by the crowd as long as possible.

Owen held Jared’s gaze and mouthed, “I love you.”

Jared smiled, the tension easing in his shoulders. “Love you too,” he replied in kind.

Kaci began beating time with her sticks, and then Tyler joined in on bass, playing a few bars before the sound of a solo violin echoed across the stage, amplified by the strategically placed mics. Owen kept playing while he walked out on stage, leading the band into their performance of Lost .

When the song finished, the crowd was silent.

Shit. Jared bit his lip, daring to take a look. Owen had told him what had happened when they’d first played the song at Hills, but Jared hadn’t quite believed it.

Members of the crowd jostled each other, and someone called out from the front. “Wow! More!”

The next song was more upbeat and highlighted Kaci on drums. The rhythm of Off Beat was designed to be catchy, and soon the audience was clapping along, with a couple joining in the lyrics with Clay and Kaci when they repeated the chorus.

“We’re thrilled to be here,” Clay told the crowd. “As this is our first time performing at Frays, I’ll introduce us, although Duncan did a great job welcoming us to the stage.” The crowd applauded. “I’m Clay on vocals. Kaci’s on drums, Phil on guitar, and Tyler on bass. Owen’s our fiddler, and Jared’s on keyboards.” He leaned in like he was about to impart a huge secret. “Owen and Jared also wrote the songs we’re playing for you tonight, many of which you’re the first to hear.” He turned to them, then grinned. “The next few songs highlight our different instruments. We hope you enjoy them. And that’s enough from me. On with the show.”

Tyler stepped up to the mic and strummed the first few chords of Bass of my Heart . A few moments later, Phil joined in with the guitar line, the two instruments conversing in melody and rhythm.

“Love you, want you,” Clay joined in with vocals. “You’re my other half. My anchor, keeping me steadfast and true.”

“Bass of my heart,” Owen and Jared sang together.

Tyler met Phil’s gaze and blew him a kiss during his solo. The crowd cheered and went wild. Writing separate songs for them hadn’t worked. Owen had suggested a duet, and everything had fallen into place. Tyler and Phil had been in the band together for years, and when they played off each other, they were perfectly in tune, much like their relationship.

Clay’s song was up next, a ballad that highlighted his voice. He sang of streams and mountains and finding love amongst nature. “Your love burns bright. I’m hot for you, baby. A lifetime and future planned. Yeah.”

They followed that with Patterns in the Sand , warming their audience for their last song, the one Jared was most nervous about. He’d protested that Divided Road was Owen’s, who had insisted it was a duet, and as it was the first they’d written together, they’d perform it the same way.

Owen walked over to him and brushed his hand across Jared’s arm. He leaned in and whispered. “We’ve got this. Partners in song, remember?”

Jared swallowed and managed to nod. He turned his full attention to Owen, putting the audience out of his mind. This was their song. Their first.

He played the opening chords and then paused. Owen filled the silence with a haunting melody on the violin, leaning into the mic to sing once Jared repeated the melody on keyboard.

“Looking in the mirror, not liking what I see.”

Tyler and Phil added bass and guitar, adding depth to the notes, while Kaci softly added drums. Clay picked up his guitar, something he rarely did, but he’d insisted the first time he’d heard it that this song was Owen’s and Jared’s to sing.

Jared added his voice to Owen’s with the repeated line, “crumbling to memories,” which led into a musical bridge they’d added with violin and keyboard wordlessly repeating the lyrics.

Owen lowered his violin. “Not loving what I see. Not loving me.”

“I hold out my hand.” Jared held out his hand, and Owen took it, laying his violin on the keyboard.

“You pull me back to myself, to us, and what could be,” he sang. “Divided road. A journey ahead. Alone.”

“No, together,” Jared corrected him in song. “A future shared.”

“Ripples in time healing us both,” they sang in harmony, continuing the rest of the song the same way until the last line of the chorus, which they sang in unison, the guitars taking over the musical accompaniment.

“My divided road, now one.” Jared and Owen sang the final line of the song together in unison and A Capella. “My divided road now one.”

The crowd was silent for a moment and then began to applause. “Encore,” someone yelled. “You guys are going places!”

Jared’s face heated. His stomach lurched. Shit, they’d loved it.

“Sorted,” whispered Clay.

Rachel had insisted they have an extra up their sleeve, just in case. Thank God. Jared felt raw, like he’d bared his soul to a crowd of strangers.

He could do this. He’d played Sorted for an audience enough times that he could afford to lose himself in it and exorcise his nervousness.

“Thought my life was sorted until I met you,” Clay sang, Kaci joining him for the next line.

Finally, their part in the festival was over.

Clay gestured for them all to come forward. They linked arms and then bowed before leaving the stage.

“Fuck, I need a beer or six, after that,” Jared murmured.

“You were awesome,” Kaci gave him a hug. “Both of you. Wow.”

“You all were.” Duncan walked past them on his way onto the stage to introduce the next act. “I meant what I said about coming back next year.”

“Well done.” Rachel beamed. She kissed Kaci on the cheek and then hugged them all in turn. “You were all wonderful. The crowd was eating out of your hand.”

“That was one hell of a buzz,” Owen admitted. Every time they played together felt great, but this performance had taken that to a new level.

“Duncan’s set up a postperformance space if you need to decompress,” Rachel said. “Whatever you want to do, we need to free up this area for the next act. Take a couple of minutes to pack up your instruments first, though. The stage crew will take care of the drums and keyboard.”

“I could do with some time away from the crowd,” Phil admitted.

“I don’t suppose there’s coffee on tap in that space?” Tyler pulled Phil close and ruffled his hair. “I’ve worked up an appetite, too.”

All of them had been too psyched up to eat breakfast. Owen’s stomach rumbled, and he grimaced. “Lunch, for sure.”

“I booked us a table at the local pub just in case.” Rachel thought of everything; her concern for her band’s welfare was always her number one priority. “Up to you if you want in. Just let me know numbers.”

Owen unwound his bow, popped it into its case, and wiped down his violin. He glanced at Jared, continuing once he’d given a nod of confirmation that he wanted in. “A pub lunch sounds great. We’re in.”

“So are we,” Tyler confirmed.

“Is it okay if Nat joins us?” Clay asked.

“I booked a table big enough for all of us.” Rachel looked indignant that he might have doubted her. “The Cotton Pub is about ten minutes’ walk away. Lunch in thirty.” She glanced at the stage. “Things are winding up here about the same time. Even organisers need to eat.”

“I’m relieved we had the second to last spot before the long lunch break,” Jared admitted once everyone else drifted away. “I swear my nerves wouldn’t have taken waiting any longer. At least now I want lunch.” He hadn’t eaten anything since their meal out the night before.

“Do you want to head straight to the pub or find a quiet spot first?” Owen hooked one arm around Jared’s waist. “I’ll stash my violin in the secure lock up first, but that shouldn’t take long. You still up for watching some of the other acts this arvo?”

“Yeah, sounds good, as does a slow wander to the pub.” Jared sounded brighter and more like himself. “I swear the acoustics on the stage were a little too good. I could hear all my mistakes.”

“You sounded perfect to me.”

When they sang together, the warm feeling that spread through Owen always made him smile. Making music with Jared felt right, like their making love the night before. He paused along the path to the lockup, spun Jared around and kissed him. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Jared smiled, his eyes softening. “I?—”

“Owen! There you are.” Owen’s mum, Lindsey, called out from a short distance away. She strode towards them, his father in tow.

Shit. Although she’d made noises about coming to see them play, Owen hadn’t seen her, so he figured something more important had come up.

His smile slipped, and he plastered on another one. Jared squeezed his hand.

“You guys were great. Congratulations.” Howard, Owen’s dad, spoke before Lindsey could. He held out his hand to Jared. “You must be Jared. Nice to finally meet you. I’m Howard, Owen’s dad.”

“Thanks for coming to see us play.” Jared shook Howard’s hand.

“It’s lovely of Duncan to invite you back for next year, although, of course, you…” Lindsey trailed off when Howard shot her a warning look. “Wonderful performance, boys. I was very impressed by your songs. I’m presuming you wrote the lyrics, Jared. Owen’s talents lie elsewhere.”

“I think Owen’s very talented,” Jared said in a firm tone that brooked no argument. He caressed Owen’s thumb with his finger. “You must be very proud of him.”

“We are, very much so.” Howard’s gaze lingered on their joined hands, and he smiled. “You must come to dinner one Sunday, Jared, so we can get to know you. Right, Lindsey?”

“We’ll organise something very soon.” Lindsey looked up at someone in the distance. “Oh look, Howard. There’s Father Elard. We must catch him before he leaves. You boys are staying for the rest of the festival, aren’t you?”

“At this point, yes.” Owen was tempted to rethink that idea.

“Oh good.” Lindsey kissed his cheek. “I’ll text you, and we can meet up again before we leave.” She raised her voice. “Elard!”

Howard looked apologetic. “Sorry,” he murmured. “She’s in her element here, making connections and enjoying the music. I’ll come around for coffee sometime, okay?” By the time he caught up with her, she was standing by the side of the building looking puzzled, and looking around.

“My guess is that Elard saw her coming and scarpered.” Owen grabbed Jared’s hand. “Sound advice. Come on, while we still can.”

“Don’t forget to stash your violin.” Jared pulled him into the building, growing silent while Owen secured his instrument.

“You okay?” Owen frowned, unsure of Jared’s reaction to their encounter with his parents. “I’m sorry about Mum. I didn’t want to lose the performance buzz just yet.”

“It’s fine. I like your dad.” Jared leaned back against a nearby wall and folded his arms over his chest. “Your mum did seem proud of you, but there’s something….”

“There’s always something.” Owen was used to her praise, which always seemed to go hand in hand with a backwards compliment.

“Your dad cut her off.” Jared frowned. “She thinks there won’t be a next year at Frays because you’ll be with the quartet, right?’

“You don’t miss much.” Owen kept his tone light. “I haven’t decided yet, and besides, as I’ve already said, an audition doesn’t mean I’ll get offered the spot.” He lowered his voice, in case his mum appeared suddenly out of thin air, ridiculous as that felt. He didn’t need her approval. He was an adult and chose his own path in life. “I love playing with you, and with Flightless. I don’t get the same high with classical music.”

“You enjoy it, though.”

“Yeah.” Owen shrugged. “To be honest, I hope the decision is taken from me. I don’t want to make it.”

“You might have to.” Jared sighed. “Sorry, let’s not let all of that ruin today. Our performance was awesome, and we totally deserve to bask in our laurels for a bit.” He pushed off the wall and pulled Owen close. “Whatever happens, and we’re not talking about it again this weekend, I love you no matter what, and whatever you decide. There’s much more to our relationship than making music together.”

“Thanks, and yeah, there is.” Owen lost himself in the kiss that followed, enjoying their stolen moment in the midst of all the madness of the weekend.