Theirs To Desire

NINE | DEVYN

...ballerina... in a pop band... as the show opener... on the 20-week long tour with us...

"Can you be any more dramatic, Devyn?" Wyatt's weary voice pierced through my ears, making me halt my attempts to compose a freshly brewed rhyme.

"Nay! We are about to meet our ballerina. I want to gift her my poetry as a warm welcome." I bite the insides of my cheek to control the rising laughter. "Come on, bro, aren't you even going to say hello to our ballerina?"

"Our ballerina?" He arched his brow at me with a ridiculous expression on his face. "I still can't digest the fact that ol' man thinks, a ballet dancer would be able to match the rhythm of our melody!"

"Oh shut your trap, brooding alpha." Before I could have shoved some reasonable cells inside Wyatt's head, Dexter peered from outside the bunk's curtain and pinned me with his stare. "What's the update, brother? Where is the new one?"

"Running late," I glanced at my wristwatch and back at his slightly pissed face, "by forty-five minutes." Dex's eyes widened more than the width of his eye sockets.

"You have gotta be kidding me! New member is running this late on the first day? I swear old man is smitten by whoever this person is. If anyone of us were 10 minutes late, he would have our asses offered to Hades in a shiny platter."

"Hey, d**k, watcha pissed off at?" Jules poked his head around Dex's shoulder, earning a stink eye from him, and ran his eyes all over us, finally settling on my face. "Hey Pianist, any update?"

I scrunched my face in his direction with a playful glare in my eyes. We had been waiting for our new member for almost an hour and to all of our intense shock, she didn't show up and neither did Joseph.

There was one single question swarming visibly in four pairs of eyes, in front of me; "who is this new addition?"

I too–– despite possessing few brain cells more than my mates–– failed to decipher the reason behind old man's decision of including a soft dancer in a pop band. I could remember it with crystal clarity, the night of three days before, when we were made aware of a shocking yet unique decision.

◕◕◕

"Why do you think I have only called you regarding this discussion?" Joseph practically screamed in my ears, through the phone. How the f**k was I supposed to know why he had chosen me to speak with? I was not an upgraded version of Edward Cullen.

"Your silence has already answered me. Are you asleep?" I glanced at my wall clock which was showing me 2:00 am. No, I was taking dance lessons. "You are the only one who takes s**t seriously. Jules is drunk 24/7. Wyatt is depressed 24/7. Lucas is lost 24/7. Dex. . . well nevermind. Only you Devyn, are there with whom I can discuss my plans."

I stretched my legs across the coffee table as he inhaled and exhaled few a times, audibly, before coming to the point. "I know this defeat has caused major bruises to you lads' self-esteem and regarding that, I have finalized something. You five will be going on 20 weeks long road-tour, the journey starting in three days from now."

"This break is unnecessary, Jo-"

"And who said this is a break?" He questioned me sharply to which I only maintained my silence. "You all will be performing at different places while on tour. The first half of this tour will be whole US while another half will be your hometowns, the UK. This decision is taken because I think this is the time we need to adopt a new approach. Instead of practising in an empty glass hall, you will be doing shows and concerts to develop a stage-performance aura in the band. You will be interacting with your fans, seeking out what they expect from you all. And you all will perform by heart and not by brain. Do you get it?"

I blinked and released the breath which I didn't know I was holding. That was a common effect Joseph had on anyone. He possessed the power to hypnotize someone through his words. "Yes, boss. I will tell the boys-"

"Did I say that I am finished talking?"

"I am sorry bu-"

"Let me complete, pianist." I pressed my lips together and nodded, fully aware that I was nodding in dark at the other side of the call. "There will be a total of 15 concerts alongside 20 small scale shows. And the money raised through the shows, overall, will be transferred to the 'Global Orphanage Association' and other of our affiliated NGOs. Hotels and venues are already booked and event managers have already been contacted regarding plannings, show tickets and other details. Also, three buses have been organized, one for you band members and two for security members. The only thing you five will be doing is, getting your asses on the bus and starting this new journey with a new determination."

"Got it-"

"I STILL AM NOT DONE, DEVYN!" I jerked back, removing my phone from my ear as his loud voice boomed across the speaker, initiating a buzzing hiss in my eardrums. That man had some serious f*****g issues.

"-did you hear that?" I hurried to place the phone to my ear to catch on his talking as his scolding voice echoed again. "I said that there is going to be an addition to the team."

Now I was genuinely confused if he was talking about an addition to our band–– which was hard to believe as we already had all spots filled–– or to the security team.

"Ask me, Devyn. I said there is going to be an addition to the team and you are taking it lightly. As a responsible member, you should have questioned me!" Didn't this old man shush me before because he was not finished talking?

"Anyway, apart from five musicians, there is going to be a dancer too in the team from now on. More specifically, a ballerina and she will also be joining you all on the road trip and performing in the concerts and shows." I didn't know whose sound was louder. Joseph's voice or my jaw kissing the floor.

"You can't be serious right now!" I couldn't help but ask in a shocked tone. "A ballerina performing with the pop band! This has to be some kind of joke-"

"Did you forget the last defeat?" This man had lost it.

"How in the ever holy hell is a defeat related to a ballerina being included in a pop group?"

"Because sparkle-band grand competition demands innovative ideas and pattern in a band's performing structure and we have to do something unique, something unexpected to acquire an upper hand." I could hear the fuming voice from the other side but at that moment it was the matter to be least worried about.

"But we can come up with something sane and rational!"

"And what would that be?" His voice attained a sudden pitch which made me gulp back my questions. "What would be the new innovative approach? Making Dexter dress up as a gorilla and jump while playing with drums?!"

Goddammit! f**k you old man.

"Because that's what you all did in this battle. Didn't you? Making Dex dress up as a damn joker and acting like a fool while performing! This is not innovation. You don't have to win a circus but a musical battle. Dammit, Devyn, you are the sane person, act like one!"

I released a sigh as an abrupt cloud of exhaustion rolled over my limbs and toned down my voice to a calm and even tone. "I get your point, Joseph but we can come up with something-"

"This is final, I don't want to hear another objection. I want you all to work together with an aligned co-operation. I want the ballerina's steps to match the rhythm of Dexter's drums, the vocals of Lucas and the fused melody of your piano and Wyatt's guitar." There was this final edge in his voice that made me realize that any sort of discussion is futile and that Joseph had already finalized the addition of ballet dancer to our band, even before discussing.

I masked my irritation and with the same evened voice answered him back. "If you feel this will work then I am not going to cross-question you. I only want what's best for my mates, nothing less."

I heard as Joseph sighed heavily and the next he spoke, he had a hint of guilt and concern in his voice. "Trust me on this, Devyn. I can feel it in my guts, this new decision is going to change lives. I know it in my bones..."