Page 7

7

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Alex

“This is just a regular band rehearsal today,” Chris said, leading me into the room. “Feel free to take some photos of us and just do your thing.”

Was it so obvious that I was a bit nervous? My assignments mainly involved advertising. When working with models, they did exactly what I instructed. But I was facing a completely new challenge here. I didn’t even know which camera was the right one, so I packed three—two digital and one analog—which made even less sense.

But maybe this offered a new opportunity to expand my collection for the photo book—although I knew Chris’s band members and didn’t consider any of them suited for portraits.

Lukas sat on a chair, and Ramon on the couch. They tuned their guitars and discussed a song while Chris fetched a beer from the fridge. I stood next to the couch, assessing the wooden table in the middle, wondering where to spread out my equipment. The table was cluttered with empty beer bottles and overflowing ashtrays. My expression must have conveyed my thoughts because Chris hastily opened one of the small windows, which led to a light shaft but still let in fresh air. He then grabbed a bucket, made the bottles disappear into it, and emptied the three ashtrays.

“Sorry. Hard to avoid in a rehearsal room,” he said, slightly embarrassed. “I think Marco and Steven had a party here on Sunday.”

But the table wasn’t clean yet. It looked like someone had wanted to seed a field; tobacco was scattered everywhere, along with little pieces of paper, pull tabs from cans, lighters, and torn steel strings. Chris put the bucket away and wiped the table with a damp paper towel.

“So ... uh ... only Marco and Manuel are missing?” I asked, sitting down next to Ramon on the couch and opening my bag.

“Marco, yes. Manuel is no longer with us,” Chris said.

“What do you mean, Manuel is no longer with you?” I asked, confused.

“We kicked him out or at least that will be the official version. He quit, and Marco found a new singer pretty much at the same time. He heard the songs for the first time last week and had a week to learn them. Starting tomorrow, we’re recording the vocals again. That’s why we made a last-minute invitation. You have no idea how glad we are that you had time today. We desperately need photos.”

“I thought you had already finished the recordings?”

“Yeah! We’re lucky the guy showed up in time.”

“What do you mean showed up ?” Ramon chimed in. “He’s always been here, actually. We just didn’t know it.”

The guys laughed, and I tried to figure out what they meant, which was rather difficult, so I focused on my cameras. I laid them out on the table and checked the settings.

“Okay,” Chris finally said, apparently feeling responsible for me. “Make yourself at home. There are drinks in the fridge. Just help yourself. Ah, and here...” Chris dragged a cardboard box from behind the couch. “Need earplugs?”

There were at least a hundred packets of earplugs in the box.

“Thanks,” I grabbed one and turned to Chris with a puzzled expression.

“Don’t ask,” he replied, shaking his head and glancing at Lukas.

“I took them from a concert,” said the blond guitarist with a mischievous smile.

The door opened, and Marco entered the room. “... yeah, and that’s why he’s coming here today to take some photos,” Marco said.

I put the camera down and got up from the sofa—apparently, he was talking about me.

“Here he is already!” Marco exclaimed, and a smile spread across his face. He leaned his bass against the chair and greeted his bandmates first, then held out his hand to me. “Hello! Long time no see, huh?”

“Yeah, definitely ... two years,” I replied, remembering his birthday party at the forest hut, which I had left early.

“Noé!” Marco called out and turned to the new singer who suddenly appeared behind him. “This is Alex. Our photographer. He’s taking some photos of us today.”

My facial features shifted as I saw Noé in front of me. Secretly, I had hoped to see him again, but not like this. What the hell was he doing here? Was he the new singer? But I thought he played bass.

“Hi ...” I managed to say.

Noé seemed frozen for a moment. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Only the brief twitch of his lower eyelids told me that he was processing something. Meanwhile, I stared into the deepest dark blue eyes I had ever seen. Just before the silence became uncomfortable, he said, “I hate coincidences.”

“What? You two know each other?” Chris asked, laughing.

I breathed a sigh of relief that Noé acknowledged the coincidence and didn’t think of me as a stalker—although I couldn’t discern how he took my presence. But fortunately, suspicion fell away from him like a cloak.

“We’ve met before,” he replied curtly and went to the other side of the sofa where he dropped off his backpack and leather jacket.

“Oh, really?” Marco asked somewhat condescendingly. “And where? Sex or somewhere else?”

My jaw dropped.

“Is that important?” Chris asked.

“Oh, come on. We all know about his reputation,” Marco said.

“We...” I began, but I lost the thought again.

His reputation?

“We met at Hyde,” Noé replied casually, shrugging.

Obviously, I felt uncomfortable with the situation, and I was so grateful that he misled Marco. Okay, he didn’t directly lie, but at least he kept what this was all about to himself.

“I didn’t know you were also a singer,” I finally managed to say. Just looking at him calmed me down. “You play bass for the Lighteners, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” he replied, flashing me a charming smile. “We share the rehearsal space here, so we all know each other.”

Damn, does it have to be like this?

And yet, I was as excited as a little kid about it. Fate had it that I would photograph Noé. Nightrain himself had invited me to it. However, I couldn’t help but notice the way Noé suspiciously eyed the cameras.

“Isn’t three a bit too much?” Ramon asked.

“Yeah, maybe,” I replied, my voice drowned out by a rolling drumbeat. Maybe wearing earplugs wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

“You can use these,” Marco said to Noé, handing him a pair of in-ear monitors. “They work wirelessly. Just strap the device to your belt.”

I stuffed the foam into my ears and grabbed the first camera. It would take a while to get into the groove, but I felt confident and very motivated.

The band took the stage, plugged in their instruments, and Noé stepped up to the microphone with a few sheets of paper. He tied his hair back, as he always did during a Lighteners concert, but that probably had more to do with not wanting to flaunt the metalhead side of himself in the jazz band. He struggled a bit with the in-ears, talked into the microphone with Marco, who was at the mixing desk, and finally gave him a thumbs-up, prompting Marco to sling the bass over his shoulder and take his place.

Soon after, the band thundered into action. I was not at all prepared for this intensity and felt like I was hit by a shockwave. They played fast, hard, merged into one unit, and captivated me from the first note. The wave subsided slightly, and Noé stepped up to the microphone. He adjusted the stand one last time, nodded his head, and began to sing. Once again, my jaw dropped, and a cold shiver ran through my body, leaving me breathless.

Damn, man! How can this guy sing like that?

I stood there, completely stunned, transfixed by his predatory, lascivious movements and deep, dark voice, carried by the music and growing ever more intense. With camera in hand, I stood still, unable to tear my gaze away from him. Only when he smiled at me and winked did I return to reality, bewilderedly furrowing my brows and brushing off my reaction with a smile. As the instruments faded out, Noé turned to his bandmates.

“Sorry, I didn’t have a chance to warm up my vocal cords.”

“That was awesome!” Chris called out from behind the drums.

I let the band do their thing and eventually focused on taking photos. After a few songs, the guys had shed their initial camera shyness and behaved quite normally. With Noé, I wasn’t so sure if his confidence was that great or if he was just putting on a show for me. Whenever he noticed I was nearby, he even played with the camera once or twice, completely throwing me off, much to his amusement.

***

“So,” Marco said, flopping down onto the sofa. “The warm-up concert is on October 27th. Here in the rehearsal room. It would be great if you could join with your camera ... or cameras.”

I pulled out my phone and checked the calendar. “That’s a Thursday. I have a shoot in Geneva that day. Can’t make it.”

“You could join later,” Marco suggested.

“I’m staying in Geneva until Friday.”

“Too bad,” Chris said, handing me a water bottle. “But you’re coming to the album release party on November 12th, right?”

“Yeah, I already marked it down.”

As I put the phone back in my back pocket, I noticed Noé staring absentmindedly at me. He was sitting on the armrest of a chair, tapping one foot while twirling a water bottle in his hands. Unlike earlier on stage, he appeared introverted all of a sudden. I still could hardly believe what the guy was capable of. He had already been attractive before, but seeing him sing, hold the mic, and move to the music ... He seemed like a demigod to me—who was now staring at his phone and reading some messages.

He has to be in my book .

“Shall we go grab a drink?” Chris asked the group.

“I can’t,” Lukas replied. “Got work tomorrow.”

“I’m going home,” Marco said. “Totally beat from work.”

My gaze fell on Noé, who was typing something on his phone.

“What about you, Alex?” Chris asked. “You’re coming, right?”

Although I didn’t have to get up early, I was undecided. So I looked back at Noé, who finally glanced up and smiled.

“Noé’s coming, right?” Ramon called out.

“As far as I’m concerned,” he replied, then returned his gaze to his phone.

“Oh well. I have to head back to the city anyway,” I said, packing my cameras into the bag.

As we left the rehearsal room, Chris drove us downtown, while Marco and Lukas took the bus.

I sat with Noé in the back seat, wondering why my heart was racing so fast. Was it just because we had sex?

Pull yourself together. Noé seems pretty relaxed about it.

“And? Did the photos turn out all right?” he asked.

“I ... I think so.”

“Let me see!”

Feeling a bit caught off guard, I looked at him. “O-okay.” I opened the bag on my lap and examined the three cameras somewhat puzzledly.

“This one,” he said, intending to make the decision for me.

“I still need to develop those pictures.”

“Then these here.”

I picked up the camera and took it out of its case. As I turned it on, Noé moved closer, our shoulders touching. I tried to focus on the camera and ignore the shiver he elicited in me; it wasn’t easy. Even his scent filled my nose, reminding me of our night together.

“Why did you bring a film camera when you can view the pictures on the other one right away?”

As Noé peered over my shoulder at the small screen, I felt his breath on my ear.

“I wanted to try something with a black and white film. For my project.”

“Analog photography is cool,” Chris called out from the driver’s seat. “Can you digitize them afterward?”

“Yeah, if they turn out well.”

“These here look great,” Noé commented on the pictures on the small screen. “So the black and whites should be good too.”

“Provided I chose the right settings. I used a different film today, so I’m not so sure if I got the ISO right.”

Noé darted his eyes at me, his face just a few inches from mine. “I don’t know what that is.”

His voice unexpectedly became so soft. Is he flirting with me?

“That, uh ... that’s the grain. Like the pixels on your phone.”

“Ah.”

My whole body was tense. Images of our night together popped into my head, and I wanted nothing more than to kiss him and have my way with him right here in the back seat. The effect he had on me was enormous, and I could hardly resist his attraction.

The fact that Noé continued to maintain the closeness even after I put the camera back in the bag suggested that he felt the same way. Or did he? Leaning slightly toward me as if examining my neck, the warmth between us was palpable.

Out of nowhere, his hand landed on my thigh. My pulse quickened, and something stirred in my pants. He left his hand there, not even squeezing my muscle. His warmth flowed into me, and I swallowed.

Finally, he lifted his head and looked at me. For a moment, he lingered. The sparkle in his eyes was electrifying, the moment endless. And yet, it ended abruptly. Noé moved back to his side, pulled out his phone, and started typing. Coldness spread through me, and I tried not to look at him any longer.

As Chris lived near Langstrasse, we parked in his lot and walked. Outside the Olé-Olé-Bar, Noé took out his phone again and stopped.

“Hey, guys! I’m saying goodbye here. Got to go. Was great seeing you again, Alex. Have fun!”

He fist-bumped with each of us, gave me a charming smile, and then he went down a side alley.

“What was that all about?” I asked, quite confused by his sudden exit.

Ramon also seemed slightly puzzled, but Chris just waved it off.

“Oh, that’s nothing new for him.”

“Where’s he going?” I asked as we entered the bar.

“No idea ... Probably off to some chick or a dude. Doesn’t matter to him. He’s a player.”

“Is that the reputation Marco was talking about?” I dared to ask.

Chris laughed loudly. “Oh yeah, the guy doesn’t waste any time.”

“How long have you known each other?”

Ramon shrugged, but Chris thought for a moment. “Well, we’ve been sharing the rehearsal space with the Lighteners for about three years now. Noé showed up pretty soon after. I think Tom, the singer, knew him and brought him in as a bassist. I was surprised last week when I heard how the guy can sing. It made me see him in a whole new light. Before, he was just the guy who hooked up with everyone.”

“He still is,” Ramon interjected.

“Yeah, well... a word of advice, Alex,” Chris said confidentially. “If you’re into women, make sure your girl never meets Noé. And if you’re into guys, stay away from him. The worst thing that can happen to you is falling in love with him.”

I chuckled. “Why’s that?”

“Noé’s not the relationship type.”

“How do you know that?” Ramon asked. “He’s about to start one with Nightrain. Should we be worried?”

“Tom explained it to me after my girlfriend left me because of Noé. I can’t even be mad at Noé about it because he just gave Claudia the cold shoulder after a one-night stand where she was wasted and confessed her love to him. Tom said Noé pulls this with everyone. But don’t worry, Ramon, I doubt he’ll do that with Nightrain.”

“But with your girlfriend? Dude!”

“He didn’t know she was my girlfriend,” Chris deflected. “Even apologized to me afterward. But anyway. I want to see the day when Noé falls in love. Hell will probably freeze over before that happens. As soon as things get too hot for him, he’s out. Honestly? I don’t know what the guy is searching for, but it’s certainly not love.”

“Then let’s hope it’s music,” Ramon muttered. “Anything else could break us.”

I mustered a smile and sipped my beer. Somehow, I was disappointed, but at the same time relieved. Noé and I didn’t owe each other anything. But what did that moment in the car mean? He couldn’t deny that there was a certain feeling between us. After all, his hand was on my thigh.

You don’t just do that for no reason, right?