112. Double Tap

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It was mid-October and spring still couldn't kick winter out of Patagonia for good. Silvia and Miyen were revising his last story when her phone buzzed. Both of them glanced at the kitchen clock, surprised. It was two on a Wednesday night, who could be texting her that late?

"Let's hope nothing bad happened," she said, unlocking the screen. "I'm glad Tobias is here and sleeping."

"Always so cheerful," Miyen replied, scoffing, but he saw her face and frowned. "What is it?"

Silvia narrowed her eyes, like trying to make up her mind. "Look, it's Jim. He just posted something for me, and whatever it is, I'm gonna check it right now. I'm telling you in case you wanna go to the bathroom or something."

Miyen snorted and stood up. "Yeah, good idea. Let me know when you're done. I'll be reading in your room."

She waited to be alone to get her tablet and open the Hey, Jay! Two posts? Odd. It was a poem and a private video. She grabbed her earphones and hesitated, then decided to read the poem first. The title was enough to make her light a cigarette.

The Heart of the Storm

You and I
We are a storm set loose
And I'm the one holding you up
Let us watch how
The world you knew
Comes crumbling down.

There's no hell or heaven
There's no now or never
Take my hand
It's just you and I.

In the heart of the storm
You were right here by my side
We were holding on
Holding up

Wipe away all the tears
Let this havoc wreak around
Tearing all apart
All but us.

Look into my eyes
Give up all your control
I'm right here, reaching out
I'm waiting for you to come back.

Silvia pressed her hand against her mouth to suffocate an exclamation.

It was the first time Jim had ever posted a writing that would be so blunt and straight about his feelings, addressing her directly. And it was the last thing she'd ever expected from him. Not after five months, and especially not to say something like that.

Her mind a sudden swirl, she didn't even notice she'd tapped on the video until she heard the voices.

It'd been filmed in a soundproofed room that looked like a home studio. The camera seemed to be fixed on a tripod or something because it was static, and it showed a huge set of drums that could only belong to Sean Robinson, two or three keyboards assembled, two electric guitars and a bass on their racks.

The band showed up to grab their instruments or sit behind them.

As they got ready to play, smash cuts introduced flashing shots of Jim standing by a window with an electric guitar hanging from his shoulders, speaking as if he were answering questions.

"I wrote this one back in Chile, a couple of days before we came back home," he said.

Back to the studio, Tom paused tuning his bass to grin hi at the camera.

"It's not the song I actually wanted to record, but those sons of bitches won't play the other one."

At the studio, Sean held his sticks high in one hand behind his drums to shout, "Too fucking corny, dude!"

Silvia chuckled when Jim raised his eyebrows, like saying, "See?"

Tom, Liam and Walt turned to the same side.

"Are we doing this or not?" asked Walt.

Jim moved as to join them and stopped to turn to the camera with a mild smile. "At least I'm sending you this one, and the lyrics of the one these bastards don't wanna play. Hope you like them, 'cause they're yours."

The cuts ended and the fixed camera showed Jim coming to stand behind his microphone, front and center of the scene. Jo's face filled the frame with a bright grin that made Silvia smile.

"Hey, there, my friend!" said Jo to the camera. "Hope you like this!"

The girl disappeared as Jim tapped the microphone to make sure it was on, glanced at one side of the camera, and then looked right into the lens.

A chill ran down Silvia's back, because he seemed to be staring straight at her.

He kept very still while, behind him, Sean counted to three with his sticks.

Silvia sat up, because it was one of those beginnings that always pushed her against the back of her seat, all the instruments starting together a song to jump and dance, with all the energy that was No Return's trademark.

She was lucky to notice all that before Jim started singing, because when he did, she couldn't pay attention to anything else, and she would never listen to it like that again, before hearing the lyrics, that he sang holding her eyes through the camera.

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