Originally Posted to Deviantart October 23, 2017.
The trail of duct tape lead her back to the front of the house, where she heard the rest of band talking among themselves.
“I think it’ll work out, she just needs more time,” Rene’s voice explained.
“She sounds ready to me. As long as she doesn’t have a problem with any stage fright, I think she’s tour ready.” Molly replied.
“Oh, we could probably help her through it. Being secondary is easy. You’re still on stage having fun, but not everyone’s watching every little thing you do,” Betty explained.
“No no no, that’s not right,” Sarah said. “If you get used to being the side act, you won’t get used to the audience. She’ll still let herself be afraid and count on me or Rene to keep the audience from looking at her. Gotta go the other way and try to help her with center stage.”
Eva descended the steps slowly and took a breath. Okay, she needed to sound confident again. “Hey everybody!”
The rest of the band looked up and greeted Eva in response. While they all had friendly smiles, Molly had a look of curiosity on her face, but then shrugged.
“Ready to practice some more?” Rene asked. “We’re all ready to go!”
“Yeah, um… let’s get to the studio!” Eva said with a smile. Rene led the group out of her house, and into her backyard. This was going to be something that was normal. Playing with the band. If Eva could keep focused on this, she could get through the rest of the day.
It was a short walk to the studio, and the whole group walked there together. Eva tried to put her brain into music mode to break herself of the spell Rene seemed to have her under. Everything Rene had done seemed to make Eva a slave to her own arousal. She had to focus.
“So, how’s life in the maze?” Sarah said sarcastically to Eva. “Get a GPS working in there yet?”
“Oh… um… yeah,” Eva said with a nervous laugh. “It almost seems bigger on the inside that it is on the outside!”
“I spent a whole day wandering that stupid house once, and I could have sworn there was no way out!” Sarah laughed.
“Don’t remind me,” Rene said. “The record company wanted me to have a ‘status symbol.’ I need a certain level of prestige!” Rene threw air quotes around in an exaggerated voice. “I’m ready to add a couple of extra rooms to the studio and just live there instead.”
“I dunno, it seems like a neat place. Is it really that bad?” Betty asked.
The band entered the Ekko Dome, all in casual conversation. It was strange, but Eva was starting to feel more welcome this time.
“Oh yeah, Eva, tell them what I finally started doing so I could find my own room,” Rene said with a laugh.
Eva felt a bit nervous with attention drawn to her again. The whole group was laughing and having a good time talking about Rene’s house. She needed to say something too. If she did this right, she would start fitting in.
“Oh um…” She cleared her throat. “…Follow the duct tape road!” Eva cheered, raising her hand and pointing upwards.
“Ha! Nice one Eva!” Sarah said closed her fist and gave Eva a light bump and the other band members added in their giggles.
Everyone in the band took their spots in the performance room, while Eva was smiling inwardly. They laughed at her joke! But what about Rene? What did she think? She tried to get a glance at Rene’s face without being obvious and managed to see a smirk on her face as she picked her guitar. She thought it was funny!
“Alright, how about this time, we start with ‘Divebomb,’ aaand… Eva, how about you play the lead parts?” Rene suggested.
Eva’s head jerked back in surprise. She then shook her head. Things were serious, she felt more like a member of the band now. “O-okay, sure! Bring it on!”
She looked at the rest of the band. Sarah and Betty seemed to be nodding and applauding the bravery, while Molly continued to look perplexed.
The drummer shrugged and raised her sticks. “One two three four!”
The beat came in rapidly, and Eva made the first high pitched note come down into a furious chord. Eva was more confident than before, though not yet perfect as she played through the song. It was still overwhelming to play Ekko’s music with the band than it was to hear the song normally.
Still, the practice session was going better than it was yesterday. Eva could feel it.
After four more songs, Rene set her guitar down. “Alright, let’s take a little break. Eva, you sound smoother!”
“Yeah, I’m so happy for you finding your groove!” Betty clapped excitedly for Eva.
“Th-thanks. Just being able to say I’m in here with all of you is still kind of big on its own.” Eva explained, blushing slightly. “I still kind of think I’m a big fangirl before a musician.”
“Eh, you’ll get used to hanging with us. You seem to be able to hold your own with Rene just fine, that’s plenty of proof to say you’re a musician.” Sarah said.
“Actually, that’s something I wanted to bring a little focus on,” Rene said, moving her seat closer to Eva. “I figured we could just sit and chat for a little bit, and get Eva to fit in a little closer.” She appeared to be in thought. “You know, get kind of deep.”
Eva perked up and looked at Rene. “Deep? Like… um..” She shuffled nervously. “How deep?”
“Hmm… you know, call me crazy,” Sarah said. “But what if… she did the pact with us?”
“The pact…?” Eva repeated.
“Oh, the pact! Good idea,” Rene said. “Eva, when we started Ekko, we made this pact, that the band would always be all of us,” she pointed her finger and brought it around in a circle to point to everyone. “Or none of us. I think a few more practices sessions would really make you fit in!”
“Y-you really think so?” Eva said in a stunned voice.
“Oh yeah, I want you to feel like you belong here,” Rene said with that encouraging smile that Eva loved seeing so much. She held out her hand to the center of the room. “Ekko is all of us or none of us.”
“All of us, or none of us!” Sarah repeated, throwing her hand in to meet Rene’s.
“All of us, or none of us!” Betty and Molly added in.
Eva looked at the four girls, feeling like she was lost in a dream again. They really wanted her to be a full member of the band? Her hands balled into fists. Eva felt like she could reach the stars, and now it was time she took one.
“A-all of us…. Or none of us!” She said, throwing her hand in.
The rest of the band cheered for Eva, showering her with praise.
“S-so um, what’s next?” The brunette asked.
“I guess we should do that talking think Rene was talking about,” Sarah said, retaking her seat. “What’d you have in mind, Rene?”
“Well,” Rene started putting her hand to her chin. “I was thinking… like maybe we talk about…” The blonde hesitated. This idea sounded better in her head. Eva needed the band’s support on how she played, but what was the right way to put it? “Some… secrets. Like, sexy ones.” Rene blushed.
Eva’s face took on its red color at a far faster rate than Rene’s did. “What?” She shot suddenly.
“Whoa! The new girl’s got a good one!” Sarah laughed. “Alright, I’m game. Eva, what makes you hum?”
“U-um… I… I…”
“Sarah,” Betty interrupted. “She’s the new girl, she shouldn’t go first!”
“Alright, good point. Rene, it’s your idea, how about you first?” Sarah answered.
“Oh! Um…” Rene blushed harder. She hadn’t thought about revealing anything about herself.
This had yanked Eva’s attention like a chain as well. Was Rene really about to reveal something that no professional interviewer would dare to ask? She knew a sexy secret would change her dreams about Rene, but she could have no idea how.
“I um…” Rene scratched the back of her head. “I… like to sleep naked!” She suddenly smiled. “Yeah, that’s what it is. Can’t even have so much as a sock on when I’m under the blankets. It’s really hard to fall asleep if I’m wearing something.”
Eva’s face felt hot upon realizing this. Rene was a nude sleeper. If Eva could get herself into the deepest pocket of Rene’s goodwill, they could sleep that way together.
“Pff, sleeping naked? Come on, that’s nothing,” Sarah said. “Let me tell you what I did. It was a couple of months ago, and Molly made a bet that I wouldn’t go to the hotel pool, climb the high dive, throw my swimsuit off and then jump in. And I did it!”
“You did it at night, that’s not what the bet was about!” Molly said. “You were supposed to do that during the day!”
“Yeah yeah yeah but I couldn’t get away from the paparazzi. I didn’t think the band should be all about my ass. You can’t top that anyway.” Sarah smirked.
“Oh yeah? That’s just one dare.” Molly grinned. “Remember that tour where I wore skirts all the time? I went without panties underneath! Nobody ever found out!”
Eva squirmed in her seat. Everyone was so open about some kind of dirty secret. Did she dare mention hers? She was starting to feel like she was just a girl among women, with far too much modesty. And yet somehow Rene had taken control from her. Her big secret was about to be exposed to the rest of the band. At the very least, she could keep trying to hide her feelings for Rene.
“Betty, can you top that?” Molly asked.
“Ohh, I dunno… it’s really embarrassing,” Betty blushed, looking away. “I don’t think I should say it… but I did find a weird way to…” She smiled through her blush and looked at the ceiling. “Shake the lips?”
“Oh, I think I know what it is because I’ve caught you doing it!” Sarah laughed.
“Ahhh, no don’t tell them!” Betty laughed. “Alright… sometimes when nobody’s around… I’ve taken my panties off, faced my amp, and turned it up really high. When you set the knobs right, it vibrates a certain way that just…”
“There’s more to it than that!” Sarah wagged her finger with a taunting voice. “She actually grinds against the corner of the amp and plays the bass at the same time so it’ll get her off. I caught her doing that on the fucking tour bus!”
“What? No way!” Molly laughed.
“Oh my god,” Rene giggled uncontrollably.
Betty laughed along with them. “Guilty as charged. But you guys don’t know what you’re missing!”
Everyone laughed harder at Betty’s secret, but Eva was starting to feel locked in time again. And that was because…
“Alright Eva, we all said our secrets, now you gotta give one of yours!” Sarah said as the rest of the band turned their attention to her.
“Oh! Um…” Eva felt worried. Her secret, about how she played better while naked. It really didn’t make any sense without mentioning her crush, but even Rene didn’t do that. She looked to Rene, sending a pleading look for help.
“This should help you, Eva,” Rene said, trying to give her an encouraging smile. Eva shivered. Not that smile; anything but that smile. She was powerless against it.
“Oooh, I think Rene knows what it is!” Betty added in. “It can’t be worse than mine, Eva!”
Eva took a deep breath and looked at Rene one more time for a shot of confidence. “I-I… um… play guitar better… when I’m… I’m… naked.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“Hmmmm?” Sarah put a hand behind her ear and leaned closer.
“I… play better when I’m naked!” Eva tried to raise her voice a little.
“What? Is that all? That the big secret? You look like you’re afraid of your own shadow all the time over that?” Sarah laughed.
“Wait wait wait, what do you mean you play better while naked?” Molly asked. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
Rene put a hand on Eva’s back. “I know it sounds weird, but I caught her doing it last night. She’s AMAZING.”
“I kind of want to see this for myself,” Molly said.
“W-what?” Eva said, shrinking back defensively. “I… I can’t just… in front of all of you? B-but…” She looked at Rene again for help.
“I think that’s a little much for her right now?” Rene said, looking back at Molly.
“I think I see how it could be a thing like I sing better in the shower!” Sarah explained.
“Aww, Eva don’t be scared. I see what Rene’s trying to do,” Betty said. “You gotta feel comfortable enough to be able to do it around us!”
“Oh, that’s the master plan, isn’t it?” Sarah nodded. “Betty’s onto something. Come on Eva, strip and give us some widdly diddly!”
“B-but… I can’t just…” Eva felt uneasy. She couldn’t imagine giving a naked performance.
“Okay okay, naked’s too far. Does it still work if you’re just in your underwear?” Sarah suggested.
“I… I dunno, I’ve never tried… I can’t just…” Eva fidgeted in her seat uncomfortably. The thought of being so undressed in front of all of them was not boosting her confidence.
Rene looked at the flustered girl, feeling genuinely sorry for her. What was she putting this girl through? Eva didn’t seem to be able to handle this. Rene wanted to help her so badly, there just had to be a way. Either make this work or get her out of this situation.
“Hey, I got an idea,” Rene said. “Maybe it’ll be easier for Eva… if…” She swallowed her throat, unable to believe what she was about to suggest. “We all dressed down?”
Eva’s head jerked towards Rene. What was she talking about?
“Oooh! It’s a self-conscious thing!” Betty nodded. “It’s only us girls in the studio, why not?”
“Hmm… let’s all hang out in our underwear like we’re in a girls locker room?” Sarah thought it over. “Yeah, that’s no big deal. I’ve been in front of an audience in some weird stuff.”
Molly looked at Rene and Eva quizzically again. “Yeah, alright, if it’s to help out Eva. All of us or none of us.” She stood up and reached for the hemline of her shirt.
“All of us or none of us,” Sarah casually added, as she started to do the same.
Both Eva and Rene shared a shocked expression, as the rest of the band started shedding their clothes.
Rene could have kicked herself. That wasn’t supposed to happen! They were supposed to back down and let Eva off the hook! Why were they stripping so easily!? There wasn’t a choice now. Rene set this up, and now she had to do it. She bit her lip and began kicking off her shoes.
Eva meanwhile could only watch as the others created piles of clothing. She was expected to follow through now. How could she do it? Her head turned towards Rene and found another surprise. The lover of her dreams was lowering her pants. That took hold of her attention span and refused to let go. If nothing else good came from this, she could at least say she saw Rene in her underwear. It was enough to help her go through with this.
She gripped her shirt and took a breath, and pulled it over her head, and set it down. More skin came into view. A short while ago, she was in a panic to cover up. Her knees buckled inwards as she committed to the promise and started pushing her pants down. None of the clothing was actually hers, it was all borrowed from Rene.
When Eva finally stepped out of her pants, she heard the rest of the band cheering at her shy act. Her cheeks felt hot. She looked at Rene, who was bashfully setting her shirt aside, wearing an intense red color on her face of her own. Eva’s eyes wandered Rene’s body, thankful to at least have this sight.
“O-okay Eva, time to um, show them what you can do,” Rene turned around. When she didn’t get a reply, Rene looked at her. “Eva? Earth to Eva? What’s going on in your head?”
“Just checking out your ass…” Eva’s eyes shot open as her trance was shattered. What did she just say!? There was only one secret she had left, she could NOT let go of it! “I mean… axe. Axe. AXE! I’m checking out your AXE!”
Molly raised an eyebrow, and put her fists on her hips in disbelief, but remained silent. She glanced at Rene with a slight grin.
“Oh! My guitar?” Rene tried to gather her calmer composure and looked at her guitar waiting for her on its stand. “Of, of course. That thing’s like Excalibur to you, right? Wanna play it?”
“S-sure,” Eva said. She wasn’t aware of what question she just said yes to. Only that she wanted to make it clear that she absolutely did not say anything about Rene’s rear end. Then she found a bright blue guitar put in her hands, and a pick was offered in the other.
She was expected to play.
Eva’s motions were automatic, as she took the guitar Rene offered her. She slid the strap over her shoulders and felt the wood against her own body. It was still warm from its previous player.
“Alright, um, here we go,” Eva looked at Rene one more time, and put her fingers in their positions. She closed her eyes and began to play. Although the first few notes sounded like they lacked direction, soon a flurry of classically styled music began to come out of Eva’s fingers. Picking patterns were clean, and the music came smoothly. Visions of angels started to appear in Eva’s eyes, as slower paced melodies began to joyfully sing.
The solo was briefer this time, but it sounded complete when Eva finished. She opened her eyes and saw an awestruck band.
“Dang… like I didn’t hear it before… but… Rene was right. It’s like a different person playing.” Sarah said.
“Wow Eva, that was really good!” Betty jumped.
“Smooth, very smooth. And you weren’t even fully naked.” Molly said. She glanced at Rene. “Hey Rene, I wanna talk for a minute.”
“Sure thing. Be right back, guys. We can keep practicing like normal in a minute.” Rene said.
Both Rene and Molly stepped out into the hallway and shut the door to the recording room behind them. Then Molly took a more vindictive look at Rene.
“What’s up?” Rene said, unsure of what to make of Molly’s expression.
“Did you and Eva do something last night? I’m noticing a lot of little things,” Molly asked.
“Like what?” Rene said, thinking there wasn’t any mystery left to reveal.
“Well, I see her wearing your clothes. Every time she looks scared she looks at you to feel better, and she didn’t start undressing until you got going.” Molly listed things off on her fingers. “That solo was beautiful, and she made sure to look at you before playing it. Did you do something to her last night?”
“Well, she was a little shook up because I figured out the naked thing by accident. I feel like I have to encourage her after hearing how she played. We couldn’t find her clothes, so she’s borrowing some of mine.” Rene said rather plainly. “I know things are moving kinda fast with her, but you can’t deny that talent.”
“I think there’s something else going on, and you haven’t realized it yet.” Molly started. “I think she plays better when she thinks about you. And not like some worshiping fangirl either.”
“What do you mean?” Rene said, lost on what Molly was implying.
Molly took a deep breath. “It’s not much more than a guess right now, but I think Eva has a crush on you.”
Rene looked at Molly in a stunned silence. “W-what!? That… that can’t be it… she’s just weird, amazing but weird.”
“It’s easy to see people oogle each other from where I sit Rene.” Molly pointed out. “She plays better when she’s watching you. And seeing you dressed like this? Mmmmm mmm! Oh, she wants to get close to you.”
“God… you really think so? I’m just trying to get her used to being with us so she can just play like that when she wants to. I can’t just… do all the practice sessions in my underwear.” Rene pointed out. “She’s so amazing though… I want her to be able to do that normally.”
“I know, I heard the recording, and I can see why you want her in this band,” Molly nodded. “We can break her ice, but maybe we should be more aggressive about it. Like, if we did a whole concert like this.”
“Molly, I wanna help her. I don’t know what to make of your crush idea yet but… I really do want to help her. But I don’t think she could handle that, she has a hard time just doing it in front of us.” Rene said in shock.
“Then we can do it with her like you just suggested,” Molly said with a little smirk.
“But a whole concert? We can’t just… is that even allowed?” Rene asked.
“Not at a normal venue,” Molly said. “But I have an idea.”