March 8th, 1971
[Cameron’s Perspective]
I woke and pulled Emily close to me even before I’d opened my eyes. Once I did, I could see the softness of sleep on her features. She always looked at peace while she slept, and though I was torn between leaving her in the bliss of dreams and simply gazing at her, I had to kiss her.
I gently touched my lips to her shoulder. Her skin was warm and I didn’t stop myself from peppering her with soft kisses. Within moments, Emily stirred and my name tumbled from her lips.
“It’s as if my name was meant to be said by you,” I whispered.
Emily turned onto her side and kissed my lips. “Maybe it was,” came her sweet reply.
“I had a dream of you,” I confessed.
Her deep blue eyes sparkled at my words. “You did?”
“Yes.” I held her hand in mine as I spoke. “We stood in a meadow, filled with green grass and wildflowers,” I elaborated. “You were so beautiful in the sunshine. I reached out to touch you, but I couldn’t feel you beneath my fingers.”
I looked into her eyes, feeling lost in them, as she brought my hand to her chest and held it over her heart. “You can feel me now. I’m right here, Cameron.”
Her words nearly made my heart burst with delight. “Just don’t go anywhere,” I said quietly.
Emily leaned towards me and pressed her lips to mine once more. I moved my hand from her chest down to her waist, holding her to me as we kissed purposefully. A sensation rose in my chest as she placed her hand on the nape of my neck. It was a prickling, throbbing feeling that nearly made me shiver, and I still hadn’t grown used to it. It had been an unprecedented feeling for me, when it rose in my chest as I kissed Emily for the first time in May of last year.
She pulled away, now, but only barely. “I’ll never leave,” she murmured.
I kissed her again, this time with more ferocity. She responded eagerly and didn’t object when I prodded her lips with my tongue. She tasted of sleep and the coffee we’d shared last night, but it didn’t matter.
I felt my desire for her in my chest as I dragged my lips to her neck and trailed kisses along her skin. Her hands were on my shoulders, and though I wanted her more than I wanted air to breathe, I slowly pulled away.
“I’m sorry, Emily,” I whispered bashfully.
“What are you sorry for?” Her eyes met mine and I felt my cheeks grow hot.
“I’ve woken you from sleep to kiss you.”
“You think I mind, you big noodle?” she teased.
“Maybe not,” I answered. I moved my hands along her bare sides and gazed at her body. “But now I’m lusting for you,” I admitted.
“I can tell,” she giggled. The soft sound warmed my heart and put a smile on my face. “But you must be a noodle if you think I’d mind that.” Emily gave me no time to answer. She kissed me with clear passion and very quickly we were entangled on the bed.
“Cameron, wait,” she said after a moment. I had been snaking my way down her chest, leaving sweet kisses on her warm skin. I stopped and looked up at her. “I’m not clean,” she explained with a furrowed brow.
I chuckled as a smile crossed my features. “Now you’re the noodle. You’re not dirty, Emily.” I told her with a soft kiss to her navel. “Unless… you want to be?”
It was nearly eight in the morning when we ventured downstairs. Colin was already awake, lounging in the sitting room with a book. He closed it and stood as we reached the bottom of the stairs.
“Would you like tea?” he asked as he hurriedly shuffled ahead of us towards the kitchen. “The kettle should still be warm.”
“Relax, Colin,” I replied. “We can make our tea.”
I saw Emily give him a reassuring smile, but he still looked embarrassed. I asked what was on his mind and he bit his lip worriedly.
“Well, I just feel a bit odd, that’s all. You’ve both been very kind and really helped me out by letting me stay here.”
“You’ve helped us a great deal as well, Colin,” I reminded him. Emily filled the kettle so I sat at the table and beckoned Colin to join me. “How long has it been since your first show?”
“About three years,” Colin replied after a brief pause.
I nodded. “And you’ve been playing for ten years?”
“Yes.”
“Would you mind if I gave you some advice?” I asked.
“I’d even appreciate it. Wouldn’t mind at all,” he told me.
“It’s more of a story,” I amended, “but it may help. I joined my first band at eighteen. I’d been playing about six years but never on stage, so my first show was a disaster.” I chuckled at the memory. “I was very quickly replaced by a more experienced keyboardist but I realized what doors could be opened if I got used to performing.”
“I didn’t know you bombed your first show,” Emily spoke with a small chuckle as she brought me a cup of tea.
“It was terrible, honestly,” I said as she sat beside me with her own cup. “Anyway,” I continued, “the next band I was in was Seven by Eight. We did a few tours and put two albums out, but it was on those tours that I came into my own. I discovered who I wanted to be while on stage.”
Colin looked deep in thought as he nodded slowly. “How long did it take?”
“Months,” I answered truthfully. “Dozens and dozens of shows. But once I figured it out, I felt more confident on stage than off.” I paused to sip my tea. “Long story short, Colin, you’ll fall into place just fine.”
“I didn’t think I looked so worried,” he mumbled.
Before I could speak, Emily did. “You don’t. He’s just got a knack for hearing silent worries,” she said with a laugh.
I smiled and shrugged. “Sometimes, nothing needs to be said.”
I didn’t know what time it was, but we’d been in the studio for at least three hours. We were fortunate to have Ron producing this record with us, as he’d released a number of successful albums of his own before shifting towards production about five years ago. Since then he’d proven himself with a string of highly-acclaimed albums under his belt.
The new album was complete, for our tastes, but yesterday Ron had informed us that we had just under eight minutes left before it would be considered finished. We’d all come back this morning with a fresh set of ideas and now, a few hours in, we were tweaking the additional song.
“What about something like this?” Willie offered. He set his fingers to work and played a short but hearty melody.
“Play that again,” Lee instructed. He added his bass into the mix and smiled when the instruments mixed.
Colin spoke next, as he lightly hit the skins in front of him. “Sounds like…”
We had it pieced together quite quickly, with Dale jotting down lyrics as we fine-tuned the arrangement. Three takes later, we had the song recorded. It sounded great and I was sure that with this addition, the album would be a hit.
We left the studio then, and I went in search of Emily. I found her in our bedroom gathering the bed sheets and laundry to load into the washing machine.
“How did it go?” she asked sweetly.
“Very well,” I replied with a smile. “We’ll likely go back in for an hour or so for touch ups, but otherwise we’ve got a fire-starter.”
“That’s wonderful, my love,” she smiled. “A call came for you about an hour ago. It was the photographer,” she informed me. “He said he’d found a place on Berryden Road for the shoot. I wrote his number down on the notepad.”
“I’ll give him a call, then,” I replied. I kissed Emily before heading downstairs and into the hallway, where I was her note with his name and number.
The phone only rang a few times before someone picked up. “Hi, is this Myles? It’s Cameron Thom speaking.”
“Yes, hello, Cameron,” he greeted. “I’ve some news about the shoot for the album cover.”
“Go ahead,” I urged him.
“I’ve been able to book time at a studio on Berryden Road called Stan’s Art and Design. We’ll have three hours, and we’ll be getting shots for the album and for promotional items,” Myles explained.
“Posters and the like.”
“Exactly. Make sure everyone’s there by lunch this Friday. The shoot starts at one o’clock.”
I jotted down the time and date on the notepad beside the studio’s name. “Sounds perfect,” I assured him. “Thanks again.”
“It’s no issue, Cameron. Though, I do have one question, if I may ask?” he spoke hesitantly.
“Of course.”
“Your manager insisted we have props brought along. Very random items, like top hats and bicycle wheels. What for?”
“Just some fooling around,” I told him, unable to resist making a pun. “Thematic consistency and such.”
I woke and pulled Emily close to me even before I’d opened my eyes. Once I did, I could see the softness of sleep on her features. She always looked at peace while she slept, and though I was torn between leaving her in the bliss of dreams and simply gazing at her, I had to kiss her.
I gently touched my lips to her shoulder. Her skin was warm and I didn’t stop myself from peppering her with soft kisses. Within moments, Emily stirred and my name tumbled from her lips.
“It’s as if my name was meant to be said by you,” I whispered.
Emily turned onto her side and kissed my lips. “Maybe it was,” came her sweet reply.
“I had a dream of you,” I confessed.
Her deep blue eyes sparkled at my words. “You did?”
“Yes.” I held her hand in mine as I spoke. “We stood in a meadow, filled with green grass and wildflowers,” I elaborated. “You were so beautiful in the sunshine. I reached out to touch you, but I couldn’t feel you beneath my fingers.”
I looked into her eyes, feeling lost in them, as she brought my hand to her chest and held it over her heart. “You can feel me now. I’m right here, Cameron.”
Her words nearly made my heart burst with delight. “Just don’t go anywhere,” I said quietly.
Emily leaned towards me and pressed her lips to mine once more. I moved my hand from her chest down to her waist, holding her to me as we kissed purposefully. A sensation rose in my chest as she placed her hand on the nape of my neck. It was a prickling, throbbing feeling that nearly made me shiver, and I still hadn’t grown used to it. It had been an unprecedented feeling for me, when it rose in my chest as I kissed Emily for the first time in May of last year.
She pulled away, now, but only barely. “I’ll never leave,” she murmured.
I kissed her again, this time with more ferocity. She responded eagerly and didn’t object when I prodded her lips with my tongue. She tasted of sleep and the coffee we’d shared last night, but it didn’t matter.
I felt my desire for her in my chest as I dragged my lips to her neck and trailed kisses along her skin. Her hands were on my shoulders, and though I wanted her more than I wanted air to breathe, I slowly pulled away.
“I’m sorry, Emily,” I whispered bashfully.
“What are you sorry for?” Her eyes met mine and I felt my cheeks grow hot.
“I’ve woken you from sleep to kiss you.”
“You think I mind, you big noodle?” she teased.
“Maybe not,” I answered. I moved my hands along her bare sides and gazed at her body. “But now I’m lusting for you,” I admitted.
“I can tell,” she giggled. The soft sound warmed my heart and put a smile on my face. “But you must be a noodle if you think I’d mind that.” Emily gave me no time to answer. She kissed me with clear passion and very quickly we were entangled on the bed.
“Cameron, wait,” she said after a moment. I had been snaking my way down her chest, leaving sweet kisses on her warm skin. I stopped and looked up at her. “I’m not clean,” she explained with a furrowed brow.
I chuckled as a smile crossed my features. “Now you’re the noodle. You’re not dirty, Emily.” I told her with a soft kiss to her navel. “Unless… you want to be?”
It was nearly eight in the morning when we ventured downstairs. Colin was already awake, lounging in the sitting room with a book. He closed it and stood as we reached the bottom of the stairs.
“Would you like tea?” he asked as he hurriedly shuffled ahead of us towards the kitchen. “The kettle should still be warm.”
“Relax, Colin,” I replied. “We can make our tea.”
I saw Emily give him a reassuring smile, but he still looked embarrassed. I asked what was on his mind and he bit his lip worriedly.
“Well, I just feel a bit odd, that’s all. You’ve both been very kind and really helped me out by letting me stay here.”
“You’ve helped us a great deal as well, Colin,” I reminded him. Emily filled the kettle so I sat at the table and beckoned Colin to join me. “How long has it been since your first show?”
“About three years,” Colin replied after a brief pause.
I nodded. “And you’ve been playing for ten years?”
“Yes.”
“Would you mind if I gave you some advice?” I asked.
“I’d even appreciate it. Wouldn’t mind at all,” he told me.
“It’s more of a story,” I amended, “but it may help. I joined my first band at eighteen. I’d been playing about six years but never on stage, so my first show was a disaster.” I chuckled at the memory. “I was very quickly replaced by a more experienced keyboardist but I realized what doors could be opened if I got used to performing.”
“I didn’t know you bombed your first show,” Emily spoke with a small chuckle as she brought me a cup of tea.
“It was terrible, honestly,” I said as she sat beside me with her own cup. “Anyway,” I continued, “the next band I was in was Seven by Eight. We did a few tours and put two albums out, but it was on those tours that I came into my own. I discovered who I wanted to be while on stage.”
Colin looked deep in thought as he nodded slowly. “How long did it take?”
“Months,” I answered truthfully. “Dozens and dozens of shows. But once I figured it out, I felt more confident on stage than off.” I paused to sip my tea. “Long story short, Colin, you’ll fall into place just fine.”
“I didn’t think I looked so worried,” he mumbled.
Before I could speak, Emily did. “You don’t. He’s just got a knack for hearing silent worries,” she said with a laugh.
I smiled and shrugged. “Sometimes, nothing needs to be said.”
I didn’t know what time it was, but we’d been in the studio for at least three hours. We were fortunate to have Ron producing this record with us, as he’d released a number of successful albums of his own before shifting towards production about five years ago. Since then he’d proven himself with a string of highly-acclaimed albums under his belt.
The new album was complete, for our tastes, but yesterday Ron had informed us that we had just under eight minutes left before it would be considered finished. We’d all come back this morning with a fresh set of ideas and now, a few hours in, we were tweaking the additional song.
“What about something like this?” Willie offered. He set his fingers to work and played a short but hearty melody.
“Play that again,” Lee instructed. He added his bass into the mix and smiled when the instruments mixed.
Colin spoke next, as he lightly hit the skins in front of him. “Sounds like…”
We had it pieced together quite quickly, with Dale jotting down lyrics as we fine-tuned the arrangement. Three takes later, we had the song recorded. It sounded great and I was sure that with this addition, the album would be a hit.
We left the studio then, and I went in search of Emily. I found her in our bedroom gathering the bed sheets and laundry to load into the washing machine.
“How did it go?” she asked sweetly.
“Very well,” I replied with a smile. “We’ll likely go back in for an hour or so for touch ups, but otherwise we’ve got a fire-starter.”
“That’s wonderful, my love,” she smiled. “A call came for you about an hour ago. It was the photographer,” she informed me. “He said he’d found a place on Berryden Road for the shoot. I wrote his number down on the notepad.”
“I’ll give him a call, then,” I replied. I kissed Emily before heading downstairs and into the hallway, where I was her note with his name and number.
The phone only rang a few times before someone picked up. “Hi, is this Myles? It’s Cameron Thom speaking.”
“Yes, hello, Cameron,” he greeted. “I’ve some news about the shoot for the album cover.”
“Go ahead,” I urged him.
“I’ve been able to book time at a studio on Berryden Road called Stan’s Art and Design. We’ll have three hours, and we’ll be getting shots for the album and for promotional items,” Myles explained.
“Posters and the like.”
“Exactly. Make sure everyone’s there by lunch this Friday. The shoot starts at one o’clock.”
I jotted down the time and date on the notepad beside the studio’s name. “Sounds perfect,” I assured him. “Thanks again.”
“It’s no issue, Cameron. Though, I do have one question, if I may ask?” he spoke hesitantly.
“Of course.”
“Your manager insisted we have props brought along. Very random items, like top hats and bicycle wheels. What for?”
“Just some fooling around,” I told him, unable to resist making a pun. “Thematic consistency and such.”
Love hearing from Cameron
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