Chasing Lyrics (Music & Lyrics #1)

Chasing
Lyrics

Written
by: Debbie Dickerson

This book is a work of fiction. All characters in this novel
are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living
or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Author: Debbie Dickerson

Copyright © 2016 by Debbie Dickerson. All rights reserved,
including the right to publish this book or portions thereof (except for
reviews, news media reports, brief quotes with attribution, and purposes of
promotion of this book or other novels by Debbie Dickerson) in any form
whatsoever.

Written permission may be obtained from the author.

About the Author

Debbie Dickerson is a
mother of two phenomenally awesome boys, wife, daughter, sister, Aunt, friend,
and Executive Life Coach. From the time she could speak, stories have flowed
out of her. Since early childhood, she knew one day many people would read and
enjoy her stories. In 2014 she published, Confidence is Your Game Changer and
in 2015 The Unbreakable Contract, both of which became Amazon Bestsellers!  Debbie
is looking forward to publishing three more books this year and is working
diligently to make each one better than the last!

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I would like to thank my family.  I am
blessed with the best family ever and love y’all like nobody’s business!

Michele Sues - My sister, best friend, and #1 fan. (I’m your
#1 fan too)

To my niece & Cover model, Chelsea Sues - Thank you for
being you!

I would like to give a huge thank you to my fanfuckingtastic
fans, y’all absolutely rock.  Double D’s Supporters, y’all are incredible and I
love y’all.

Thank you to my PA, Beth Ann Miller

Thank you to my incredible Editor, Terrie Meerschaert of
Indie Editing Services

Ana Rita Clemente - Thank you for your constant support and friendship!

Thank you to SP Cover Design for creating the best covers
ever!

Chapter
1

‘What
if I told you that not a day goes by without you running through my head at
least one thousand times?’
 

Tanner –

    Eight texts and five calls
in twenty minutes! Wow, that may be a new record, even for her. “Please, come back
Tanner.” “I love you baby, and you know you love me to.”

     I can’t get past the fact
that she misspelled “too!” I guess I at least owe her a text. “It isn’t you, it
is me.”

    She quickly responds with,
“Tanner, I am in bed, naked, waiting for you!” I run my hand through my hair
and contemplate for a moment. Admittedly, that tempts me a little bit, I mean,
this girl is a real people pleaser. Guess I have her nonexistent father to
thank for that! I shake my head and convince myself that I am going home, to my
home. I have been on exactly five dates with Samantha and if she wasn’t so
willing and eager to please me, I would have walked out on the first date
shortly after I had to hear her speak about…well actually just speak. Oh, and
by date, I mean meeting her at her house to bone in some of the craziest
positions I have ever experienced! I have realized that no length of leg can
silence stupidity for too long. Hearing her speak was like being throat punched
by deer hooves! I wasn’t fully lying to her on my text. She really didn’t do
anything to make me leave like that. I guess I truly am all kinds of messed up…just
like Lyrics always tells me! If I could find a woman like Lyrics, I would be
the happiest man in the world. I seriously doubt there is two of her though. I
am certain that the world can only handle one!

     As soon as I get home, I plop
down on my bed, grab my phone, and call Lyrics. She answers on the first ring “Early
night for you isn’t it?”

     I smirk from her sarcasm.
“Jesus, I couldn’t take one more of Samantha’s stupid questions!”

     I could almost hear Lyric’s
eyes roll, “Tan, asking your last name is not really that stupid.”

     I spit out my water
everywhere, “She doesn’t need to know it, I mean, it’s not like it will ever be
hers. Anyway, what are you writing?”

     “How do you know I am
writing? Maybe I have some hot guy here with me right now?”

     I smile, “Well, let me
talk to him then.”

     She snorts, “He is busy
right now, thank you.”

     “Dylan Brooks, you know
you can’t lie to me. Come over and let me check out your latest soon to be hit!”

     She yells, “Tanner Staff! Okay,
see you in five.”

     Lyrics is the nickname
that I gave my best friend, Dylan. Dylan and I met when I was fourteen and she
was thirteen. Living in a small town just outside of Beaumont Texas, you tend
to notice when a new family moves in; it is almost like Christmas morning. Dylan
and her Dad pulled into the farmhouse right next to ours and until she hopped
out of the truck and took her hat off, I thought she was a boy. When her hair
flung out from under that baseball cap, I felt my shoulders drop and it was
like a horse kicked me in the gut! Once they were settled in, my parents made
me walk over there with them to introduce ourselves. It was only Mom, Dad, and
I living there at that time. Brent, my older brother was a freshman at LSU. He
was the super star quarterback, full ride to college. When we knocked at the
door, Mr. Brooks opened the door. He was about six feet tall and had a beer gut.
He stared blankly at us. My dad extended his hand to him, “I am Bo. This is my
wife, Teri, and our son, Tanner.” I was fourteen, almost six feet tall and
built like a rancher.

    He looked at me and asked,
“How old are you, son?”

    “Fourteen, Sir.”

    He shook his head, “Well,
shoot, I got a thirteen year old daughter around here somewhere. Guess y’all
will be going to the same school?” I shrugged my shoulders and looked down.

     After about five minutes
of awkwardness, Dylan said, “Maybe you should invite them in, Daddy?” He moved
out of the doorway and we entered their home. Dylan was tall for thirteen. She
had long, dirty-blonde hair tied up behind her head, and did not wear makeup
like the other girls at school. She had on jeans, a t-shirt from some feed
store, and a pair of boots. She wasn’t ugly, she was different.

    When my parents sat down
with her dad, she sat in a beanbag, and opened up the notebook she was holding
and started writing. I asked, “Homework?” She looked at me and shook her head
no. I said, “Well what are you writing then?” She rolled her eyes and handed me
a book filled with song lyrics. I flipped through the book and handed it back
to her. I gave her my nod of approval, which she made clear to me she did not
need.

     My mom came over to us and
said, “Dylan honey, you can walk to school with Tanner tomorrow.” We both fell
silent and just nodded our heads. Mom said, “Well then, great!”

     We said goodbye and the
moment that door closed, I said, “Mom! Why did you do that to me?” Mom smiled
and didn’t answer. The very next day, as fate would have it, I was given the
best friend anybody could ever ask for! Dylan Brooks!

    Exactly five minutes pass since
I hung up the phone and the door flies open. Lyrics tosses her notebook to me
and cracks open two beers. She sits down next to me on the couch and hands me a
cold one. I read the first song, look at her, and say, “Glad you are finally
over that waste of space asshole.”

     She smiles, “God, if I
wrote one more song about him, I was going to vomit!”

     I laugh and ruffle up her
long hair, “You deserve better!”

     She half smiles, “So tell
me about Samantha, the human pretzel.”

     I roll my eyes and take a
deep breath. “The good stuff or the bad?”

     Lyrics gives me a sour
face, “Please spare me the weird circus-like positions. What was so bad about
her?”

     “For starters she has some
serious daddy issues, which isn’t always a bad thing for a one night stand. Next,
she was ignorant and ignorant to the fact that she was ignorant. Lastly, she is
boring, predictable, and absolutely fake!”

      Lyrics laughs and says,
“To be fair, you did meet her at a bar.”

     I smile and say, “Dylan, I
don’t think my soul mate is going to move next door to me , well at least not twice
in one lifetime!”  

     Lyrics put her head on my
chest, “Tan, when the right girl comes around, she will be the luckiest women
on this planet!” I kiss her on the forehead and tell her thank you. When she
says something, I know she means it so I believe it!
      

Chapter
2

‘What
if you knew that it is you I think about when another’s lips are on my body?’

Dylan (Lyrics) –

    We have been in Austin for
five years and still no big breaks. If it wasn’t for Tanner, I would have given
up a long time ago. I write the music and he sings the songs. Hell, I don’t
even think he loves to sing, he just does it so I will continue to write. Tanner
is an easy draw for club owners. He is thirty years old, six feet two inches
tall, dark shaggy hair, light brown eyes with hints of green and yellow in
them, and I guess his body is that of a Greek God…well at least that is what
the groupie is yelling out at him during his set. Clearly, I am not blind,
Tanner is my best friend, but he is undeniably handsome.

     I can remember our ninth grade
year in high school. From day one of us walking to school together, we were inseparable.
The girls that wanted him would be nice to me because they figured I was his
gatekeeper or something. He could have had any girl he wanted at our school but
he never got into a relationship. I think it was because of me and the time he
spent with me that kept him from getting close to another girl. He would say,
“If they don’t understand my Lyrics then they don’t understand me!” I was
always somewhat awkward I guess. I was taller than almost all the other girls
were, I was new to town, and my dad raised me by himself. Thank God for Tanner and
Mr. and Mrs. Staff or I would probably have my head buried in some hole
somewhere to avoid human interaction.

      “Whatcha got going on in
that brilliant head of yours?” Tanner nudges me on the shoulder and laughs.

     I look at him and shuffle
my hand through his hair, “Maybe this isn’t my calling? I don’t want to hold
you back, Tan, I mean, these people love you but maybe if you had better lyrics
someone would have signed you already. Maybe you should start considering
taking some of the offers you’ve been given?”

     Tanner looks at me like I
am a moron. “Better lyrics? Who in the hell is going to write songs besides you
that I want to sing? Nobody that’s who! Stop your bitching and who gives a damn
if anyone ever signs us? That is not the measure of your talent!”

      I give him an
appreciative smile. “But it would be nice to have a little extra change in my
pocket at the end of the month.”

     Tanner looks at me and
says, “Your time is coming. I would not waste my time on a loser, you can bet
on that!” We were standing at the bar and all of the sudden a pair of foreign
hands wrap around Tanner’s chest and stomach. I roll my eyes and pretend as if I
am spraying cootie spray on him. He gets a devilish smile across his face and
his dimples go deep. He pulls the random hands around to the front of him and
it’s a girl, maybe all of twenty-two years old. She is wearing jean shorts that
barely cover her butt, a pair of cowboy boots that have zero scuffs on them,
and a handkerchief for a shirt. The girl looks at me and gives a snare. I smirk
and Tanner half smiles at me. He looks at her and says, “Put your claws away
sweetheart, she is the only reason I sing and she is my best friend.” He leans
into her ear and says something.

     The girl looks at me,
rolls her skanky eyes, and gives me a fake smile. She says, “Sorry for acting
like that.” Tanner smiles at me and glides his knuckles over my jawbone as they
walk away. I shake my head and grab my notepad. My stomach does a few flips
then gets that familiar knotted feeling. The one I get every time Tanner’s fan
base comes around me!

     Austin is a rather small
town for having so much going on. The music scene is extremely localized, and
we all kind of know and support one another. We have made some cool friends out
here. The band that is on stage right now is a three-piece ensemble, two guys and
a girl. They call themselves, ‘Ménage’ The singer’s name is Tyler, and he is
pretty damn cute. We have been flirting back and forth for about one year now. I
don’t think Tanner really likes him too much though. I’ve seen them exchange
looks and words before. When we are all hanging out together and jamming or
drinking, Tanner is fine with him. Maybe Tanner just doesn’t like Tyler for me.
I look to the bar and little fake cowgirl is groping Tanner and he is
practically banging her right there! He is my best friend, not my boyfriend but
I swear, sometimes I can’t help but to get jealous. Nobody that knows us believes
that we haven’t ever crossed the line. If we had a dollar for every time one of
us said, “We are just friends,” I swear we would be wealthy by now! I don’t
know, maybe I need to get a life. It has been ages since I have been laid and
my writing is starting to become bitter. I look back at Tanner; he looks at me
and shrugs his shoulders. He gives me this what am I supposed to do look when
the girl drags him out to the parking lot, well, he didn’t really resist! I
roll my eyes and applaud for Ménage as they wrap up their set.

     Tyler seems to be scoping
out the bar then comes directly over to me. He asks, “Tanner leave?” I shake my
head and point to the parking lot. He half smiles and asks if he can buy me a
drink.

     I smile and say, “You know
they are free for us, right?”

     He says, “Ugh, yeah…shit,
I can’t afford to buy drinks for other people.” He laughs because he knows that
I know he is loaded with money. Tyler was a child actor and his parents
invested very wisely for him. He truly does not need to work another day in his
life. He motions to the bartender to bring us the usual. He lingers for a
moment and then sits down next to me. When she brings our drinks over, he
throws down some money for a tip, then he raises his glass to mine. We don’t
say anything, but the stare is almost painful. He is stunning. I throw back the
shot of whiskey and he takes a swig of his beer. The smile he gives me
literally makes my knees weak. We are sitting so close to one another that our
knees bump with every move we make. I know why I am shy but for the life of me,
I can’t figure out why Tyler is. God, he is beautiful, and he has such a
charming personality. He has short naturally jet-black hair, green eyes, and a
perfect face. He has never been anything but sweet to me, maybe too damn sweet.
He hands me another shot of whiskey and says, “Cheers to another great night
with hot lyrics and soulful music.” My face burns with embarrassment because I
am not sure if he is referring to me, Lyrics, or the lyrics that have been sung
tonight. Nobody calls me Lyrics but Tanner. To everybody else, I am Dylan. Either
way, I am very tired of over analyzing everything anyway.

     I check the door by the
bar to see if Tanner has come back in yet and he hasn’t, so I take a deep
breath and place my hand on Tyler’s hand. The warmth and electricity calms me
and makes me nervous at the same time. “Dance with me?” Tyler looks at me and
smiles as he rises up. He leads me to the floor and we start dancing. I am so
tired of being the good girl, the one that is always making well thought out
decisions. Not one minute into the dance and our eyes lock on one another. I
allow my fingers to roam in and out of his gorgeous hair. It is freakishly soft.
He pulls me in closer to him, one hand is firmly on my lower back, and he
slowly puts his other on my neck. My heart is racing. I can hear each pump…boom…boom!
I pull my head back and tell myself, just kiss him! Stop being a big wuss and
taste those big inviting lips. Our sway begins to slow down and I feel him growing
hard as he pulls me closer. I see his lips move, one, two, three…and he leans
in for the kiss. Oh fuck, he is soft and utterly delicious. Wow, this is
actually better than I imagined it would be. His hand is on my neck, pulling me
so tightly against his lips. I am lost in him. As the kissing grows deeper, my
hands begin to roam free on his body. As I slide my hand under his shirt, his
breathing gets deeper as does mine.

     Right as I am really
getting into this, I feel a different hand on my shoulder. I rip myself apart
from Tyler and it is Tanner. He is not amused at all. He looks right past me as
if I am not even standing there and holds an “I’m going to beat your ass glare”
on Tyler. He sternly says, “Lyrics, ready?” I want to say no, but I swear I
feel like I am about to get in trouble by my father! I stand there like a
teenager whose father just busted her. I am mortified. I look at Tyler and tell
him that I will call him later. Tanner is pulling me by my elbow out to the car.
We drive together because we live in the same apartment complex. Tanner wants me
to move in with him to save me money but he has too many women for my comfort! Tanner
doesn’t need the money. He has plenty of money. He lives in our complex because
I would not let him pay for me to live somewhere more expensive, so he moved there
too. Sometimes it feels like he is my dad, brother, best friend, and platonic
boyfriend. Not that I haven’t ever wondered what it would be like to be more
than friends with Tanner, it’s just I don’t think he has ever thought about me
that way.