Rise To Stardom - Chapter 152

Chapter 152: Diffidently Impressive
“Kyle? You good?” Carl called out to the young man who had an awestruck expression on his features as he kept staring at him.

“Ah, yeah?” Kyle snapped his gaze from the panel before him while responding to Carl’s inquisitive question.

“Sorry. It’s just, I thought you’d been working on the song for the longest time. Really seemed like a completed song…”

The experienced star had a thin smile on his lips as Kyle moved to seat on the couch while explaining.

“I’m just, amazed by the fact that you’re literally, composing, singing and performing it for the very first time with such polish.”

“Oh you wouldn’t be the first to think like that.” Carl mirthfully laughed a bit in response, after which he then added;

“That said, I do tend to compose most of my songs like this. Right on the spur of the moment.”

“Wow.” Kyle responded, his voice slightly whispery and a gaze of awe in his eyes as he listened.

“Still, shouldn’t this be a particularly unsurprising thing to you?” Carl then questioned with a curious smile while stating;

“You also wrote [Strange Canvas] in a single take right?”

“Yes, but that was honestly, a one-time thing.” Kyle replied and then explained with a concerned gaze;

“Songwriting for me, is mostly, tons and tons of hair pulling…”

“…and an unexpected rush of blood to the head. That too, helps.” he added with an honest smile.

“Oh.” Carl had an intrigued expression on his visage, after which he then tilted his head slightly while respectfully stating;

“I can’t relate, Kyle. I’m sorry.”

“Oh, it’s fine. Everyone has different, creative processes… and then some of us just wonder what a creative process is. That works too, I guess.” Kyle responded with a harmless banter, a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

“Are you throwing shade at me?!” Carl in response, inhaled sharply in disbelief while placing a palm on his chest in an exaggerated manner, his expression hurt.

“Whatever do you mean?” Kyle casually replied, his eyes blinking innocently as he and Carl held each other’s gaze.

And then, a few seconds later after their on-the-spur of the moment eye-staring contest, both let out a hearty laughter.

“Jokes aside though, I do actually have downtimes where the ‘creative process’ just isn’t creating. Like now, for instance.” Carl had a light smile on his lips as he clarified.

“That’s called an inspiration block, Carl.” Kyle offered to which Carl waved him off while stating;

“I’m Carl Finch. The, Carl Finch. I don’t get inspiration blocks. I’m amazing. I’m, amazing.”

“Narcissistic much?” Kyle inquired with an arched eyebrow.

“Yeah, a little bit.” Carl responded with a gesture of his fingers and a light chuckle, after which he then asked;

“Think you can help me out a bit? You must’ve been listening for a while, no?”

To that, Kyle brushed his hands through his hair with a mix of a flattered yet sheepish smile, after which he then responded;

“Yeah. It’s nothing much but, would you like to hear it?”

“The stage’s all yours.” Carl gestured to another acoustic guitar resting on the wall by the TV stand.

Picking it up, Kyle walked back over and then asked Carl to take the song again from the top, one the superstar willingly obliged to as Kyle himself, took a seat on the floor.

🎸 🎶 ♫🎵

I saw you standing there, under the lamp’s glow,

A moment frozen in time, and I just had to know…

🎸 🎶 ♫🎵

Listening as Carl continued singing, Kyle, having gotten the acoustic chords of the song down over repeated listening for the past few minutes, joined in at the chorus as Carl sang through it.

🎸 🎶 ♫🎵

So hold me close tonight, don’t let me go,

I wanna be the one you call, through the highs and lows,

We’ll take it slow my dear, that I assure…

So promise me my love, promise you’ll hold on.

🎸 🎶 ♫🎵

No sooner had the chorus finished up, Kyle, now with his eyes closed, repeated the catchy chords of the tune for the next minute as Carl, patiently waited for him to actually sing.

And the superstar didn’t need to wait any longer as Kyle’s vocal, clear and soft, contrasting to the raw and raspy vocals he had been employing, entered the song.

🎸 🎶 ♫🎵

We’ve built a life from dreams, one step at a time,

Through every whispered word, you’ve been mine,

My fears all fade away, when you’re around,

I’ll stay with you my dear, till the end of time.

🎸 🎶 ♫🎵

As Carl listened to the ‘nothing much’ lyrics that Kyle had been sheepishly diffident of, he had an unmistakably impressed gaze, present in his widened eyes.

However, Kyle who wasn’t done yet, proceeded to the pre-chorus.

🎸 🎶 ♫🎵

‘Cause every time you laugh, my heart’s at peace,

With you I know, I’ve found my home.

🎸 🎶 ♫🎵

To this, Carl silently scoffed with a pleased smile… the kind of scoff that was a mix of disbelief yet admiration as Kyle proceeded to move to the chorus.

🎸 🎶 ♫🎵

So hold me close tonight, don’t let me go,

I wanna be the one you call, through the highs and lows,

We’ll take it slow my dear, that I assure…

‘Cause I need you in my life, more than you’ll ever know.

🎸 🎶 ♫🎵

‘Tweaking the chorus to fit a narrative… that’s his standout style of composing…’ Carl inwardly commended with a genuinely happy grin on his visage.

Repeating the chords for a few more seconds, Kyle on the other hand, soon stopped playing and then opened his eyes while speaking;

“That’s all I got. Think it’s any good?”

Honestly, Kyle was quite confident in what he had put out.

That said, sitting before someone in the industry who had so much more experience than him, made him feel like his added lyrics which he felt was good enough by his own standards, probably wouldn’t translate over to Carl’s standards.

But, upon hearing Carl’s response, Kyle realized he had just been worrying in vain as he inwardly, heaved a sigh of relief.

“Oh we’re just getting started you little monster. Let’s finish up the song!” Carl instantly responded, his tone enthusiastic as he pointed a finger to him.

To that, Kyle grinned similarly, as Carl, took the song from the top again, both excited at the prospect of making a song together.

At the same time, due to their blending symphony of contrasting yet harmonious vocals, they soon got the attention of the few individuals in the mansion who were intrigued by the beautiful song both were performing.

…

…

…

“Evening, Oliver.” Allen whom had woken up from his much needed nap, yawned a bit as he watched Oliver, also exit his room.

“Evening Allen.” Oliver respectfully offered his own greetings, fully awake.

Actually, Oliver had been awake for about an hour due to an interesting offer that came along for Kyle.

However, before both agents could converse further and exchange more pleasantries, the soft, distant acoustic tune of a guitar and the rhythmic snap of fingers, grabbed their attention.

Tilting their heads in curiosity, both seemingly questioning the other on whom was playing of their talents, both individuals, soon followed the tune to its source.

And by the time they finally reached the living room, they watched as Mary, alongside the few other attendants whom had been in the house, sparsely stood around the living room whilst snapping their fingers in rhythm to the song as Carl and Kyle, sang in harmony.

🎸 🎶 ♫🎵

I’ll be the one, who’s always there,

I’ll share life’s burdens, with you,

When the world feels cold and far away,

I’ll be your shelter, I’ll stay…

🎸 🎶 ♫🎵

Having sung the bridge together, both then proceeded to sing the chorus again as Oliver and Allen, wondered how all of this had even come to be.

🎸 🎶 ♫🎵

So hold me close tonight, don’t let me go,

I wanna be the one you call, through the highs and lows,

We’ll take it slow my dear, that I assure…

So promise me my love, promise you’ll hold on.

🎸 🎶 ♫🎵

Glancing over to each other once more, obvious questions written all over their faces, both watched as their talents, sang the outro of the song they had been performing, with Kyle complimenting Carl’s voice this time.

🎸 🎶 ♫🎵

So hold me close tonight (hold me close…),

I’ll never let you go (never let you go…),

We’ll take it slow my dear (that I assure…),

Just promise me darling (promise you’ll hold on).

🎸 🎶 ♫🎵

With that, the song finally ended.

The cheers in the room were lively the moment the song ended as both musicians were showered with light cheers and applauds.

Carl and Kyle, presently squatting on the rug of the living room, gazed at each other with an acknowledging smile, a genuine gaze of respect in their eyes.

Once again, Allen and Oliver, simply gazed in genuine perplexity at the two musicians.

Sure they got the general idea of what must’ve happened but still, the fact that both individuals had gone and created a song while they weren’t even around, had quite the baffling effect on them.

That said, a few minutes after that, Carl began conversing with Kyle that they should head over to the studio in the basement to record the song properly.

Promptly agreeing with him as their respective agents watched on, Carl finally noticed them.

Swiftly, he got off the ground and requested of Allen to contact the Concert Event and Producer for a change in proceedings of the concert as he and Kyle would be performing not one, but two songs together now.

Oliver on the other hand, glad that Kyle would have more stage time alongside Carl, moved over to him and quietly informed his ward that another offer for a movie role had come along.

“What’s the genre?” Kyle quietly inquired in response.

“It’s a dance-movie and you’re pretty much just a side character who isn’t heavily involved in the plot of the story but, I read the script and I think you’ll like it.” Oliver responded in detail.

“You already had me at dance-movie.” Kyle lightly grinned at his agent who simply replied with a thin smile.

“I’ll have the script printed out tonight. You can peruse through it in your free time.”