HGT Valentine’s Day in the Studio: Year One

2017: My First Valentine’s Day with The Hartgrave Tellers

It was Valentine’s Day.

Thank God we were in the studio, recording some demo tracks instead of dealing with all the romantic nonsense happening outside these walls. It was my first Valentine’s Day with the band, and naturally, we were spending most of it mercilessly roasting each other about the occasion.

Of course, Max and Dan had their own unique way of celebrating—they had plans to hit up a pub and work their way into some unsuspecting young women’s hearts before the night was over.

“Oh, Valentine’s Day is prime hunting ground,” Dan declared, stretching out on the couch like a king surveying his kingdom. “It’s like shooting fish in a barrel.”

Liam’s head snapped up from his guitar, looking horrified. “Dan!” he scolded. “That’s—I can’t even begin to tell you why that’s so deeply not okay to say. You should probably just not talk today.”

Susie smirked from behind her double keyboard setup, her fingers moving effortlessly as she signed, Yeah, Dan, you’re gonna end up with a kick in the ass—and it’ll be from Salima.

“Damn straight,” Salima added, shooting him a sharp look before pointing to her boot with a smirk. She made quick work of packing up her violin for the day, her movements precise and deliberate. “Dan, keep it in check. I mean it. I will hurt you.”

Dan groaned, throwing up his hands. “Oh my God, you guys are no fun. I was joking.”

Max flopped onto the couch beside him, shoving him over with zero sympathy. “I’m just out to forget this day exists,” he announced dramatically. “I hate Valentine’s Day. Reminds me of every love I’ve ever lost.”

Dan snorted as he readjusted in his seat. “Yeah, ’cause there’ve been so many.”

“Shut up, mate,” Max grumbled, whacking him in the shoulder.

Across the room, I finished adjusting my mic stand, carefully placing my headphones over it before rolling my shoulders, trying to shake off the tension. The weight of the day, of all of this, was pressing down on me.

We had just wrapped recording City Lights, a track Liam and I had written back in the loft apartment Wade and Andy had locked us away in—a creative incubator, meant to force us into digging deep, pulling something real out of ourselves. Titan Records was waiting for a pitch, and Wade and Andy were working overtime to get us ready for that meeting.

We were all feeling the pressure, pouring our hearts and souls into these songs like our fucking lives depended on it.

And maybe, in some ways, they did.

Dan, ever the instigator, turned his attention to me.

I was readjusting my sweater, tugging at the sleeves, fidgeting with the hem of my shorts, when I felt his stare.

“What about you, Emma?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow as he scratched at his head. Under the studio lighting, his short, dark brown hair looked almost black. “You must have some tall, dreamy guy on the line. Someone chasing after you.”

“Oh, she usually does,” Susie signed, grinning as she stood and perched herself on the arm of the couch beside Max.

I rolled my eyes, tucking a stray wave behind my ear. “Uhhh, no,” I said simply. “I don’t have any guys after me. And no plans tonight, either.”

And honestly?

I hadn’t had any real interest in anyone since—

Since starting in the band.

Since meeting Liam.

Since this thing between us became so loud in my head that every other guy who approached me just felt... lackluster.

Liam was studiously busying himself with his bourbon Les Paul, his fingers moving over the strings, not looking at me, not reacting, just focused.

Or—just looking focused.

It was hard to tell from my periphery.

“What?! Really?!” Max cut in, looking genuinely surprised. “That seems weird. Susie’s always telling us stories about guys shooting their shot with you.”

“Yeah,” Susie signed, smirking as she adjusted her skirt beneath her. “But I mostly tell the crash and burn ones.”

Dan grinned. “I love the one about the guy who showed up to one of your performances… and brought his three-year-old niece to a bar to impress you.”

I groaned, rubbing my temples, my toque slipping slightly. I yanked it back into place, smoothing my hair so it didn’t tangle.

“Ugh, please don’t remind me. Valentine’s is my least favourite.”

“It’s not for young people,” Salima said matter-of-factly. “It’s for married people. People who need the reminder to do something nice for their S.O.”

“If you do it right,” Liam added, his voice casual as he plucked at his guitar, “you don’t need a day to remind you to treat your person right.”

How the hell was this man single?

I cleared my throat, forcing my attention anywhere but him.

“That’s the ideal, yes.”

“The one few of us get,” Susie signed, shooting me a knowing look.

“What happened to Trish, Susie?” Dan shifted the attention back to her.

“Trish and I have mutually decided to fizzle,” Susie shrugged.

“Ah, the ever-popular watch me disappear,” I mused.

“Yes, exactly,” her hands moving, her lips forming a tight line.

“What happened?” Dan pressed.

“She’s going back home soon,” Susie signed “She’s from the Midwest.”

Dan nodded solemnly, sighing like a man who had seen too much. “Ah, LA, you cruel and calculating mistress. With your promises of dreams, luring young, talented youth into your bosom—only to chew them up and spit them out like last night’s dinner.”

Liam shook his head, unimpressed. “Poetic, Dan.”

Dan smirked. “What, so you can be the only songwriter in the family?”

“With lines like that one? He should be.” I grinned, shooting him a look.

Dan shook his head at me, feigning offense. “The cheek.”

Before he could retaliate, Salima leaned in, nudging Susie with a smirk. “You should come out with me and my crew, Susie-Q. We’re hitting up The Well—this amazing gay bar in West Hollywood.”

“This is L.A.,” Dan said with a smirk. “Isn’t every bar a gay bar?”

Liam let out a slow sigh, shaking his head. “Dan… just—” He made a zip it motion, already exasperated.

“What?” Dan threw his hands up, looking around for backup.

Salima arched a brow, her smirk sharp. “Dan, I warned you. That’s two strikes. The third? My boot meets your ass.” She tilted her head, eyes glinting. “And for the record—this bar? The best one. Trust me.”

“I’m game,” Susie said, signing her agreement with a grin. “Count me in.”

“Awesome,” Salima grinned. “You’re gonna love Finn. He’s a riot.”

“Ray’s cool, too,” she added. “I think you two will get along well.”

Dan scoffed, crossing his arms. “What the hell, Salima? Where’s our invite?”

“I thought you two were set on your plans of questionable heterosexual shenanigans,” she teased. “What happened to ‘fish in a barrel’?”

Dan smirked. “Well, we could still roll with you and your mates. I’m sure I’d find some kind of fun there.”

Susie signed, her smirk downright wicked. “You two might actually learn something.”

“Oi, don’t lump me in with Dan,” Max cut in, pointing at himself. “I am actually a progressive bloke.”

“I’m progressive,” Dan echoed, throwing his hands up again. "I just like to keep you all on their toes."

Salima laughed, shaking her head. “Uh-huh. You are a straight up menace, Teller Junior."

"At the very least just a straight menace.” Susie signed, giggling.

While they continued bantering, I slipped away from the group, making my way toward Liam. He was perched in a chair, fingers moving methodically over his guitar strings, brow furrowed in that focused way that told me he was onto something.

I sat lightly on the chair across from him, watching his hands, listening to the quiet hum of whatever melody he was pulling together.

Lowering my voice so the others wouldn’t hear, I leaned in slightly.

“What are you working on, Teller?”

“Don’t know yet? Just feeling it out,” He said looking off. 

“Sounds promising,” I said, listening carefully. 

“Mind if I feel it out with you?” 

“Of course not. That’s what we do, isn’t it?”

Liam played, his fingers working the chords, his eyes flicking to me every few seconds, watching. Waiting.

A hum started low in my throat, a vibration before a sound. I let it build, let my body sway, searching—chasing the thread of melody hidden inside the chords and riffs he was working through.

I could hear something, but it was just out of reach, hovering at the edges of my mind like a half-remembered dream.

“You’re almost there. I can feel it,” he murmured, adjusting the rhythm, drawing it out, teasing it free.

I nodded, letting the sound wash over me, listening as the melody began to take shape, threading itself into the spaces between the notes. And then—

Like catching the Northern Lights on a dark, clouded night.

Faint, fleeting, almost not there—but then suddenly, unmistakable.

I had seen them once, years ago, in Quebec, when I was on tour with a band called The Stalls. I had been dating the drummer at the time. The auroras were lighter than I had expected, barely a whisper of green shifting against the sky. But once I saw them, I couldn’t unsee them.

And just like that—I heard it.

The melody hit me, lyrics forming on the tip of my tongue. Sounds—half-words—started spilling out as I chased them down.

I hummed louder, shaping the notes, letting my voice find the contours of the song before the words solidified.

Liam caught it too. I could see it in the way his posture changed, the way his fingers pressed more deliberately against the strings.

“You got it?” he asked, a spark of excitement in his voice.

I nodded, eyes half-closed as I felt the words settle in. Some were still formless, placeholders of nanananas and dudududahs, but others stood out sharp and clear.

“Nananana, dududududahhh,

Thunder in my chest, heart picking up the pace,”

Liam kept playing, his lips parting slightly as if he was mouthing along, letting it seep into him. I pressed forward, feeling the lyrics form before I even fully understood them.

“You touch me, and it’s like fire and lightning

Nahnah nuh nuh something so damn exciting

Your hands know just how to move me

I’m burning up, dadah something—”

Liam’s fingers pressed into the next chord.

“Back it up—” he said, tightening the rhythm.

“You touch me, and it’s like fire and lightning

I’m losing control, but it’s so—”

“So damn exciting,” I finished for him, grinning.

His head tilted slightly, a good look, the kind he only gave when he was completely in it.

“Your hands know just how to move me

I’m burning up, I’m a moment from losing—” he continued, voice rough but steady.

It was happening. The song was coming alive.

We bounced words back and forth, rapid-fire, catching the momentum before it could slip away, our voices weaving through the melody like lightning threading through a storm.

“We’re electric lovers, sparks flying high

Can’t think straight, but I’m lost in your eyes

Feel the charge between us, heat rising fast

Let’s burn through the night, make this moment last

We’re electric lovers, caught in the storm

Can’t pull away, ‘cause your touch is too warm

Wrapped in your rhythm, lost in the heat

Two electric lovers tangled in the sheets”

Liam knee bounced, fingers moving with energy and intensity.

I grinned as I sang.

We had something.

Something undeniable.

Something electric.

“You’ve got the kind of power that I can’t ignore

The way you move, it leaves me begging for more

Your body’s a melody I’m learning by heart

Every beat we make is tearing me apart

You touch me, and it’s like fire and lightning

I’m losing control, but it’s so damn exciting

Your hands know just how to move me

I’m burning up, but you keep me grooving”

Liam tore into a guitar solo, effortless, instinctive. His fingers flew over the frets, pulling out a sound that was pure heat—dirty, soulful, alive.

I grabbed a notebook, scribbling down everything I could remember of the lyrics before they disappeared into the ether. This was the part I hated—when something brilliant happened and the only thing holding it to the earth was memory.

When Liam finally stopped playing, I realized the entire room was watching us.

The band. The sound crew. Wade and Andy in the control room.

Their chatter had gone silent.

“Well, that’s something,” Dan said, stretching as he got up from the couch, his eyes sharp with interest.

“Yeah, needs more work,” Liam said, rubbing his hands on his jeans before plucking at his guitar again, fingers still chasing the energy in the room. “But it feels like it could be a real track.”

“Alright, we’re heading out. Don’t work too late,” Salima said, tossing her bag over her shoulder.

As everyone started gathering their things, Dan shot Liam a look. A very pointed, silent, I see you kind of look.

Liam threw out his hands in exasperation. “What?”

Dan just smirked, shaking his head as he followed the others out.

I said nothing.

But I’m fairly certain I knew what that was about. 

I had also noticed that no one asked Liam if he had any Valentine’s Day plans.

Which meant one of two things:

A) He did have plans, and they didn’t want to bring it up in front of me.

B) He didn’t, and they didn’t want to bring that up in front of me, either.

Either way, it was obvious—the band knew too much.

Like they could see right through me.

Like they noticed the way I threw heart eyes at Liam all the time—even when I swore I was playing it cool.

Spoiler alert: I wasn’t.

I knew they had reservations. I knew we’d all already agreed not to let things get messy between us as a band. No dating. No shagging. As Dan had so eloquently put it.

And yet—here I was.

Stuck in this weird place with Liam.

Developing feelings.

Not willing—or letting myself—acknowledge them for a lot of reasons.

And I never did this.

I never pined. This was not my thing.

Normally, by this point, I’d have gone in, gotten out, and been long gone. A ghost. Love ’em and leave ’em was my style. I never looked back. I didn’t do exes—once I was done, they didn’t exist to me anymore.

Bye, boy.

I never let it get to this stage—this lingering, this wanting, this aching.

What was this?

Why did people do this?

It was exhausting.

And if Teller did have plans tonight? It was going to be a rough night.

He hadn’t mentioned anyone. But that didn’t mean there wasn’t anyone.

Would he tell me if he was seeing someone?

Did I want to know?

I simultaneously needed the answer and never wanted to hear it.

Once the band had left, leaving me and Liam alone in the live room, I braced myself.

I was not going to let my imagination torture me all night.

“So,” I said, forcing my voice into something light and casual, turning to him as I flipped my notebook closed. “Big plans, Teller?”

Liam smirked, plucking a few idle notes on his guitar. “Oh yeah.”

My stomach dropped.

Was he being sarcastic? I thought I heard it. Hoped I heard it. But my brain was already spiraling.

I told myself to breathe.

I focused on my notebook, staring at it like it was the last surviving text from the Great Library of Alexandria.

“Really?” I cleared my throat. I was gonna need wine and whiskey for this. A lot of it. 

“Big plans,” Liam said, leaning back, his smirk widening. “With this blonde I just met, and the song we just wrote.”

I snapped my head up.

His expression was pure mischief, eyes dancing with that infuriating glint, his devastating smile hitting me square in the chest. Then, as if he hadn’t already made it difficult enough to breathe, he ran a hand through his tousled, chestnut hair, smoothing it back.

Was he trying to kill me?

Possibly.

Either way, I wanted to swat him.

I just shook my head, trying to suppress the genuine smile that spread across my face.

God.

I was so transparent.

Who was I right now?

Get it together, Hartgrave.

Liam shifted, rubbing the back of his neck like he was debating something, then stood, reaching into his bag.

“Oh, before we get back into it—since the place is mostly cleared out…” He pulled out a small red box and held it out toward me.

I blinked. “Teller, you got me something?”

“Yep.” He shrugged, like it was no big deal, but the way his fingers drummed lightly against the box told me otherwise. He was sheepish about it, which was endearing as fuck.

A wave of relief hit me, which was stupid—but the truth was, I’d gotten him something too. And I wasn’t going to give it to him today, but now? Well. Guess that was happening.

I wasn’t a gift-giving to guys kind of girl. It wasn’t my thing. But this… this was something I already had that I built on. It meant something. And now that I knew he’d done the same?

I felt so much better about it.

I opened the box, and inside was a bracelet—made out of guitar strings, with a single guitar pick woven into the center.

Liam gestured at it. “I know it doesn’t look like much, but that’s the guitar string and pick from my guitar. From the night we wrote Wild Nights & Broken Dreams together.”

My breath hitched.

That was the first song we wrote together.

My heart swelled.

I had to fight the urge to lunge at him.

“Teller,” I said in that voice. You know, the voice—the one girls use when their boyfriend does something sweet.

Except Teller wasn’t my boyfriend.

And right now? I really wasn’t thrilled about that fact.

Ugh. I was so down bad for him. This was getting ridiculous. It had only been a month, and I was out here acting like some lovesick teenager.

Liam plucked the bracelet out of the box and slipped it onto my wrist. I held my arm out for him, watching intently as his fingers brushed my skin. The lightest touch, but it sent a spark through me like he’d struck a damn match.

I had to pretend I wasn’t affected. I had to.

“Who knows,” he said, fastening the clasp. “Maybe it’ll be worth something someday.”

“Here’s hoping.” I cleared my throat, shaking off the very real urge to throw myself at him. “I, uh—I got you something too.”

His eyes snapped up. “Hartgrave, you didn’t have to get me anything.”

“I know,” I said, reaching into my bag. “But I did anyway.”

I pulled out an envelope and handed it to him.

He eyed it suspiciously. “What is it?”

“Open it and find out.”

Liam tore it open and peeked inside. His brows furrowed as he pulled out a slightly crumpled, ink-stained cocktail napkin. He turned it over, inspecting the signature scrawled across it.

He froze.

“Is this…?”

I nodded.

His eyes widened. “No fucking way. Is this what I think it is?”

“Yep.” I grinned. “A cocktail napkin from a bar I worked at for a brief time. And that signature? Slash’s.”

Liam threw his head back and laughed, full-bodied and gorgeous—the kind of laugh that was rare but worth everything when you got it out of him.

“You met him? What did you say?” he asked, still grinning.

“I did,” I confirmed, my own smile teasing. “For a brief moment. I got him to sign that napkin… and he said something along the lines of ‘gorgeous rack.’” I paused for effect, then smirked. “So I got him to sign my boob.”

Liam’s laughter immediately died. His grin dropped. He stared at me.

“Seriously?”

I lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug, fighting the urge to laugh. “Mmmhmm.”

His brows furrowed. His gaze flicked downward, and then—

“Which one?”

I gasped, smacking his arm. “Teller!”

But he just grinned, completely unapologetic. “I’m just curious. You’re the one out here getting rockstar guitarists to sign your cleavage.”

“It was Slash.”

Liam paused, considering. Then nodded. “Fair point.”

I crossed my arms, shaking my head. “And if you must know—” I raised an eyebrow, daring him, “—it was my left one.”

His smirk deepened, the amusement flickering behind his dark eyes as he leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees.

“How long before you washed that off?”

I narrowed my eyes. “About a week.”

He laughed again, a little breathless this time.

“Well,” he said, tucking the napkin back into the envelope very carefully, like it was an artifact. “That might be one of the coolest gifts I’ve ever gotten.”

I tilted my head, smirking. “The autograph from Slash is cool, sure. But it’ll never top the guitar strings and pick from Liam Teller’s acoustic—the one used to write the first ever Hartgrave Tellers song.” I let the tease thicken my voice, adding a playful edge. “Wild Night and Broken Dreams—now that’s a collector’s item.”

Liam chuckled, shaking his head. But then his eyes flicked to my wrist, lingering on the bracelet I would now never take off.

When he spoke again, his voice had softened. “Different kind of cool, I guess.”

Something in my chest tightened.

I smiled, swallowing back the swell of emotion threatening to rise.

The moment stretched—just long enough for my heart to completely betray me.

And he noticed.

Liam always noticed.

But, like always, neither of us said a word.

We just kept walking that razor-thin line.

“Well,” Liam said, his voice dipping into something softer. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Em.”

I exhaled, my grip tightening on the guitar pick dangling from my wrist. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Liam.”

He leaned back, fingers idly plucking at the strings of his guitar. “Back into Electric Lovers?”

I arched a brow. “Oh, so you named it already?”

Liam smirked. “Seems appropriate, yeah?”

I rolled the name over in my head—Electric Lovers. The charge between us was so thick, it might as well have been our theme song.

I smiled. God help me, I smiled.

“It does,” I murmured. “It really does.”

Electric Lovers Lyrics

Baby, you’re driving me insane

Sweet like sugar, but you’re playing a dangerous game

Every night, yeah, I’m taking you to my place

Feel the thunder in my chest, heart picking up the pace

Pre-Chorus:

You touch me, and it’s like fire and lightning

I’m losing control, but it’s so damn exciting

Your hands know just how to move me

I’m burning up, but you keep me grooving

Chorus:

We’re electric lovers, sparks flying high

Can’t think straight, but I’m lost in your eyes

Feel the charge between us, heat rising fast

Let’s burn through the night, make this moment last

We’re electric lovers, caught in the storm

Can’t pull away, ‘cause your touch is too warm

Wrapped in your rhythm, lost in the heat

Two electric lovers tangled in the sheets

Verse 2:

You’ve got the kind of power that I can’t ignore

The way you move, it leaves me begging for more

Your body’s a melody I’m learning by heart

Every beat we make is tearing me apart

Pre-Chorus:

You touch me, and it’s like fire and lightning

I’m losing control, but it’s so damn exciting

Your hands know just how to move me

I’m burning up, but you keep me grooving

Chorus:

We’re electric lovers, sparks flying high

Can’t think straight, but I’m lost in your eyes

Feel the charge between us, heat rising fast

Let’s burn through the night, make this moment last

We’re electric lovers, caught in the storm

Can’t pull away, ‘cause your touch is too warm

Wrapped in your rhythm, lost in the heat

Two electric lovers tangled in the sheets

Bridge:

I can feel the current rising, pulling me in

Every move you make, I’m losing where I end and you begin

Can’t slow down, I don’t want to stop

This fever’s too hot, baby, just let it drop

Chorus:

We’re electric lovers, sparks flying high

Can’t think straight, but I’m lost in your eyes

Feel the charge between us, heat rising fast

Let’s burn through the night, make this moment last

We’re electric lovers, caught in the storm

Can’t pull away, ‘cause your touch is too warm

Wrapped in your rhythm, lost in the heat

Two electric lovers tangled in the sheets

Outro:

Thunder in my chest, heart racing again

Let’s ride this electric wave until the very end

We’re electric lovers, our sweetest escape

Lost in the night, no rules, no breaks.