Page 22 of Serenade Me

She looks startled and backs further away from me.

“Sorry. You just… you make me so mad.”

“Sorry. Look. I didn’t know this before, but, I really want to come play with you guys. You’re…” she rolls her eyes and I know she’s about to say something she doesn’t want to. “You guys are amazing, and I, ugh, I hate admitting this, but I really enjoyed playing with you before. So, when you said you didn’t want me to come. I was just really disappointed. Am. Am disappointed.”

“I’m sorry. I just feel like you’re constantly trying to wind me up. You can understand why I wouldn’t want that when I’m trying to perform. This whole thing… the band, with the guys, we work because we trust each other implicitly, that we’ve got each other’s backs. If there was anything that disturbed that, it would all come crumbling down. The way you and I are bickering all the time – can you see why it might be a total disaster?”

“I do, and I’m sorry that it’s been that way. I guess we just rub each other the wrong way,” she shrugs.

For a moment the words “rub” and “each other” flash in my brain and I bite the inside of my cheek to ignore it. Focus, Marius. She’s Jez’s sister. No rub.

Oblivious to my inner thoughts, she’s silent for a few seconds and sighs. “Sorry I’ve been such a bitch. I guess I’ll tell Jez that it’s a no go.”

And suddenly the thought of her not being around trumps all the annoyance of the last 24 hours. Before I can stop myself, I hear myself saying, “No. Don’t. Look. We got off on the wrong foot. Why don’t we… why don’t we try to get through some rehearsals and in a few days if it doesn’t work out, we’ll decide then.”

The look on her face tells me I’ve done the right thing. “Really?”

I shrug, “Yeah, I’ll try not to be too much of an insensitive asshole.”

She lets out a short laugh, “And I’ll try not to be such a sensitive witch.”

I feel my eyebrows raise at the word. “Witch?”

“Yeah, I… er, I may have been called that before in my past.”

“Oh. You don’t say. I can’t imagine that…” Her eyes narrow trying to read my tone and I force myself to smile.

“You fu-…” she starts and then clamps her mouth shut and I can see, our pact to behave is going to take some effort on both our parts. She forces herself to smile and I can’t help but grin at how much it must be killing her.

“Come on, let’s go back, before they’re done conspiring how to kick me out of the band and get you to replace me.”

She hesitates, then rocks forward on her feet and walks past me. I follow behind her just as she flips her hair and there’s a waft of her scent.

Vanilla.

Vanilla cotton candy and liquid silk.