Minh was avoiding him.
What the fuck had possessed him to ask her out? They’d walked back to the office and she’d immediately fallen into conversation with the guys about the score. But now it was close to seven o’clock and everyone else had left, leaving Minh alone at the desk on the opposite side of the room.
She wouldn’t look at him.
Fuck.
Fine, so she didn’t want to go out with him. Why had he thought—why had he hoped—that she would? He had just shut his laptop and started packing his bag, though, when he heard her clearing her throat right next to him.
He looked up to find her looking nervously at him.
“Hey.” Her voice was soft and hushed, but it still echoed through the empty studio.
“Hey.” Was she going to reject him and leave? Was that why she was here?
She bit her lower lip, just slightly, white teeth nibbling on plump flesh. “I, uh, wanted to talk to you about this afternooon.”
“Yeah?” Here it comes…
But before she could say anything, her phone rang from somewhere in her bag that she had slung over her shoulder.
He gestured toward it. “Go ahead. I can wait.”
She set the bag down and pulled her phone out of the flap pocket, but fumbled it, and it fell from her fingers toward the floor. Without thinking, he lunged, managing to catch it before it could smash against the ground. He glanced down to make sure he hadn’t cracked the screen by squeezing it too tightly, but what he saw there made him frown.
An L.A. area code. It was after hours on a Friday. Was someone calling her, thinking that she wouldn’t be at the Phantom office anymore?
He handed it the still-ringing phone to Minh. He noticed that she hesitated for a moment, like she was debating whether to answer. But after another ring, she answered the call with a hushed, “Hello?”
What the hell? She was acting strangely. Had she thought that it would look suspicious if she didn’t pick up the call?
Fuck. He couldn’t take this.
He watched her, trying not to glare. But her face didn’t betray anything, and all she said was, “Yes. That’s fine. I can do that.”
He heard a voice—a woman’s voice—on the other end, but couldn’t make out the words.
Damn. What kind of an asshole listens to a woman’s phone calls? He immediately got up, wanting to give her some privacy, no matter how belated. He hated himself for acting that way.
But that was the moment that Minh said goodbye and hung up, and he was left standing there with a scowl on his face. He tried to keep his tone neutral. “Urgent business?”
She shrugged and slid the phone into her pocket. “Something like that.” She took a deep breath. “It’s not that important, actually. I was about to say, about what you said earlier. About that song I wrote but I said I didn’t.”
Wow. He almost couldn’t believe she’d admitted it.
“I just wanted to say, first, that I’m sorry I lied. I don’t—I don’t like liars, and I don’t like lying. I try really hard not to do it.”
She stood there, staring down at her hands, for a minute, and he didn’t push her. She looked like she was gathering courage to say something else.
Sure enough, after a long moment, she spoke again.
“And the other thing is that I’ve been thinking all day about that. I know you want something different from me. I know you want me to be different. But this is who I am. Different is—”
“A disadvantage. Yeah, I know.” He sighed, feeling disappointed. But she was right. He did want something different from her, and if she didn’t feel like sharing that with him, well…
He wasn’t in a position to throw stones. She wasn’t the only one holding back.
She nodded. “It is. At least, I thought that. Before.”
He immediately went on alert. Thought, as in past tense? Before? Before what?
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying, I’d like to at least give it a try. Being different. But I can’t do it with my music, not yet.”
“So what are you going to start with?” Was it going to be what he hoped?
“I was thinking that I’d go on that date with you.”
Yes. The sense of satisfaction shouldn’t have been this strong, but it rolled into him on one of those goddamn mathematically perfect waves, nearly knocking the breath out of him.
“Tonight.” He practically growled it.
She let out a little squeaking sound, eyes opening wide. “T-tonight? You mean, you want to go on a date tonight?”
“Yeah. I don’t want to wait.”
She still looked a bit shocked, but it seemed to be wearing off, because in the next moment, she gave him a tentative smile. “Okay.” She nodded. “Okay, let’s go.”
Chapter Ten