It made him feel terrible.
She stood up and walked out of the booth, heading downstairs to where they’d set up her recording equipment. He wanted to follow her, to fix the awkwardness that had come between them, but he stayed where he was.
It was for the best.
Chapter Fourteen
Minh sat in front of the keyboard, trying to chase the melody in her head, the one that had shown up in the silence after she’d asked Chris whether they were together. So many notes had come together in her mind, all at once, so fast that she was afraid that she’d lose them.
It was almost like the song that she had composed the morning after she’d first met Chris. But that had been a hard, raging song. This one was…different. It was hard to put into words, what it was, because this time, she was just…feeling the music.
She spent the entire afternoon writing and embellishing the song, grateful for something that she could immerse herself in so that she wouldn’t have to face the truth of what had just happened between her and Chris. He’d made it clear that he thought of her as expendable, both in his bed and in his movie.
Maybe he was right about the music. But when she’d asked him about them, about their relationship, and he didn’t answer…
The hurt that shot through her had made her realize that she’d fallen for him. Hard.
She’d broken all her rules for him. It was her own fault that it had backfired on her. How could she not have seen it coming?
It should be a staccato electric guitar in the middle, for when he’s tiptoeing past that sleeping guard.
Thoughts of music were jumbled up with thoughts of Chris. He hadn’t come down from the booth in the past few hours, and she wanted to finish up and leave before she had to see him again today.
She wasn’t sure what to do. She’d taken a chance, and she’d failed yet again. At least this time, she hadn’t hurt anyone else with her foolish choices, but it didn’t make her feel any less stupid. How was she going to get through this? How was she going to cope?
Cope? No coping. Just music.
Despite the hurt, she still wanted him to look at her and think she was worthy of something more than just a placeholder in his life. Now, all she wanted was for him to love what she wrote. She wanted to see those eyes light up like Christmas when he listened to this piece. He’d given her a chance, hadn’t he?
Add in some dissonant chords here, over the base melody. Yes. That’s the prince, going against all expectations to find his freedom.
That’s Chris.
She hammered on the keyboard, listening to the notes coming through the headphones. She’d already recorded the string parts and had a percussion beat going. There was only one more layer after this.
But she was tired now. Drained. She could finish it tomorrow.
She hit the last note and held it, letting the song fade out. A quick glance at the booth showed her that Chris was still up there, his back to the windows, no doubt working away without any thought of her whatsoever. No doubt he didn’t think it was even necessary to discuss something that didn’t matter to him.
She sighed and took off the headphones, then copied the song onto her laptop and shut everything down.
“Good night, guys,” she called, waving as she walked toward the door. Luis, Vinnie, and Shen looked up and waved back, but she didn’t bother to stop. She had to get out. Away from Chris and the crushing sense of disappointment she felt about what had happened.
The bus ride home felt exceptionally long. Chris didn’t call while she was on her way home, like she’d been half hoping he would. And when she got home, the apartment was deserted.
She flopped down on the living room couch with a sigh.
This was the kind of pain that came from breaking her own rules.
And yet…she thought of the song she’d composed. Yes, it was technically accurate, but more importantly—it was artistic and expressive.
A melding of personalities. Her and Chris.
The door opened and Gali walked in, jumping a bit when she saw Minh sprawled out on the couch.
“What are you doing home? I figured you’d be with Chris.”
“I think—no. I think I have to end things with him.”
“Wait, what?”
Minh filled Gali in on what had happened, then shrugged. “I guess we could keep seeing each other until I finish the score, but I can’t imagine how things could be okay after this, knowing he doesn’t really care.” She felt tears pricking behind her eyelids. “I don’t know why I’m so upset about it. I mean, he’s all wrong for me. For my requirements.”