Flesh & Bone - a contemporary romance: The Minstrel Series #2 (5 page)

“I don’t know,” she hedged and placed down her pen.

Annette sprung off the bed and went to stare out the window. There was a commotion going on outside, not unusual for
Alaunstrasse
. Eva was so used to bouts of shouting and hollering and music of every style blaring randomly, she never bothered to look anymore.

“Oh my God, Eva.”

“What is it?”

“I think that’s… it is! It’s Sebastian Weiss!”

Eva sat the Duncan Africa back in its stand, grabbed her cane and moved faster than she’d thought possible until she stood beside Annette at the window.

He wore a cap and glasses, but it was clearly him. He was walking right by their building! Someone had recognized him, and he stopped in front of the Italian restaurant across the street to sign autographs. Her heart palpitated. He was so close! If he just tilted his head up a little, he’d spot them staring down at him from her second-floor window.

Eva took a step back. She’d be mortified if he caught her looking.

Annette startled her by calling out, “Sebastian!” Then she squealed and waved her hand like a crazy person. Eva’s jaw dropped. Was Sebastian Weiss looking up at her bedroom window?

“He waved at me, Eva! Sebastian Weiss waved at me!”

Eva leaned forward a little to peek. Sebastian had moved on, his back now toward her. She sighed. She’d missed out again.

The last week was so busy with interviews, photo shoots and band rehearsals, Sebastian barely had time to think. He did manage to get in one good fight with Yvonne, however. She was curled up on his sofa, thin arms crossed over her small chest. When she pouted like that she looked like a pixie, almost childlike. Sebastian exhaled hard as he sat beside her. He laid his palm on her thigh. “I hate being away from you, baby. I just want you with me.”

She twisted her neck and glared. “You seriously want me to drop everything and follow you around the country like one of your groupies?”

“Not like a groupie. Jeez, Yvonne. Like my girlfriend. Besides, last time you were mad because I didn’t ask you to go.”

Yvonne’s lips tightened and she stared back across the room. “I was just mad you didn’t ask. So thanks for asking, but I can’t just leave my job.”

“I’m making enough money for both of us. Why don’t you move in with me?” Sebastian ran a finger along Yvonne’s cheek. “I’ll take care of you.”

She pulled back. “You don’t get it. I don’t need taking care of.”

Sebastian’s phone buzzed in his pocket, a reminder that his band rehearsal was about to start. Yvonne unfolded her arms as she stood and draped her purse over her shoulder. A sadness brewed in his chest. He was losing her and he didn’t know why. Worse, he didn’t know how to stop it.

He stood and faced her. If she were closer he’d have to duck to look in her eyes. She’d have to stand on her tiptoes to kiss him. But she was already headed toward the door. “Can we continue this later?” he asked. “I’ll drop by your place after rehersal.”

Yvonne shook her head subtly. “I’m going to bed early tonight.”

“Then tomorrow?”

“Yeah, sure.” She left without kissing him good-bye. She never used to leave without kissing him good-bye. His lungs felt like they were collapsing and he held his breath. He and Yvonne were in trouble and he didn’t know how to fix it. He had to find a way. He didn’t want to lose her.

Dirk had found the band an empty warehouse to rehearse in on a rundown street in an area that was part of the industrial district. Most of the surrounding buildings were abandoned, windowless brick structures that had eroded away over time. This one was different. Someone had spent the time and money to keep it functional. The fact that it sat among the other empty buildings meant they didn’t have to worry about being too loud. And tonight, Sebastian wanted it loud.

Karl boomed out loud riffs on his Fender bass guitar, his slender fingers running up and down the fret board. Markus banged on the drums, running fills as he tuned the skins. Sebastian tuned his Gibson electric, turning the amp up.

A song had been running through his mind for some time now. A quick email to Katja, and he’d gained permission to rock up one of her songs and add a bridge. The angst it expressed was exactly how he was feeling right now.

“This is a cover,” he said into the mic. “See if you can keep up.”

Sebastian introduced a new guitar riff that’d come to him in a dream. Markus kicked in with the kick drum, while Karl plucked out a complementary bass line. The band was familiar with the lyrics and only needed a few prompts when Sebastian introduced the bridge. He didn’t hold back, tilting his head back with his meanest guitar face and bellowing the new lines.

I'll take the long way around

Sling shot around what I thought

was the darkest side of the moon

Coming round took so long

Sun light nearly stole my eyes

“Love that version, man,” Markus said when it ended. “We should record it.”

Karl shrugged. “Dirk wants us to do originals.”

“We can do one cover,” Sebastian said. “Besides, I wrote the bridge, so it’s a co-write.”

“Fine,” Karl huffed. “You have any ideas for a new song? We should write something of our own.”

“Do you have any ideas?” Sebastian shot back. Why was he the one who always had to come up with a start?

Karl unstrapped his guitar. “You know what, Seb? This funk you’re in? Let me know when you’re over it.” He left the rehearsal without looking back.

“That went well,” Markus said. “Should I be looking for a new gig?”

“No man,” Sebastian said. He unstrapped his guitar and laid it in the case. “We’ll work it out. It’s just a lot is going on at once.”

Sebastian killed the lights and locked up. “Hey, Markus. Can I catch a ride home?” He could take transit, but that would mean facing the public, which was always a crap shoot. Chances were he’d get home without issue, but there was always a chance he’d get mobbed by fans.

Markus dropped him off in front of his building. He hesitated at his front door. He wasn’t ready to face his empty flat. He didn’t want to be alone right now. He wanted Yvonne. He knew she blew him off when she said she was tired. But she was just angry. She’d have cooled off by now. He needed to apologize for assuming she’d drop everything and follow him. If he did that, she’d snuggle under his arm and kiss him. Maybe she’d ask him to stay the night. He swiftly walked the four blocks to her building.

He stopped at the corner when he spotted her leaving. She wore shorts and a light summer sweater. Her short pink hair was spiked up on top. Someone followed out from behind her and at first Sebastian thought it was another tenant. But the guy stopped and gripped her hand. Sebastian’s heart dropped. There was no mistaking who it was. He’d recognize that tall, thin form and mess of dark hair anywhere. What was Yvonne doing with Karl?

Karl lifted Yvonne off her feet and kissed her. A bomb went off in Sebastian’s heart. His legs moved without his bidding, and within seconds he tugged his girlfriend out of his best friend’s arms and right hooked him in the face.

Eva spent a couple days stewing over what Gabriele had said, but hid her bitterness by keeping a soft expression and smiling at appropriate times. Gabriele was a whirlwind of joy, more than enough to compensate for Eva’s lack of happiness.

At least she thought she was pulling it off.

“Seriously, Eva! You need to snap out of this blue mood you’re in. You’re raining on my parade.”

“What? I’m not doing anything to you.”

“Kind of my point. I’m about to get married and you are supposed to be happy for me.”

“I am happy for you.”

“If that were true, you’d be asking how you could help. You’d be interested in the details. Instead, you hole away in this room like everyone has a life but you.”

Everyone did have a life but her.

“Mama and Papa baby you, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to. So make some decisions, Eva.
Do
something.”

She hated Gabriele in that moment. Because the truth hurt. She
had
let her accident define her. She focused more on what she couldn’t do than what she could. She worried about what people thought and that if she looked slow and stupid. She saw herself ten years from now, still living with her parents, working in the soup kitchen, and with no boyfriend or husband or children to show for it.

If that happened it would be her fault.

What
did
she want to do? Her eyes landed on her guitar and she knew. She wanted to play at the Blue Note. It wasn’t a big decision like what to study at university, but it was a start. And she was afraid of it, so it was the first step to facing her fears. Open mic night was tonight. The fact that she kept track of that proved she should do this. She limped to her chair and began to play her latest song, and imagining herself performing it in front of a crowd.

She’d talked herself in and out of it a hundred times throughout the day, but at eight o’clock that evening she arrived at the Blue Note and signed her name. She sat in an empty chair near the door and held on to her guitar like her life depended on it. Maybe it did. The room around her buzzed with energy. The chatter of the patrons, clinking of beer and wine glasses, money being exchanged, energy of anticipation filling the place as each artist was called and performed. Eva felt strangely distant from the commotion, like she was a caterpillar in a transparent cocoon. The membrane squeezed her, taunting her. She wasn’t one of
them
. She was alone and invisible.

Herr Leduc called her name, and it was like a clanging bell. Her body froze, prickling with nerves and she swallowed dryly.

“Eva Baumann?” the pub manager called again. His eyes were on her face, and she subtly shook her head.

He called the next name and she shrunk further, growing smaller and more insignificant, the membrane squeezing the air out of her lungs. She felt dizzy and feared she faint. The magnitude of another humiliation caused her to take a huge breath, and she mentally tore out of the cocoon. Not so gracefully, she lumbered out, gripping her cane and guitar, head down, her long, straight hair sheathing her face.

Eva cried throughout the night, but put on a happy face the next morning. She asked Gabriele if she could help with the wedding plans, and Gabriele smiled. “So glad you asked, Eva. I have a million things to do, including studying for my exams.”

Eva checked the website of Hollow Fellows like she did every day. They were still in
Neustadt
apparently. Sebastian didn’t update the site, their manager did, and the latest entry was two days ago—an update on their interview schedule and new photos from a recent photo shoot. Eva kept her eye out for him when her mother sent her to the bakery for buns in the morning, but she suspected he slept in late.

She went back to the Blue Note on the next open mic night. Sebastian never seemed to be there anymore. Eva suspected he was too famous to show up at that venue now. She signed up to sing again.