Sun & Moon - a contemporary romance (The Minstrel Series #1) (8 page)

When she returned, she smelled smoke. Oh no! She should’ve turned the chicken down. She quickly moved the pan off the element and opened the windows. What was she thinking? Did she want to burn the place down?

This was not exactly the scene she wanted Micah to come home to. What now?

She dialed the number for the Thai restaurant down the street. If she hurried she could be back before Micah got home.

Somehow she managed to have the table set including a new bottle of sparkling water, when Micah arrived.

“Hey,” he said when their eyes met. His gaze moved from her to the dinner waiting on the table.

“Hey,” she said. She felt nervous and embarrassed. “It’s just takeout.”

Micah set his briefcase down and removed his suit jacket. “I’ll wash up first.”

“Okay.” Katja sat in what had become her place at the table. Micah returned wearing jeans and his dress shirt untucked. His top button was undone. No tie.

Katja gulped. He was so attractive, and she had to pull her gaze away from the triangle of skin that peeked out from the top of his shirt.

She managed to find a few words. “How was your day?” Okay, they were lame words.

“Good. And yours?”

God. They already sounded like a boring old married couple.

“Look, Micah,” Katja started. “About last night.”

Micah’s eyes glistened with amusement. “It’s fine, Katja. You went out. You had fun.”

“Still, I should’ve told you. I should’ve
invited
you. I don’t usually drink that much. I don’t know what got into me.”

He grinned. “It’s okay. You were cute.”

Katja’s jaw dropped. Did he really just say that?

Micah turned his attention to the meal in front of him and dug in. She wished that he’d keep talking, or at least ask her questions, but he seemed okay with the silence.

“I have something to show you,” Katja said after they were finished eating. He followed her into the living room, and she showed him the wall. Micah’s expression remained staid as he stared at her sketches. She worried that he didn’t like them, or worse that he was angry she’d taken it upon herself to hang art without asking.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed,” she mumbled.

“No, no. They’re great.” He turned to her, taking in her face. “You’re really talented. Not just with music, it seems.”

Katja felt her lips tug up. A compliment from Micah meant the world. “Thanks.”

Just when she thought their relationship might take a turn, Micah’s cell rang. His mother again. He disappeared into his room, and twenty minutes later he returned, turned on the TV and watched the news.

It was just like any other night. Nothing had changed.

The next morning, Katja sat at the kitchen table, her notebook opened up to a new page, her pen lying beside it. She picked out notes on her guitar and hummed, then she gripped her pen and started scribbling.

Friend, won’t you calm my mind

I feel like it will implode

The difference between you and I

Is like the sun and the moon

She nibbled on her pen, considering Micah and how different they were from each other. If she were smart, she would leave this place. If he were smart, he’d make her.

And you know, you should know

That to stop just means you should go

(I should go)

We live in different worlds

She quit when she noticed the time. She had a half-hour slot booked to busk in the square in the old town. It was her first time to get this location, and it was prime for busking with a lot of pedestrians, especially this time of year. She put away her notepad and packed up her guitar. It was a fifteen-minute walk, and her arms would burn by the time she got there. She needed to arrive with enough time to let them recover.

It was warm enough now that she no longer needed gloves, which made playing much easier. The strings didn’t go out of tune so quickly. She opened her case, dropping a few coins in, strapped the guitar on, checked the tuning and began to play. Most of the people kept walking by on their way to shop, or to work, or to sight-see, but some stopped to listen, and a few threw money into the case.

Her eyes scanned the crowd, and she felt happy to play for so many people, even if they weren’t exactly listening.

Then her gaze landed on a familiar face, and her heart stuttered.

Micah
.

He stood there in his blue suit jacket, a white cotton scarf around his neck, and dress pants that hung perfectly over leather shoes. The breeze blew curls off his face.

How long had he been watching her?

And why did she care? Why did his presence make her pulse race? It wasn’t like he hadn’t heard her play before, but it was the first time he’d seen her in action on the street. This was her turf, and it was far from the wealthy, sterile world of banking.

What was he doing here?

Then she remembered he worked at a bank in the center of the old town.

She closed her eyes and concentrated on her song. When she opened them, he was still there watching. She looked for a sign that he enjoyed what he heard and what he saw, but his brow inched down and his eyes narrowed.

He didn’t understand her. He thought she was a fool.

Maybe she was.

He left before she finished, so she didn’t get a chance to talk to him. She bought groceries with the money she’d earned, and he made dinner when he got home, just like usual. She didn’t say anything about seeing him at the square. She didn’t think he would say anything either. Micah was consistently the strong, silent type, but that night he proved her wrong.

“Why?” he asked simply.

“Why what?”

“Why are you doing this? I mean, I get that you like to play guitar and write songs, and you’re good, but making a living as a musician is obviously very, very hard.”

Obviously.

“So, you think I should be a secretary or a nurse or something and just do music for fun?”

Micah shrugged. “Why not? At least then you’d be able to support yourself.”

It was like a cement truck backed into the room and started dumping when he said that. Katja caught her breath. “I’ll leave in the morning.”

“No, I didn’t…”

Katja stood and started clearing the table. “It’s fine. I’ve overstayed my welcome. I get it.”

She felt a tug on her arm. Micah towered over her, his head tilting, a look of remorse on his face. “I didn’t mean to offend you, Katja. I’m just trying to understand.” The melancholy he’d been masterfully hiding returned to his eyes. “Why did you leave home?”

She found his nearness intoxicating. She backed up, shaking it off. This quiet, sad man was not for her.

He ducked to force her to look into his eyes. “Help me to understand.”

She gave him a sharp look. “My stepfather and I don’t get along. Let’s just say he wants more from our relationship than I’m willing to give.” Katja blinked hard. She couldn’t believe she just blurted that out. That was private and none of his business.

Anger flashed behind Micah’s dark eyes. “I see.”

She turned. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it does. Have you reported him?”

She hadn’t. It would only cause more trouble. Just another thing he couldn’t understand about her. “Can we drop it? I didn’t mean to bring it up.”

“Okay.”

She wanted to say something to remove the dark, heavy blanket that had fallen over them. “Come to my gig at the Blue Note.” Maybe that would help him to understand.

Micah’s gazed softened, but he didn’t quite smile. “I’ll be there.”

Katja told Micah she had to leave early to set up. It was true, but she also didn’t want him to feel like this was a date.

Maurice let her in, giving her a friendly, boisterous pep talk, and she set up her stuff on the stage. A guy named Holgar set up the house sound system and she tested the mic. The guitar sounds bounced off the walls, but that would fix itself when the room filled.

Hopefully, it would fill.

What if no one showed? No one but Micah? That would be so embarrassing and further prove his point that she should do something more responsible with her life.

She breathed deeply with relief when people started showing up and the seats filled. She recognized the regulars, including Sebastian and his gang, and waved as they walked in. She froze to the spot when Micah entered. He was dressed casually in jeans and a button-down shirt. He looked freshly showered. He drew a hand through his hair when he spotted Katja, messing it in a way that made her heart skip a beat.

She finally came to her senses and pulled her gaze away. In her peripheral vision, she saw him slip into a seat at the back. He ordered a cola, and then stared at her as she continued to set up.

She swallowed and fought back her nerves. She was a professional. She could do this.

After testing her mic and strapping on her guitar, she nodded to Maurice, letting him know she was ready.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Maurice bellowed out with his warm, friendly voice. “I’m pleased to introduce to you an incredible new talent. I’m sure she will go places! Help me in welcoming Katja Stoltz!”

She waited for the applause to end, then said, “Thank you for having me. I’m opening this night with a new song. It’s dedicated to my friend, Micah.”

Katja caught his eye and swore she even saw his lips tug up into a slight smile.

Friend, won’t you calm my mind

I feel like it will implode

The difference between you and I

Is like the sun and the moon

And you know, you should know

That to stop just means you should go

I should go

We live in different worlds

It is obvious

that one of them makes

the other one feel small and cold

Let me dream further,

I need more

And you know

that I’m living on the moon

She sang through her list of songs and though she worked to engage the crowd, the only person she really cared about sat alone in the back corner of the room.

Maurice congratulated her on her set, and the crowd swarmed her when she stepped off the stage to buy her CDs and to get autographs. She kept looking at Micah from the corner of her eye, and he raised his empty glass to her.

Sebastian approached and gave her a hug. “That was amazing. I love that
Sun and Moon
tune. It rocked!” She laughed at his enthusiasm, and turned back to see Micah’s expression, but his table was empty. He’d left.

A wave of disappointment washed over her. Of course he wouldn’t stay to the dire end. This wasn’t his scene. Plus, if he walked her home, it might look like they were together. She understood if he didn’t want to accidentally run into someone he knew with her alone at his side.

She packed up her guitar and remaining CDs, pocketed her earnings and accepted the complimentary beer Maurice offered her.

She took her time walking home, needing to unwind from the adrenaline rush that a concert brought on. It was a good night. She was good, her songs were good, and the crowd loved her. Micah saw that, at least.

He was sitting on the steps of his apartment building when she got there. She smiled widely, surprised but happy to see him there. She set the case down and sat beside him.

“The sun and moon aren’t mutually exclusive,” he said. “They need each other.”

His dark eyes locked on hers.

“I know,” she whispered.

He leaned toward her, reaching up to stroke her cheek. His touch was like a bolt of lightning. Searing heat tingled through her whole body. His lips hovered above hers, teasing. He was going to kiss her and she wanted him to. She’d wanted him to kiss her for a long time now.

Her heart stammered, and she held her breath. She was ready to close her eyes when he suddenly pulled back.

“Micah?”

He rubbed his face with his hands, standing briskly. His expression tensed with a flash of anguish in his eyes, like he was torn. His eyes flickered to the ground, then down the road and up at the sky. Everywhere but at her.

“We should go in,” he said stiffly, hopping the steps to the door and opening it. Katja grabbed her guitar, wide-eyed with confusion, and followed after him.

What just happened?