Page 33 of Muted

Inspired by his wordsandhis departure, I finish shoving my things into my bag, wanting to leave as quickly as possible. Of course, Chester is there when I stand and turn.

His left hand is in his pocket, the right holding his keys. “Ready to go?”

Looking over his shoulder, I see Theo leaning back in his chair, smirking at me. I narrow my eyes to glare at him, remembering that his last text was informing me he’d work out my ride home with Chester.

Fucking overbearing teddy bear. That’s what you are, Theodore Gatlin.

I hope my silent words make it into his head as I follow Chester out the back to his car.

Our drive to my place goes about the same as it did last time, only this time, Chester isn’t fuming. He seems relaxed, totally at ease with taking close to half an hour’s drive out of his way to deliver me safely to my doorstep.

His music choice for the drive is so much better than the last time, and I let my pleasure with the music show on my face as I listen. I let my fingers tap the beat, or airplay the runs when I know how they go and can visualize how it’d be played on the piano.

As the car comes to a stop in front of my temporary home, he clears his throat to stop me before I can open my door. “I don’t want you taking the bus anymore, Susu. Theo and I can work out a schedule to pick you up and bring you home until you figure out an alternate mode of transportation.”

My breathing picks up, hating the fact that these men I barely know are trying to inconvenience themselves just because of a damn bus. Ihatefeeling like I owe something, and I try to work through an excuse to turn down his offer.

His smile is gentle and warm. “I can see the wheels turning in your head. Don’t worry about it. Just let me know what time I need to be here tomorrow.”

I inhale slowly; the sound broken like I’m trying not to cry. I’m not about to cry, but my body is acting like I am.

Subtracting the extra time I normally need for stops, I hold up both hands, showing all of my fingers, minus one.

“Nine?”

I nod yes, and he smiles more broadly, seemingly relieved that I’m not arguing. Then, he shocks me by leaning over my body to open my door and push it open for me.

Before he pulls back, his eyes find mine, and he says in a quieter voice, “See you in the morning, Susu.”

Chapter 9

Animato

Vance

“What’s next?” I ask my adorably cute new partner.

My God, this woman is fucking fire.I don’t know if she’s aware of how fucking good she is. I don’t even care that warmups started rough. Once she got into the swing of things, every song was absolute perfection.

I knew the moment I walked to the office when I arrived that something was off between her and Cliff. And the way she ran out of there like a monster was chasing her was concerning, if I’m being honest. I briefly tried to think of a way I could approach what he said to her, but when I checked her over as we got on the stage, she had erected a massive wall around her.

Deciding to ignore it and wait for an opportunity to bring it up later, we pushed through our set with only a minor interruption from Theo. Honestly, the way he was with her surprised me. Susu seemed just as put off and distant with him as she is with everyone else who works here, but Theo didn’t seem to give a shit about that.

Shaking off my thoughts, I find myself grinning from ear to ear. I could keep going for hours tonight, but I know immediately that she’s done when she shakes her head no to my question. I’m immensely disappointed, but not in her. Mostly that I haven’t felt this excited about duetting with someone in a really long time.

Hiding my disappointment doesn’t go as well as I was hoping, because she deflates in front of me. I do my best to let her know it’s really not a problem. We’ve been here for hours already.

“No, you’re right. It’s getting late. I’m going to hunt for more material to try out. You did well, Susu. I’ll see you tomorrow for warmup before we play for the bar.”

After packing up my stuff, I make sure I stop and tell her how amazed I am by her and thankful that she’s stepped in to cover us when Thad walked out. I mean every word I say. Then, with a wave to the guys working in the back, I step out onto the sidewalk and breathe in the fresh evening air.

My walk home is short since I live downtown as well. Only three blocks from the bar in one of the condos centered to have views in all directions. Entering the code in the elevator, I lean against the wall as I feel the metal box climb floors until it opens up in front of my door.

Once I enter the second code into my door, I use my key to unlock it and shove it open. The lights from the city illuminate my open floor plan, allowing me to find my way through the darkness until I’m standing in front of the wall of windows facing where I just came from.

It’s quiet here.

Always fucking quiet.

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