Page 75 of Two Hit Wonder

The kitchen went very quiet.

"That's a terrible line," Iona said, but her voice had gone rough.

"It worked, though."

"It didn't work."

"Your pupils are dilated."

"That's just the lighting."

Maeve kissed her, and Iona stopped pretending.

REHEARSAL THAT AFTERNOON was a disaster. The good kind of disaster, where nothing actually went wrong but Iona couldn't concentrate on anything because every time she looked at Maeve she remembered exactly what Maeve's hands had felt like in her kitchen, and on her kitchen counter, and against the kitchen wall.

"Iona." Cam snapped her fingers. "Earth to Iona. You missed your cue. Again."

"Sorry. I was thinking."

"About what? Rainbows and butterflies and the general wonderfulness of existence?"

"About the chord progression."

"Sure you were." Cam grinned, sharp and knowing. "That must be why you've been making eyes at Maeve for the last hour. Very musical, those eyes. Very focused on chord progressions."

"I haven't been making eyes at anyone."

"You've been making eyes. Ellie, back me up. She's been making eyes."

Ellie, seated on her amp and restringing her bass with careful precision, didn't look up. "I haven't noticed anything."

"Ellie."

"I'm very focused on my instrument. I’m deliberately not noticing anything."

"You're the worst liar in this band," Cam said. "And that's saying something because Maeve's here and she once tried to convince a journalist she was actually triplets."

"That was a strategic misdirection," Maeve said flatly. "And it worked."

"It did not work. They printed it. We had to issue a correction."

"They printed a retraction. That's different."

Iona caught Maeve's eye across the room. Maeve's expression didn't change, but something flickered there. Something warm and private that made Iona's stomach flip.

Cam caught the look and groaned. "Oh my god. You two are disgusting. Just so you know. Absolutely disgusting."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Iona said.

"The pining was bad enough. This is worse. This is actively nauseating."

Ellie finally looked up, a small smile playing at her lips. "Cam."

"What?"

"Your phone's buzzing."

It was. Cam's phone, abandoned on top of her drum kit, was lighting up with a string of messages. She grabbed it, and something shifted in her face. Something soft and unguarded that Iona had never seen before.