(Maya)
The alarm goes off at six AM, which should be illegal on a Saturday, but Rebecca has already texted me three times about getting to the venue early for load-in. I roll out of bed, grab my inhaler from the nightstand, and shuffle to the kitchen, where my roommate Zoe has left a brewing pot of coffee.
"You're up early for someone who got home at midnight," she says, appearing in the doorway wearing scrubs. Zoe is a nurse at Northwestern Memorial, which means she sees enough drama at work to make reality TV look boring.
"Tour life waits for no one." I pour coffee into my travel mug and grab a banana from the counter. "What time do you get off tonight?"
"Seven, if I'm lucky. Ten if someone decides to swallow another pack of cowries." She studies my face. "You look like hell. Is this job wearing you down already?"
I want to tell her it's not the job that's the problem. It's Kai. He's always the problem. Last night, I couldn't stop thinking about how he looked through me yesterday like I was made of glass; about how the way my chest gets tight every time I hear his voice, and not because of my asthma. I keep looking for him in every room, even though I know he's doing everything possible to avoid being in the same space as me.
When Zoe clears her throat, I shrug. "It's fine. I've got a coffee date later anyway."
"Ooh, mysterious. Anyone I know?"
"Jake from Chloe's work."
Zoe raises an eyebrow. "Rebound guy or actual potential?"
"Just coffee." I grab my keys and head for the door. "Don't wait up."
The venue looks different in daylight. It is less mysterious and more like what it actually is—a converted warehouse in a part of town that is trying hard to be trendy. When I arrived, the loading dock was already buzzing with activity, with trucks backed up to the bay doors and crew members hauling equipment cases.
I spot Jerry directing traffic near the sound gear and wave. He nods back but doesn't come over, which is weird. Jerry usually has some smartass comment about my punctuality or my coffee addiction.
"Maya!" Rebecca appears at my elbow, clipboard in hand as always. "Thank god you're here. We've got a situation."
"What kind of situation?"
"Kai is being a complete diva about his dressing room requirements." She handed me a list that was longer than my grocery shopping trip for three months. "He wants organic everything, specific water temperature, and apparently the lighting in his current room is 'aesthetically offensive.'"
I scan the list. Kai has always been particular about his environment, but this is next-level ridiculous. "Where am I supposed to find alkaline water with a pH of exactly 9.5 on a Saturday morning?"
"That's what makes you so valuable." Rebecca pats my shoulder. "Make it happen."
Two hours and four different health food stores later, I'm hauling bags of organic snacks, fancy water, and artisanal everything back to the venue. My arms are killing me, my inhaler has gotten a workout from all the running around, and I'm starting to think this job isn't worth the paycheck.
The new dressing room is on the opposite side of the venue from where the band was yesterday. I knock on the door, get no answer, and let myself in to start setting things up. The room smells like fresh paint and industrial carpet, but at least the lighting doesn't look like it belongs in a morgue.
I'm arranging the organic fruit selection when I hear voices in the hallway. One of them is definitely Kai, and he sounds pissed.
"I don't care what the contract says. I'm not doing the meet and greet."
"Kai, be reasonable." That was Marcus. "These are VIP ticket holders. They paid extra specifically to meet you."
"Then give them their money back."
I freeze with an apple halfway to the fruit bowl. I should leave. This is none of my business, and eavesdropping on private conversations is not in my job description.
But I don't move.
"What's this really about?" Marcus asks. "You've done hundreds of these things."
There's a long pause. Then Kai says, "I just need some space, okay? From all of it."
"You know you fucking can't! You owe me, boy."
Another pause. "I know, but—"
"You know I can destroy everything you've worked for in minutes. If you don't do what I say, I'll fucking sing like a bird. Don't test me."
I hear footsteps moving away, and I quickly finish arranging the fruit like I've been focused on it the whole time. A few seconds later, the door opens.
Kai walks in and stops dead when he sees me.
For a moment, we stare at each other. He's wearing a black t-shirt and jeans, his hair still messy from sleep, and he looks younger and softer somehow. Then once again, his expression shuts down completely.
He walks past me to the couch without saying a word. I finish setting up the water bottles and organic snacks, hyperaware of his presence in the small space. He's not doing anything dramatic—just sitting there scrolling through his phone—but the tension is suffocating.
I'm almost done when my phone rings. Jake's name flashes on the screen.
"Hey," I answer, probably sounding more breathless than I should.
"Maya! I hope I'm not calling too early. I was wondering if we could move our coffee date up a few hours? My sister is in town unexpectedly, and I promised to show her around tonight."
I glance at the clock on my phone. It's barely noon, but I'm almost finished here anyway. "Sure. Where did you want to meet?"
"There's this great place called Grind on Lincoln. Know it?"
I do know it. It's about ten minutes from the venue, and their coffee doesn't taste like it was brewed in a shoe. "Perfect. Give me twenty minutes?"
"See you there."
I hang up and shove my phone in my pocket, suddenly aware that Kai has stopped scrolling and is staring at me. Not through me, like yesterday, but looking at me with an expression I can't read.
"Going somewhere, Maya?" he asks.
It's the first thing he has said directly to me since he got back to Chicago, and I hate that my pulse kicks up just from hearing my name in his voice.
"Coffee date," I say, keeping my tone neutral.
He pauses. "Anyone I know?"
The question catches me off guard. Why would he care who I'm having coffee with? Yesterday, he acted like I didn't exist.
"No," I say. "You wouldn't know him."
I grab my purse and head for the door, but his voice stops me.
"Maya."
I turn around, and for just a second, he looks like he wants to say something else, but then he shakes his head. "Never mind. Have fun on your date."
The dismissal stings more than it should. I can't believe I expected something else.
***
Grind is packed with the usual Saturday afternoon crowd—college students with laptops, families with strollers, and couples having intense conversations over lattes. I spot Jake immediately. He's sitting at a corner table, wearing a button-down shirt and khakis. Chloe warned me that he would most likely show up as if he were on his way to an interview, so I wasn't disappointed. I guess.
"Maya!" Jake stands up when he sees me, which is sweet but feels a little formal. "You look great."
"Thanks." I slide into the chair across from him. "Sorry, I'm a little frazzled. Work has been crazy."
"Right, Chloe mentioned you're working with the biggest superstar on the continent now. That must be exciting."
"It has its moments."
Jake launches into a story about his job in pharmaceutical marketing, which should be interesting, but somehow, it isn't. He's nice enough—polite, well-educated, probably makes good money—but there is no spark. No chemistry. Nothing that makes me want to lean closer or laugh at his jokes. He seems nice enough, though, but honestly, there's not much I can do with 'nice enough.'
I think about how Kai looked at me in the dressing room, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't figure out how.
"Earth to Maya," Jake says, smiling. "I lost you there for a second."
"Sorry. Long week."
"Maybe we should do this another time? When you're not so tired?"
It's a polite way to say the date isn't going well, and he's not wrong. I'm distracted, disinterested, and probably not great company right now.
"Actually, yeah. That might be better."
We finish our coffee quickly and part ways with promises to text soon that we both know are lies. Nice guy, wrong timing, wrong chemistry—this is the story of my dating life.
I'm walking back to my car when my phone buzzes with a text from Rebecca: "Emergency. I need you back at the venue ASAP."
So much for my Saturday afternoon.
The venue is in chaos when I arrive. There are police cars in the parking lot, security guards everywhere, and a crowd of fans being held back by barriers. I flash my crew badge and push through the crowd to find Rebecca near the loading dock, looking more frazzled than I've ever seen her.
"What the hell happened?" I ask.
"Someone broke into Kai's dressing room. They trashed the place and stole some equipment. The police think it was a fan who got past security somehow."
My stomach drops. "Is he okay?"
"He's fine, but you know how he can get. He won't talk to anyone or let the police in his new dressing room. Marcus is having a meltdown, and we have a show in four hours."
I look around at the chaos again. Police officers are now taking statements from the crew members while security guards check IDs, and fans press against the barriers, hoping for a glimpse of their idol. It feels like too much for one obsessed fan.
"Where is he now?"
"Green room. But Maya—"
I'm already walking away, weaving through the crowd toward the backstage area. The green room is at the end of a narrow hallway. I knock, get no answer, and push the door open anyway.
Kai is sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. His shoulders are tense, and there's something about his posture that reminds me of the kid who used to hide in my room when his parents fought.
"Hey," I say softly.
He looks up, and I see something in his eyes that catches my breath. It's not anger like I expected. It's fear.