substitute for personal space, as far as she was concerned. Still, it was all Valentine’s Day was going to be this year, and she was determined to make the best of it. As the muted ring turned to a shrill drone, she knew connection was at hand. When they were both logged on, Scarlet kissed the screen to start the session. Damen was watching her every move, even though he was supposed to be cramming.
“I’m so sorry I couldn’t be there tonight,” Damen offered. “Good thing you hate Valentine’s Day.”
“Yeah,” Scarlet said halfheartedly. “Good thing for you.”
“You’re okay with it, right?” Damen asked rhetorically, since the choice was moot anyhow.
“Aren’t you supposed to be studying?” she reminded him, changing the subject as she bent over to pick up a pile of clothes.
“Oh, I am,” Damen replied, eyeing her backside.
Just then an announcement came over the radio about a songwriting contest.
“You should enter.”
“Can’t… it’s Shark Week,” Scarlet said, trying to blow it off.
“You really should,” Damen prodded. “You could win.”
“I could also sell my kidney for cash,” Scarlet snarked, “but you don’t see me doing that, do you?”
And to Scarlet they would have felt about the same since both possibilities involved turning her insides out for the world to see. Invasive and painful. Besides, she didn’t really feel competent enough as a writer or a musician to submit a song in a real competition. Drawing adoring crowds at IdentiTea was one thing, but assaulting the public airwaves, even the local ones, was quite another. She logged off the station and pressed Play on her cassette deck, putting Eric’s music center stage.
Scarlet plucked out a tee from her big pile, getting back to her cleanup.
“Hey! I remember that,” Damen said, pointing to the tee that Scarlet had on for their first tutoring session. “What are you doing with it?”
“Giving it away,” Scarlet sighed sentimentally, as she tossed it onto an enormous pile outside her door. “Just doesn’t feel like me anymore.”
“Yeah, it’s not really you anymore.”
It was okay for Scarlet to admit to that, but she secretly resented that fact that Damen was so quick to agree. Their Valentine’s date had definitely not gotten off to the kind of start either of them was hoping for.
“Hey, what’s that?” Damen asked as she pulled back.
Scarlet freaked for a second and thought the videocam might have magnified the tiny blemish on her chin. Another very un-Scarlet moment, she thought to herself.
“What’s what?”
“The music,” Damen clarified.
“Oh, that. It’s just from a sampler someone gave me,” Scarlet said, having forgotten the tunes she’d left blaring in the background.
“Who gave it to you?” he asked pointedly.
He sounded a little jealous, even though he was not the jealous type. Music was a very personal thing between them, and she always shared everything new she had with him. From his tone, she thought he was a little perturbed that she’d forgotten to mention it but had obviously thought enough of it to leave it playing during their chat. She liked that he cared.
“Some guy,” Scarlet said casually. “It was a tape, if you can believe it.”
“Is it any good?” Damen probed, already thinking it was, based on what he could hear through the tiny speakers on his computer.
“I haven’t really listened yet,” Scarlet said casually. “I have to digitize it. Right now, I’m playing it on an old Hello Kitty tape deck I found in the attic.”
“The attic?” Damen chided. “You went to a lot of trouble.”
If she were being honest, she kind of did. She was dying to hear it, even though she wasn’t sure why.
“I knew where it was,” Scarlet said a little defensively.
“Well, what else have you been listening to lately?” Damen asked.
“Nothing special,” Scarlet said. “I’ve just been streaming stuff online, mostly.”
“What about your
“I’m so sorry I couldn’t be there tonight,” Damen offered. “Good thing you hate Valentine’s Day.”
“Yeah,” Scarlet said halfheartedly. “Good thing for you.”
“You’re okay with it, right?” Damen asked rhetorically, since the choice was moot anyhow.
“Aren’t you supposed to be studying?” she reminded him, changing the subject as she bent over to pick up a pile of clothes.
“Oh, I am,” Damen replied, eyeing her backside.
Just then an announcement came over the radio about a songwriting contest.
“You should enter.”
“Can’t… it’s Shark Week,” Scarlet said, trying to blow it off.
“You really should,” Damen prodded. “You could win.”
“I could also sell my kidney for cash,” Scarlet snarked, “but you don’t see me doing that, do you?”
And to Scarlet they would have felt about the same since both possibilities involved turning her insides out for the world to see. Invasive and painful. Besides, she didn’t really feel competent enough as a writer or a musician to submit a song in a real competition. Drawing adoring crowds at IdentiTea was one thing, but assaulting the public airwaves, even the local ones, was quite another. She logged off the station and pressed Play on her cassette deck, putting Eric’s music center stage.
Scarlet plucked out a tee from her big pile, getting back to her cleanup.
“Hey! I remember that,” Damen said, pointing to the tee that Scarlet had on for their first tutoring session. “What are you doing with it?”
“Giving it away,” Scarlet sighed sentimentally, as she tossed it onto an enormous pile outside her door. “Just doesn’t feel like me anymore.”
“Yeah, it’s not really you anymore.”
It was okay for Scarlet to admit to that, but she secretly resented that fact that Damen was so quick to agree. Their Valentine’s date had definitely not gotten off to the kind of start either of them was hoping for.
“Hey, what’s that?” Damen asked as she pulled back.
Scarlet freaked for a second and thought the videocam might have magnified the tiny blemish on her chin. Another very un-Scarlet moment, she thought to herself.
“What’s what?”
“The music,” Damen clarified.
“Oh, that. It’s just from a sampler someone gave me,” Scarlet said, having forgotten the tunes she’d left blaring in the background.
“Who gave it to you?” he asked pointedly.
He sounded a little jealous, even though he was not the jealous type. Music was a very personal thing between them, and she always shared everything new she had with him. From his tone, she thought he was a little perturbed that she’d forgotten to mention it but had obviously thought enough of it to leave it playing during their chat. She liked that he cared.
“Some guy,” Scarlet said casually. “It was a tape, if you can believe it.”
“Is it any good?” Damen probed, already thinking it was, based on what he could hear through the tiny speakers on his computer.
“I haven’t really listened yet,” Scarlet said casually. “I have to digitize it. Right now, I’m playing it on an old Hello Kitty tape deck I found in the attic.”
“The attic?” Damen chided. “You went to a lot of trouble.”
If she were being honest, she kind of did. She was dying to hear it, even though she wasn’t sure why.
“I knew where it was,” Scarlet said a little defensively.
“Well, what else have you been listening to lately?” Damen asked.
“Nothing special,” Scarlet said. “I’ve just been streaming stuff online, mostly.”
“What about your
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