Riffs in Time

I made a conscious effort to lower my interactions with Gerard after that. If my presence pissed him off, then fine—I'd make myself invisible. I hung out with Frank, Mikey, and Ray more, hoping it would be enough to ease whatever tension had built between me and Gerard.

Gerard was more aloof than usual. More brooding. He had his headphones on 24/7, music acting as a barrier between him and the rest of the world. Though he talked, he only talked to the band about the album. He'd sit in the corner of the bus, sketchbook open but barely drawing. He wasn't outright ignoring me, but he wasn't acknowledging me either. The few times we were in the same space, he kept it short, distant, and polite—like I was just some passing acquaintance. I guess I am one.

To my surprise, the guys welcomed me in without hesitation. One night, while waiting for soundcheck, we ended up in the back of the bus with an old PlayStation Mikey had brought along. "Alright, Yana," he said, tossing me a controller. "You up for some Tekken?"

I raised a brow. "You sure you wanna lose?"

Frank cackled. "Oh, she talks big. I like that."

"Big talk, big game," I shot back, smirking.

Ray leaned in. "You can't sing your way out of this one."

"Wait, wait, wait," Frank interrupted, eyes lighting up. "You sing? Like actually sing?"

I hesitated. "Yeah, I mean, I front a local band. Nothing serious."

Mikey's eyes gleamed behind his glasses. "Why didn't you say anything? We gotta hear this."

I laughed, shaking my head. "I don't think so."

"Oh, c'mon," Ray grinned. "We can jam some time. Show us what those pipes are made of."

The idea was both thrilling and terrifying. But eventually, they wore me down, and we had an impromptu jam session in the back lounge. I grabbed an acoustic guitar, playing along as we sang through a few of their older songs. For the first time in days, I felt lighter. Like I belonged.

Later, while Frank and I sat outside the venue, sharing a pack of Sour Patch Kids, I hesitated before speaking. "So, uh... can I share something with you? It's been eating at me."

Frank nodded, popping another candy into his mouth. "Shoot."

I took a breath. "You kinda guessed before... about me and Gerard."

Frank's smirk was instant. "I did, didn't I?"

I groaned. "Listen, I just want to make something clear. Yeah, okay, I'm attracted to him. But it doesn't matter."

Frank studied me, chewing thoughtfully. "Doesn't matter, huh?"

"Nope." I crossed my arms. "My priority is getting back to my time. That's it. Whatever I feel doesn't change that."

Frank watched me for a beat before shrugging. "Fair enough."

I exhaled. "So, yeah. No need to make a thing out of it."

Frank smirked, nudging me with his elbow. "Your secret's safe with me. And honestly? I'm relieved."

I frowned. "Relieved?"

Frank snorted. "Just be glad he's bad at picking up signals."

I blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He shot me a knowing look. "Yana, if he was even remotely self-aware, we'd be having a whole different conversation right now."

That sent a jolt through me. I opened my mouth, but Frank just shook his head.