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exams.”
    Eva checked the website of Hollow Fellows like she did every day. They were still in Neustadt apparently. Sebastian didn’t update the site, their manager did, and the latest entry was two days ago—an update on their interview schedule and new photos from a recent photo shoot. Eva kept her eye out for him when her mother sent her to the bakery for buns in the morning, but she suspected he slept in late.
    She went back to the Blue Note on the next open mic night. Sebastian never seemed to be there anymore. Eva suspected he was too famous to show up at that venue now. She signed up to sing again.
    And again she shook her head no. She refused the next two times as well, and she knew it was becoming a bit of a running joke with the regulars. But she didn’t care. She’d shown up. She’d celebrate that small victory.
    Maybe if she invited Annette to come along with her, it’d give her a sense of accountability. She’d be there to push her to perform. It was the very reason she hadn’t told her friend and invited her before, but Eva knew that if she wanted to make it to the next step in her personal journey, this was something she had to face and conquer.
    Annette was more than happy to attend with Eva. She gripped Eva’s hand as they sat at a small table together.
    “I can’t believe you’ve been coming here all this time. Alone!”
    “I’ve never played. I always chicken out at the last minute.”
    “But you came, and that’s something. And tonight you will play.”
    Eva’s heart thrummed in her chest. Her breaths were short and tight and she hoped she wouldn’t hyperventilate.
    Annette ordered them each a beer. “I think you need this, Eva. You don’t want to dehydrate, and it’ll help calm your nerves.”
    Eva sipped her beer and concentrated on breathing. In. Out. Herr Leduc sighed before calling her name, his gentle eyes landing on her once again.
    “Go, Eva,” Annette said, pushing gently on her back. “You’re going to do great!”
    Eva stood and Herr Leduc smiled. He gave her an encouraging wave and somehow Eva managed to limp through the crowded, dimly lit room, guitar and cane in hand, without tripping.
    The stage lights blinded her and she was glad she couldn’t really see anyone. She rested her cane against a stool, strapped on her guitar and stood in front of the mic. The crowd quieted, and she sensed the people’s anxiety. Would they feel embarrassed for her? She hoped not.
    She closed her eyes and took a breath. She could do this.

 
     
     
     
     

     
     
    “Sebastian, wait!” Yvonne’s tinny voice called out to him, and he heard the clopping of her shoes in quick succession as she ran after him on the sidewalk. He didn’t stop or turn to look at her. She made him sick.
    Sebastian rubbed a hand roughly across his face. His head throbbed as if he were the one who’d been hit. The pain shooting up his arm testified that Karl had indeed been the recipient of the punch.
    He struggled to process the information he’d gained in the last two minutes. His girlfriend was cheating on him with his best friend. How incredibly cliché!
    Yvonne grabbed his arm, and he tugged it back sharply, eying her with a blistering glare of disbelief and disgust. “You and Karl?”
    “It’s not what it looks like.”
    “What was it then? That wasn’t a kiss between friends. You said you were too tired to be with me. Clearly, you lied.”
    “I’m sorry, Basti.”
    Sebastian stopped to consider her. Tears ran down her face, and he struggled to remember if he’d ever seen her cry in the six years they’d been together.
    “Why?” he asked simply.
    “I don’t know. It was stupid. I was feeling bored, and I was angry that you put your career before us. You’re gone all the time.”
    “Karl is gone as much as I am.” Was she acting out to get back at him?
    “I know. I said I’m sorry. Please, Basti.” Yvonne clasped his hand and Sebastian stared at it for a moment before pulling it