Page 34 of Dark Rebel's Mystery

The silence was suffocating, and Max missed Anandur and his quirky, sometimes offensive humor, regretting that he had to stay behind. Now, he was stuck with Brundar, doing his usual impersonation of a statue in the seat beside him.

Max cast him a sidelong glance. "You have to admit that rides are more entertaining with your brother around."

Brundar's eyes flicked to him briefly before returning to his vigilant watch of the side mirror. The stoic Guardian's silence and impassive expression were dismissive.

Sighing, Max reached for the radio. A familiar melody filled the car, one of those classic songs that everyone seemed to know. Without thinking, he started singing along, falling easily into the rhythm.

Then Jasmine joined in, harmonizing perfectly. Their voices blended and soared, filling the car with a sound that made even Brundar's stern expression soften slightly.

When the song ended, Ell-rom applauded. "That was incredible!"

Another familiar tune started, and Max caught Jasmine's eye in the rearview mirror. She grinned, and they launched into it together. They were both trained singers, so harmonizing was as easy as breathing, and soon, the tension was gone from the car.

Max couldn't remember the last time he'd enjoyed singing with someone. For decades, he'd only been singing in the shower, and not very often at that.

Finally, a song neither of them knew the words to came on, breaking up their impromptu concert. The silence that followed felt different than before, warmer, more companionable.

Max took a deep breath. The moment felt right for the apology he still wasn't sure how to phrase. He hadn't been offensive to Jasmine on the cruise, he'd just projected animosity. How was he supposed to apologize for that?

"I owe you an explanation," he said, meeting Jasmine's eyes in the mirror. "I should have been much nicer to you on the cruise, and I want to assure you that the reason I was standoffish had nothing to do with you and everything to do with my own issues. You just look a lot like someone who caused me a lot of pain a long time ago, but mostly, you remind me of my own weakness and stupidity."

That hadn't come out right, but he didn't know how to say it better.

"I know the story," Jasmine said. "Or part of it anyway. Were you in love with her? The woman I remind you of?"

Max chuckled humorlessly. "Love would have at least partially justified my behavior, but I wasn't in love with Fenella. She was gorgeous and sexy as sin, and I just had to have her." He gripped the steering wheel tighter. "Din, my best friend, was taking things slow with her, but I thought that he was just being timid. I had no idea he was actually in love with her, and I thought nothing of seducing her. Looking back, I realize that she played us both, enjoying the power she had over the two of us. I tried to explain myself to Din and help him see that she hadn't felt anything for either of us, but he refused to listen."

"What happened to the girl?" Jasmine asked.

Max shrugged. "I don't know. She's probably a grandmother now, if she's still alive. I stayed away from her after I realized how hurt Din was, but I went to the pub she worked in a year or so later, and the barman told me that she went on a self-discovery backpacking trip to India. You are probably too young to know that, but it was a thing in the seventies."

Jasmine smiled apologetically. "You are right. I didn't know that it was such a popular destination for the hippie generation. So, what did you do? Just avoid brunettes ever since?"

"Gorgeous, curvy brunettes are my kryptonite," he admitted. "I learned I couldn't trust myself around them, so I kept my distance. It was easier than facing my own weakness."

"I see." Jasmine smiled at him through the rearview mirror. "I guess I should feel flattered by your animosity."

"There's something to that. If you were ugly, I wouldn't have tried so hard to avoid you."

She laughed. "So, it is my fault after all?"

He was making a mess of this apology thing. "I didn't mean it like that."

"I know," Jasmine said. "I'm just messing with you. Anyway, you've made up for it with that harmony of 'Sweet Dreams.' It was pretty amazing."

"It was," Max agreed. "You have serious pipes."

She waved a dismissive hand. "You've heard nothing yet. You should join me next time I perform in the village. Do you know 'The Phantom of the Opera'? I love that duet, and singing it with someone who can actually hit those notes would be a real treat."

Instead of answering, he started singing the part of the phantom.

For the next hour, they cycled through various musical theater numbers, their voices blending and separating in complex harmonies, and even Brundar seemed to enjoy the performance, his foot occasionally tapping to the rhythm.

It wasn't until they turned onto the gravel road leading to the hunting cabin that reality intruded again. The music faded, replaced by the crunch of tires on loose stone and the weight of the revelations awaiting them inside.

22

JASMINE

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