Page 28 of Night and Day
“Minimum by Charlie Cunningham.”
Mia nodded, looking like she was mentally filing it away. “Can I hear it again?” she asked, pointing at the bag Izzy had stuffed between the seats.
“Yeah, sure.” Izzy’s heart fluttered at the thought, and he yanked the bag free and offered it to her.
Mia found the headphones and his phone, and he helped her unlock the screen and open Spotify. “Yeah, I see it here. What are these others? Can I listen to the whole playlist?” She flashed her an apologetic smile. “I mean, we can talk, but I’m quite tired and that song was amazing—”
“No, go ahead! Enjoy.”
Feeling like he’d won the lottery, Izzy watched her push play and close her eyes, her head lolling against the headrest. She adored the song. He could see the pleasure and joy written on her delicate face, her lips soundlessly mouthing the words.
Izzy drove home, occasionally glancing at the phone in Mia’s lap to see which song was playing. From her reactions, he could tell she loved each song as much as he did.
“Okay, we’re here,” he said softly after parking the car in his driveway, reluctant to break the spell.
Mia didn’t hear him, so he touched her arm and she opened her eyes, her body straightening up. “Sorry. I was somewhere else. These songs... I’ve never heard of these bands. Where did you find them?”
“I just... search. I love finding new artists.”
“I always thought, if you’re not one of the big names, nobody will ever find you. Other than maybe your friends and family. Would these guys make enough money to live off their music?”
“They’re not mainstream, but the good ones have a following. I love the democracy of indie music. Anyone can have a go.”
“Me too!” Mia sighed, and her brow wrinkled. She handed the headphones and phone back to Izzy, grabbed her shopping bag and climbed out of the car.
The house was dark and quiet. Deke must have retreated into his bedroom. Mia found her guitar in the kitchen and brought it down to the basement with her shopping. Seeing her standing in the middle of the floor, holding all of her current possessions in one hand, rubbing her bleary eyes with the other, a surge of compassion coursed through Izzy.
“Take the bed. I’ll sleep on the couch,” he said, opening the bedroom door.
“Are you sure? I’m fine on the couch, if you have a sheet to throw over it and maybe a blanket... and a pillow. Any kind.” She smiled apologetically for adding to the list.
Izzy shook his head. “No. I’d feel so terrible I wouldn’t be able to sleep. You don’t want that, do you?”
Mia stared back, her mouth hanging open, as Izzy strolled into his bedroom and ripped the sheets off his bed. He’d take the old ones and use them on the couch himself. They probably had a week’s worth of life left in them. Thank goodness he’d done laundry not too long ago, and had a change of sheets for her.
Mia jumped in to help him pull the clean fitted sheet onto his double bed – a modest size he’d chosen on account of low expectations. Why waste valuable square footage on an extra-wide bed, just to keep half of it permanently empty and cold? Floor space depressed him far less.
“This is just like the fake dating thing,” Mia said, a burst of giggles escaping her. “The one bed trope, you know?”
“One bed what?” Izzy paused, holding a pillow case.
“Never mind, it’s silly. I’ve read too many romance novels, back when I still had time to read.”
“Ah.” Izzy blinked at her, not sure what to say. “Sorry, I haven’t read that many.”
He glanced through the bedroom doorway at his bookshelf, trying to think of something that qualified as romance. “So, what is this one bed thing is? Is it about who gets to sleep in the bed or something?”
“It’s when there’s only one bed and they have to share... and, you know.” She focused her energy on turning the duvet cover in her hands. “This doesn’t have the holes?”
“Holes?” Izzy stepped closer to see what she was looking at. “There’s a hole at the bottom where the duvet goes in.” He lifted the hem to show her.
“No, I mean the small holes in the corners where you can stick your hands through and find the corners of the duvet.”
“That’s a brilliant idea! It would be so much easier to position the duvet inside...”
“It’s not a new idea. Every duvet cover has holes ... in Finland. Well, until today, I thought every duvet cover in the world had those holes.”
Izzy shook his head. “Some inventions take their time getting down here. In fifty years, I’m sure we’ll get some holes in our sheets, one way or another.”
