Page 14 of Begin Again

I laugh, moving toward the fridge. “You thought I was taking you out, didn’t you?”

She crosses her arms, eyeing me. “I mean… yeah? I thought you were just dropping off your groceries because you have poor time management skills.”

“Well,” I say, pulling out ingredients, “I have excellent time management skills, but I figured this would be better. More fun. Less pressure. Plus, I needed to see if you could hold your own in a kitchen.”

She scoffs. “I can cook just fine, thank you very much.”

I slide a cutting board toward her, along with a chef’s knife. “Good. Prove it.”

She shakes her head, muttering under her breath, but she steps up to the counter. I don’t miss the way she rolls up her sleeves like she’s ready to go to battle.

We fall into an easy rhythm—chopping, stirring, moving around each other like we’ve done this a hundred times before. The music keeps the energy light, and soon enough, we’re laughing between steps, trading playful nudges when one of us gets in the other’s way.

A familiar guitar riff hums through the speakers, and before the first verse even starts, I know exactly what song it is.

Assimilate by Umbra.

I glance at Selene, curious. Most people either recognize their big hits or don’t know them at all, but the way she perks up tells me she’s in the first category.

And then she starts singing.

Not just singing—she’s harmonizing.

Perfectly.

She does it effortlessly, her voice slipping into the background vocals like she was meant to be there. Not a single hesitation. No stumbling over the words. Just pure, instinctual rhythm, blending with the track like she’d rehearsed it a hundred times before. Her voice blends perfectly with Ara’s.

My hands still. The knife I was using rests against the cutting board as I turn to look at her.

She doesn’t notice at first, too caught up in the music. Her body moves slightly with the beat, fingers drumming absently against the counter, completely in sync with the song.

It’s not just impressive—it’s intimidatingly good.

Selene must feel my stare because she suddenly stops mid-line and looks up, brows drawing together. “What?”

I blink. “What the hell was that?”

She shifts, suddenly looking a little self-conscious. “Singing?”

“No, that was not justsinging.” I point at her. “You were doing the harmonies.”

She shrugs like it’s nothing. “Yeah?”

I stare at her. “Nobody justknowsthe harmonies. That’s not casual fan behavior.”

She tilts her head slightly, eyes glinting with a look I can’t quite read—amusement, maybe, or a challenge. “I mean… I guess you could say I’m familiar with the band.”

I narrow my eyes, no one knows the members of the band. “How familiar?”

Selene sighs, finally setting down her knife and leaning a hip against the counter.“I’m their graphic designer. So I listen to their music as I create designs for them.”

For a second, I don’t process what she just said.

Then I blink. “You’re telling me you design for Umbra?”

She nods. “Album covers, promo stuff, tour graphics—you know, the visuals that go with the music.”

I let out a short laugh, shaking my head. “You’ve been sitting on that this whole time?”