Music Lines Novels & Stories

After a second, I said quietly, “Do what you think is right.” The words sounded distant, like they belonged to someone else. Damian exhaled through his nose, a slow, heavy sigh. He reached forward and picked up the phone. “Hey,” he said, softer than usual. I turned my attention back to the TV, even though the game had paused, the characters frozen mid-motion. I focused on the glow, on the pixelated landscape that suddenly felt stupid and flat and completely unimportant. I could hear Marianne’s voice faintly through the speaker, too muffled to catch words, but bright, familiar. The sound of someone assuming they were welcome.