THE FREQUENCY BETWEEN US

CHAPTER TWO - CLOSE MIC

Marisol arrived at the second session carrying coffee and a list.

Dez looked at the paper. "What's that?", "Rules", "We already have rules", "These are additional rules"

He took the page. At the top, she had written:

NO ROMANTIC INVOLVEMENT DURING RECORDING.

He looked at her. "That's specific", "I'm a professional", "You keep saying that", "Because you keep forgetting."

He continued reading.

"No touching without asking", "Correct"

"No personal conversations during active recording","Reasonable"

"No kissing", His eyes lifted.Marisol's face warmed."I thought we were getting distracted", "I wasn't"

"You almost stopped breathing yesterday", "I was concentrating", "On my hand?"

He smiled."Maybe"

She took the paper from him."Just follow the rules". "Yes, ma'am"

She hated that the phrase made her smile.

The second session required them to lie side by side.

The application was supposed to simulate the feeling of sharing a bed with someone safe.

No romance.No s****l implication, Just proximity.

At least that was the intention.

Marisol lay on her side, Dez settled beside her.

A microphone hung above them.

"Ready?" he asked."Yes",

He pressed the button, silence was everywhere

Marisol could hear his breathing.She could also feel the warmth of his body.

It was ridiculous how aware she had become of him.

She had spent years working with touch.

She could distinguish nervous touch from affectionate touch. Professional touch from desperate touch.

But Dez wasn't touching her.That was the problem.His hand rested between them on the mattress.

Only a few inches away.She could see his fingers.Long.Steady.

She wondered what they would feel like against her skin.

She immediately pushed the thought away.

Professional. "You're distracted," he whispered. Her eyes opened.

"So are you"

"I didn't say I wasn't."She stared at him.He was already looking at her.For a moment, the microphones didn't matter.

The studio disappeared.There was only a small distance between their faces.

Then Dez looked away.

"Again," he said.They recorded for another twenty minutes.

Afterward, they went for coffee.

That was the first mistake neither of them acknowledged.It wasn't part of the job.

They sat outside a small café while rain gathered along the pavement.

"You were a nurse," Dez said. Marisol nodded.

"ICU"

"What happened?" ,"Life."

He waited.She smiled.

"That's the short version","I can handle the long version"

She looked at him."I don't know if I want to give it."

He nodded. "Fair". She appreciated that.

"You?". "Musician at first. Engineer later"

"What happened?", "My hearing"

She looked at his left ear. "How bad?"

"Enough to change things but not enough to stop memes”. He tapped his ear lightly.

"When I was younger, I thought losing some hearing meant losing music. Eventually I realized I just had to learn how to hear differently"

Marisol smiled."That sounds like something you'd put on a motivational poster"

"I'd hate that”, She laughed. Their conversations became easier after that.

They talked about bad dates, bad music, family and even food.

The strange loneliness of being surrounded by people while still feeling unseen.

Dez's ex-wife came up."She said I was emotionally absent", "Was she right?"

He considered it."Sometimes", "Why?"

"I was always listening for problems. Never listening for people."

Marisol looked at him."And now?, "Now I'm trying."

The answer was quiet.

Honest but her chest tightened.They returned to the studio.The afternoon light had faded.

Marisol stood near the equipment while Dez adjusted a microphone.

He looked at her."What?", "You have something on your cheek."She touched it.

"Where?", He stepped closer."Here."

His fingers lifted.He stopped before touching her.

"Can I?"She nodded.His thumb brushed her cheek.The touch was almost nothing.Yet Marisol felt it everywhere. Dez's hand dropped.

Neither of them spoke.Then he leaned closer and slowly.Giving her every chance to move.

She didn't.Their faces were inches apart.

His eyes dropped to her mouth.Marisol's heart beat harder.Then he stopped.

She opened her eyes."Why did you stop?"

His voice was low. "Because if I kiss you, tomorrow doesn't feel like work anymore"

She swallowed. "Maybe tomorrow isn't work."He looked at her.Then stepped back."That's exactly what scares me."

He walked toward the console.Marisol stood there, annoyed at herself for wanting him to turn around.

He didn't. Later, Dez sat alone at his desk.

An email arrived; EXPANDED RIGHTS PROPOSAL — MARISOL VANCE AUDIO ASSET

He opened it.The investors wanted everything.Her voice, breathing, laughter and even her recordings.

Permanent commercial rights.Dez stared at the document.He knew what Marisol would say.

He also knew the collective needed money.He closed the email. Not yet.He would find another way.

At least, that was what he told himself.