Anja thought Faris played too many chords. Faris thought Anja sang every song as though it were the world's last. In their amateur band, these remarks had become part of warming up. The others adjusted cables while the two repeated the same argument with minor variations. When the band was invited to open a small reading room, only Anja and Faris were available. They had to perform as a duet or decline.
They accepted because a friend ran the reading room. The first rehearsal lasted twenty minutes before becoming a discussion of who needed to slow down. Faris lowered his guitar and said that without the band he sounded as though he always accompanied her, never played with her. Anja paused. She hadn't known he felt that way. She thought he liked filling every space, just as she liked sustaining a note while breath remained.
They tried differently. He sang one verse, she another, without their usual embellishments. Faris's voice was quiet and slightly rough. Anja had barely heard it alone before. She liked it enough to forget her prepared comment. Afterwards, he said her refrain was lovely when she didn't hurry it. It didn't sound like criticism. Suddenly, the sound had room for both.
After rehearsal, they stayed in the empty room. Anja asked why he never suggested coffee, although he spent half an hour beside her coat after every performance. Faris blushed and said he hadn't wanted to spoil the band. "We could spoil one coffee first," she replied. He laughed while searching for his jacket. At a nearby café, they discussed everything except music, at least for the first ten minutes, a major achievement for them.
At the opening, power to the small speaker failed. The audience moved closer, and the pair performed without amplification. Anja heard Faris breathe before every verse. He saw her smile change when she knew the song was going well. After applause, they didn't kiss before everyone. They packed their equipment and went to a nearby bridge, where he finally stopped asking whether she needed help with her bag.
Their relationship didn't end musical arguments. Sometimes they returned angry from rehearsal and ate silently before talking. The band teased that they had become even more demanding. Anja said she at least now knew when Faris was playing and when defending himself. He answered with a deliberately over-loud chord. She laughed, waited for it to fade, and sang so that he could remain beside her.