Chris twirled one drumstick thoughtfully, watching Yashiro tuning his guitar.  This would be their first time rehearsing the new song Chris had written last week, "Shy," and, irrationally, he was a little nervous.  It wasn't the first song he'd written for the group, but...

    He looked over at Shermie, playing warm-up exercises on her keyboard, her long fingers dancing over the keys.  She hadn't commented much on the song, besides saying it was very sweet, so Chris had no idea if she had realized it was written about her.

    This is my move, he thought, remembering the chess game.  Shermie would be singing the song, but it was written from his heart.

    Yashiro played an experimental chord to test his tuning, then smiled as the notes rang in the correct pitch.  "All right then, are we all ready?"

    The other two nodded, so Yashiro tapped his foot for the beat, and they started playing.  There were many pauses as they edited the music as they went.  Would these chords sound better than what was originally written, and maybe the dynamics here should be more moderate, and how about a key change  here for effect?

    These little sessions were perhaps Chris' favorite part of being in a band.  Performing brought a rush, and that was fun, but this wasn't just playing music, it was creating, and something about that process brought him a deep satisfaction.  He knew he wasn't being immodest when he classified their band as keen musicians, because they really were.  Yashiro had been mentioned in a few guitar magazines as an up-and-comer; Shermie could play anything on a keyboard, and a few other instruments besides.  Chris was no slouch on the drums, either,  but no one ever noticed the drummer anyway.  All three of them could sing pretty well, and their harmonizing brought storms of applause.  There had been a lot of pressure on them to cut an album, but none of them really wanted to change the way they were living now: work or school during the weekdays, rehearsal on the weeknights and clubs on the weekends.  It was a good arrangement, and no one wanted to disrupt it.

    After an hour and a half, they had the music how they wanted it.  "Do we want to try the lyrics tonight, or should we just save it?" Shermie asked, waving her lyrics sheet.

    Yashiro looked at the clock.  "Hm...let's try it once and save the revising, eh?"  He looked at Chris.

    "That's fine with me, we did a lot of work today with just the music..."  The boy glanced at Shermie.

    "Oh, yeah, that's fine."  She smiled.  "Well, let's give it a try!"

    They started playing the music again, but this time Shermie sang the melody, making minor adjustments in pitch to match the changes they had made to the music.

            "If I sent my thoughts out,
            Would they reach you?
            Would you listen for them?
            I'm a little too shy to show you my heart,
            But would you ever try to see what's there?"

    Chris wondered, as he always did, if his Japanese phrasing made the same impression as the original thoughts he had tried to put into words.  He knew the language fairly well, but he worried that his use of the language in song was clumsy.  The English translation of the song sounded a bit stiff, but it was difficult to translate Japanese to a western language and keep the spirit of the words.

    "This is great, Chris," Yashiro said during the bridge.  "You wrote a keeper."

    That reassured the boy.  If the phrasing had been rough, Yashiro would have suggested corrections, but if he went as far as to call the song a keeper, it was certainly fine.

    They finished the run-through, Shermie humming a few notes quietly towards the end as she tried to find places for embellishment.  "Chris, you should write a harmony for this and join in, it would sound great," she said as they ended the last measure.

    Chris blushed.  "Well, I guess we could try that..."  It seemed that Shermie hadn't realized that the song was about her.  That came as a relief, but it was also sort of irritating, in a way.  It made the girl seem imperceptive, and Chris knew she wasn't.

    Or maybe she's just better at hiding her feelings than I am, he thought ruefully.

    "Chris?"  Shermie said in a tone that indicated she had been trying to get his attention for several moments.

    "Oh!  Sorry, just thinking of an arrangement..."

    "Okay...Well, do you think you can have it by tomorrow night, or do you need more time?"

    "No, I'll have it.  I just need to write it out."

    "Oh, all right."  Shermie stood and stretched her arms up over her head, groaning.  "I'm getting old before my time."

    Yashiro laughed and put his guitar down.  "You're younger than me, and you don't hear me complaining."  He rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck, making a loud cracking sound.

    Chris shuddered.  "Ugh!  Don't do that, Yashiro!"  He stood up and put his sticks away.  "Hmm...I'm hungry," he said under his breath.

    "I heard that!  What are you going to make?" Yashiro asked eagerly.

    The other two laughed.  "Oh, I don't know...it would take too long to really make anything.  Let's get a pizza?"  Chris' offer was more of a question than a statement.

    "Fine with me, as long as there's pepperoni on the damn thing," Yashiro grumbled.

    "Hey, don't be so hard on the pizza place--sometimes it's hard to hear orders over the phone."

    "Yeah, but come on, P-E-P-P-E-R-O-N-I, what could they mistake that for?"

    Shermie just laughed at both of them.  "Well, while you two are bonding, I'm gonna order the pizza, ok?"  She started up the steps out of the basement.

    "Bonding?" Chris and Yashiro said at the same time.

    The girl's laughter floated down the stairs.  "Whatever."  The door at the top of the stairs opened, then closed again.

    "Heh.  So," Yashiro said, turning to look at Chris, "that's an awfully interesting song."

    Chris couldn't keep a nervous blush from spreading across his cheeks.  "Well..."

    "I hate to tell you this, my boy, but you're really transparent, you know."

    The boy nodded miserably.  "I know, I know...But I can't help it!  It's like...like some kind of blindness, where all I can see is her..."

    Yashiro raised an eyebrow.  "I've never seen you like this."

    "I've never been like this!  I don't know what to do..."

    "Well, it happens to everyone sometime," the man said sympathetically.  "Do what you feel you should.  Don't think so hard about every move you make, or you'll just stand still, you know?"

    Chris nodded.  "That's true, but..." his voice dropped to a near-whisper.  "I don't want to make a wrong move, and ruin my chances altogether...!"

    "Shermie's not like that, you should know better.  You don't win her over like some girls.  She either likes you or she doesn't, end of story."

    "But I don't know which it is!"

    "You don't?" Yashiro laughed.  "You're as obvious as the sun, and she hasn't shooed you off yet.  I'd say she was, at the very least, interested."

    "R...really?"  The boy's eyes widened.

    "Yup.  So don't be so shy.  It's not like you're strangers or something--all three of us know just about everything about each other.  All this blushing and stammering you're doing is kind of silly, you know."

    Embarrassed, Chris put one hand behind his head and smiled sheepishly.  "I guess it is, isn't it?"  The two of them started walking towards the stairs.

    "Yeah.  Well, at least you have a chance with her."  Yashiro sighed gustily.  "She is picky.  Not to be offensive, but I wonder what she sees in you--I mean, what is it that she wants in a guy, anyway?"

    "I don't think we're supposed to know," the boy laughed.  "Women are supposed to be mysterious, but she's right up there with ghosts, UFOs and crop circles."

    Yashiro laughed too.  "Not quite in this world?"

    "Well...maybe that's going too far."  Chris smiled.  "But she's different, you know?  Every time you try to categorize her, you learn something new about her, and you find that you were wrong."

    They reached the top of the steps and walked out into the hallway towards the den.  "That's certainly true," Yashiro mused.  "Anyway, I wish you luck!"  He patted the boy on the back encouragingly.  "Just don't be shy."

    "Easy for you to say," Chris said as he flopped onto the couch.

    Yashiro shrugged and turned on the TV.
 
 

    Well, that was positively enlightening.  Shermie quietly slipped out of the water closet across from the door to the basement.  She had heard most of the conversation since the two had started up the steps. I knew it!  First that birthday present, and now this song...A mischievous little smile came to her lips.  What's wrong with me?  I'm not adverse to the idea...

    She silently climbed the steps up to the second floor, then came back down in her normal manner, to make the guys think she had been upstairs.  "I ordered the pizza, they said it should be about 20 minutes."

    "So much for a fast snack," Yashiro laughed.  "Now what, Chris?"

    "I can wait that long," the boy protested.

    "Yeah, but you could have cooked something in that time, too."

    "Nothing good."

    Shermie crossed the room and sat on the couch with Chris, seemingly unaware of the boy's proximity.  "Ugh, my back is killing me," she complained in the pause after Chris' retort.

    "What, is your desk at work not ergonomically correct?" Yashiro laughed.

    " 'Ergonomically correct'?"  The girl giggled.  "You really mangle the language, Yashiro.  But oh--!"  She stretched again, trying to relieve the tension in her lower back.  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chris trying not to stare, and she struggled to contain a laugh.

    The pizza came, and then they talked for a while about their upcoming gig on the weekend, trying to decide what songs to perform.  Besides writing their own music, they were well-known for covering the most unexpected songs, and still managing to infuse them with their own peculiar style.

    "Hmm...Why don't we try that arrangement we wrote for 'Kashmir'?" Yashiro mused.  "We've practiced it so many times before, how come we've never played it?"

    "That's an interesting question, now that I think about it."  Shermie pursed her lips in thought.  "Zeppelin, huh?  How do you think that would go over at the Belt?"  The Asteroid Belt was their usual club, and the place where they would be performing that Friday night.

    "Those people listen to anything," the man said with an airy wave of his hand.  "Audience is not a problem.  Besides, it's only one song in an hour set."

    "Yeah, but if we play that halfway through, they may decide to leave."

    "But we're pretty well-established there, Shermie," Chris spoke up.  "It's not like we really have anything to prove to them--most of them have seen us before.  We have to try new things sometime..." he smiled softly.

    "True...Well, fine.  I do love the song..."  The girl grinned, showing her dimples.  "Now, what else are we playing?"

    Yashiro looked sidelong at Chris before speaking.  "How about the new one?"

    "What?!"  The boy almost choked on his pizza.  "We just started practicing today, that only gives us three nights to learn it!"

    "It's really not a difficult song, hon," Shermie said, considering it.  "We'll play with the vocals a little more, and we might be able to do it!  But," she paused, "we should plan an alternate in case we can't get it together by Friday."

    "Of course," Yashiro agreed.  "What's the matter, Chris?  It's not like this is the first song you've written."

    "Well...I don't know.  It just seems too soon..."

    "No way.  It's a great song, it'll do fine, if we get it down by Friday."  Shermie laid an encouraging hand on his shoulder, smiling.  "Don't worry about it."

    Chris was obviously struggling not to blush.  Laughing softly, Shermie hugged him tightly for a moment, then hopped up off the couch, taking the empty pizza box out.  Once she was out of earshot, Yashiro let out the laughter he had been holding back.

    "She's playing games with you, man," he chuckled.  "Aren't you going to join in?"

    "Huh?"  The boy still looked bewildered from the hug.

    "If she wants to play games, you have to learn how to play, too, Chris," Yashiro said seriously.  "She's not going to let you cut straight to the chase.  You've gotta stop being so shy, and do a little flirting, y'know?  I think you'll see some definite...appreciation," he grinned.

    "Really?  But...I don't know, I've never really just gone out and flirted with a girl like that..."

    "Well, you should make a point of at least trying.  Hey," and here the man's voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, "you know how she's complaining about her back?  Next time she says something, offer to give her a massage."

    "What?!" Chris exclaimed, blushing furiously.

    "You don't have to be serious, you know.  Just say it.  If she says no, just act like you were playing around.  If she says yes, well..."

    "If she says yes, what am I going to do?"

    "Give her a massage!"

    "I can't do that!"

    "Why not?  Think of the opportunities!"

    "That's just...wrong, Yashiro," Chris said doubtfully.

    "Not really...think about it.  Given the *ahem* circumstances between you two, she might even welcome it.  If she says yes, you know she's expecting something.  If she says no, well, that's that, no harm done."

    "Well, maybe..."

    "For god's sake, Chris, you gotta do something, you know."

    "I know!  But I just...can't."  The boy sighed.  "I can try..."

    "Just try then.  Do something."
 
 

    Shermie paused on the threshold of the den, listening from behind the wall.  She wasn't normally an eavesdropper, but today was presenting unique possibilities.

    Yashiro's little plan was rather shocking, not because of what he suggested, but because that was exactly what she was trying to accomplish.  She knew Yashiro would never offer to do such a thing, but with enough prompting, Chris might.  How in the world had Yashiro figured her out?

    She waited for a break in the conversation, then slipped back into the room, collapsing onto the couch again.  "So, what are our other options for songs?"

    They fell into discussion again, finally hammering out a tentative playlist.  It was around eleven o'clock when Shermie rose and stretched languorously.  "Well, boys, I have to work in the morning, so I'd better get off to bed."  She put her hands to her lower back.  "Damn, though...I'm going to stiffen up overnight like a board."

    "You shouldn't go to bed like that," Chris said, a little hesitantly.  Shermie noted his voice was steady, however.  "How about a massage to send you off to sleep?"  His soft smile showed that he wasn't really expecting a positive answer, but he wanted to make the gesture anyway.

    "You know, that would be really great!" the girl said, acting surprised.  "Massages always make me sleepy anyway."

    Chris' eyebrows had shot up, but he quickly recovered.  "Um, okay...I guess you'll want to get ready for bed and all...I'll be in my room, just call me when you're ready, okay?"

    "Sure!  You're a lifesaver, hon!"  She flashed a sincerely grateful smile at him before drifting upstairs.

    "See how easy that was?" Yashiro laughed.  "You worry too much."

    "Well...I just hope I don't make any mistakes tonight..."

    "It isn't a show, it's a massage, Chris.  Lighten up, will you?  Just let everything roll along by itself.  Stop trying to control everything, you'll be a lot happier that way.  You don't plan a relationship, you fall into it."  The man stood up and stretched.  "Now, you'd better get going, you have an appointment to keep."  He grinned.

    "Yeah, I do..."  Chris climbed the steps and slipped into his room. Is this my next move, he thought as he leaned against the door, or is it Shermie's?