"Suze is here."

Away flew his drumsticks, his head meeting the cymbals with a metallic clang. "What? Where?" Nino spat out in a panic.

"Behind you." Jill's low voice grazed his ear.

"Shut up," Nino growled.

He pushed Jill's face out of the way and bolted out of his stool. He started pacing around the square room, his long spine bent, eyes on the ground. If he focused enough on the task of finding his drumsticks, he could ignore the echoing sound of Suze's name in his ears.

Miki held up the thin strips of polished wood and waved them in the air for Nino to see. "It's true. Suze is here in Singapore."

Nino took one long stride towards Miki and swiped the sticks from his outstretched hand, marching back to his drum kit. He would be safe there. Once he starts pounding on the double bass, the echoing in his ears would stop, and maybe the imprint of Suze's face in his head would fade too.

Son's large hand clamped his shoulder as he passed him. "Facebook doesn't lie, my friend."

"He wouldn't have seen it. Suze unfriended him, remember?" Jill called from where she stood beside Miki, her pick tracing a long pitch on the strings of her seafoam green Les Paul.

The wail of Jill's guitar burned a hole in Nino's ear. He pounded once on the drums a beat before he reached his seat.

"Ready?" he snarled, fixing his glare on Kim.

Kim was standing at the head of their rented rehearsal studio, his Stratocaster hanging from his neck. They were two songs into practice, a few hours before the band played their first outing in this music festival.

Kim was in charge as usual, their de facto leader. His eyebrows flew to meet his hair at Nino's tone, but Nino held his ground. Kim would know about broken hearts and mood swings. He had been in that twilight zone for months, but it was Nino's turn today.

Kim turned his low gaze to each of his bandmates in turn, lifted one hand and gave the signal. "Let's go!"

Nino jumped on the drums and kept both eyes wide open, the better to hide from the images threatening to flash in his eyes.

***

The drumbeat was too fast. Kim and the rest of the band had been telling him so. But Nino didn't listen. They were right though.

Kim must have been fed up with bickering with Nino (not likely), or he was too psyched that the band snagged this slot in Singapore's Pink Rock music festival. Or maybe after being the jerk ex-boyfriend to Jill since he had broken up with her, Kim had finally decided to be a nicer guy to the Universe. Starting with Nino. Either way it was a bad call.

Nino was crouched over his drum set, sticks pounding the beat that was running away from him. His back held an awkward angle, sweat pouring down his face, his neck, but he pounded away with conviction. Because when you make mistakes, you own up to them. That was the rule.

"Shoot me up!/ Catch me when I'm down/ I'll be waiting for you baby/ Let me make it with you."

Kim's whole, raspy voice reverberated in Nino's ears. He knew the crowd in front of them was swelling, jumping as one on the grounds of Gardens by the Bay. Spotlights from the stage danced on their faces, red and white beams. The screen behind them announced their name in lights: TRAINMAN.

If he looked far enough, Nino could see the rolling green hills that housed the venue. But Kim was singing the words Nino had written for Suze. So Nino pressed his eyes shut, stood from his throne, and attacked the drums will all his might.

Even with the noise andfeedback enveloping him, Nino still heard Son shout an oath and mutter besidehim. "Nino. Behind you. Suze is here."