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The cabin was our escape, the one place where the outside world didn’t exist. But now, we are back in the chaos, and I have to keep my head in the game.
A hand claps down on my shoulder, yanking me from my thoughts.
“You good?” Cass asks, his voice barely audible over the crowd.
I nod, rolling out the tension in my neck. “Yeah.”
He gives me a knowing look but doesn’t press. Instead, he lifts his mic, signaling to the crew.
The lights explode to life.
The crowd erupts.
And we launch into the first song.
The performance is electric.
The music pulses through my veins, syncing with the rhythm of my heartbeat. The crowd is alive, their energy feeding into ours, making every note sharper, every beat heavier.
I fall into the music, my fingers flying over the keys as Cass’s voice booms through the speakers, raw and powerful. The band moves together like a well-oiled machine—Sam’s steady bassline grounding us, Nate’s drums pounding like a heartbeat, Vince’s guitar shredding through the air like lightning.
And through it all, I feel her. I know exactly whereshe is.
Just offstage, her presence burns through the haze of flashing lights and deafening sound.
When I steal a glance between songs, I spot her watching me with wide, mesmerized eyes.
The sight sends a jolt through me, a surge of something heady and addictive.
I want her here. I want to pull her into this moment, into the chaos and the rush and the sheer high of performing. I want to play just for her.
And maybe I do.
Because the next song—one of our slower, more intimate ballads—feels different as my hands move over the keys.
More personal. More hers. I pour everything I’m feeling into it, and I swear I can sense her smile.
After the encore, we barely make it backstage before the adrenaline catches up with us.
Vince is grinning like an idiot, already reaching for a beer. “Damn, that crowd was insane.”
Nate wipes sweat from his face, still catching his breath. “Yeah. That energy was next level.”
Cass claps me on the back. “You were on fire tonight, man.”
I nod, still buzzing. Still wired. But my eyes are already scanning the room, searching for the only person I care about seeing right now.
And then, there she is. Lila, standing just a few feet away, looking up at me with something I can’t quite name—pride, admiration, and something that makes my heart pound harder.
I cross the space between us before I even realize I’m moving.
“Well?” I ask, unable to hide my grin. “What’d you think?”
She just shakes her head like she’s still trying to process it all. Then, finally, she exhales a breathless laugh.
“That was... unbelievable.”
A rush of satisfaction rolls through me, followed quickly by something warmer, deeper.