Rehearsal starts sharp at nine.
Zane arrives at 9:04.
Progress.
Laura doesn't comment.
Axel starts the progression.
Zane joins in smoothly, adjusting tempo slightly—just enough to feel it.
Laura stops.
"That's too fast."
"It breathes better," Zane replies casually.
"It rushes."
"It moves."
She turns on the piano bench.
"We don't rush through structure."
"And you don't trap music inside it."
The room shifts.
I stop typing.
Axel's hand stills on the guitar strings.
Laura's voice remains level. "Structure gives freedom."
Zane leans back. "Structure kills spontaneity."
"It prevents collapse."
"It prevents risk."
Silence.
They're not yelling.
They're not even raising their voices.
But it's a duel.
Axel looks between them carefully.
I shrink slightly behind my laptop.
Then Zane says it.
"You have to feel the music."
My head lifts before I can stop it.
Laura pauses.
Just barely.
Axel notices.
I see it in the way his gaze sharpens at her reaction.
Zane glances at me.
And winks.
Subtle.
Infuriating.
My face burns instantly and I look back down at my screen like it personally offended me.
Laura resumes playing.
Perfectly.
Exactly.
Impeccably.
Zane sings over it, deliberately looser.
Pushing phrasing.
Dragging slightly behind the beat.
Laura adjusts to pull him back in.
It becomes a tug-of-war.
Axel starts mediating through arrangement, softening edges.
I type timestamps I don't even need.
The rehearsal ends tense but controlled.
Laura closes the piano lid gently.
"We'll refine tomorrow."
Axel packs his guitar.
"You coming?" he asks me.
"Yeah," I say, gathering my things.
We leave.
Or at least—
I leave.
Because I forgot my charger.
—
When I step back inside the studio, I don't announce myself.
I don't need to.
Laura is at the piano again.
Alone.
Except she's not.
Zane stands nearby.
He must have come back for something.
"I'm not criticizing you," he says quietly.
"You are," Laura replies without looking at him.
"You're brilliant."
She stops playing.
"That isn't the point."
He walks closer.
"Play it wrong."
Laura turns her head slowly.
"Excuse me?"
"Miss a key."
"I don't miss keys."
"Exactly."
She stares at him.
"You're asking me to sabotage a piece."
"I'm asking you to loosen it."
"I don't loosen."
He smiles faintly.
"That's the problem."
She inhales slowly.
Axel isn't here.
Theo isn't here.
No audience.
Just him.
"Fine," she says quietly.
She plays.
Perfect.
Perfect.
Perfect—
And then—
One key slightly sharp.
It's barely noticeable.
But I see it.
I feel it.
Laura's shoulders tense like she's been physically struck.
Zane laughs softly. "See?"
She stops playing immediately.
"That was unpleasant."
"It was human."
She looks at the keys like they betrayed her.
He steps back slightly.
"You're allowed to breathe."
He grabs his jacket.
"I'll see you tomorrow."
He leaves.
Laura remains seated.
Still.
Thinking.
And for a brief second—
Her expression shifts.
Not anger.
Not frustration.
Curiosity.
"Oh?"
That's when I accidentally shift my weight.
The floorboard creaks.
Laura looks toward the doorway.
I freeze.
"Sunny?"
I step in quickly. "Sorry—forgot my charger."
She studies me carefully.
"Did you hear—"
"No," I say too quickly.
She nods once.
Doesn't push.
I grab my charger and leave.
Outside, the air feels different.
I take a breath—
"Eavesdropping?"
I jump.
Zane is leaning against the building.
He knew.
Of course he knew.
"I wasn't eavesdropping."
"You were standing very still."
My heart starts acting stupid again.
"I forgot something."
He studies me.
Not teasing.
Observant.
"Any plans tonight?"
The question hits unexpectedly.
"I— I was going home."
He tilts his head.
"I'm meeting friends."
Friends.
Here?
He has friends here?
Of course he does.
He's Zane Calder.
"Come," he says casually. "You shouldn't spend your evenings hiding behind timelines."
I should say no.
I should go home.
I should think.
But instead—
"Okay."
He smiles slightly.
"Cool."
We start walking.
Side by side.
Too aware of the space between us.
Inside the studio, Laura steps toward the window.
And pauses.
Because she sees us.
Walking out together.
Not accidental.
Not professional.
Together.
Her expression doesn't harden.
It narrows.
Thoughtful.
—
Outside, Zane glances at me.
"You sing like you're scared someone will take it away."
I blink.
"I don't."
"You do."
I look away quickly.
"And you edit like you're scared someone won't need you," he adds lightly.
My chest tightens.
"That's not—"
He shrugs.
"Relax, sunshine."
My heart drops.
Then races.
"And don't worry," he adds with a faint grin. "I don't plan on taking anything away."
And somehow—
That's more unsettling than if he did.