Trixy's pov
As we waited backstage, the echo of Silent Strings' last note still hung in the air. All there, encircling us like a thick curtain we had to pull apart before we entered our own spotlight were the lights, the cheers, and the fading buzz.
But my thoughts were not in the present. Not exactly.
I kept pondering him.
Zyron.
Erlyn murmured next to me, wonder still permeating her tone, "Didn't expect Zyron to be that good at singing and guitar. "
Slowly, I nodded. "Yeah, he's always had a natural talent for it. He was already in one even before I started playing in the band.
Flashback: Days of High School
Our favorite location was under the historic mango tree in the university garden. Like a canopy, the branches above us shielded us from all that was outside. The wind moving across the leaves calmed the summer heat, and Zyrons guitar strings filled the silence between us.
Zyron sat next to me silently, his fingers playing soft chords while I rested my head against the bark and peered up at bits of sky through the green.
"Hey," I teasingly pushed him, "My best friends becoming famous. "
He laughed a little, but it wasnt in his eyes. His chuckle sounded empty, like a far-off echo.
I gently inquired, "Zay. . . what's wrong? " observing the barely noticeable tightening of his jaw.
He confessed without glancing at me, "I am considering quitting the band. "
My body straightened up. My heart jolted. "What? Why? Youre finally being recognized. Youre growing! "
He turned to face me, eyes grave and uncharacteristically somber. "Its not my dream, Trix. Not quite. It never was. "
"But you are so good at it," I whispered. My chest felt sore.
He reached out and took my hand in his, his grin gentle and fatigued. "Just because I can doesnt imply I want to. This is your dream, though. You have been yours long before we ever set foot on stage. I am hoping you reach it. I aspire for you to sparkle.
"Still. . . it seems like you're giving up, which feels wrong. "
"Its not giving up if I know its not where I belong. " His voice was soft, consistent. "But you? You do belong. And I am here always to help you. Though Im not on the platform. Though I'm only clapping from the audience.
That day his hug felt like a silent vow between two hearts too scared to say more. Warm and anchoring, it felt like a farewell to a version of him he no longer wished to be in the silence.
I blinked away the image backstage once more. The fragrance of stage paint and dust pulled me back to the current.
Sydnee inquired, frowning as she fiddled with her guitar strap, "Why did Zyron quit Silent Strings anyway? "
Phoebe retorted, tuning her bass, "He said it was personal. "
"Yeah, but what kind of personal? Sydnee pressed, her eyes flaring with curiosity.
I pondered before responding. He once told me. . . that the limelight simply wasn't for him. The anticipated results. It seemed inappropriate.
Sydnee faced me with a flirtatious glimmer in her eyes. "I saw how he looked at you singing earlier. "
I froze. "What? &;"
Her elbow prodded me. "Come on. That wasnt only a look. That was a look. He was almost speaking without words. "
I laughed awkwardly and tried to dismiss it. "You're reading too much into it."
No, I am not. His eyes never left you the whole time.
I thought, perhaps he was only anxious, and turned from her.
Sydnee regarded me knowingly. "Trix, confess it. He likes you."
I chuckled softly. "Just because he looked at me during a song doesnt mean he likes me."
That was not only a style. That was a Zyron appearance. And please not act as though you felt nothing.
Her words sent a treasonous tiny leap in my heart. I detested her potential to be correct.
I replied, this time more certain, "We're best friends, nothing more. That's how it always has been. "
Sydnee whispered, "And sometimes, that's where the deepest love starts. "
I kept mute.
"You're the only one he lets call him Zay, you know? " she continued, her voice lighter now.
"That's the name I've always used for him." We have known each other since we were youngsters.
Right on. Since you were young. Trix, things also change. People grow, and emotions get stronger.
I turned my gaze aside.
They should not be altered. If they did, we could lose everything.
The emcees voice rang out like a bell as he called our first performers, The Five Roses!
Showtime:
All of us stood. My palms were frigid, my heart pounding as we neared the stage—not only for the audience, the lights, or the rivalry.
But what Sydnee said caused her. Due to Zyron's singing. His eyes look like that.
And in my case, the anxiety.
The massive curtain opened and the lights warmed my skin. Beyond the brightness, the crowd was a blur; yet, I knew he was there. His weight was like gravity to me.
I inhaled hard as Phoebe counted us in, moving the microphone stand.
The music began.
I sang.
But my ideas moved between memories and words constantly. Between suffering and pleasure. Between the youngster who once grabbed my hand beneath mango trees and the guy who only sang to me but looked like he was singing to an whole audience.
I have to say it scares me even now. Frightened to fall in love once more following what Jonas did to me. Terrified that if I allow my heart to open once more, it will just worsen from before.
And Zyron? He has served as my sanctuary. My unchanging reality. The one who knows my secrets, who listens when I go off on a tangent, who lets me weep on his shoulder when I struggle to breathe.
I still recall our childhood pledge, though. That we were always to be top friends. That love would not destroy what we already possessed. Our relationship will be unbreakable.
I tightened my grip on my microphone.
Knowing if I ever broke that promise and let myself fall for Zyron I would suffer greatly
Assuming things didn't go as planned.
We wouldnt only lose love.
Wed lose everything.
Perhaps I simply wasn't ready to risk it.
Even if a component of medeep down, silent and shaking already had.