"Whoa." Pia’s voice cut through the clatter.
Zephany blinked and looked up.
Pia was standing next to her desk, hands on her hips, wearing her usual oversized jacket over her pencil skirt. Her hair was still damp from the morning shower. "Did you get into a bar fight or did you just ti-travel to Monday morning without caffeine?"
Zephany tried to smile. Failed.
Pia’s expression dropped imdiately. "Wait, are you alright?"
Zephany opened her mouth. Closed it. Then sighed.
"I don’t know," she said quietly.
That took Pia aback. "Okay, hold on." She dragged the guest chair from the next cubicle and plopped herself down. "What happened? Spill."
Zephany hesitated. Her fingers curled around the hem of her cardigan.
"Will you hate ," she said slowly, "if you find out I’m not exactly the person you think I am?"
Pia blinked. "What?"
Zephany looked at her, eyes serious but tired. "I an it."
Pia frowned, thrown off by the weight of the question. Then her brows pinched. "Wait, are you secretly a fan of broccoli? Did you vote for that one contestant in the singing show finale? What are we talking about here?"
Zephany managed a weak laugh. "No, I an... like, what if I’m not as timid or boring as I seem? What if I’m... a lot more complicated?"
Pia leaned back, arms crossed, giving her a slow once-over. Then she smirked.
"Zeph, if you told you were secretly a ninja who works night shifts in Gotham, I’d probably ask if you need a new sidekick."
Zephany blinked.
Pia grinned wider. "You forget I have excellent taste in friends. I’d be more shocked if you weren’t hiding sothing cool."
Zephany’s shoulders dropped, just slightly. A small breath escaped her lips.
"But seriously," Pia said, voice softening, "whatever it is, you’re still you. My slightly klutzy, painfully polite, overly cardiganed partner in journalistic cri. I don’t need the whole story. But just so you know—I’m not going anywhere."
Zephany stared at her for a mont. Then, despite herself, she smiled.
"You’re weird," she said.
Pia bead. "Thank you. I try."
The sudden vibration of Zephany’s phone interrupted the mont. She quickly reached into her bag and fished it out.
The screen lit up.
Kaelion.
Her eyes widened.
"Oh my G," she muttered. "I completely forgot to ssage him."
Pia leaned closer, trying to peek. "Kaelion? The singer guy?"
Zephany didn’t answer right away. She opened the ssage.
Kaelion:
"Just checking in. You okay? You didn’t ssage last night. Was there an ergency?"
She exhaled through her nose.
Pia was still watching. "Did you ghost your rockstar boyfriend? Tsk tsk."
"He’s not my boyfriend."
"Yet."
Zephany ignored her, thumbs flying across the screen.
Zephany:
"Hey, I’m so sorry! Things got crazy last night. I completely forgot to ssage you. But I’m fine, I promise. I’ll definitely drop by the studio after work."
She hit send, then placed the phone down.
In truth, she had stayed in her room the entire day yesterday. Her mind was a ss after what had happened the other night, and she didn’t dare face Kendrick. Only today had she decided to go out.
Pia gave her a sly grin. "So you’re going to his studio. After work. Alone."
Zephany shook her head, cheeks already warm. "Don’t start."
Pia leaned back, smug. "I’m just saying. If you weren’t already interesting before, now you’re giving material."
Zephany rolled her eyes, but the smile lingered this ti.
The weight on her chest didn’t vanish entirely. But it lifted—just a little.
Enough to let her breathe again.
She opened her computer and stared at the half-finished draft on the screen. The words swam before her eyes, blurring into nonsense. She tried to focus, tapping at the keyboard aimlessly, but her mind refused to cooperate.
She sighed, leaning back in her chair. This isn’t working.
Reaching for her phone, she typed quickly:
"I’m sorry I had sothing to do yesterday and couldn’t co. I’m free now, so is it alright for to co there now?"
Her thumb hovered for a mont before hitting send. Another long sigh escaped her lips. If she couldn’t focus on work, then she might as well do sothing that could lift her mood. And right now, that ant creating music.
She reached for her bag, slipping it over her shoulder without even waiting for Kaelion’s reply.
From the side, Pia noticed her sudden movent. "Where are you going?"
Zephany straightened, avoiding her friend’s suspicious gaze. "I decided to do sothing fun today instead. Bye! Just tell our boss I’m on sick leave."
Before Pia could ask anything else, Zephany was already striding toward the exit. She left the Air dia building, the morning sunlight spilling across her path, and headed straight for her car.
The drive to Kaelion’s studio felt strangely freeing, like each passing block peeled away the weight she’d been carrying since last night.
When she pulled into the parking lot, she spotted Kaelion stepping out of his car. The mont his eyes found her, he quickened his pace, walking toward her with that familiar, easy smile.
She stepped out of her own car, adjusting the strap of her bag.
"Idol! You’re here!" he greeted warmly. "You don’t have work today?"
Zephany gave a small, shy smile. "Hmm... hi! I decided to spend the day composing music. Sorry for not coming yesterday."
"It’s okay," he said without hesitation. "I was busy yesterday anyway. I’m glad you’re here today."
Without missing a beat, he gestured for her to follow. Together, they stepped inside the studio, heading directly into the music room where the familiar hum of equipnt filled the air.
While they began working—Kaelion adjusting settings on the mixer, Zephany humming softly as she scribbled notes—two people watched from just outside the soundproof glass.
Jace, Kaelion’s manager, shook his head with a sigh. "Seriously. The mont he got her ssage, he cancelled all his work for today."
Kana, his assistant, crossed her arms. "And he drove straight back here knowing she was coming."
They looked at each other, both letting out another exasperated sigh.
"Never thought our unreachable superstar would turn out to be a hopeless romantic," they said almost in unison.
Outside the building, a dark sedan was parked across the street.
Inside it, Kendrick sat still, his eyes fixed on the music studio’s entrance. His hands curled into tight fists on his lap.
So... is he the reason you didn’t accept my confession that ti? he thought bitterly. Because you already like soone else?
His jaw clenched, the warmth in his chest replaced by a cold, twisting ache.
---
Earlier that morning, a few minutes after Zephany left, Kendrick stood by the kitchen counter, carefully packing a breakfast set into a small paper bag.
He murmured quietly to himself, "She didn’t look like she’d eaten anything yesterday... and now she’s skipped breakfast."
His mother, Christy, had always taught him that small acts of care spoke louder than words, and for Kendrick, this was the most natural way to try and bridge the distance that had suddenly grown between them. He placed the last container inside the bag and tied the handles neatly.
Within minutes, he was behind the wheel, heading toward Air dia.
When he parked a short distance away from the building, the morning bustle of people moving in and out of the glass doors caught his attention. He stayed in his seat, fingers drumming on the steering wheel, debating his next move.
Should I just give this to the receptionist and tell her it’s for Zephany? he wondered, staring at the paper bag resting on the passenger seat. Or should I take it up to her myself?
The idea of walking in there, finding her, and handing it over felt simple in theory... but the truth was, she had been avoiding him. That much was obvious. Their conversation last night still played in his head like an unshakable loop, and he didn’t want to make things harder for her.
His brow furrowed. "She doesn’t even want to talk to right now," he muttered under his breath.
Minutes stretched. The warm breakfast was probably cooling by now, but he still hadn’t moved. Frustration built in his chest, not at her, but at himself for not knowing how to fix this.
Finally, after what felt like too long, he exhaled sharply and reached for the door handle. "Alright. I’ll just—"
Movent in his peripheral vision made him stop.
Zephany was walking out of the building, her pace brisk as she crossed the small stretch of pavent toward the parking lot. She didn’t seem to notice him at all.
Kendrick leaned back, watching through the windshield. She slid into her car, started the engine, and pulled away from the curb.
"Where are you going?" he muttered quietly, his eyes narrowing in thought.
Impulse won over hesitation. He started his engine and pulled out, keeping a comfortable distance as he followed her car through the late morning traffic. She wasn’t in any rush, her focus fixed on the road ahead.
Kendrick’s grip on the steering wheel tightened as she slowed and turned into a narrow lot.
She pulled into a parking space directly in front of a modern-looking building with a simple sign above the door: K Music Studio
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