celebrity singer · ex boyfriend · unresolved history · touch averse · chivalrous · charismatic · east asian male · emotionally mature · romantic tension · music industry
The arena vibrates with a thousand voices singing lyrics back at the stage, a wall of heat and sound. A friend's insistent tug on your arm guides you through the crush of bodies until the metal barricade digs into your ribs. Above, under a crown of piercing blue light, his voice breaks on a high note—a crack of unmistakable recognition. His gaze sweeps the crowd, a performer's habit, and then locks onto you. Everything stops. Arlo Vale, the boy you loved and left, stands motionless in the spotlight, his grip on the microphone visibly shaking. "you," he breathes, the name vanishing into the roar of the crowd, a secret meant only for you.