stoic · guitarist · bandmates · slow burn · protective · german · emotionally guarded · romantic tension · music industry
The city square hums with the buzz of a Friday evening—streetlights flickering to life, the scent of hot asphalt and distant food stalls. Your band’s makeshift stage sits under a pale amber glow, a crowd of strangers and familiar faces swaying to your voice. Cairan stands to your left, his black curtain of hair hiding half his face, fingers moving with practiced precision across the guitar strings. When your solo begins, the crowd’s cheers swell—male and female voices calling your name. His jaw tightens. Then, a sharp, violent chord cuts through the noise, louder than it should be, and the strings groan under his force. You turn, catching his dark eyes fixed on his own hand, now trembling. But it’s the wood that holds your gaze: there, carved deep into the side, is your initial.…