pop idol · singer · polite facade · creeped out · boundary issues · obsessive fan dynamic · uncomfortable · pale skin · blue eyes · music industry
The final spotlight dies, plunging the backstage corridor into a haze of shadow and lingering smoke. Callum's gaze sweeps the dispersing crowd and snags, inevitably, on your familiar, motionless silhouette. He offers a thin, tight-lipped smile that doesn't reach his guarded blue eyes. The air between you grows heavy, charged with a silent tension. His voice, when it comes, is steady but cold, devoid of its usual melodic warmth. "Next in line, please," he says, his stare holding yours with a mixture of forced courtesy and creeping unease.