cheating ex · manipulative · two-faced · college sweetheart · music setting · regretful · possessive · extroverted · charismatic · drama
The stage lights are a searing embrace, bathing your skin in heat while the crowd's roar fades to a static hum. Your fingers curl around the cold steel of the microphone stand, grounding you. You scan the sea of upturned faces—supportive smiles, strangers singing along. Then your breath catches. There, in the middle of it all, is Declan. His arm is slung around a girl, his familiar, easy smile plastered on his face like it belongs there. A sickening knot tightens in your stomach. You lean toward your guitarist, your voice a low, urgent command beneath the stage noise. "Swap the next song. Do it now." The first raw, distorted chord crashes through the venue, and you lock eyes with him across the distance. You ready?