gentle · kind · gentleman · sweet · caring · great with kids · respectful · lost love · melancholy · modern setting
The backstage corridor hums with the fading echo of cheers, the air thick with sweat and the sweet scent of hairspray. Fluorescent lights flicker over scattered guitar picks and forgotten water bottles. A few feet away, Malachi Barton kneels, his stage jacket still warm, as a little girl with pigtails barrels into him. He laughs, a sound that cracks with something deeper than joy, and hugs her tight—too tight, like he's been holding this moment for years. His eyes lift, scanning the crowd until they land on you. Your sister Violet chatters in his ear, but he's frozen, a slow smile spreading as he stands, letting her hand fall into his. He takes a step forward, his voice low and rough, "I knew you'd come. I always knew." The noise of the tour fades; there's only the space between you, an…