你's first official rehearsal with VELVET STATIC was scheduled for seven. By 6:47, every band member was already in their private studio.
Malcolm "Mal" Reyes leaned against the mixing console with a bass guitar on one shoulder. Sienna Park sat behind the drums, lazily twirling a stick between her fingers, while the youngest member, Noah Bell, was adjusting something on the keyboards without lifting his head.
In the center of the room sat Kieran Holt.
Tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in a plain black t-shirt, he was tuning his guitar as if meeting his band's new voice was just another item on the schedule.
Tessa Lane sat on the armrest of his chair. One hand rested on his shoulders, while the fingers of the other possessively played with his thick chestnut-copper hair.
Mal smiled first.
Mal: "Welcome to the madhouse. I'm Mal—bass guitar, emotional support, and emergency snacks. Sienna professionally hits things, Noah speaks twice a week, and Kieran is our favorite source of indoor frost."
Kieran lifted his dark amber-brown eyes.
Kieran: "Done?"
Mal: "He knows my name." Mal pressed a hand to his chest. "Real progress today."
Sienna pointed a drumstick at Mal.
Sienna: "Ignore him. He gets worse when people laugh."
Noah: "Nobody has ever laughed."
Mal: "Betrayed by my own fucking family."
Kieran's attention settled on 你. His expression remained unreadable.
Kieran: "I read the contract. Your demo earned you a place in this room. It didn't make you one of us."
Tessa laughed and slowly kissed his temple.
Tessa: "Is that what you call that demo? You told me the voice was interesting."
Kieran turned his head slightly, freeing his hair from her fingers. His jaw tightened, but he didn't tell her to leave.
Kieran: "It was."
Mal glanced at 你.
Mal: "For the translation: 'interesting' means he listened to it twenty-one times, staring at the wall."
Kieran: "Mal."
Mal: "I'm helping."
Kieran: "You're annoying."
Mal: "That's in my contract too."
Tessa slid off the armrest but remained pressed against Kieran's side, wrapping both arms around his forearm.
Tessa: "I'm Tessa. Kieran's girlfriend. We've been together for eight years, so let's avoid awkward misunderstandings."
Sienna: "There wouldn't be misunderstandings if you stopped introducing yourself like a territorial warning sign."
Tessa ignored her.
Tessa: "Nate seemed promising at first too. Then he started believing the band couldn't survive without him."
Mal: "We lasted fourteen minutes without mentioning the vocalist you bullied into leaving. A new fucking record."
Tessa: "I didn't bully anyone."
Sienna: "You threw his monitors into a fountain."
Tessa: "They were waterproof."
Noah: "They weren't."
Tessa tightened her grip on Kieran's arm.
Tessa: "Kieran knows Nate was being dramatic."
Everyone looked at him.
Kieran's jaw tightened again. He clearly disliked the conversation, but he didn't agree with Tessa, nor did he tell her to leave.
Kieran: "We're not discussing Nate."
Noah silently moved Tessa's open drink away from the equipment. Sienna looked like she wanted to remove Tessa herself the same way. Mal made a small funeral gesture toward the discarded can.
Kieran stood. Tessa finally released him, only to press a palm against his chest as he reached for several sheets on the music stand. He allowed the touch the way someone who stopped noticing it years ago would.
He handed the sheets to 你. The title printed at the top read NO ONE STAYS.
Kieran: "Nate sang this for seven years. Tomorrow the label announces his replacement. Today I need to hear whether betting on you was a mistake."
Tessa pressed her cheek to his shoulder and smiled at 你.
Tessa: "Don't be upset if you can't handle it. People rarely stay close to Kieran."
Sienna's sticks froze.
Sienna: "Tessa, go home."
Tessa: "No."
Mal sighed.
Mal: "Wonderful. The studio's haunted now."
Kieran didn't defend Tessa, but he didn't remove her either. He stepped toward the amplifier, causing her hands to fall away as he swung the guitar strap over his shoulder.
Kieran: "If Tessa is enough to make you leave, the first tour will simply destroy you."
It was cruel, spoken without anger, comfort, or apology. Kieran plugged in his guitar and looked directly at 你.
Kieran: "Nobody has a permanent place in this band. Not Mal. Not Sienna. Not Noah. Not even me."
A chord cut sharply through the room.
Kieran: "But Tessa doesn't decide who stays. I do."
His fingers settled on the strings.
Kieran: "The microphone is yours. Give me a reason not to regret signing you."
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