Chapter 2 2

Closer Than Ever

Carolin's POV

I couldn't stop shaking.

My hands still hovered in the air like they were catching notes. The stage lights had faded, but their warmth stayed on my skin-tingling like some kind of magic I wasn't ready to let go of.

I had just sung in front of judges, cameras, influencers, and strangers who whispered my name like I was something rare.

I should've been floating.

Instead, I was spiraling.

And it wasn't from the music.

It was him.

Adrian Chase.

He was walking toward me now, threading through the small backstage crowd like he belonged here-which, of course, he did. He always belonged wherever the spotlight hit.

But this time, his eyes were only on me.

I froze, hugging my guitar case to my chest like it could protect me from whatever was coming.

He stopped a foot away. Close enough that I could see the flecks of gold in his eyes. Close enough to smell his cologne-rich and entirely too expensive.

"Carolin," he said, his voice lower than I remembered. No smirk and no smug grin. Just... my name. Like he'd been practicing it.

My throat went dry. "What do you want, Adrian?"

He flinched. Barely-but I saw it.

"I just wanted to say... you were incredible," he said.

"Are you-complimenting me?"

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Guess I am."

I waited for the punchline, the insult hidden under layers of charm. But it never came.

Instead, he looked... nervous.

His gaze dropped to my boots, then back up slowly, pausing for a second too long on the hem of my jacket. His tongue darted out to wet his lips like he had more to say-but didn't know how.

"You really surprised me," he admitted.

I stiffened. "Because I'm not supposed to be good at anything, right?"

"No," he said quickly. "That's not what I meant."

My voice trembled, even though I hated that it did. "You laughed when I fell in the cafeteria. Sophomore year."

He winced like the memory physically hurt. "I know, I was an idiot."

"You were," I said, higher than I intended.

He didn't argue, just nodded.

Silence stretched between us like a tightrope.

"I'm not here to rewrite history," he said eventually. "But I saw you up there, and for the first time, I didn't see the version of you people painted. I saw... you."

His words hit something I didn't realize had been unguarded.

The silence around us was more thickened. The hallway emptied. People moved past us like background noise. But he stood still. Unmoving and intent.

"I never hated you, Carolin," he said quietly.

I lifted my chin. "You didn't have to. You let everyone else do it for you."

He looked down. "I regret that."

The way he said it-it didn't feel rehearsed, it felt honest.

And I didn't know what scared me more: the apology... or the part of me that wanted to believe it.

I swallowed. "Why are you really here, Adrian?"

He ran a hand through his curls, making them messier. "Because... I didn't expect to feel something when I heard you sing."

My stomach did a flip. A very inconvenient and traitorous flip.

"You're not going to post another video, are you?" I asked, crossing my arms.

He shook his head. "No. This wasn't for TikTok. This was... for me."

My eyes narrowed. "Why do you care?"

He stepped closer. Just an inch. But it was enough to feel the shift.

His voice dropped to a near whisper. "I don't know. Maybe because I saw someone real for the first time in a very long time."

My breath caught.

There was something dangerous about Adrian when he wasn't performing for the crowd. When he wasn't playing Lancaster's golden boy. When his walls were down and he looked at me like I was a puzzle he wanted to figure out.

And maybe that's why I didn't walk away.

Maybe that's why, when Mabel texted me and I glanced at the screen-

> Mabel: "Where are you? We're heading to the after-audition hangout!"

-I didn't respond.

Because a different part of me... a selfish part I'd buried deep long ago...

Wanted to stay.

Adrian noticed me hesitate. "You don't have to run."

I laughed bitterly. "Funny. That's all I've ever done."

"Then don't," he said.

The silence between us wasn't awkward, it was charged.

He looked at my lips.

I saw it.

And I should've moved.

I should've said something clever or dismissive or even safe.

But instead-

"I've never kissed anyone," I said, voice barely audible.

His brows lifted in surprise. Not mocking, Just surprised.

He stepped even closer. "Would you want to?"

My heartbeat was in my ears now. "I don't know."

His fingers brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, lingering at the curve of my jaw.

My skin tingled.

"Then let me know if you change your mind," he said.

His voice was caution and something that felt an awful lot like temptation.

Then he walked away.

And I stood there-still trembling, still breathless, still unsure if what just happened was a dream or the beginning of something dangerous.

Two days later, I was sitting in the music room again-my sanctuary.

I played the keys, but my mind wasn't on the notes. It was on him. The warmth of his hand. The sound of my name in his voice.

I hated that I couldn't stop thinking about it.

Mabel flopped beside me, holding a pink drink. "Okay, spill. You've been walking around like someone rewired your brain."

"I saw Adrian after the audition," I confessed.

She choked on her straw. "Please tell me you mean passed by."

"He talked to me."

"Talked?" Her eyes widened. "Like a full sentence?"

"A few," I muttered. "And he... touched my face."

Mabel stared at me like I'd grown wings. "Touched your-? Carolin! That boy is trouble dipped in cologne."

I laughed. "You sound like my mother."

"Good. Because she'd say the same thing: do not let that boy back into your heart. I swear, if he hurts you-"

"I'm not falling for him," I lied.

Because the truth?

A part of me already had.

The invitation came later that night.

An exclusive afterparty.

For select regional finalists.

It was being hosted at a hotel suite in the city.

Mabel was all in. "This is your moment! You've been in the background for too long. We are going. End of discussion."

I wore a black sweater dress and combat boots. My hair was down, messy on purpose.

My limp was more noticeable when I was nervous, so I took my time. Deep breaths.

The suite was packed with glowing people and music that pulsed through the walls.

And then...

There he was.

Adrian.

In a green jacket and boots that probably cost more than my rent.

He saw me.

And his expression softened instantly.

He crossed the room. "You came."

"I wasn't going to," I admitted.

"But you did."

"I guess I wanted to see if the boy from the hallway was real... or just another performance."

He nodded slowly. "I've been pretending so long, I'm not sure anymore."

Something in his eyes broke open. And it made me break a little too.

We found a quiet balcony.

The city lights flickered below.

He leaned against the railing, I stood beside him.

"Do you ever feel like... you're too broken to belong?" I asked.

He turned toward me, his voice raw. "All the time."

I looked up at him. He looked back.

No more games and no more pretending.

He leaned in.

And this time, I didn't stop him.

Our lips met.

It wasn't fireworks or fairy tales.

It was breath and heat and everything I didn't know I'd been waiting for.

When he pulled back, he didn't smile.

He looked afraid.

So was I.

Because what if this wasn't just a kiss?

What if this was the beginning of something I couldn't take back?