Chapter 18

The studio clock blinked 1:47.A.M – not that you needed a reminder. The weight in your limbs and the ache in your back told you everything you needed to know about how long you’d been curled up on that velvet couch, watching Katseye work through the same bridge for hours.

You weren’t part of the band – just the girlfriend. Dani’s girl.

But no one in the group ever made you feel like an outsider. Megan had tossed a blanket at you hours ago. Yoonchae had passed you a protein bar and made you promise to eat. Sophia had done your hair between takes just because she said “you looked too pretty not to accessorise.” The girls loved having you around.

But it was Dani’s eyes you felt the most.

Every now and then, as she hovered over the mixing board or adjusted a vocal take in the booth, she’d glance over at you. Quick. Like she couldn’t help it.

And when your eyes met, she smiled – not the flashy on-stage grin she wore in front of cameras. No, this was the real one. The soft one. The one that made your stomach twist in the most delicious way.

“I’m beat,” Megan groaned, stretching until her bones cracked. “If I hear this chorus one more time, I’m going to dream in synths.”

“Dreaming in synths sounds kind of hot,” Manon teased, zipping her hoodie halfway up.

“Alright, I’m calling it,” Lara said, spinning her water bottle like a gavel. “Let’s not kill ourselves over this one mix.”

One by one, the members started packing up, dragging their feet away and yawning as they collected laptops, hoodies, and leftover snacks.

“Are you guys staying?” Sophia asked, eyeing you and Dani with a mischievous glint.

Dani didn’t look up from the console. “Maybe. I’ve got a few loops to clean.”

Sophia smirked. “Yeah, I bet you do.”

You flipped her off. She blew you a kiss and left laughing.

Soon, the door clicked shut behind the last of them. The studio felt heavier now. Quieter. Dimmer.

And Dani was still at the board, head down, fingers gliding over sliders and knobs like they were second nature. You could hear the gentle pulse of a soft synth loop playing on repeat – dreamy and slow, like something meant to soundtrack a daydream.

You got up quietly and padded across the studio floor, barefoot.

“You know,” you said softly, “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you planned this.”

Dani looked over her shoulder, smirking. “What makes you think that?”

“The fact that you insisted on ‘checking the stems’ after everyone else gave up. The fact that you asked me to stay. The fact that you’re playing this loop and not the gritty mix we were actually working on.”

She stood and turned to face you. “You caught me.”

*

The lighting was low. Only the neon-red hue of the mixing board and a faint purple glow from the wall behind it illuminated the room.

Dani walked toward you slowly, hands slipping into the pockets of her cargo pants, shoulders relaxed.

You, barefoot and wrapped in her hoodie – oversized, worn, still carrying her perfume – tilted your head and smiled.

“You always look like this when you’re in the studio,” she murmured. “Comfortable. Dangerous.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Dangerous?”

“Yeah.” She stopped just in front of you, so close your toes touched hers. “Because you start moving to the music like it’s meant for you.”

You swayed slightly, your hips picking up the rhythm of the soft beat playing in the background.

“And it’s not?”

Dani chuckled, deep and quiet. “Maybe it is.”

You reached up and tugged her hoodie string gently. “Then dance with me.”

*

No words.

Dani slipped her hands around your waist like she’d done it a thousand times – because she has. You looped your arms around her neck, pulling her close.

The music wasn’t fast. It wasn’t loud. It pulsed like a heartbeat, slow and steady.

She moved with you, effortlessly – her touch warm, her breath brushing your cheek. Her fingers dragged lightly under the hem of the hoodie, skimming skin. Just enough to make you inhale.

You didn’t know who leaned in first. Maybe both of you did.

But when your lips met, the air changed, It went from teasing to need in the space of a heartbeat.

Her mouth moved against yours like she was trying to mesmerise you – soft, slow, and then deeper. She pressed you gently back until you hit the padded wall of the booth.

The lights blinked around you.

She didn’t stop kissing you.

The kiss turned heavier. Her hands gripped your hips, lifting you slightly onto the low counter behind you. Her hoodie slipped off one shoulder, baring skin. She pulled back just long enough to look at you – eyes dark, lips parted, breath shallow.

“You’re dangerous,” she repeated, voice rough now.

You smiled against her mouth. “Then do something about it.”

She did.

*

The music was still looping when you came down from the high. You were lying across the studio couch, tangled up in each other. Dani’s fingers traced circles on your bare thigh. Her shirt was wrinkled, your hair was a mess, and the room smelled faintly of sweat and lavender body mist.

Neither of you spoke for a while. Just… breathed.

Eventually, Dani tilted her head toward you.

“That was definitely my best session in this studio.”

You laughed. “Should I be offended that I didn’t even sing?”

“You didn’t have to,” she said, pulling you closer. “You made the whole track come alive anyway.”

You nuzzled into her shoulder. “So… when’s the next lock-in?”

She grinned, eyes closed, “Already booking it.”

———-

Okay after writing this one I realised I HAD to do a part 2.. so that’s incoming 😉