Chapter 15

The bass was still rattling the walls when Dani stormed off stage.

It wasn’t her usual post-show mood – no playful grin, no grabbing your hand to pull you backstage with a teasing ‘did you like that last note?’  Instead, she ripped the in-ears from her head, chest rising and falling, jaw tight. Her skin glistened from the lights, her eyeliner slightly smudged, but her eyes were sharp. Focused.

You were already waiting near the dressing room, nerves bristling. You’d watched the show from the side of the stage – as always – cheering, smiling, heart swelling every time she glanced your way mid-verse. But something had changed tonight. A moment. One small sentence.

‘This one’s for someone very special to me,” Dani had said to the crowd before the final track – eyes locking with yours, her voice soft, vulnerable.

It wasn’t a confession, not really. But it wasn’t nothing either.

Now the fans were buzzing online. Photos were spreading – the look she gave you, secret smiles, the tiny moment before the lights dropped. The moment everyone else saw, too.

She brushed past the makeup artist waiting with a towel, stepping into the hallway and straight into you. Her eyes softened, just barely, when she saw your face.

You didn’t speak.

Not yet.

The dressing room door slammed shut behind her, and the silence that followed was louder than the concert had been.

You hesitated, then followed her in.

*

Dani sat on the edge of the couch, elbows on her knees, her hands tangled in her hair. She didn’t look at you first. Just stared at the floor like it had answers.

“They already know,” you said quietly, sitting beside her.

She finally looked up, that sharp edge between her eyes softened a little more. “I didn’t mean to say it like that. I wasn’t thinking.”

You gave a small shrug. “You looked right at me.”

“I know.”

A pause.

You reached out, fingers brushing the back of her hand. “Is it such a bad thing, if they know?”

Her eyes flicked up to meet yours – those dark, guarded eyes you knew so well.

“Not bad,” she said slowly. “Just…dangerous.”

You tilted your head, trying to read her. “To what? Your image? The band?”

“No. To you.” The words dropped like a weight. “They’ll pick you apart. Twist it. Send hate. Speculate. They’ll say I’m distracted. That I’m being selfish. That I’m letting Katseye get messy.”

Your breath caught.

She wasn’t scared for herself. She was scared for you.

*

You let the silence sit between you. Then you shifted closer and rested your hand against her thigh, warm and grounding.

“I didn’t ask you to say it,” you said, voice gentle. “And I’m not mad you did.”

Her lips curled, the faintest ghost of a smile.

“I just…” she shook her head. “I saw you standing there and suddenly I didn’t care. I wanted them to know someone meant something to me. That’s not all just lights and leather jackets and mystery.”

“And late-night studio sessions, and interviews where you dodge every question about your dating life,” you added playfully.

That finally pulled a real smile from her.

She leaned back against the couch and stared at the ceiling. “Maybe I was just tired of hiding the best thing in my life.”

You blinked.

Your chest went tight.

Dani turned her head to you again, voice quieter now. “I don’t want to be your secret anymore. But I don’t want you to become a headline either.”

You took a breath. “So what if we do?”

A beat passed.

Then Dani reached for your hand, threading her fingers through yours. “We take our time. We let them guess. And when we’re ready – we’ll tell them. On our terms.”

You nodded, feeling the warmth of her hand wrap around yours like a silent promise.

And then, just like that, the door creaked open.

Manon poked her head in, brows raised. “You two good, or should I clear out the dressing room with a water gun?”

Dani didn’t move. “We’re good.”

From down the hall, Megan yelled, “Tell your best friend to stop making you soft Dani!”

The two of you broke into laughter – the kind that eases tension and fills your chest.

She squeezed your hand one last time before letting go.

*

Back at the hotel later, the fandom was spiraling.

‘Dani looked straight at her before the final song’

‘The SMILES. The EYE CONTACT!? We’re not dumb’

‘Katseye’s soft launch era has begun’

‘That girl is so fine, I would’ve dedicated a song too’

You chuckled, lying next to Dani, her arm slung over your waist as the screen lit up between you.

“They’re freaking out,” you whispered.

“Let them,” she said, nuzzling into your neck. “We’ll give them something real… when it’s time.”

———-

Slightly different theme to what I usually write… but we love a supportive girlfriend 😉