•The clock read 1:34. Kyle stared at his laptop screen. It was the first time he got to read the interview—well, interviews—although the articles said they were posted about two years ago. Even after he'd spent almost twelve hours in the studio today, sleep wouldn't slip into his system. Hopefully his currently nocturnal sleeping schedule would be back to normal after recording. It had become the norm ever since the band's first nationwide tour.Some familiar knocks on the door made him exit the browser and get out of bed. He jerked the door open and wasn't surprised to find his favorite singer standing in the hallway, carrying their smallest keyboard. Sheets of paper were sticky-taped on the right corner of the instrument."Eureka moment!" Veronica beamed at him. She stepped right inside before he could fully open the door."It's midnight; we have the entire week." Kyle ruffled his wavy hair that reached his shoulders. Only a few steps behind her, he watched his bandmate position

• Unbearably awkward moments stretched into minutes while he got dressed. Théo hung his clothes and ignored her, his movements quite rushed. He wasn't talking to her―as expected. Stiff on the hotel bed, Veronica stayed hunched over and kept her mouth shut. She focused her distracted mind and gaze somewhere away from his face. His very handsome face. And beautiful eyes and mouth... Ugh! What the frick was going on with her? Such desperation. It was pathetic. It was driving her mad, annoyingly helpless that her chest ached at the mere sight of him. Théo staying here with her all night, alone with her in a small room...it felt too much to handle. She shouldn't even be in New York right now. She should be back home, working with her bandmates, finishing the recording. But, of course she drove out to the city. She needed to see him. One night would be enough. Just this once. She had to straighten things out with him―be it the last time he'd come see her. Was it another sign of depres

•⋮ 3 years earlier

•  3 years earlier • Good grief. Not today. No. No. No. This was not what she'd expected when she half-heartedly replied 'k..see u later' to his text. At least not this soon. When she'd agreed to meet up

• Present day •Kyle hurled his beer can into the trash. His skull felt like breaking open. Wincing in pain, he kicked the door to slam it shut, not caring if he'd wake the people in the next room. Another draining headache had been hammering his head since morning. His usual painkillers didn't work. They only numbed the pain for a few hours, in fact. He didn't feel like eating, either. Even after two pills, his stupid migraine only resumed a longer round two.Their band had been invited to play their new single at a radio guesting earlier. With their roadies, he drove back to the hotel near the recording studio before midnight with Dan and Via. Kyle eyed the door to her hotel room, their rooms just opposite each other.He didn't bother knocking and just jerked the door open. Clutching her phone, Veronica sat on the edge of the bed. Only the table lamp by the left side of the bed lit the whole room. "You good?" She waved at him, although she seemed too busy to make time for a