[Christian.]
The studio lights pulsed low, soaking the space in a haze of red and violet. It gave everything a dreamlike glow. Or maybe it just felt that way because Christian's head wasn't really in the room.
Cameras clicked. Crew moved around with practiced rhythm.
The artist in the booth - a new R&B voice he'd been mentoring - was deep in her second verse. She cracked a little on the high note, but there was heart in it. And sometimes that mattered more.
Christian stood off to the side, arms crossed, all black everything. Tank top, leather gloves, silver chains catching whatever light tried to find him. He nodded along like he was listening.
But he wasn't.
Not really.
Eight days.
That's all he had left before she became someone else's.
Before she walked down the aisle and made a choice that didn't include him.
And he hadn't heard from her since the fitting.
No calls. No texts. Not even a dumb meme to break the silence.
He didn't know what hurt more - the quiet, or the fact that he was still waiting for it to end.
His phone buzzed.
His hand went to his pocket, fast.
Then he saw the name.
Minah.
Again.
He didn't open it.
Couldn't even fake a reply.
"Yo, Christian. You good with that last take?" one of the camera guys asked, headset crooked.
Christian blinked, snapped out of it.
"Yeah. Solid. Let's run it once more, tighter on the bridge this time."
He stepped forward, adjusted the mic, gave the artist a nod.
"You're killing it. Don't overthink. Just let it spill."
She smiled. "Thanks for this. Really."
He nodded, gave her a half-smile, and stepped back.
The track played again, bass humming through the floor.
Christian tapped his fingers along his thigh. The rhythm was off. His rhythm was off.
His eyes drifted to the glowing red light on the camera.
Focus.
But his thoughts wouldn't let him.
Eight days.
Eight days and she still hadn't said a word.
He slipped out the side door.
Cool night air hit his face, grounding him a little. The city noise felt far away out here. The glow from inside still followed him, casting reddish shadows across his skin.
He pulled his cap lower and let out a breath.
Then his phone buzzed again.
Kenji.
He answered on the second ring.
"Yo."
"You sound like hell," Kenji said.
Christian smirked. "Good to hear from you too."
"Cut it out. I know you. I know that voice."
Silence settled between them. The kind that didn't need to explain itself.
YOU ARE READING
If I Stayed | Christian Yu
FanfictionAaliyah Morales is weeks away from marrying a good man. A man who loves her. A man who isn't Christian Yu. Christian- her childhood best friend, the boy who grew up beside her, the artist whose name now lights up billboards, the one she never quite...
