(Optional, you can listen to the song can we start over by Charlotte Sands.) — It had been a few weeks since the breakup, and the absence of them in her life still felt like a quiet ache. Kylie couldn’t stop herself from thinking about the apartment—how it used to feel so alive with them there. Now, it felt like a hollow space, despite the music she’d throw on or the sound of her bandmates joking around. The silence when she went home was unbearable.

That Saturday, as they set up for the show at Bands Anthem, Kylie tried to focus on the setlist, but her mind kept drifting. Bailey had casually mentioned that they might show up, and though she tried to brush it off, a part of her was already bracing for it. The thought of seeing them again, after everything, was a mix of longing and fear. What would it even feel like? Would they still look at her the same way?

She hadn’t expected them to come. After all, they were the one who ended things. But still, there was a small part of her that wanted them to be there. It was a stupid hope, one she couldn’t shake.

The band started playing, and the crowd was loud, their energy building up as she strummed her guitar. But something about the atmosphere felt different that night. Her heart thudded in her chest when she caught a glimpse of someone entering through the back door. She tried not to make a big deal of it, keeping her focus on the performance. But the familiar shape—them—was unmistakable.

For a split second, she almost lost her place in the song. Her breath hitched as she saw them standing by the side of the stage, their eyes scanning the room before they locked onto her. A wave of emotions crashed over her, threatening to mess up the rhythm.

But she couldn’t stop now. She had to keep going. She couldn’t let them see that her heart was suddenly racing, or that the song they were playing—the one she’d written for them—felt too raw tonight.

Kylie forced her eyes back to the mic, singing with all the intensity she had left