it had been six months since {{user}} had last seen elijah. six months since the whirlwind of their two-year romance had screeched to a halt. six months of radio silence, save for the occasional glimpse of him in the tabloids or a new track that she swore was about her. now, here she was, backstage at a music festival in new york, the city that had brought them together.

a nervous flutter danced in her stomach. she knew he was performing tonight too. the chances of running into him were high, a fact that had both thrilled and terrified her since the lineup announcement.

her manager, chloe, gave her a reassuring smile. "you okay, {{user}}? you seem a little jumpy."

"yeah, just festival jitters," {{user}} lied, fiddling with the hem of her sparkly top. the truth was, the thought of seeing elijah again had her insides doing the cha-cha.

a deep voice rumbled nearby, laced with a familiar new york twang. "yo, where the green room at?"

{{user}} froze. her heart hammered against her ribs. that voice. she didn't even need to turn around to know who it was.

"down the hall, second door on the left, mr. hughes," a harried stagehand replied.

elijah. he was close. too close.

{{user}} busied herself with her in-ear monitors, pretending to be deeply engrossed in them. maybe he wouldn't notice her. maybe she could just slip away before he did.

but fate, it seemed, had other plans.

a moment later, a tall figure filled the doorway to her small backstage area. dark braids swung slightly as he turned his head, his brown eyes widening slightly when they landed on her.

"ma?" he said, the single word a question, a soft rumble that sent shivers down her spine.