The next morning, Emma woke up with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. This would be her first time back in the studio after a long break. After a quick breakfast, Victor drove her to the studio, but he noticed she hesitated as she grabbed the door handle, almost as if she were considering backing out.
He smiled calmly and said in an encouraging tone:
"Emma, don't overthink it. You're here because you love music. Just enjoy singing and leave everything else behind."
Emma looked at him with anxious eyes before sighing and muttering:
"I wish it were that easy."
Victor laughed and patted her gently on the shoulder:
"It is, just go in, and I'll be here when you're done."
Emma nodded, took a deep breath, and entered the studio, while Victor decided to head to the nearby café for a coffee while he waited.
At first, Emma felt nervous standing before the microphone, but she remembered Victor's words. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and began singing. As the first notes flowed, the tension gradually faded, and she felt her old passion reigniting.
When she finished, the production team greeted her with applause, and one of them exclaimed enthusiastically:
"That's the Emma we know!"
Emma smiled happily and hurried out of the studio, where she found Victor had returned and was sitting with the coordinators, listening to the recording. As soon as she saw him, she rushed toward him, saying excitedly:
"I did it, Victor!"
He stood up smiling, opening his arms:
"I knew you'd do it."
After they left, Emma's phone rang suddenly. She answered, expecting it to be someone from her team, but the voice on the other end was unfamiliar:
"Hello, Emma... I just wanted to say that Victor looks really attractive today."
Emma froze in place and looked at Victor, who seemed equally puzzled. Before she could respond, she heard muffled laughter on the phone, followed by a familiar voice laughing loudly:
"Prank! You fell for it!"
Her eyes widened in shock before she realized who it was, and she shouted in mock anger:
"Mike!! Are you serious?!"
Mike burst into laughter, and Lara's voice was heard from behind, joking:
"We just wanted to make sure you're having a good time."
Emma sighed, trying to stifle her own laughter, while Victor said sarcastically:
"Well, don't worry, I'll find a way to get back at you soon."
After the call ended, it was already late evening, and neither Victor nor Emma was ready to go back right away. There was something in the air that night... something that made every moment worth savoring slowly.
Victor drove the car to a different place, away from the city's noise, to a small hill overlooking the twinkling lights beneath the clear sky. When the car stopped, Emma looked out the window in awe:
"Oh my God... this place is magical."
Victor smiled as he looked at her before opening the door and stepping out, then turned to extend his hand to her:
"I've wanted to show you this for a while, but the timing never felt right... until tonight."
She placed her hand in his, feeling warmth that had nothing to do with the temperature. When she stood beside him, she took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air and rare quiet.
She whispered as if afraid to disturb the peace:
"How do you find places like this?"
Victor laughed quietly, putting his hands in his pockets:
"I guess I just look for calm when everything's chaotic... just like you do."
Emma looked at him silently, then smiled lightly:
"It seems you understand me more than I understand myself."
Their gazes lingered for a moment before Victor took out his guitar from the bag beside him.
"Do you want to sing?"
Emma laughed and shook her head:
"Victor, are you serious?"
"I'm always ready."
Emma sighed but sat beside him, closed her eyes, and let her voice blend with his music. There was no audience, no lights, just her voice, his, and the place that seemed created just for them.
When they finished, Victor didn't say anything for a few moments. He just looked at her, as if no words were enough.
Then he finally whispered:
"That... was the most beautiful version of your voice I've ever heard."
Emma felt her heart race for a moment. It wasn't just because of his words, but because of the way he said them, the way he looked at her as if she were something irreplaceable in this world.
But before she could reply, small drops of rain began to fall slowly, quickly turning into a sudden downpour.
"Ah! Victor, the rain!" Emma cried out as she laughed, trying to cover her head with her hands.
But Victor? He just stood there, closing his eyes for a moment as if enjoying it.
"Come on!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her along, while she laughed.
She wiped some drops from her face and said:
"This is totally unexpected!"
Victor laughed, running his hand through his wet hair:
"But it's fun, isn't it?"
She looked at him for a moment, then slowly smiled and whispered:
"Yeah... fun."
The rain kept falling around them, but it no longer felt cold. There was nothing but the sound of their breath in the stillness and the way he looked at her as if she were the only thing he saw.
Then, as if something had pushed him without thinking, Victor took off his wet jacket and placed it over her shoulders, his hand lingering there for a moment, warm despite the rain.
He whispered softly, gently, but firmly:
"If you catch a cold, it's my fault."
Emma felt her heart lose its rhythm for a moment before it picked up speed. She didn't know why this moment felt different, but it did... completely different.
She tightened the jacket around her more and then whispered, looking at him with gratitude:
"Thank you, Victor."
He didn't say anything. It was a moment with no escape.
As the raindrops gently fell, they touched the earth quietly, as if they were humming a special tune heard only by those living this moment. Victor didn't move his hand from Emma's shoulder, instead pulling the jacket tighter, wrapping it around them both like their little shield from the outside world.
Emma looked at him, and something inside her made her breathe slowly, as if she didn't want this moment to pass quickly. The rain was wetting his hair, some drops sliding down his cheek, but he didn't move... he just looked at her as if she were the clearest thing amidst all the soft fog.
There were no words now, no need for them.
Emma moved slightly, closer to him, until she felt his breath mixing with hers, until the warmth they both felt was shared.
When she whispered softly, barely audible, she wasn't sure if the words came from her or if she just felt them in her heart:
"Victor..."
But Victor didn't answer with words either.
It was enough for him to just look at her... slowly raise his hand, run his fingers gently over her cheek, wiping away the rain droplets as if they were the most precious thing he touched.
Everything was quiet... except for the sound of the rain, and the heartbeat that no longer followed a regular rhythm between them.
Then, with a slight, almost unnoticed movement, Victor leaned toward her... slowly, as if the moment itself was drawing its own path, as if they had been walking toward it from the beginning.
Emma didn't move, didn't pull away... she just closed her eyes when she felt his breath closer, and when their lips met, it was like a gentle dance between the rain, between warmth and cold, between silence and all the feelings unsaid.
A kiss that wasn't quick, wasn't long... but deep enough to leave its mark, soft enough to make the rain a part of it, warm enough to make them feel that this, exactly, was the thing that should have happened a long time ago.
And when they pulled apart slowly, Emma didn't open her eyes immediately. She felt like she was trying to catch her breath, as if she wanted to hold onto this moment for as long as possible.
Victor, despite all the rain around them, looked at her with a gaze she had never seen before... a gaze that said more than words ever could.
Then, with a small smile, he whispered softly, but his words cut through everything:
"I think... I needed this a long time ago."
Emma, still feeling the warmth on her cheeks despite the cold, couldn't find what to say. She just smiled, a smile that held within it all the answers he needed.
⸻
And after a few hours...
Victor and Emma returned to her house after their special moment under the rain, and the atmosphere grew colder, but her heart still felt warm. Her parents greeted her warmly and invited Victor to stay for dinner. He sat with them for a while, exchanging talks and laughs, but as the minutes passed, the storm intensified, and the sound of the rain grew louder, accompanied by thunder that shook the entire place.
Emma looked nervously out the window, then turned to Victor and said in a low voice:
"Victor... the rain is getting worse. I don't think you can go back in this condition. You should stay here tonight."
Victor hesitated for a moment, not expecting this suggestion, and stammered as he replied:
"Emma... it's fine, I can manage."
But she furrowed her brows firmly and said seriously:
"I won't let you leave in this heavy rain. That's a final decision."
He looked at her for a moment before finally giving in to her insistence and nodded in agreement. After that, her parents went to their room, and he stayed in the guest room for a while, thinking he would spend the night there.
But Emma had another idea. Once things quieted down at the house, she snuck into the guest room, stood at the door, and whispered barely audible:
"Victor... you're not sleeping here."
He looked up at her in surprise, then got up from his seat and walked toward her, whispering cautiously:
"Emma, what do you mean?"
She took his hand and gently led him toward her room, then closed the door behind him and said in a low voice:
"I'm afraid of the thunder... I can't sleep alone."
He looked at her for a moment, then sighed with a small smile and whispered mischievously:
"Emma, don't you think this is a bold move on your part?"
She raised an eyebrow and said in a serious tone, though her eyes sparkled with shyness:
"This isn't a bold move, just a simple request."
Victor smiled lightly, but didn't argue any further. He just sat on the edge of the bed while she went to her wardrobe, searching for dry clothes to wear after getting soaked by the rain. When she turned back to him, she noticed that he had changed his clothes as well, using Jacob's clothes that were still in the house, but he only wore comfortable pajama pants, while his upper body remained uncovered.
She tried to ignore his appearance, but her eyes involuntarily wandered toward him before quickly returning to his face as she said lightly:
"I didn't know you preferred sleeping like that."
Victor chuckled softly, then replied mischievously:
"I didn't have many options."
She sat in front of him on the bed and then looked at him with wide eyes, whispering with mischief:
"Since you're here... I have another request."
He raised an eyebrow in question:
"And what is it this time?"
She handed him a damp tissue and tilted her face slightly toward him, saying with a faint smile:
"Wipe off my makeup."
He studied her for a moment before taking the tissue from her hand, then gently began wiping the makeup off her face. He traced his fingers softly over her cheeks, then her eyes, before slowly running it across her lips, making her catch her breath for a moment. She felt her heart race as he stared at her in silence, as though there were many things he wanted to say but chose to remain silent.
He smiled lightly and said softly:
"I didn't know that removing makeup would be part of my duties."
Emma laughed quietly, but she felt her tension grow as he came closer to her. The distance between them had closed to the point where their breaths mingled. There was no need for words now... just a silent moment, charged with warm emotions.
With a smooth movement, he raised his hand to her hair, running his fingers through it, then whispered in a voice barely audible:
"Emma..."
But she didn't wait any longer; she slowly leaned toward him, until their lips met in a soft, warm kiss. It wasn't rushed or sudden, but long and filled with deep emotions.
Victor couldn't resist the magic of the moment, so he ran his hand along her cheek, then slowly moved down to her neck, leaving gentle kisses that made her whisper his name in a low voice, barely audible, but enough to make his smile widen before returning to her lips once again.
Outside, the rain grew heavier, and the sky rumbled with thunder from time to time. But inside, everything was calm and warm, as if the whole world had disappeared and only their moment remained.
After their breaths settled, they finally lay down, and Emma covered herself with the blanket, then slowly crawled toward his embrace, seeking safety in his arms. Without hesitation, Victor wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer until she could feel his warm breath against her hair.
There were no more words needed now.
With the sound of the rain outside, they drifted to sleep, holding each other, as if this was the only way this night was meant to end.
⸻
To be continued
-
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