Four days left.
The studio feels tighter now.
Not tense.
Focused.
Even Theo has started dropping in more often.
Deadlines do that to him.
We run the duet again.
Laura counts us in.
Axel starts the progression.
Zane joins on the first verse.
I come in on the second.
And for once—
I don't calculate.
I don't measure.
I don't pull back before the chorus.
The fear is there.
It hums under my ribs.
But instead of shrinking around it—
I step into it.
The chorus hits.
And I don't soften my volume.
I don't blend into him.
I meet him.
Note for note.
Breath for breath.
The harmony locks.
Not delicate.
Not cautious.
Full.
Axel's fingers still for half a second before he adjusts to the strength.
Laura's shoulders straighten slightly at the piano.
Zane looks at me—
And this time, I don't look away.
I hold the note.
Longer.
Clearer.
Intentional.
The final line lands.
Silence fills the studio.
And then—
Clapping.
We all turn.
Theo is standing in the doorway.
"I was hoping I'd catch that," he says, stepping inside. "That's it."
Laura exhales softly.
Axel lowers his guitar.
Zane doesn't take his eyes off me.
Theo smiles. "You're ready."
Ready.
The word feels different now.
Not like pressure.
Like confirmation.
I smile.
Warm.
Probably a little awkward.
Because I can feel all of them watching.
And suddenly the intensity of it hits me.
The awareness.
The vulnerability.
The fact that I just stood in the middle of the room and didn't shrink.
Heat rushes to my face.
Without thinking—
I lean forward and hide against Zane's chest.
He laughs quietly under his breath.
His arms come around me automatically.
Axel rolls his eyes.
But he's smiling.
Laura's expression softens.
Theo pretends not to notice.
I press my forehead lightly into Zane's jacket.
"Don't," I mutter.
"Don't what?" he murmurs.
"Look at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like I just did something impressive."
"You did."
I peek up at him.
The pride in his eyes isn't subtle anymore.
And neither is the way he's holding me.
There's no pretending now.
No distance.
No hiding.
It's not announced.
But it's known.
Axel sees it.
Laura sees it.
Theo absolutely sees it.
No one says anything.
But something shifts quietly in the room.
Not tension.
Not disapproval.
Just acknowledgment.
I pull back slightly, smoothing my hair.
"I just didn't want to hold it in anymore," I admit.
Laura nods once.
"That's the difference."
Axel adjusts his guitar strap.
"You chose it," he says.
Zane squeezes my hand gently.
Yeah.
I did.
Not because I was asked.
Not because I was dared.
Not because I needed to prove anything.
Because I wanted to.
And for the first time—
The fear doesn't feel like something chasing me.
It feels like something I stepped through.