Backstage is quieter than the stage.
The applause still echoes faintly through the walls, but it feels distant now.
Muted.
Private.
My hands are still shaking.
But not from fear.
From release.
Zane steps in behind me, closing the dressing room door halfway.
"You were incredible," he says softly.
I shake my head, breathless.
"I was terrified."
"Yeah."
He steps closer.
"And you did it anyway."
The words settle in my chest.
I look at him.
Really look at him.
"I don't want to stay small," I say.
It comes out steadier than I expect.
Not a whisper.
Not a confession.
A decision.
He doesn't laugh.
Doesn't tease.
Doesn't correct me.
He steps closer until there's barely space between us.
"Then don't."
Not protective.
Not instructing.
Just meeting me there.
Equal.
The spotlight is gone.
The adrenaline fading.
But the intensity remains.
He brushes his fingers along my jaw gently.
"You weren't hiding tonight."
"No."
"You didn't need me to carry you."
I smile faintly.
"I didn't."
He leans in.
The kiss is slow.
Grounded.
Not desperate.
Not celebratory chaos.
Just recognition.
And for the first time—
It doesn't feel like he's daring me forward.
It feels like we're standing in the same place.
The door flies open.
"THERE SHE IS."
Amelia barrels in like a hurricane.
I barely have time to step back before she throws her arms around me.
"You were insane. INSANE."
Zane stumbles sideways, laughing.
"You can breathe," he says.
"No she can't," Amelia argues, squeezing me tighter. "She just killed it."
Behind her, Nico steps in more calmly.
Tall.
Relaxed.
Amused.
He claps slowly. "You survived."
"I did," I say, laughing.
"Proud of you," he adds quietly.
Amelia finally releases me and immediately points at Zane.
"You."
He raises an eyebrow.
"You did not mess this up."
"I didn't."
"Good."
He smirks. "You're terrifying."
"I know."
Within minutes, Laura and Axel join us.
Laura composed, but her eyes softer than usual.
Axel grinning openly.
Theo lingers behind them, pretending this isn't emotional for him.
"We're celebrating," Amelia announces.
"Are we?" Axel asks dryly.
"Yes. Immediately."
"I have paperwork," Theo begins.
"No you don't," Amelia interrupts. "You have celebration."
Somehow, she drags all of us out.
—
The restaurant is loud and warm.
Amelia chose it.
Of course she did.
It's the kind of place where the tables are too close together and the laughter spills into the street.
We pile in.
Laura next to Axel.
Theo at the end of the table.
Nico across from me.
Zane beside me.
Amelia at the center of chaos.
"To Sunny," Amelia declares, raising her glass.
"To Sunny," Nico echoes.
"To Sunny," Axel adds warmly.
Laura inclines her head slightly.
Theo nods once.
Zane just looks at me.
And smiles.
The bill comes eventually.
Amelia pushes it toward the center of the table.
"Split?"
She has no intention of paying, I can tell.
Zane reaches for it.
"I've got it."
"No," I say immediately.
He glances at me.
"It's fine."
"It's not."
I nudge him lightly under the table.
"Just because you have money doesn't mean you get to carry everything."
He pauses.
Considers.
Then smiles slightly.
"Fine. We split."
Axel watches that exchange carefully.
Laura notices too.
Not judgmental.
Just observant.
Amelia groans dramatically. "Ugh. Responsible adults."
Nico laughs quietly.
The conversation drifts.
Music.
Future ideas.
Clips from the performance already circulating online.
At one point, Axel leans back and looks at me.
"You stood on your own tonight."
I nod.
"I know."
And this time—
It doesn't feel like I'm proving anything.
It just feels true.
Zane's hand finds mine under the table.
Not hidden.
Just there.
I don't pull away.
The night stretches longer than planned.
Laughter.
Noise.
Clinking glasses.
And somewhere in the middle of it—
I realize something quietly.
The harmony didn't break.
It expanded.