Page 61 of Siren

I looked at her then. Really looked. “Do you?”

She didn’t blink. “I believe something happened. I believe it’s bigger than what the label cooked up.”

A breath caught in my chest.

“I believe you care about him.”

I didn’t answer.

Because I didn’t know how to explain the way his voice lived in my skin now. The way he looked at me like I was more than a story told in fading headlines. The way he’d held me. Eaten from me. Sung to me.

The way he’d listened.

“I think you need to decide if you’re scared of them seeing the truth,” Brielle said gently, “or if you’re scared of seeing it yourself.”

The tea came.

I stirred honey in without tasting it. My fingers trembled slightly, barely enough to notice, but enough to feel.

The truth was I didn’t know if I was scared of the lie or the love. Both could eat you alive. One just took longer.

“He makes me feel seen,” I said quietly.

Brielle leaned in, expression softening. “Then let yourself be.”

The sun shifted outside the window, sliding across the table.

And for just a second, I thought about calling him. Instead, I picked up the spoon. Stirred again. Let the silence stretch.

Let the truth simmer.

Brielle's phone lit up again.

She glanced at it, grimaced, then slid it across the table. “Look at that.”

I took the phone. Read the message.

Jalen:

"Can we get them in the same room this week? A surprise studio drop. No press, just BTS footage. Capture some magic. Let the fans keep guessing."

I handed it back.

“Magic,” I said flatly.

Brielle sighed. “You knew this would come. That track you laid down? It opened something up. Not just for the label. For the public. They want more ofyou two.They want to see what that sound looks like.”

“I bet they do,” I murmured, sipping the tea finally.

It had cooled.

“We can say no,” she offered. “You still have control. But it’s a moment, Sienna. And moments like this don’t come often.”

I stared at the ripples in my cup.

My voice was trending again. My name was getting hashtags. They weren’t talking about my age or my shelf life. They were talking about how I sounded. How I made them feel.

But at what cost?

---