Page 66 of Siren

Now it was just us.

The lights dimmed to amber. The blackout windows blurred the world outside.

And suddenly it felt like everything was holding its breath.

She stood at the console, arms crossed, the faintest shimmer still glowing on her collarbone. A delicate gold chain rested just above the dip of her throat.

I stepped closer. Not all the way. Just enough to feel her there.

“You okay?” I asked, my voice quiet.

She hesitated. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

“You sounded beautiful,” I said. “That bridge? You brought it to life.”

Her eyes flicked up to mine. “You wrote it.”

I shrugged. “Wrote it for a friend. Didn’t know it’d hit like that whenyousang it.”

She paused.

I could feel the hesitation hanging between us like smoke.

“Iheard about the campaign,” I said. “What you asked for. No fake shit. No curated storylines. You were right to say it.”

She tensed. “If you think I?—”

“I don’t.” I cut in, gentle. “I respect it. Ido. I just… I wanna feel like I’minit with you. Not watching from the outside.”

Her mouth parted. Then closed. Her eyes softened—like she wanted to believe me, but didn’t know if she could.

“Sienna…” I stepped in, slow. “It’s not about the rollout. Or the cameras. Or even what they see.”

I swallowed, my voice low. “It’s you. I just need to know I’m not losing something that never even got tobe.”

She looked up—really looked and the distance dropped away. Only the memories of what we’d created in and out of the booth were visiting with us.

Her voice trembled. “I didn’t mean to shut you out. I just—everything got loud. Too many eyes. Too many people with plans for us.”

“And none of ’em asked me,” I said. “Jalen works forme. But I wasn’t even in the room.”

Her face changed. “It wasn’t my intent to be a part of that experience for you.”

“I know. But it made me feel like…”

I exhaled. “Like maybe I wasn’t the star in this story. Just a placeholder.”

Her eyes shone. And she stepped closer.

“You were never a placeholder,” she said softly. “You were the spark, and I, of all people, should have made sure you knew that because that had been my fear all along.”

I reached for her hand. Laced our fingers together like muscle memory.

“You still want this?” I asked. “Whatever this becomes?”

She nodded slow. “If we get to build it our way.”

I kissed her then.

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