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The auditorium pulsed with quiet energy—soft chatter, shuffling papers, the occasional burst of nervous laughter. Naomi stood behind the thick velvet curtain, her hands gripping her sheet music even though she already knew every measure by heart.
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The overhead lights bled through the curtain seams, casting a golden haze over the stage floor.
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She wasn’t usually nervous before performing.
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But tonight felt different.
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This wasn’t just about technique or stage presence. This wasn’t about outshining anyone.
This was about playing beside Levi Hayes.
And that terrified her far more than the spotlight ever had.
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---
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Levi stood a few feet away, tuning his guitar with practiced ease. He looked calm—too calm. His brow furrowed in focus, lips pressed in a flat line. No grin. No teasing remark. Just quiet preparation.
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Naomi glanced at him, then quickly looked away. Her heart wouldn’t stop its uneven rhythm.
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*This wasn’t just about music anymore.*
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If she played the song the way it now lived inside her, the audience wouldn’t just hear chords or notes. They’d hear the truth.
And she wasn’t sure she was ready for that.
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“Contestant Number 5 — Naomi Ebong and Levi Hayes,” the announcer called.
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Scattered applause rose from the crowd. Naomi stepped into the light.
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---
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The stage lights blazed down like miniature suns, warming her arms and cheeks. Her flats squeaked softly against the floor as she crossed it, and the piano bench let out a faint creak as she sat. She stared at the keys. Familiar. Safe. Except tonight, they felt like a threshold.
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Levi took his seat beside her, guitar balanced against his leg, the body of it gleaming under the light.
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The hush that fell across the crowd was almost louder than sound. It wrapped around her ears and squeezed her lungs.
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Naomi took a slow breath.
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And began.
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The first few notes were soft and searching. Her fingers moved with grace, but a slight tension gripped her shoulders. Levi joined her just before the fourth bar, his guitar sliding into the melody like silk across skin.
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Their music wasn’t flashy. It didn’t swell with dramatic flair or fight for attention. It *invited* listeners in—gently, carefully—until you found yourself holding your breath.
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Naomi glanced sideways.
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He was already looking at her.
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Not for timing. Not for cues.
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He was looking at *her*.
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Her stomach tightened. The stage melted away, the audience blurred, and for one disarming second, all that remained was the heat of his gaze and the invisible current between their instruments.
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She didn’t mean to lean toward him. But her body moved instinctively, drawn like a tide to its moon.
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Their melodies didn’t just meet—they tangled. Twisted. Pulled at each other like opposites refusing to stay apart.
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*This wasn’t rivalry.*
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This was recognition.
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The bridge came, and Naomi took the lead. Her fingers glided, her body loosening into the rhythm. The piano sang for her, but it wasn’t applause she was chasing.
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She played for the feeling that bloomed in her chest. For the flicker of something unnamed. For the honesty in the silence between his chords.
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And when Levi began to sing—low, raw, every word soaked in meaning—her breath caught.
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Not from nerves.
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From *knowing*.
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The final chord rang out. It hovered in the air like it didn’t want to leave, and for a heartbeat, Naomi wished it wouldn’t.
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Then the audience erupted.
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Applause thundered through the auditorium, but it felt far away—like she was hearing it underwater.
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She stood and bowed mechanically. Levi did the same beside her. They turned and walked offstage together, side by side, close enough that her hand brushed his for half a second.
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Backstage, Levi stopped walking. He touched her elbow gently.
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“You were amazing,” he said, voice low and sincere.
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Naomi looked at him. “You too.”
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There was a pause. A beat suspended in midair.
He looked at her like he was on the verge of saying something more—like the performance had opened a door he wasn’t sure he should walk through.
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But he didn’t speak.
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And neither did she.
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Not yet.
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Later that night, Naomi lay in bed, her phone forgotten beside her, the world quiet except for the echo of that final note.
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She replayed the duet—not the sound of it, but the *feeling*. The way Levi had looked at her. The way her body had betrayed her. The way the music had stopped being safe.
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She had always believed the piano was where she was most honest.
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But tonight, it wasn’t the notes that betrayed her.
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It was her silence.
And the feeling that, if she let go just once…
She wouldn’t be able to pull herself back.
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