It was nearly midnight when Aria slipped past the side gate of Dreamlight Entertainment's building, hoodie up, a tote bag swinging on her arm with two bento boxes and a bottle of barley tea inside.
She shouldn't be here.
Not really.
But Kaelira had texted her hours ago with a sad face and three keyboard smashes.
[I'm stuck in choreo hell until like 1AM 😭😭
Miss you.
Pls send flowers or snacks or your face.]
Aria had stared at the texts way too long.
So here she was. In sneakers, clutching a bag full of love-packed food, her heart pounding like she was committing some crime—which, technically, she kind of was.
Niña had helped, of course. She'd sent a little voice memo with a giggle:
"The code for the side door is still 0411. Just pretend you're one of us and don't make eye contact with the security cam. Oh, and if Karina faints when she sees you, film it. For me."
⤹ ❀
Inside, the practice floor was dim except for the stage lights bouncing off the mirrors. Aria hovered just behind a half-open door, watching silently.
Kaelira was in the center, hair pulled back, a hoodie tied around her waist, sweat glistening on her arms as she moved with precise, liquid grace. Each beat of the music pulsed through her entire frame—sharp turns, fluid transitions, the occasional bounce of her sneakers as she hit a high-energy move.
Aria had never really seen her like this.
Not in person.
Not in her element, fully focused, fully glowing.
And it hit her square in the chest—how much Kaelira gave to her craft. How much she shone.
She didn't realize she was smiling until Kaelira turned and caught her reflection in the mirror.
She froze.
Aria blinked.
Kaelira spun around, eyes wide, chest rising and falling from the routine, a flushed grin spreading across her face.
"Aria?!"
"Hi," Aria squeaked, lifting the tote bag like a peace offering. "I brought food."
⤹ ❀
They sat together on the practice room floor a few minutes later, Kaelira toweling off her neck while Aria opened the boxes.
"You really came," Kaelira said, voice softer now, like it still didn't feel real. "You shouldn't be here. Like, for security reasons. And also—god, you're actually here."
Aria handed her a pair of chopsticks. "Don't worry. Niña says I look like a backup dancer from the third unit."
Kaelkra cackled. "She would."
They ate in easy silence at first—occasional glances, little smiles, the soft rustle of rice and seaweed being shared.
Kaelira leaned back on her palms. "I needed this. Today was brutal."
Aria reached into the bag again. "I also brought something else."
She pulled out a tiny jar with a single clipped sprig of lavender inside. Kaelira blinked.
"It's calming," Aria said, a little shy. "For your locker. Or your bag. Or just... when the world gets loud."
Kaelira stared at her. Then, with no warning, leaned forward and kissed Aria's cheek.
Aria nearly dropped her chopsticks.
⤹ ❀
After they cleaned up, Kaelira turned the music back on—just low enough to not alert the building's night staff. The track was supposed to be her next single, a dramatic, fierce anthem.
Instead, someone must've pressed the wrong file.
Because suddenly, slow jazz.
Kaelira blinked. "What—"
Aria giggled. "Smooth."
Kaelira arched a brow. "Do we... dance?"
Aria raised both hands. "I don't dance. I flail. Gracefully."
Kaelira stepped forward anyway, holding out her hand. "Then flail with me."
And that's how Aria Bloom, florist and official Anti-Dancer, found herself slow-dancing in socked feet with an international idol in the middle of a mirror-lined practice room under dim lights.
Kaelira's hands found her waist. Aria's fingers linked behind her neck.
It was awkward. And adorable. And perfect.
They swayed with no real rhythm, occasionally stepping on each other's toes and bursting into laughter. At one point, Kaelira twirled her—badly—and Aria almost spun into the wall.
They both collapsed in a heap on the floor, breathless with laughter.
"You're so stupid," Aria wheezed.
Kaelira, still giggling, leaned her head against Aria's shoulder. "Yeah, but I'm your kind of stupid."
Aria didn't respond.
She just leaned her head gently against Kaelira's and whispered, "Yeah."
⤹ ❀
When Kaelira finally had to get back to practice, Aria stood at the edge of the room, watching her warm up again.
This time, Kaelira glanced in the mirror—then winked.
Aria pretended not to melt.
Outside the room, she bumped into Hestia, who raised a brow.
"You're still here?"
"Leaving now," Aria whispered.
Hestia smirked. "Kaelira's been grinning like a lovesick puppy for the past hour. Just saying."
Aria turned red. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Mm-hmm."
Aria bolted for the door, heart thumping all over again.
⤹ ❀
Later, she got a text from Kaelira:
[Every time I do that choreo now, I'll think of you standing there.]
Then another:
[Also you stepped on my foot and I loved it.]
Aria sent back a flower emoji.
Then another.
Then a heart.
Then—
[Next time, I'm making you dance.]
And Kaelira replied with a voice note that made Aria bury her face in her pillow.
"Only if you promise to fall for me all over again every time."