Notes of Desire

11. Mariahchella

My EP was officially out, and the buzz was electric. Fans flooded social media with excitement, their reactions pouring in faster than I could keep up with. The validation was overwhelming, making all the hard work worthwhile.

In the midst of it all, I had to prepare for my biggest festival yet: Coachella.

The festival was just a week away, and every moment counted. I headed to the rehearsal studio, my heart pounding with anticipation.

As I walked in, the energy was flowing. Dancers stretched, choreographers discussed routines, and the band set up their equipment. I felt a rush of adrenaline. This was it.

"Mariah, over here!" La Mar called out, motioning me over to the center of the room. His presence was magnetic, as always.

The tension between us had not faded since the photoshoot, if anything, it had only grown stronger.

"Hey," I greeted him, trying to keep my voice steady.

"We're going to start with 'Spread Thin' and then move into the other tracks," he said, handing me a mic. "Ready?"

"Always," I replied, taking the mic and stepping onto the stage.

The music started, and I lost myself in the performance. The dancers moved in sync, the band played flawlessly, and I felt a sense of unity with everyone on stage.

But even as I sang, I could feel La Mar's eyes on me, guiding me, supporting me, and challenging me.

After running through the setlist a few times, we took a break. I headed to the corner of the room, taking a sip of water, trying to catch my breath. La Mar approached me, his gaze intense.

"How you holding up?" he asked, his voice low and sincere.

"I'm good, thanks!"

"That's good. We need to work on a few transitions, though. Some of the moves are still... a bit rough."

"Yeah, I felt that too. Let's smooth them out," I agreed, my pulse quickening as he stepped closer.

We worked together on the transitions, his hands guiding my movements, his touch sending shivers down my spine.

"Like this," he whispered, placing his hand on my hip to guide me through a spin. Our bodies were close, too close, and I could feel the heat radiating off him.

I started to get nervous and that same feeling I used to have when we were alone. "Yea, got it." I said, trying to focus.

We continued rehearsing, the tension building with each passing moment. By the end of the day, I was exhausted, both physically and emotionally.

"Great job today, everyone," La Mar called out as we wrapped up. "Take a break, and we'll pick up again tomorrow."

As I was packing my stuff up, La Mar came up to me. "Long day right?" he asked, trying to make conversation.

I took a deep breath, "definitely, but it was worth it."

I finished packing and me and La Mar talked as we were walking out the studio.

"Excited for tour?" He asked.

"Of course. That's like my favorite part of it all, seeing my fans and getting to interact with them."

La Mar smiled, his eyes lighting up with genuine interest. "I bet. It's got to be an amazing feeling, seeing all those people there just for you."

"It really is."

As we walked towards the parking lot, the conversation flowed easily, the tension between us taking a back seat for now.

Everything felt natural.