String to my heart ♪ Mark Lee

♪ 32

Gouge you out from my heart
Bleeding out the traces of you
Love is a lie, I loved that lie
Burn in just burn it out

♪

Mark winced as he stretched his arms over his head, feeling a sharp twinge in his lower back. The pain was becoming familiar, like an unwelcome friend that never left.

He had been pushing his body too hard, but what choice did he have? The comeback was just weeks away, and every move had to be perfect. Yet, even as the physical pain gnawed at him, his mind kept drifting back to Hannah.

Hannah, the one whose melodies seemed to understand him better than he understood himself.

They had spent so much time together in the studio, working late into the night, creating music that felt like it had a heartbeat of its own. She had always been warm, with a smile that made the long hours bearable.

But lately, something had changed.

She was distant now, avoiding eye contact, keeping their conversations strictly professional. At first, Mark thought it was just the stress of the project getting to her, but the more he tried to reach out, the more she pulled away.

It confused him, frustrated him even. He missed the way she used to laugh at his lame jokes, the way she'd hum under her breath as she worked, the way her eyes lit up when they talked about music. Now, all of that was gone, replaced by a coldness that he couldn't understand.

As he bent down to tie his sneakers, the pain in his back flared up again, making him suck in a sharp breath.

"Why now?" he muttered under his breath.

His mind was already a mess with thoughts of Hannah, and now his body seemed to be betraying him too. It was like everything was unraveling at once.

He tried to focus on the choreography, on the rhythm of the music, but every time he closed his eyes, he saw her face. Why was she ignoring him? Had he done something wrong? The thought gnawed at him as much as the pain in his back did.

He had never been good at reading people, but with Hannah, it felt different. It felt like there was something more between them, something unspoken.

But now, it was like she had shut him out completely, and he was left standing on the outside, trying to figure out what went wrong.

Little did he know, Hannah was struggling too. She had realized her own feelings for him, feelings she wasn't ready to confront. And in her attempt to protect herself, she had pulled away, leaving Mark confused and hurt.

But Mark didn't know that.

All he knew was that the one person who used to make the harsh practices and the long hours bearable was slipping away from him.

"Alright, let's go again," he said, forcing a smile as he stood up, ignoring the pain in his back and the ache in his chest.

He had to focus on the task at hand. But even as he moved through the routine, his thoughts kept circling back to Hannah, wondering what he could do to bring her back into his life.

The physical pain was something he could push through, but the emptiness he felt every time Hannah avoided his gaze? That was something he didn't know how to fix.

During rehearsals, Mark tried to ignore the discomfort, focusing instead on perfecting his moves.

The energy in the venue was high, with everyone giving their all. But inside, Mark felt like he was teetering on the edge.