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THE CLOCK ON THE WALL ticked past midnight, but sabrina didn't care. she was sitting cross-legged on the couch in the studio, watching as jaxon hunched over his guitar, strumming a few frustrated chords.
"it's not working," jaxon muttered, shaking his head as he played the same riff for what felt like the hundredth time. "i don't know why, but the lyrics feel... off."
sabrina smiled softly, leaning back into the cushions. "maybe you're overthinking it."
jaxon shot her a look, his eyes narrowing playfully. "you think i'm overthinking?"
"you? never," sabrina teased, her voice light and full of sarcasm. "you're always so chill, jaxon rivers."
he let out a low chuckle, the sound sending a shiver down sabrina's spine. she hadn't meant for it to feel so... charged, but everything between them lately had felt that way—charged, like the air was always electric whenever they were together.
"alright, songwriting queen," jaxon said, turning his full attention to her. "you've got all the answers. what am i missing here?"
sabrina grinned, sliding off the couch and walking over to him. she gently took the guitar from his hands, her fingers brushing his in the process, and felt her heart skip a beat. "okay, listen. you're focusing too much on the music. think about the emotion behind the lyrics."
jaxon raised an eyebrow, leaning back slightly. "emotion, huh?"
"yeah," sabrina said, sitting on the edge of the piano next to him. "what's this song supposed to feel like? what are you trying to say with it?"
jaxon tilted his head, studying her for a moment. "you're right. i've been stuck on the technical stuff. i forgot about the feeling."
sabrina smiled, watching as jaxon picked up his guitar again, but this time with a new kind of focus. there was something about the way he was looking at her—like she had given him the answer he didn't know he needed.
he strummed a few chords, humming softly under his breath, and sabrina couldn't help but feel mesmerized by him. the way his hands moved over the strings, the way his eyes softened when he found the right sound.
"there it is," jaxon murmured, a small smile tugging at his lips. "that's the one."
sabrina leaned forward, her chin resting on her hand as she watched him play. "see? told you."
jaxon glanced up, his smile widening. "you're not bad at this whole songwriting thing, carpenter."
"i've had some practice," she teased, feeling the air between them grow warmer.
_______________
as the night wore on, the studio grew quieter. the rest of the band had already called it a night, leaving just jaxon and sabrina alone, the soft glow of the studio lights casting shadows across the room.
