REKINDLED || Completed

48

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Forty Eight
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A/N: We've come a long way 🥺🥺

THREE WEEKS LATER

Asher stood in the shadows just beyond the stage lights, her breath hitching as she watched Oren perform. The glow of the spotlight cast his silhouette in gold, every note he sang wrapping around her like a song meant only for her. His voice, deep and rich, filled the air, weaving through the crowd like a spell, but she was the only one who saw him like this—raw, lost in the music, completely alive.

Her fingers gripped the cool metal frame of the backstage curtain, her heart drumming in time with the beat. A soft smile played on her lips, a mix of pride and something deeper—something that made her eyes shine just a little more than the stage lights. Every lyric, every gesture, it all belonged to the audience, yet she knew… when he glanced sideways, just for a second, he was looking for her. And when their eyes met, the whole world seemed to blur.

It had been three weeks.

Three most exciting weeks of her twenty two year old life!

They'd kicked off the tour in his hometown Croydon, England. Then to Johannesburg, South Africa and now Florida, USA. She could confirm very certainly that she was a different young woman.

"Wooow!!" A holler down the hall brought her back  to present. Sitting straight she watched the corridor in anticipation. The men would show up any moment.

And they did.

The small group of staff clapped as they walked by and her smile only grew when Oren held her gaze.

Even with his tussled hair and heavy breath he still looked breathtaking. As always.

"You did great!" She beamed up at them, leaning forward for side hugs.

"It was God" Richie pointed up and they looked heavenwards solemnly.

He walked by them and she handed Oren a bottle of water  "Ah, thanks"

She watched him down its contents, his forehead slick with sweat. She wondered what it must've felt like being up there in front of hundreds going back and forth.

Surely God had a hand in all of it.

"I have a surprise for you" he announced happily and she raised a brow

"Another surprise?"

"A bigger better one" he corrected with a chuckle and she rolled her eyes.

"Just, wait out in the bus. I'll call you" he assured before squeezing her hand and walking off.

She clasped her hands tight as she watched him retreat...the warmth.

**

Admittedly, while the time with the guys was uplifting and just fun, the times without them felt utterly boring.

Lara wasn't there...she didn't find any of the girls that she lodged with comfortable either.

Lara: I'm sure you're having the time of your life with your boo. Stop being a baby 😆

Asher: You know for a reason like this, I'm happy you didn't come with 😒

Lara: 😂😂

A knock interrupted her.

"Miss, Mr Carnrow says to meet him by the sound equipment truck. And to bring a jacket"

"Sure..." Asher sat up gingerly

She walked into the washroom to brush her hair and touch up her face a bit. She spritzed on a little perfume and took a full look at herself in the full body mirror.

Surely this girl in the cream dress wasn't the girl she remembered staring back those times.

Swiping her jacket and phone, she rushed out.

The tour bus door hissed open, spilling warm light onto the cool pavement. She stepped down, her heart drumming in her ears, her fingers gripped  the hem of her dress as the night air wrapped around her. The distant hum of the city lingered beyond the towering performance center walls, but there, under the floodlights casting long shadows across the lot, it's just her, the other giant buses and the moment.

Ahead, just where she was told, Oren waited—hands in his pockets, eyes gleaming like city lights against the dark. The soft breeze tousled his hair, and for a second, he looked almost unreal, like a dream pulled straight from the songs he sang. She exhaled slowly, her footsteps light but certain as she crossed the space between them. The echoes of the night seemed to hold their breath, and so did she—because when their eyes met, everything else ceased to exist.

"Glad you found me" his voice broke through the wind

Her face lit up with a simple smile. His eyes lowered to what she wore for a second  "You got a jacket like I asked"

"I did" she looked down at it too.

"Okay then...let's not keep the night waiting," he said and held out his hand. She put hers in it, slowly but confidently and then he held it in a firm grip.

She let him lead her, their shoes slapping on the concrete pavement as they walked. She wondered where they were going but was too excited to ask.

A Porsche rolled to a stop by them, a man in shades behind the wheel.

Asher stopped for a moment, uncertain.

Oren could read that and assured her she was fine.

She nodded because in these few weeks she'd started to open up, to trust him.

He held the door for her to get in and the man on command drove off.

The Miami night unfolded around them in streaks of neon and ocean breeze, the hum of the city blending with the low purr of the convertible’s engine. The wind ran its fingers through her hair as she leaned back against the plush leather seat, eyes flicking between the skyline and the young man beside her. He sat relaxed, one hand resting on her knee, the other absently drumming to a song only he could hear, his face was aglow from passing streetlights.

The driver steered them smoothly through the palm-lined avenues, past waterfront high-rises and quiet beach roads where the waves whispered against the shore. The world outside was alive—distant music spilling from rooftop bars, laughter echoing from late-night diners—but inside this car, it was just them.

It was always just them.

Oren turned to her, a slow, knowing smile tugging at his lips. Without a word, he reached for her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. She squeezed back, her heart full, knowing that this moment, this ride under the Miami stars, will be one of those memories that will live in the quiet corners of her mind forever.

**

Author: I wanted to add the most anticipated proposal to this chapter but I feel like it would do better in a new chapter, probably the last 😊

Thank you all, in advance!

Kairos.