Tristan’s POV
The morning light broke through the window, casting golden stripes across the floor. The house was quiet, but the kind of quiet that draped itself over everything like a heavy curtain. I stood in the doorway of the bedroom, watching her.
Elona sat at the edge of the dresser, her back straight, her eyes fixed on the mirror in front of her. She was applying makeup with the kind of precision that came only from muscle memory. The brush moved softly over her cheekbones, hiding the fatigue beneath the foundation, and the concealer covering what I knew were subtle remnants of strain from yesterday.
She was beautiful, effortlessly so beautiful, but there was something about the way she pressed her lips together between applications, something about the way her shoulders tensed every time her gaze flicked to her reflection. She was wearing armor, one layer at a time, and she didn’t know I have been watching her for a full five minutes.
“Elona,” I finally said, my voice was low.
She blinked at the mirror, caught between two coats of mascara. “Hmm?”
“I know the fall was a lie,” I said plainly, stepping inside and leaning my back against the wall. “Something about it doesn’t sit right. You hesitated when you said it. And I’ve been around you long enough to know it.”
She put down the mascara wand gently, letting out a slow sigh. Her eyes dropped from the mirror to her hands resting in her lap. “Tristan…”
“I’m not here to start a fight,” I said before she could protest. “I’m just… worried. I saw your neck and cheek, Elona. That wasn’t from a fall.” I continued to watch her in the mirror.
She finally turned to face me, and for a moment I saw the flash of emotion she tried to hide. Not weakness... never weakness, but a frustration layered with something more... Pain and maybe a little fear.
“It’s best you don’t know yet,” she said quietly.
I stepped forward with my arms crossed. “Why not?” I asked.
“You will do something,” she replied, looking me in the eye. “You will lose your temper, you will storm back into that place, and it will turn into something bigger. I can’t afford that, not now. I’m on the edge of something that could make or break this career.”
“Elona...”
“I’m serious,” she cut in as she stood up, her eyes blazing with quiet conviction. “This is my fight. I know what I signed up for. I knew the moment I walked into VFS that it wasn’t going to be easy. I don’t need it to be easy, I need to finish what I started.”
I let out a breath and ran a hand through my hair. Her voice was calm, but underneath it was fire and that terrified me. “You shouldn’t have to go through this just to prove you belong.” I was keeping my anger from whatever happened at bay.
“They won’t break me,” she said, stepping towards me. “They will try, and they will whisper, and they will throw whatever they have my way, but they won’t succeed. I won’t let them. I want this too badly.”
My chest tightened as I looked at her. She was so determined, so focused, and yet so fragile under it all. “You shouldn’t have to pretend you’re okay.”
“I’m not pretending,” she replied. “I’m surviving.”
“And what happens when surviving turns into silence?” I asked gently. “When pushing through becomes hiding pain?”
She hesitated. I saw it in the way her eyes dropped for half a second. She turned back towards the mirror. “Then I’ll be louder later. Right now, I need to get through this phase without a scandal. No press, no legal drama, no articles. Let me get to the finish line first.”
“I don’t want to stand by if you’re getting hurt.” I didn’t want her to go through anything alone.
She softened. “I’m not asking you to stand by. I’m asking you to stand behind me. Let me lead this part.” She caught my gaze in the mirror. She was really determined about this, but it hurt more than I could explain.
I wanted to storm into that studio again, have a word with Delance again, and every twisted standard they pushed onto her, but looking at her... this strong, smart, and fire-hearted woman, how could I not give her that chance?
I moved closer to her, and placed my hand gently on her shoulder. She looked at me in the mirror, her eyes glassy but resilient. “Okay,” I said after a long pause. “But if this ever becomes too much…”
“I will tell you,” she finished for me, still holding my gaze.
There was a moment of silence before something else returned to my mind. That other lie. “You don’t have to tell white lies to protect me, okay?” I said, my voice was quiet. “About anything.”
She blinked, confused at first and then her face fell as she realized what I was referring to. “You mean the virgin thing,” she said softly.
“I mean everything,” I replied. “I didn’t love you because I thought you were pure or not. I loved you because of your strength, your rawness, your chaos, and your quiet moments. I still love you for those reasons. Don’t think for one second you ever need to lie to be worthy of my love or respect.”
“I was scared,” she admitted. “That you would look at me differently. I didn’t think it mattered then, but then it did. You know? I didn’t want to wait because you thought I was a virgin and take your time with me. I wanted it then and I lied.”
“I look at you the same way now that I did the first time I felt something shift inside me, when you were sitting in that kitchen counter, talking to Cris like you lit up the entire room.”
She turned toward me again, her body still between us, but her soul closer than ever. “I don’t want to lose you for anything.”
“You won’t,” I said.
We stood there for a long time. Eventually, I pulled away, reluctantly. “I should head to the auditorium. Practice is starting in an hour and I want to go through the routine and music sheets again,” I said as I leaned in and pressed my lips against hers, and then I pulled away, “Are you ready to head to VFS?” I asked as I grabbed my car keys from the bedside table
She nodded. “Yes, I’m ready, and you will be amazing.” she smiled.
“You think so?” I asked with a smirk as she grabbed her gym bag.
“I know,” she said, smiling brightly for the first time this morning. “You’re the most captivating man I’ve ever known.” And still, all I wanted was to captivate her heart, not the world.