Seraphina stood near the entrance of the concert hall, her fingers trembling slightly, but not from fear—no, it was more from the excitement of the night. Her heart beat a little faster than usual as the distant hum of the crowd outside reached her ears. The Astral Institute of Medicine and Technology had pulled off something huge tonight. It wasn't every day that a celebrity like Ash Knight—lead singer of the popular band ANTARES and the CEO of her university—came to perform. But for Seraphina, tonight wasn't just about the show. It was about breathing. About feeling something more than the constant weight on her shoulders.
She didn't belong to the world of fame or music, not really. She was a second-year student majoring in astrophysics with a computer science minor, juggling a thousand responsibilities on top of that. She worked part-time to help support her mother back in Nepal, where life was anything but kind. There was always something missing, always something she couldn't grasp. Something she had dreamed of ever since she was a child, but life had a way of turning dreams into distant stars.
Her father had died when she was just six years old, and she had been raised by her brother's family. But the warmth of a loving home had always been absent. The fights, the struggles with money, the constant fear of not having enough—it never stopped. Her mother never even went to the hospital when she needed to, simply because they couldn't afford it. They ate what they could find, never what they wanted. A home that never felt like a home. Seraphina didn't want to end up like that. She didn't want to leave this earth without doing something meaningful, without feeling like she mattered.
Still, she'd always believed in giving, in doing everything for others, even if it meant sacrificing her own happiness. She tried to fill the void with her studies, with helping her friends, with being the empathic listener everyone needed. But, somehow, no one ever truly listened to her. No one saw her pain, her struggles.
She'd never had time for romance, nor had she wanted to. She flirted online a few times, but it was always fleeting, like a shooting star—bright for a moment, and then gone. She longed for someone who could understand her, someone she could share everything with. But in this generation of broken connections, she never thought she'd find that person. Not here. Not now.
But as she stood backstage, about to witness Ash Knight in person, something stirred inside her. She didn't know why she was so drawn to him—maybe it was the way his band had captured the attention of the entire city or the aura of mystery that surrounded him. Or maybe it was just the idea of someone who, on the surface, had everything: fame, wealth, success, but carried the weight of things that he never let others see. She couldn't help but be curious about the man behind the persona, the CEO of the university that had given her a chance to escape her own troubled past.
As she watched from the side, Ash stood at the center of the stage, his back to her. His dark hair tousled, eyes hidden behind sunglasses, and his posture screamed the confidence of someone who had conquered the world. But there was something else in his demeanor—a loneliness that couldn't be masked by the bright lights and the cheers from the crowd. His shoulders were slightly slumped, his expression hard and unreadable. He wasn't just the lead singer of ANTARES—he was a man carrying a broken heart, buried deep beneath the layers of fame.
When the concert ended and the crowd was still buzzing with energy, Seraphina found herself moving toward the backstage area, curiosity pulling her forward. She didn't know what she expected. She just needed to see if the man in front of her was more than the persona she had seen on posters and heard on the radio.
She didn't expect to see what happened next.
A fan, barely a teenager, stood there near one of Ash's team members, her face red with frustration. Ash, who had once seemed like the epitome of grace and perfection, was arguing with the young girl, his words harsh and cutting. Seraphina's stomach turned. No one deserved to be treated like that—not in a place that was supposed to be about music, joy, and escape. The girl's face crumpled, her voice faltering as she tried to defend herself.
Without thinking, Seraphina stepped forward. "Hey!" Her voice was loud, strong. "That's not how you treat someone who looks up to you."
Ash's head snapped in her direction, and for a moment, time seemed to stretch. He was standing there, with his piercing gaze fixed on her, studying her as if trying to figure her out. Her pulse quickened. His eyes, dark and intense, seemed to see straight through her. She felt the weight of his stare, and in that instant, she understood: this man was more than just the rockstar. He was haunted, and those eyes—they were tired.
Ash opened his mouth, but the words died in his throat. He didn't say anything at first. He couldn't. For some reason, her presence unnerved him, in a way he couldn't explain.
"I…" He started, his voice low, unsure. "I didn't realize…"
Seraphina crossed her arms, trying not to feel the way his silence weighed on her. "You didn't realize? Really?" She shook her head, her gaze hardening. "You don't get to act like that just because you're famous."
She expected him to lash out, to return with a sharp retort. Instead, something unexpected happened. As she turned to leave, her hair brushed against his cheek. For the briefest moment, she felt him inhale sharply, like he was drawn to her in some inexplicable way. She didn't know why, but something about the way he smelled—like a mix of wood and rain—made her heart skip a beat.
Suddenly, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. His shirt, soft and familiar, draped over her like a shield.
"You're… bleeding," Ash said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.
Seraphina looked down in confusion, realizing there was a faint red stain on her pants—she hadn't noticed it until now. Without thinking, she stepped back, pulling away from him. But as she did, their hands brushed, and the world seemed to stop. It was like electricity passed between them, a rush of heat that made her skin tingle. Her heart beat faster, her cheeks flushing. It was absurd. She barely knew this man, and yet, in this brief, fleeting moment, she felt something—something strange and beautiful.
Ash didn't pull away. His fingers lingered for a second longer than necessary, his gaze locked on hers. Something in the air between them shifted, charged with a quiet, unspoken connection.
His voice was soft, uncertain. "Have we met before?"
Seraphina froze. For the briefest moment, she swore that his words hung in the air, like an unspoken question they both feared to ask. She couldn't understand why, but the question left her breathless. Had they met before? She shook her head slowly, unsure of what to say.
"No," she murmured, her voice barely audible. "I don't think so."
But something told her that this wasn't the end. Something told her that this moment, this encounter, had just changed everything.