"It's something that I'll never know, how you can love someone so broken, so right." —Jess Glynne.

••

Blaze opens the transparent door that leads to the music room, Harmony's hand firmly interlaced with his as he steps in. The crisp air conditions drafting over the room doesn't ease her anxiety since she can still feel her palms becoming clammy from unease.

She is standing behind his tall figure like a timid kitten, and between the narrow spaces of his arm, she can see a few heads twisted in their direction. As usual.

Oh, how she hates the spotlight.

Blaze glances down at her from over his shoulders, amused by her hiding behind him. "Hey, don't be afraid, alright? I got you, green eyes."

She smiles up at him. "Thank you, Blaze."

Maddie, who sits with Malcolm in the far-left corner, immediately notices Blaze's presence. Her face pipes up in a blink, and she gestures to call out to him when a short figure appears from behind him.

Her smile slowly fades at the sight of Harmony and is instantly replaced with an unpleasant glare of resentment. She has been seeing this girl around him a lot since her return. And she doesn't like it.

Justine smiles and nods her head at her new attendees, and Harmony returns a genuine one as she quickly goes to find a seat. Blaze follows her, and they sit side by side while Justine talks to the group about the upcoming concert.

Spotting Malcolm amidst the numerous bodies, Harmony lifts her hand in a wave. He grins and reciprocates the greeting. Maddie gazes in her direction, and Harmony tries to smile at her, but she just looks away with an obvious frown hanging from her features.

"You know they really should start giving free food here." Blaze complains, and Harmony shifts her gaze from the weird girl and to him, chuckling at his need to always be eating at the music meetings.

"I forgot to grab some snacks before coming here. God, now I'm hungry."

"Well, eating is not legal here." She points at the 'NO EATING' sign on the wall to punctuate it, and he frowns.

"I don't follow rules, green eyes."

Oh, she knows.

"And our lead singer will be Harmony Skye!"

She jerks at the sound of her name, turning her attention to the front of the room where Justine is pointing at her while the room applauds. Claps and whistles echo off the walls, and Harmony begins to feel terribly shy.

"She will be our lead singer! Give her some love, guys!" Justine continues while clapping her hands.

The roars get louder, and she blushes awkwardly. She hates the spotlight whether it's good or bad, having no idea how to react when a variety of orbs, all in different shapes and colors, are on her.

"Thanks." She smiles and nods her head at them, oblivious to a pair of envious eyes that are watching her from across the room. Maddie.

"Sing for us!" A boy holding a saxophone, yells.

Oh, no.

"Yes, sing for us, please!" A girl agrees while she clasps her hands pleadingly. "You did so amazingly last time! Let us hear it again!"

Harmony sighs and scratches her forehead. "Um..."

"You guys should just wait until it's practice time for the concert." Blaze chimes in. "You will get the surprise then, she can't sing for you right now; her voice needs rest."

She looks at him, and he smiles and winks an eye. Her lips stretch at the thought that he's trying to help her out of this.

"Guys, let's just wait until we are practicing for the concert, alright?" Justine asserts. "At that moment, she will sing for us and—"

"I will sing now." Harmony interjects, and Blaze looks at her in surprise.

Justine raises a brow with an impressed smile. "You will sing? Right here, right now?"

She nods. "Um, yeah...I did it that last time so I guess I could. Plus, it'll be a great practice for that concert coming up."

Blaze's lips quirk up, and Justine throws her hands in the air excitedly. "Amazing! Guys, she is going to sing for us today! Give her a round of applause!"

The room cheers once more, and blushes rise to her face as she gets up from her chair.

Blaze grasps her arm as she is about to move off, and she looks down at him.

"When you're up there, look at me, and me only and you will be alright," he whispers.

She smiles. "Okay, Blaze."

He nods, and she nervously struts to the front of the room, her feet spindly from all the anxiety. She's not sure if she can do this. Maybe she should have just kept her mouth shut. She has no idea what on earth got into her to agree to sing in front of all these people a second time.

Everyone is quiet and eagerly attentive. Some even have their cell phones out to record, and she registers that if she messes this up and makes an ass of herself, she will become nothing but an internet laughing meme.

Her eyes stop on Blaze among the faces. He was right; his presence makes her feel a whole lot better. He smiles and jerks her a thumbs up, and this is enough to give her a full dose of confidence.

She smiles and intakes a deep breath. Keeping her eyes positioned on his, she parts her lips and begins to sing, 'Broken' by Jess Glynne.

~Sometimes when I fall down low and I got nowhere else to go, I hide myself, don't let it show but you find me. Sometimes when the day goes by, I've missed it because all I did was cry. You always know the reason why, You know me. You always have the words that never let me down, let me down. Always make me laugh somehow. You tell me don't worry when I've done wrong. It's something that I'll never know, how you can love someone so broken, so right? 'Cause all I ever wanted was a little bit of paradise~

Blaze is staring back at her with admiration sparkling within his icy blue eyes. A deep unexplainable emotion etched on his features. And even though she cannot explain it, she knows its meaning is pure and without blemish. It grants her motivation, and she continues to sing.

~ Sometimes when I run too fast, you let me go don't hold me back, and when I can't see the tracks, you find me. Sometimes when I can't see, I lose my balance and I can't breathe, you hold me close and brush your cheek on me, you know me. You always have the words that never let me down, let me down. Always make me laugh somehow. You tell me don't worry when I've done wrong. It's something that I'll never know, how you can love someone so broken, so right? 'Cause all I ever wanted was a little bit of paradise~

Tears begin to form in her eyes, the emotion from both the lyrics and her endearment for Blaze becoming too overwhelming. Her mind goes into a state of flashbacks, resurfacing all the events that have occurred between them up until this very point. She never knew she could feel this way about someone. She loves him. So much more than he would ever know.

Blaze is watching her with absorbed, limpid orbs as if he's experiencing the same feelings as her. Maddie is looking between them both, seeing the raw emotions displaying on both of their faces. The entire room must see it—that the words she is so melodically uttering are for no one else but Blaze Xander.

~Standing so close you're holding me up. I hope I give you just as much, 'cause you could never let me down, even when I'm standing here now. So broken, arms open wide. 'Cause all I ever wanted was a little bit of paradise. You tell me don't worry when I've done wrong, it's something that I'll never know, how you can love someone so broken, so right? 'Cause all I ever wanted was a little bit of paradise."

The song ends, and the room is left in awe. Blaze shuts his eyes and hangs his head for a while. Harmony sees as he wipes his face then looks back up. She can't tell if he was crying, but as he begins to clap, everyone instantly joins in with impressed faces.

Harmony smiles and uses the back of her hand to wipe away the teardrops, but it doesn't stop the fresh excretions from pouring out one after the other. She gives up trying to dry them and just allows them to fall freely down her face.

She sang those words from her heart, and she hopes they reached his.

People are still cheering, and some are even emotional, but Maddie is sitting there—the odd one out—with the most demonic expression a person could ever wear while glowering at the two people.

With a need to hug him, Harmony walks down to where he is seated, and as soon as he gets up, she springs into his arms, almost knocking him over. He stands his ground and smiles, encircling his arms around her.

She is crying against his shirt, and he closes his eyes and hugs her tighter against him.

"Thank you..." He whispers. "Thank you for loving someone like me, Harmony."

She wants to say 'you're welcome,' but the tears won't let her, and so instead, she cries and prays he understands the teardrops.