The corridors of Asteria Acting Conservatory buzzed with whispered rumors and nervous energy. Nara Elise clutched her bag strap, trying to ignore the way her heart raced. This was it—the school she had dreamed of since she was a child, where the brightest performers trained under the sharpest eyes in the country.

Her mentor, Ms. Seraphine Hale, awaited them in the main rehearsal hall. Nara entered, expecting to be assigned a partner for the semester. Instead, she was met with a pause, a tilt of the head, and the words that made her stomach flip:

“I… cannot choose between these two,” Ms. Hale said, eyes glinting behind her glasses. “Silas Vailon, Rowan Maren… both are exceptional. Nara, you will be rehearsing with both of them.”

Nara froze. Both of them? Her mind raced as she scanned the room.

On her left, Silas Vailon stood perfectly still, his gray eyes piercing, his posture flawless, as if the world itself bent to his control. A cold calm radiated from him, sharp enough to make her pulse quicken in unease.

On her right, Rowan Maren leaned casually against the wall, hair tousled, hazel eyes warm and mischievous. He smiled at her, an easy, inviting grin that made her chest tighten in an entirely different way.

Nara felt her knees weaken. One glance at Silas, and she knew she’d have to be careful, measured, perfect. One glance at Rowan, and she wanted to laugh, lean in, and trust him immediately.

“This will be… interesting,” Ms. Hale said, her voice sharp, echoing across the hall. “You three will perform together. Learn from each other. Push each other. And remember—every emotion counts.”

As the first notes of the rehearsal piano echoed through the hall, Nara swallowed hard, her mind spinning. Between Silas’ icy perfection and Rowan’s effortless warmth, she had no idea which path she should follow—or which heart she was about to fall into.

And for the first time in her life, she realized that some performances weren’t written—and some feelings couldn’t be rehearsed.