The Voice Within

The week leading up to the next showcase was unlike anything Aria had experienced in years. Every morning, she woke with nervous anticipation, her mind already racing through chords, lyrics, and the butterflies that never seemed to leave her stomach. The mere thought of performing again was a storm inside her—both terrifying and electrifying.

Ethan, ever the grounding presence, met with her daily. Sometimes at the studio, sometimes at the café, and once even on the rooftop of her building where they watched the city blink awake under the twilight sky. Each time, he helped her prepare, but never pressured. He let her take the lead—let her grow.

“You don’t need to be perfect,” he told her one afternoon, as she struggled to find the right transition between verses. “You just need to be honest.”

Aria looked up from her guitar, her fingers stiff. “What if they don’t like what they hear?”

Ethan leaned forward, brushing a hand over the edge of her music notebook. “Then they weren’t listening with their hearts. And that’s not your problem.”

His words settled into her like a balm. Slowly, she started to believe them.

---

The night of the showcase came faster than expected. Aria stood behind the curtain, heart pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears. Her hands were slightly sweaty against the polished wood of her guitar. She could hear the muffled applause from the last act—someone who had brought the house down with a fiery rendition of a blues-rock ballad.

And then her name was called.

She stepped into the light.

The spotlight hit her like a wave, but the rest of the room faded into shadows. The audience was a blur. She took a deep breath, adjusted the mic, and sat on the stool in the center of the stage.

“This is a song I wrote when I felt like my world was ending,” she began, her voice steady despite her nerves. “It’s called Ashes in the Rain.”

The first notes were soft. Tentative. But as her voice joined the melody, something inside her clicked into place. She wasn’t just performing—she was confessing, revealing, connecting. The lyrics flowed from a place so deep it surprised even her.

When she reached the chorus, her voice rose with strength she didn’t know she had:

“Ashes in the rain, all the pain I couldn’t say— Washing down the drain, chasing ghosts I couldn’t name. But I’m still standing, still singing, With the storm inside me fading.”

By the time she finished, the room was silent. Then, slowly, applause swelled—loud and genuine. Aria blinked back tears, overwhelmed. She glanced offstage and saw Ethan standing there, his hands clapping, his expression unreadable but proud.

Backstage, she collapsed onto a worn-out couch, her guitar still strapped to her back. Ethan came to sit beside her, handing her a bottle of water.

“You did it,” he said.

She nodded, unable to speak.

“You didn’t just sing a song. You told a story. And everyone listened.”

Aria let out a shaky laugh. “I almost ran the second I walked onstage.”

“But you didn’t. That’s what matters.”

They sat in silence for a moment. Then Ethan turned to her, his expression softer.

“Do you want to record it?”

Aria blinked. “Record it?”

He nodded. “Just a demo. Nothing fancy. I’ve got time at the studio next week. No pressure. But I think the world needs to hear that voice.”

Her instinct was to deflect, to retreat—but instead, she found herself nodding.

“Yes. Let’s do it.”

Ethan grinned. “Good. Because I already booked us a slot.”

Aria laughed, the tension finally breaking. She leaned back, staring at the ceiling.

For the first time in a long time, she felt… free.

Not because she had overcome all her fears.

But because she had faced them—and sang through them.

---

Later that night, Aria sat on her apartment balcony, the city spread out before her like a symphony waiting to be played. She opened her notebook and began to write again. New lyrics. New feelings. New strength.

And for the first time, her voice—the voice within—was clear and unwavering.

The music was no longer a shield.

It was her truth.

And she was ready to share it.

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