BENEATH THE CITY LIGHTS

Episode 4: The Beat Beneath The city breathed in color that morning—warm apricot skies breaking into bright gold as the sun rose over silver buildings. But Amara wasn’t looking at the sky. She was watching the video on her phone again and again. It was a fifteen-second clip from the behind-the-scenes shoot. Cynthia had posted it without crediting her team, as usual. But the music layered under the visual caught her ear. Kian’s beat. She recognized it instantly: the track they’d built together in the blackout. But it had changed—it was cleaner now, polished, richer. He’d added her rhythm. Her contribution. He kept it. He used it. She didn’t know whether to feel honored or exposed. “Hey, Earth to Amara,” a voice called. She blinked and looked up. Her roommate, Nia, stood in the kitchen, sipping coffee and wearing an amused expression. “You’re spacing out again. Is this about the mystery musician you won’t shut up about?” Amara grinned. “I do not talk about him that much.” Nia raised a brow. “Girl, you said ‘his voice is like a song and his eyes are like secrets.’ I counted.” “Okay, maybe once.” “Four times. In two days.” Amara rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress the smile curling on her lips. “He used our beat. I heard it on Cynthia’s post this morning.” Nia leaned in. “Did he credit you?” “No. But… I don’t care. Not really. I just…” She hesitated. “I think I want to see him again.” Nia smirked. “Then don’t wait for fate. Text him.” “I don’t have his number.” Nia paused. “Seriously?” “I wasn’t thinking about numbers that night,” she muttered, cheeks flushing. Nia laughed. “You were too busy making music in the dark.” Amara threw a pillow at her. --- Later that afternoon, Amara’s thoughts kept drifting back to the studio. Her body was at the fabric market, but her heart was somewhere else—floating between piano notes and flashlight shadows. Just as she reached for a roll of tulle, her phone buzzed. Unknown number:“You ever think about finishing that track?”—Kian Her heart thudded. Amara:“Every day since.” A moment later: Kian:Studio tonight. 8. I’ll bring the city. You bring the soul. She bit her lip, trying to play it cool, but inside, she was melting. --- 8:06 PMThe studio was quiet when she arrived—just dim light, soft echoes of sound. Kian stood at the mixer, hoodie sleeves rolled up, his expression unreadable. He looked up when she entered. “You came.” “You called.” They both smiled. He reached out, offering her headphones. “Let’s build something real.” For the next hour, they layered melodies and shadows, laughter and longing. Amara sang a soft hum into the mic—just a whisper—and Kian wove it into the beat like thread into silk. Time blurred. At one point, they were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on the floor, backs against the wall, listening to the track on loop. “It sounds like... us,” she whispered. Kian nodded. “City and soul.” Amara turned to him. “Why did you disappear from the industry?” He hesitated. “My brother… he took his life after we dropped our first project. The pressure, the rumors. It got heavy. And I couldn’t save him.” His voice broke slightly. “So I stopped. I thought silence would hurt less than failure.” Amara’s hand found his, gently. “I lost my mom in silence,” she said. “We hide in the quiet because we think it protects us. But sometimes, it just buries the song.” Kian looked at her—really looked. “You always talk like that?” “Like what?” “Like the truth has a melody.” She smiled. “Only with you.” Their faces were close now. Too close. And then—his hand brushed her cheek. Slow. Reverent. His lips hovered near hers, a question, not a promise. Amara leaned in, heart pounding. Their kiss was soft—like dusk meeting night. A slow-burning fire that made the world around them vanish. When they parted, the silence wasn’t awkward. It was full. Deep. Safe. Kian pressed his forehead to hers. “Stay,” he whispered. And so she did. Not because she had nowhere else to go. But because for the first time in a long time, it felt like she’d arrived. --- End of Episode 4

Other insights from Mimi ✨