Eleanor's heart pounded, phone in hand.
If Julian didn't back out, this would finally cut the last thread between them.
Lauren finished two more songs before Eleanor's phone finally buzzed with his reply.
Julian: Counts.
Two words. Nothing more.
She was about to push for details when another message came through.
Julian: We'll sort it when I'm back in the country.
Short. Detached.
Eleanor sighed.
She just hoped nothing else derailed this one.
The next day, work resumed as usual.
Faith and Nadia were both in the studio.
Dylan wasn't.
Eleanor called him.
"Are you taking leave today? If not, this counts as unexcused."
Dylan was actually standing outside the building, downstairs. Just hadn't gone up.
A beat of silence. Right as Eleanor started wondering if the line had dropped,
