"Oh my goodness! My heart is still beating so fast," Bella said, pressing her hand to her chest. She could feel her pulse racing beneath her palm, a wild, uneven rhythm that refused to calm down. Her cheeks were flushed, her breath still slightly shallow, and her whole body hummed with leftover adrenaline. The rush of the performance still lingered in her veins, electric and alive.
Karl smiled at her. He was leaning against the wall near the stage entrance, his arms crossed over his chest, one ankle crossed over the other. In his hand was a bottle of water, cold, with condensation dripping down the sides and beading on the plastic.
He held it out to her.
Bella took it gratefully, twisting off the cap and taking a long sip. The cool water slid down her throat, soothing and refreshing, washing away the dryness that had settled there. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the cold spread through her chest, imagining it cooling the heat still burning in her cheeks.
