CHAPTER 9: SONGS BETWEEN LAUGHS
The empty music room smelled faintly like old wood and dust.
Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, stretching across the polished floor in long golden lines.
Kai dropped his bag onto the piano bench.
"Let me say this first," he announced.
"I cannot sing."
Mira ignored him completely.
"Okay team," she said, clapping her hands. "Song selection meeting."
Jaden leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.
"This already sounds dangerous."
Evren placed his backpack quietly beside the door.
Liora was standing near the window, flipping through songs on her phone.
Soft music played faintly from the speaker.
Kai pointed accusingly at Mira.
"If we end up singing something embarrassing, I'm blaming you."
"You're embarrassing even without singing," Mira replied sweetly.
"Wow."
Liora suddenly turned toward them.
"What about this one?"
She played a short clip.
A soft acoustic melody filled the room.
The song sounded warm and nostalgic.
The kind of song that felt like late afternoons and quiet memories.
Mira's eyes widened immediately.
"Oh my god."
Jaden nodded slowly.
"That's actually good."
Kai tilted his head.
"…Okay fine, I like that one."
Evren glanced at Liora.
She looked excited in that quiet way she always did when she found something she loved.
"First song decided," Mira declared proudly.
Kai raised a finger.
"Wait."
Everyone looked at him.
"We only sing one, right?"
Mira stared at him like he had just said something illegal.
"One?"
"Yes."
"No."
Jaden looked amused.
"She's about to assign us five."
"Two songs," Mira announced dramatically.
Kai collapsed onto the piano bench.
"I regret joining this group."
Twenty minutes later, the argument was still happening.
Kai wanted something easy.
Mira wanted something emotional.
Jaden suggested a balanced duet arrangement.
Liora kept scrolling through music options.
Evren sat quietly on the edge of the desk, listening.
"THIS ONE," Mira suddenly said.
She played another song.
This one was softer.
Gentle piano notes.
A calm, dreamy melody.
The kind of song that felt like quiet evenings and open skies.
Liora's eyes softened slightly.
"…That's pretty."
Kai sighed.
"Great. Now we're singing sad songs."
"It's not sad," Mira argued.
"It's poetic."
Jaden nodded thoughtfully.
"Two songs with different moods."
Kai looked around the room.
"…Why am I surrounded by musicians."
Evren finally spoke.
"These two work."
Everyone turned toward him.
Kai pointed dramatically.
"Look. Even the quiet one agrees."
"Then it's settled!" Mira announced.
Two songs.
Decision complete.
"Now we practice," Mira said happily.
Kai immediately stood up.
"I have a sudden medical condition."
"No you don't," Jaden said.
Liora laughed softly.
"Just try."
Kai looked deeply betrayed.
"This is friendship abuse."
They stood in a loose circle in the middle of the music room.
Mira counted dramatically.
"Three, two, one—"
She started humming the melody.
Very confidently.
Very loudly.
Kai froze.
Then he slowly turned toward her.
"…Mira."
"Yes?"
"You sound like an annoyed mosquito."
The room exploded with laughter.
Jaden had to lean against the wall.
Liora covered her mouth trying not to laugh.
Even Evren let out a quiet chuckle.
Mira looked deeply offended.
"I am singing beautifully."
Kai shook his head.
"That mosquito is angry."
"I hate you."
"You love me."
Eventually, they actually started practicing.
The first few attempts were terrible.
Kai forgot half the lyrics.
Mira sang too loudly.
Jaden kept correcting the rhythm.
Liora tried to keep everyone together.
Evren stayed mostly quiet, singing only when his part came.
But slowly, the chaos turned into something better.
Voices started matching.
The melody began to flow more smoothly.
Sunlight shifted slowly across the floor as the afternoon passed.
At some point, Liora grabbed her phone.
"Wait."
Everyone stopped.
"What now?" Kai asked.
"Let's record one try."
Kai looked alarmed.
"Evidence?"
"Yes."
She placed the phone against a stack of books so it faced them.
"Ready?"
Mira nodded.
Jaden adjusted his posture slightly.
Evren stood beside Liora.
"Okay," she said softly.
"Let's try."
The music started again.
This time, the song sounded different.
Still imperfect.
Still a little messy.
But warmer.
More natural.
Their voices blended together better now.
Mira's enthusiasm.
Jaden's steady rhythm.
Kai's reluctant participation.
Liora's gentle voice.
Evren's quiet harmony.
For a moment, the room felt calm.
Like the world outside didn't exist.
Like it was just five friends and a song.
Halfway through the recording, Evren glanced sideways.
Liora was focused on the lyrics in her hand.
Her voice was soft but clear.
A strand of her hair had fallen slightly across her cheek.
She didn't notice.
Evren looked away quickly.
A few seconds later, he glanced again.
Then back at the song.
The camera kept recording.
Capturing everything.
The music.
The sunlight.
The small smiles.
The quiet glances no one else noticed.
When the song ended, Kai immediately collapsed onto the piano bench again.
"I survived."
Mira grabbed the phone.
"Let's see!"
The five of them crowded around the screen.
The video started playing.
They immediately started laughing.
"Oh my god," Mira said.
"We look ridiculous."
Kai pointed at himself.
"Pause that. Why do I look confused the entire time?"
Jaden shrugged.
"That's your natural state."
Liora smiled quietly while watching.
The video showed the whole moment.
Five friends standing in the music room.
Sunlight pouring through the windows.
Singing a slightly messy but sincere song.
It looked… nice.
Evren watched the screen silently.
Then he noticed something.
In the reflection of the window behind them—
You could see him glancing at Liora.
More than once.
He looked away immediately.
But the camera had already captured it.
Evren quietly reached over and locked the phone.
"We should practice again."
Mira blinked.
"Already?"
"Yes."
Kai groaned.
"Mercy."
Liora laughed softly.
"Come on."
She reset the song.
The music room filled with voices again.
And outside the tall windows, the late afternoon sun slowly dipped toward evening—
while another small memory quietly formed between the notes of a song.