The figure at the end of the hallway was unmistakable, even among the shadows. Tall, with tangled hair and the crooked smile of someone who never misses a beat. Valeria felt a lurch in her stomach. For a moment, she thought fatigue was playing tricks on her.
But no. It was real.
"Dani!" she exclaimed, the name leaping out of her chest as if she'd bottled it up too long.
Cami and Julián turned at the same time. Their expressions of surprise were unanimous.
Dani Ortega. Friend, musician, former partner in musical battles. He had been the first guitarist Valeria had shared a stage with, back when everything was precarious: no microphones, borrowed amplifiers, and adrenaline as her only sustenance. Back then, Dani was the bridge between the clumsiness of the beginning and the passion to persist.
It was he who taught her to tune with her ear, to trust her own riffs, and not to apologize for making noise. When the first version of the band fell apart due to differences and lives pulling in different directions, it was Dani who insisted that Valeria not stop composing. He sent her chords via voice memos, visited her with his guitar to jam, and reminded her that the stage needed her as much as she needed him.
But a year ago, Dani had left town for family reasons. No one knew much more. He didn't answer messages often, and his absence was like a tightrope that had been left vibrating in Valeria's heart.
"You missed the album," Julián said with a smile.
"I listened to everything," Dani replied, leaning closer, her eyes shining. "I devoured it. I just... needed to see you. And I couldn't let you play today without being here."
Valeria felt something align inside her. As if Dani's presence completed a cycle he didn't even know was still open. She hugged him, tight, long, like those who have survived the noise of the world together.
"We're about to leave," Cami said with a smile.
"Then come out," Dani replied. "Make those walls tremble."
Valeria picked up her guitar again. The instrument's coldness had transformed into fire. Julián checked the tuning one last time. Cami twirled the sticks between her fingers.
The curtain vibrated. The lights changed.
And just before the curtains opened, Valeria looked at them both. Cami. Julián. Then Dani, who nodded from the shadows.
They were ready.
The first note was about to be played.