1
The thrum of the bass vibrated through the air as the lights dimmed, the collective hush of the audience a fleeting moment before the energy surged again. Marta De La Reina exhaled sharply, her arms crossed, her shoes sticking to the floor as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, already regretting letting Begoña and Luz drag her here. She wasn’t one for concerts, wasn’t one for reckless abandon or losing herself in music. She was about control, strategy, and ambition.
And then the spotlight hit the stage.
Serafina Valero stood in its glow, brown hair tumbling down her back, an effortless smirk playing on her lips as she gripped the microphone. There was something about her, an untamed energy, a rawness that clashed so starkly with Marta’s polished, curated world. And yet, Marta found herself unable to look away.
Fina’s gaze swept over the crowd, but when it landed on Marta, it held. Unwavering, unflinching. A challenge, an invitation.
Then the first chords rang out, and Fina’s voice filled the venue.
“Josie’s on a vacation far away, come around and talk it over…”
Marta’s breath hitched. The sound of her voice was molten honey, smooth and rich, sliding under her skin, pooling in places Marta didn’t expect. The connection between them was electric, tangible even in the packed venue. Every nerve in Marta’s body lit up, her heartbeat a frantic drumbeat in her chest.
“So many things that I wanna say, you know I like my girls a little bit older…”
A wink. Just a quick flick of Fina’s eye, but there was no mistaking who it was meant for. Heat flared through Marta, scorching in its intensity. She felt unmoored, untethered, as though a single wink had rewritten everything she thought she knew about herself.
One wink, and she was enthralled by the way Fina tossed her head back, laughing at something a bandmate said.
One wink, and Marta was caught up in the careless way Fina pushed her hair over her shoulder, as if she didn’t realize how devastating the movement was.
One wink, and Marta’s eyes traced the shape of her mouth as she continued to sing, her mind spinning with thoughts she had no business entertaining. A mouth that had the potential to drive her crazy.
“I just wanna use your love tonight… I don’t wanna lose your love tonight…”
Marta swallowed hard. The song was meant to be a crowd-pleaser, an upbeat anthem, but in that moment, it felt intimate. Like a promise. Like a dare.
And Marta, always composed, always in control, had a feeling she was about to spiral into something wild and unknown.
Something that started with one wink and a song that she would never hear the same way again.