The midnight mix

Chapter 12

The Airport Chaos.

The second the sliding glass doors of the arrivals terminal opened, a physical wall of sound hit them like a tidal wave.

"Liora! Cairo! MIDNIGHT MONSTER!"

The screams were deafening, echoing off the high concrete ceilings of the airport. The entire terminal was a sea of flashing phone cameras, brightly colored banners, and thousands of fans pushing forward against the metal barricades. A massive phalanx of heavy-set corporate bodyguards formed a tight, moving human shield around the artists, their arms locked together.

Axel and Cassian led the charge at the very front, their faces stone-cold and focused as they navigated through the aggressive sea of media and fans.

Even with the heavy security, the sheer mass of the crowd caused the barricades to creak and shift. Paparazzi shoved long-lens cameras forward, and frantic fans bypassed the front line, causing a massive, chaotic push from the sides. The momentum of the crowd suddenly surged forward, forcing the inner circle of bodyguards to stumble backward.

Liora, whose vision was slightly limited by the low bucket hat and dark sunglasses, felt a heavy shoulder slam against her side as the crowd jostled them. Because her jaw was still slightly tender, the sudden, rough impact made her stiffen, her sneakers losing their grip on the polished floor for a split second.

Before she could even register the slip, a large, warm, and rock-solid hand violently clamped onto her upper arm, tearing her out of the crush of the crowd.

"I got you. Stay close," a rough, familiar voice growled right next to her ear.

Cairo had completely stepped into his "Rap Monster" persona, his broad 6'1" frame shifting directly into the path of the oncoming crowd. He used his massive shoulders to block the aggressive push of the paparazzi, his violet eyes flashing with a fierce, territorial glare that made several nearby photographers instantly lower their lenses in fear.

With his hand firmly wrapped around Liora’s arm, Cairo kept the smaller singer securely pressed against his side, guiding her through the absolute madness of the terminal. Liora didn't protest.

She reached out, her slim fingers instinctively grabbing the thick fabric of Cairo’s leather jacket, letting the older rapper act as her human shield through the screaming chaos.

Cassian threw a quick look over his shoulder through the crowd.

Seeing Cairo aggressively clearing the path and keeping Liora entirely protected from the push, Cassian turned back around, a tight knot of anxiety loosening in his chest.

They practically burst through the heavy exit doors of the airport, the cool morning air hitting their faces as the security team shoved them directly into the back of a sleek, blacked-out luxury SUV. The heavy doors slammed shut, instantly cutting the deafening screams of the crowd down to a distant murmur.

Inside the quiet vehicle, Cairo finally let go of Liora’s arm, ruffling his messy white hair with a loud, adrenaline-fueled sigh. "Crazy bastards. They almost took my jacket off."

Liora reached up, slowly sliding her dark sunglasses down the bridge of her nose to look at Cairo. Her face was a little flushed from the heat of the crowd, but her dark blue eyes were entirely soft.

"Thank you, Cairo" Liora murmured, her voice still a little Low but steady. "You are... a very efficient shield."

Cairo looked over, meeting Liora’s gaze, his heart giving that familiar, violent thud against his ribs as he saw the absolute trust in the singer's eyes. He quickly looked out the window, a burning red hue tinting his ears. "Yeah, well... can't have my backup singer getting crushed before the first stadium soundcheck. Just sit back and rest your jaw, Princess."

The sleek, blacked-out luxury SUV glided away from the chaotic airport terminal, the windows completely tinted to shield the four men from the thousands of flashing phone cameras lining the streets. Inside the vehicle, the air conditioning hummed softly, a stark and welcoming contrast to the suffocating heat of the crowd they had just escaped.

Cassian and Axel had taken the front row of the passenger cabin, both of them adjusting their rumpled suits after plowing through the aggressive media lines.

"Everyone has their limbs intact, I assume?" Cassian asked, his sharp voice cutting through the remaining adrenaline in the car as he adjusted his high collar.

He cast a sharp look through the rearview mirror, his heterochromia eyes specifically scanning Liora’s posture.

"I'm fine," Liora murmured, her voice sounding small but stable behind the safety of her oversized black hoodie. He had carefully lifted her dark sunglasses, resting them on top of her bucket hat so she could look around.

"Perfectly intact! My shoulders are built for a crowd scramble!" Axel cheered from the front, turning around in his seat with his signature, unbothered grin. "And you, Cairo? You looked like a roaring bear out there clearing the path!"

Cairo snorted, leaning his head back against the leather headrest, a relaxed smirk returning to his scarred face. "Those paparazzi are lucky I’m under a strict corporate contract, or a couple of those long-lens cameras would be wrapped around their necks right now. But yeah, I'm good. Nobody touched the Princess."

Liora threw a brief, side-eye glare at the mention of the nickname, but the tension in her shoulders had completely melted.

As the SUV merged onto the sun-drenched, palm-tree-lined highway, the glittering skyline of Los Angeles began to peek through the haze in the distance. Cassian tapped his tablet, reviewing the city’s promotional itinerary before looking back toward Liora.

"By the way, Liora," Cassian said, his tone shifting into something a bit more casual.

"Now that we’ve officially landed in LA, it just crossed my mind. Remember that solo artist you did that charity track with last year? The one who lives out here in the hills? Your friend?"

Liora didn't even hesitate. Her face went entirely blank, her dark blue eyes flat as she stared out the window at the passing traffic. "Not my friend."

Cassian let out a long, deeply defeated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose beneath his bangs. "Liora, you spent three weeks in a studio with her, ate dinner with her family, and she literally gave you a custom-made silver bracelet for your birthday. She calls you her Sister in every interview."

"She talks too much during breakfast," Liora replied in a calm, matter-of-fact whisper. "And she uses too many exclamation points in her text messages. We are acquaintances who shared a payroll. Not friends."

"See? This is exactly what I’m talking about," Cassian groaned, turning completely around in his seat to give Liora a look of pure exasperation. "You are always far too picky about who you let into your circle. The entire industry thinks you’re an unapproachable ice king because you filter people out based on how they eat their eggs or how they type a message."

Liora's brow furrowed beneath her bucket hat, her lips turning down into a sharp, defensive pout as she crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "It is not being picky. It is called having a high standard for social compatibility. It is a very good habit. It saves time and prevents unnecessary drama."

"It leaves you with exactly three people to talk to, and two of them are paid to manage your schedule," Cassian countered dryly.

From the seat right next to her,

Cairo had been listening to the entire exchange, his smirk growing wider and more wicked by the second. Seeing the "Midnight Beauty" get cornered by her own manager about having no friends was an opportunity he simply could not pass up. It was time to thoroughly break Liora's calm composure.

Cairo shifted on the leather seat, leaning back and resting his elbow against the central console, right in Liora's personal space. He lifted his hand and began rhythmically tapping his fingers against the tinted glass of the car window, creating a crisp, hollow percussion beat that filled the quiet cabin.

Tap-tap-clap. Tap-tap-clap.

Then, dropping his voice into a sharp, teasing, melodic rhythm that completely mimicked the catchy radio hooks he usually wrote, Cairo began to sing right into Liora's ear.

"Lonely, lonely~" Cairo crooned, his violet eyes sparkling with pure, unadulterated mischief. "Lonely, lonely~"

Liora's head snapped over, her eyes narrowing to slits. "Cairo. Stop."

Cairo didn't even blink. He just tapped the window faster, keeping the beat perfectly synchronized as he threw his head back mockingly, pitching his voice up to sound like a dramatic pop ballad.

"Lonely, lonely~ Lonely, lonely~ Lonely, lonely~ I guess I'm lonely!"

A sudden burst of laughter echoed from the front row. Axel was practically shaking with amusement, slamming his hand onto his knee. "An incredible freestyle, Cairo! The rhythm is exceptionally catchy!"

Even Cassian couldn't hide it a sharp, suppressed chuckle escaped his lips as he quickly turned his head away to stare out the front windshield, trying to maintain his professional authority but failing completely.

"I am not lonely," Liora hissed, her face rapidly turning a bright, furious shade of crimson as the entire car took Cairo's side.

"Oh, really?" Cairo laughed, leaning in even closer, his deep voice practically vibrating through the fabric of Liora's black hoodie as he finished the bar. "Sounds like a solo act to me, Princess! Just you, your green tea, and your exceptionally high standard for social_"

Pinch!

"OW! What the hell, man?!" Cairo abruptly cut off his song, his body twisting away as Liora's slender fingers darted out with lightning-fast precision, delivering a sharp, agonizing pinch right to Cairo's side.

"A high standard for social peace," Liora corrected smoothly, her voice returning to its cool, icy demeanor as she drew her hand back and tucked it neatly into her hoodie pocket.

She looked back out the window, a small, highly satisfied smirk playing at the very corner of her lips, completely ignoring the way her own ears were burning pink.

Cairo rubbed his side, letting out a rough, breathless chuckle as he stared at the pouting singer beside him. His ribs were throbbing, but as he watched the faint smile on Liora's face in the sunny LA light, his heart gave that familiar, erratic thud against his chest.

The bickering was loud, the car was full of laughter, and as the SUV finally pulled into the private driveway of their luxury penthouse, the "lonely" solo singers felt closer than they ever had before.