A kitten purred against her leg as she sat outside under a starry night sky. The glimmering dots were speckled against a dark canvas of midnight blue. The luminosity of hope glowed back at her, a crescent moon smiling at the hardships she'd overcome and the path she walked on. 

A gentle breeze whisked around her, causing a few ripples against the fabric of her hijab, her lavender dress following with the whispering wind. She patted the wrinkles down, patting her lap to Jax, who eagerly jumped. 

Once he settled his small paws underneath his, he purred even more, rubbing his button nose against her. Naira smiled, fingers stroking his onyx coat. They sat outside on one of the company's balcony as the boys finished their rehearsal for the day. 

Given the late start due to appointments, Naira thought it was best to take away their distractions and have her own time of reflection and peace. Before her eyes, the city she grew up in came to life. Colored lights flickered from buildings as tall as skyscrapers, towering above her in an intimidating stance. 

Funny how she once feared the weight of responsibilities, feared losing her identity to a sea of capitalist schemes. Her parents escaped the claws of greed, and she believed she could too as long as she stayed true to her roots. 

Because no matter how far evergreen branches stretched, their roots stayed the same and buried under the enrichment of life.

"Kind of lonely out here, don't you think?" a deep voice mused from behind, startling her.

Naira looked at the voice in question, releasing a sigh of relief when she saw Rayan leaning against the sliding doors, an ankle crossed over the other and his hands resting within the pockets of his sweatpants.

His playful smile shined with the moonlight, brightening the darkness with only his presence. He was dangerously handsome with his strong jaw and the shadow of a stubble. Shadows heightened the crevices of his features, a soft glow to mocha skin.

"You finished rehearsal this early?" she asked as she turned back to the small kitten on her lap. Jax whined when her attention from him faltered. "There, there," she soothed.

Rayan shrugged, walking over to the empty seat beside her and taking a seat, visibly exhausted from the day. His eyes were trained on Naira and Jax as his expression softened at the sight.

He sighed. "If by finishing rehearsal you mean Kyle and Wesley arguing enough for me to leave the room, then yeah. We finished."

Hearing this made Naira frown, her eyebrows scrunching in distaste. "Arguing? Do I need to step in?"

He shook his head, running his fingers through the knots of his curly hair. "I don't think that's necessary. Sometimes it's better to let them fight it out in rehearsal and get it out of their system."

"Why were they fighting?"

"Different opinions on our dance number," he muttered. "Kyle was just being a dick and Wesley was impatient. They'll work it out themselves. I say give them an hour at most."

She stayed silent, pondering if Kyle's therapy appointments were starting to take a toll on his work. Naira made a mental note to check up on him later before she left.

"Jax really likes you," he said softly, rubbing the kitten's head. "Don't you, little guy?"

Jax released a cute meow, making both Naira and Rayan laugh. Even with his owner near, Jax refused to leave Naira's lap and made himself more comfortable as he stared up at her with starry eyes.

The moment of peace was so blissful that she almost forgot about the pile of work waiting for her. Naira let out a slow breath.

She had to relax. With so many people depending on her for stability, she had to be cautious of her own limitations. After all, a good leader knew when to pull the brakes and ask for help.

As Naira started to lose herself in her thoughts again, she realized how uncharacteristically quiet Rayan became as if he were a statue void of emotions. His gaze settled on the sky, a deep frown creasing his lips and stress lining his forehead.

Something was bothering him. Something was hurting him.

She dared herself to find out. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Her voice shook his concentration. "About what?" he asked, sea-green eyes falling on her.

"Whatever is on your mind," she stated simply. "It's not like you to be so behaved in my presence."

A glimmer of his usual personality stuck out like a burning match. "First of all, ouch. Second of all, rude. And third of all, it's not something to concern yourself with," he counted the faults with his fingers.

She gave him a blank, cold stare. "Are we really playing the guessing game here? Make both our lives easier and confess your woes."

"They're not woes."

"Perfect. That's a better reason for you to vent."

He leaned his head against the wall, a tight smile gracing his lips. "There really is no wins with you," he lightly joked. "Sorry if my mood is dragging you down."

"Rayan."

"Alright, I'm talking," he said, defeated. "It's just that... I don't know. There's so much happening and I can't seem to grasp everything at once."

Her fingers stilled for a moment as the feeling he spoke about was all too familiar to her. "And it feels like the whole world is waiting for you to make a mistake, right?"

His eyes widened. "Yeah, exactly like that," he agreed, nodding his head. "Being a popstar means there are expectations for me and how I should act, who I should be with, how I should look. Every aspect is subject to change because what's considered a trend today isn't the trend for tomorrow, and honestly it's exhausting to keep up."

I told him not to care about others a million times, but maybe my words fall on deaf ears. Should I try a different approach?

She considered it, weighing which route would be the most effective before her voice finally had the courage to proceed. "Rayan, does it hurt to know you can't always fulfill every expectation?"

He adverted his gaze as if ashamed, a hand reaching up to scartch the back of his neck. "Yeah," he said barely above a whisper.

That was all the answer she needed. Perhaps Rayan didn't need to be told what to do, but rather he needed to know how others cope.

"You know," she started in a voice of velvet, full of nostalgia for the hardships she overcame with only her faith and determination. "There are days that even I fail at the expectations that are labeled to me."

He scoffed in disbelief. "Naira, now's not the time for jokes."

"I'm being serious," she laughed. "You think people don't see my hijab and label me with what they believe I should do or list out the recipe for how my life should be? It's exhausting to be perfect all the time because we're not perfect."

"So... how did you overcome it?"

The faint moonlight that engulfed them while the darkness encompassed the city below was a stark contrast to the warmth that came in a chilly night, a spotlight on two souls that found each other by Allah's will.

A smile traced her lips. "I remembered that I don't have to please everyone. I have Allah even when no one else believes in me. That alone is a reason for me to follow the path that I want, not the one that others deem fit for me," she confessed in a tone that held the gem of truth.

His visage emulated longing, tendrils of darkness loosening their grasp on his rigid mindset. For a split second, she swore noor (light) chased his gaze and the wrinkles of the popstar facade began to wither like dust.

This was Rayan, raw and vulnerable, a lost boy who never knew what his religion had to offer.

"You mention Allah a lot," he noted, clearing his throat as his walls built up. "Is that how you cope with stress? By knowing that Allah will be there for you."

"I'm not saying you have to cope the way I do because that's unrealistic of me, however this is how I find peace with myself," she said. Her gaze softened when she saw how withdrawn he was from her. "You don't have to be perfect for others to love you. You only need to be yourself."

He exhaled deeply. "Maybe you're right."

"Of course I am."

He chose to ignore her snide remark, unable to wipe the smile from his lips.

There was still a heaviness in the air, still a ballast of uncertainty that weighed on his shoulders. However, in that silence Naira began to understand the isolation Rayan felt.

His life as a popstar revolved around his image of perfection that he eventually forgot what it truly meant to be Rayan Idrissi.

----

Y'all Genshin Impact has male characters with such nice voices. Oh my Lord. Kaeya's voice lines make me scream in fangirl.

Update is a little longer because we getting into some heavy stuff. Patience, grasshopper. All shall be revealed slowly.

Do you think Rayan is considering Naira's advice or her way of coping?

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