The studio smelled faintly of fresh coffee and warm electronics. Zara set her bag neatly on the floor, smoothed her blazer, and reminded herself this was work. Not fun. Not personal. Just PR.

Leke arrived eight minutes late.

“Traffic,” he said, sliding into his chair.

“You live five minutes away,” she replied without looking up from her notes.

“Five Velora minutes,” he corrected, grinning like a kid who knew exactly how much he could get away with.

The sound engineer gave them the signal. Red light on. Mics live.

“Welcome back to Heart to Heart Velora,” Leke began, his voice sliding into that smooth, easy tone that made it sound like he was speaking directly into someone’s living room. “I’m Leke tech guy, storyteller, occasional bad dancer”

“And I’m Zara Lane,” she said crisply, “lawyer and occasional voice of reason.”

He chuckled. “And today, we’re talking about dealbreakers in dating.”

Zara flipped a page in her notes. “A healthy relationship requires aligned values, communication, and mutual respect. If any of those are absent, it’s not sustainable.”

“Translation,” Leke said, “if you chew with your mouth open, Zara will draft a restraining order.”

The sound engineer laughed behind the glass. Zara shot Leke a warning glance that could’ve frozen a lesser man. He only smirked.

“Okay, seriously,” he said. “Let’s start with yours. Biggest dealbreaker?”

She hesitated for a fraction of a second. “Dishonesty.”

He nodded slowly, his tone shifting. “Yeah. That one stings.”

Something in his voice made her glance at him. For a moment, the grin slipped, his expression unreadable. Then it was back, all charm and deflection.

“Your turn,” she said, aiming for casual.

Hmm.” He leaned back in his chair. “People who try to change me.”

She raised a brow. “That’s vague.”

“It’s specific enough.” He smirked again. “And yes, before you say it you’re already trying.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but the sound engineer gestured for a break. Mics off.

The silence between them wasn’t tense, exactly. But it shifted.

Leke stretched, his chair squeaking. “See? That wasn’t so bad.”

“I still don’t see why people enjoy this,” she said, stacking her notes with practiced precision.

“They enjoy us,” he corrected. “The way we bounce off each other. You, all structured and serious. Me, charming and unpredictable.”

She gave him a flat look. “You forgot late.”

He grinned wider. “Keeps things interesting.”

Zara didn’t answer, but something flickered across her face. A smile almost forming before she reined it in.

The red light blinked back on.

Leke leaned toward his mic, voice back in full swing. “Coming up after the break what happens when your dealbreaker shows up in someone you really like. Spoiler: it gets messy.”

Zara straightened in her seat. There it was that shift again. She could feel the direction this was heading. She was a lawyer. She knew how to read subtext. And Leke, for all his jokes and timing, wasn’t just talking to their audience.

He was talking to her.

And she wasn’t sure she was ready to hear what he had to say next.