"So, Jamie, are you friends with him?" Jamie's friend asked, nudging her slightly.

"Friend with whom?" Jamie asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"The boy with the dirty blonde hair," her friend clarified, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Oh, Peter? Yeah, but we're not really friends or anything. I just met him earlier this morning," Jamie explained nonchalantly, shrugging.

"I think he likes you."

That statement made Jamie freeze mid-action.

"What made you say that?" She raised an eyebrow, half skeptical, half curious.

"Well, he's been staring at you the whole time."

Jamie frowned before glancing in Peter's direction. Sure enough, her friend was right—Peter was staring at her. The moment he realized she had caught him, he quickly looked away, pretending to be occupied with something else.

"And... CUT!" the director's voice echoed through the set.

"Good, good. All of you can now take your break," she announced.

I let out a breath as I set my script down and grabbed a water bottle from the refreshments table. The studio was buzzing with activity, but I needed a moment to breathe. Finding the nearest couch, I plopped down and took a sip of water, letting my body relax.

Just as I was settling in, Thomas dropped onto the seat beside me.

"Hey," he greeted, grinning widely.

I turned to him, surprised by his cheerful mood. "Hey, you're happy today, huh?" I said, playfully shoving his shoulder. He just chuckled at my reaction.

"So, why are you happy?" I asked, curious about what had put him in such a good mood.

"Nothing," he replied, shaking his head, still smiling.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Uh-huh. Nothing doesn't make you smile like that."

He only shrugged in response.

"Okay?" I said, still eyeing him suspiciously.

Something about his smile lingered in my mind, but before I could press further, someone called for us to return to set.

💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙

Hours passed, and soon, the studio had emptied.

Everyone had left for the night—except for Thomas and me. We had stayed behind to organize our things and clean up our workstations before heading home.

I was nearly finished when I suddenly heard a faint noise. I froze, my hands stilling over my bag.

The sound was soft, almost like a creak.

I glanced toward Thomas, but he was busy stuffing some papers into his backpack, seemingly oblivious.

A chill ran down my spine.

"Thomas," I called out hesitantly.

"Yeah?" He turned to look at me, his brows furrowing slightly.

I didn't answer. Instead, I quickly walked over and hid behind his back.

He stiffened in surprise. "What's wrong, love?"

My heart nearly stopped.

Did he just call me love?

My mind went blank for a second, but now was not the time to overthink it.

"You're scaring me, (Y/n)," Thomas said, turning slightly to glance down at me.

"I... I think I heard something," I whispered.

As if on cue, a click echoed through the empty studio.

Thomas' entire posture changed—alert, tense. Without hesitation, he ran toward the door, and I followed right behind him. He grabbed the handle and twisted it.

Nothing.

He tried again, harder this time.

It didn't budge.

With a sigh, he leaned his forehead against the door. "We're locked in."

I stared at him in disbelief. "What?! Didn't they check before locking up?"

He only shrugged before walking back toward the couch and flopping down. "I guess we're staying here for the night."

"This is unbelievable," I muttered, crossing my arms.

Thomas smirked. "Hey, it's not that bad. I mean, at least you're locked in with someone as amazing as me."

I shot him a look. "I take it back. This is worse than I thought."

He laughed at that, the sound echoing through the empty studio.

After a moment, he shifted slightly, glancing at me. "Can I ask you something?"

I sat down beside him. "Sure."

He hesitated for a second before meeting my gaze. "How can you tell if you're in love with someone?"

His question caught me completely off guard.

My stomach twisted.

Was this about her?

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat and forced my voice to stay steady. "I... I don't really know. Maybe when you see them, your heart beats faster. They're the only person you notice in a crowded room, and you just want to be with them. That's what they say, anyway."

Saying the words out loud stung.

Because everything I described was exactly how I felt about him.

I forced a smile. "Why do you ask?"

Thomas leaned his head back against the couch, staring up at the ceiling. "It's just that this girl is making me crazy with everything she does."

My chest tightened.

I wanted to smile and tell him that was great—that whoever she was, she was lucky. But instead, I clenched my hands in my lap, gripping onto the fabric of my jeans to keep myself from breaking.

I swallowed hard. "She must be special."

Thomas let out a quiet chuckle. "Yeah... she really is."

I nodded, keeping my expression neutral even though I could feel my heart fracturing.

"Can you tell me who she is?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

I regretted it the second the words left my lips.

But I needed to know.

I needed to hear it, even if it would shatter me completely.

Thomas turned his head slightly, looking at me with an unreadable expression.

And then—he smiled softly.

"It's you."

Time stopped.

My breath hitched, and for a moment, I wasn't sure if I had imagined it.

I felt my pulse racing, my thoughts scrambling to catch up with what had just happened.

Did he really just say that?

My heart pounded so loudly I was sure he could hear it.

I opened my mouth to say something—anything.

But the words never came.

Because in that moment, sitting in an empty studio, locked in for the night, with only the soft hum of the city outside...

I realized nothing would ever be the same between us again.