The day stretched long across the open sky of the studio lot, where chaos and calm existed in tandem. Grace remained close to the shadows as the crew bustled around, watching Silas from a distance as he transformed on screen. He moved like a man who knew how to wear charm like a second skin, but there was something raw in his eyes today, something restless.
When the director finally called for a break, Silas didn't go for water or shade. He made his way to her, steps slow, as if reining himself in.
"Too much?" he asked, brushing his damp hair back with a hand, smirking.
Grace tilted her head. "Just enough to be intriguing."
His eyes held hers for a beat too long. "You look like spring today."
She laughed lightly. "And you look like exhaustion dressed in Gucci."
"Touché." He rubbed the back of his neck, eyes drifting over her. "I wasn't sure you'd come."
"Eva insisted. And Tristian's smile could power this whole studio."
Silas's lips quirked. "That boy's got a talent for making people believe in something softer."
Grace narrowed her eyes slightly, curious. "And you don't?"
He looked down, smile fading just enough. "I believe in the things that stay. Even if they're not soft."
She didn't respond, but the way her fingers tightened around her iced coffee gave her away. That statement lingered between them like a prophecy.
Across the lot, Eva and Tristian were locked in a spirited back-and-forth.
"Do you always carry cold brew in your car?" Eva asked, inspecting the bottle he handed her.
"Only for people worth impressing," Tristian said with a wink. "Which means I've had this ready for months."
Eva sipped and raised an eyebrow. "Still not a date."
He laughed. "But definitely not a rejection."
Back near the rig, Grace sat down on the edge of a director's chair. Silas stood beside her, eyes on the crew, but attention fully on her.
"You ever think about how strange this is?" she asked suddenly.
"What is?"
"This." She gestured around them. "Us. Here. Talking like we haven't been orbiting each other for months in complete silence."
Silas nodded slowly. "Some people orbit. Others wait for the gravity to shift."
She exhaled, lips parting like she wanted to say something more, but didn't. Not yet.
"Is this your first time visiting a set?" he asked, deflecting gently.
"First time I cared enough to accept the invitation," she said, eyes flicking to his.
That made him pause. "Why today?"
Grace shrugged, tone light but eyes intense. "You asked me. Nicely. That's rare for you."
He chuckled, a low sound. "You think I'm not nice?"
"I think you hide behind the idea of not being nice. It gives you room to surprise people."
Silas leaned closer, just enough for her to feel the heat off his skin. "Maybe I only wanted to surprise one person."
A flicker crossed her face, quick, too quick to name, but it was there. A shift, a crack.
"Your fans would love to hear that," she said, looking away.
"But I'm not talking to them."
Before she could respond, a call for reset rang out. Silas squeezed her hand, brief and unexpected, before walking back to set.
Grace watched him go, lips parted, expression unreadable. But inside, inside something was moving.
She pulled out her phone, typing a quick message to Eva: I'm going for a walk. Cover for me.
And with that, she slipped behind the trailers, disappearing down a quiet path of the lot.
Across the set, Eva laughed at something Tristian had said, her hand resting lightly on his arm before she remembered herself and pulled away. Tristian simply smiled wider, as if that brief touch had been a win.
Back in the shadows of the night, Silas tried to keep himself together. He wanted to grab her hand as they were walking. He wanted to pull her into him, drown in the sweet illusion that she was his.
But he didn't.
Because something in Grace's eyes told him she was hiding a layer of herself, and not just from him.
He leaned forward, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek with a feather-light touch. "One day, you'll tell me what you're thinking."
She smiled sweetly, even as a storm flickered behind her lashes. "Maybe. One day."
They sat there in silence, two people perfectly still on the outside, yet unraveling inside. A soft moment painted with invisible chaos.