The party came alive again.
Mike found Scarlet near the edge of the room, just as planned. Their eyes met, and the noise around them softened, not disappearing, but losing importance. He stepped closer, saying his lines with an ease that felt natural.
Scarlet responded, her tone steady at first, but there was something underneath it now. A hesitation that wasn't in the earlier take. Something that made her words feel less certain, more real.
They moved a little closer without thinking about it.
The conversation slowed.
Mike held her gaze just a second longer than before. Scarlet didn't look away this time. Her expression softened, but there was a flicker of something unsure beneath it.
Mike leaned in.
For a fraction of a second, it felt like Scarlet might let it happen.
Then their lips met.
It was brief. Just enough to register.
Scarlet froze.
Then she pulled back instantly, her hand coming up between them like a barrier. "No," she said loudly. Her expression shifted fast, the softness gone, replaced by something closer to shock. "What are you doing?"
Mike stepped back, the realization hitting him just as quickly. "I'm sorry," he said, trying to explain, but the words came out rushed, not helping. "I thought—"
"You thought wrong," Scarlet snapped, already turning away. The disgust was clear now, not exaggerated, just real enough to land. She didn't wait for anything else, pushing past him and moving through the crowd without looking back.
"C'mon, Scarlet, wait! Let me explain," Mike called but she kept walking.
Mike stood there for a second, as everyone who witnessed the kiss looked stunned and looked up at him.
--
"Cut."
There was a brief pause before the usual movement started again. Crew members glanced at each other, a few murmurs slipping through.
Christopher leaned back slightly, a slow smile forming. "That's it," he said. "That's exactly what we needed."
Phil nodded beside him. "Yeah, their reaction and facial expression look natural."
Jack stepped out of the moment almost immediately, the shift visible in the way his shoulders relaxed. He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling once as the tension left his body.
Leslie was already walking down the stairs. She let out a small breath, shaking it off. 'Okay, it's over now. Phew! I wish he were two or three years older...'
[Downstairs]
"That was clean," Leslie said, more to herself than anyone else.
Jack glanced at her, giving a small nod. "Yeah. Glad it took one take."
She looked at him for a second, then smiled faintly. "You didn't want to kiss me, did you?"
He sighed. "Yeah. I mean, I'm in a relationship and we promised to talk before doing intimate scenes. But it's already late, and she's asleep. She has an important photoshoot tomorrow, so I didn't want to disturb her. And I didn't want to look bad out there. So... I have to talk to her in the morning."
"It's so hard to find a loyal partner these days. Just let me talk to her if things get bad, yeah?" She said with a smile. 'I'm such a hypocrite. It's not like I want to think about this... this situation. But whenever I'm talking to him or around him, I just can't help him. It's so creepy and weird. I think I'll go to my therapist tomorrow. I can't let myself become toxic and a cougar who hunts young men.'
"Will do," He nodded.
Christopher clapped his hands once. "Alright, we're locking that. Let's move on."
The set shifted again, people resetting, adjusting, preparing for the next setup.
...
[Morning] [Jack's house]
The next morning did not go the way Jack planned.
It was supposed to be simple. Wake up early, call Haley before she got busy, come clean about the kissing scene, then plan a romantic date according to her mood, which will end with lots of kisses, then maybe if her mood is right, check in on her photoshoot prep, then head into the day feeling somewhat in control. That was the plan he had in mind when he set multiple alarms the night before.
None of them worked.
Or more accurately, they worked. He just never heard them.
By the time he got home after the late-night shoot, his body had already hit its limit. The moment he stepped inside and dropped onto the couch in the living room, the exhaustion took over completely. He did not even remember closing his eyes. It was less like falling asleep and more like his system shutting down.
At some point in the morning, he half-woke up. His throat felt dry, his head heavy, and his eyes barely stayed open. Instead of using his mini-fridge or the bottle on his night table, he, for some reason, walked to the kitchen, poured a glass of water, and took a few slow sips. Then he walked to the couch and sat there for a second, trying to orient himself.
He thought about Haley for a moment.
'I should call her,' crossed his mind, but it never turned into action.
His body leaned back on the couch before he could even think it through properly.
A second later, he was out again.
The alarms kept going off one after another in his room.
He slept on the couch without a worry in the world.
..
By the time he finally woke up properly, it was not gradual.
The sharp sound of the doorbell cut through the quiet of the house.
Jack jolted upright on the couch, his body reacting before his brain caught up. His breathing was uneven for a second as he blinked rapidly, trying to figure out where he was. "What the heck?!"
He rubbed his eyes hard, then glanced toward the wall clock.
12:00 PM.
He froze for a second.
"...shit," he muttered under his breath, his voice rough from sleep.
The realization hit him quickly after that.
He missed the alarms.
He missed calling Haley.
And...
"What the heck am I doing on the couch?" He wondered.
Then the next thought clicked into place.
Willa.
His posture straightened slightly as he rubbed his eyes. "Right," he said quietly to himself, exhaling once. "Music video practice."
Before he could move much further, the maid had already reached the door.
Jack stayed where he was, still waking up, as the sound of the door opening echoed faintly through the house.
A moment later, footsteps followed.
Willa stepped inside, slipping off her shoes near the entrance. She walked inside as the maid pointed her to the living room.
She walked there and paused. 'Aw! He's so cute... Even in his sleepy mode, he looks handsome. If only he were single. But I'm still gonna try.'
Willa smiled.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," she said, tilting her head slightly as she looked at him. "Or should I say good afternoon?"
Jack let out a tired breath, dragging a hand down his face as he leaned forward slightly. "Yeah, you can say that," he replied, his voice still thick with sleep. "Sorry. I didn't get the time to prepare the studio as I promised."
Willa walked closer, taking in the scene properly now. The slightly messy hair, the wrinkled shirt, the way he still looked like he had not fully rejoined reality.
"Don't worry about it. We can prep up together," she said, looking amused, crossing her arms lightly. "Late shoot?"
Jack nodded once, stretching his shoulders as the stiffness settled in. "Yeah. They added extra scenes. Then we had to redo one with changes. It went past almost midnight."
"Ooh, that's tough," She said as she sat on the single couch before him.
"I've set alarms," he added as he put his hand over his mouth before letting out a yawn.
Willa let out a soft laugh. "You slept through all of them?"
"Every single one," he said, shaking his head slightly. "Didn't even hear a thing. And... I've no idea how I got here."
Jack stretched his arms once more before standing up. "Give me a moment to clean up, yeah?" He looked at the maid. "Hey, Jenny. Fix me some quick sandwiches. I'm starving." Then he looked at Willa. "Studio's upstairs, on the right. Feel free to check it out. And the fridge is stocked up, so feel free to grab anything you want... And I'll be back in a jiffy."
He went straight to his room.
...
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