It Started With A Vampire

The morning air buzzed with quiet goodbyes and the soft chaos of packing. The trailers that had once been filled with laughter, arguments, whispered secrets, and shared snacks now stood hollow, their doors swung open like empty stage wings.

Eva stood in her trailer, staring at the suitcase on her bed. Clothes were folded neatly—mostly. Ariana's duffel sat open on the couch across from hers, half-zipped with a hoodie dangling out of the side. It was strange, how fast it all unraveled. One minute they were filming dance scenes, breathing life into characters. The next, it was time to say goodbye.

"How do we have so much stuff?" Ariana groaned, digging under her bed for a sneaker she lost two weeks ago. "I swear I only brought two bags."

Eva laughed softly, tossing a tangle of cords into her backpack. "You brought two bags and bought five."

"Touche," Ariana said, grinning, then paused. "You okay?"

Eva hesitated, looking around her trailer—photos stuck on the mirror, notes from the director, her script full of scribbles and coffee stains. "Yeah. Just... not ready to leave."

"I know," Ariana said. "But we're taking the best parts with us."

⸻

Outside the Trailers

The cast had gathered in the lot, most of them clinging to coffee cups and oversized hoodies, trying to delay the inevitable. There were hugs, photos, and last-minute inside jokes tossed like confetti into the air.

Meg stood at the center, clipboard in hand, sunglasses shielding eyes that were maybe a little too glossy.

"You guys were incredible," she said, her voice unusually soft. "You created something bigger than a movie. You created a family."

Milo nodded beside her, slinging an arm around Eva's shoulders. "You especially, E. You came in nervous, overwhelmed... and now look at you."

Eva blinked fast. "Thanks for fighting for me."

"Always," Meg said firmly. "You're not just an actress. You're a damn force."

They hugged tightly—Eva and Meg, Eva and Milo, Eva and nearly everyone else. Even the costume designers and lighting guys stopped by for goodbye hugs.

⸻

Malachi hadn't said much all morning.

He helped MK load their stuff into the cars, joked with a few crew members, and even took a photo with a crying extra—but his eyes kept flicking to Eva, always watching, always waiting.

As the sun reached its peak, Ariana excused herself to the bathroom trailer, and MK leaned over to Malachi with a nudge.

"Now or never," he whispered.

Malachi sucked in a breath. "You're right."

He walked over to Eva, who was standing beside her packed suitcase, playing with the zipper as if it might stall the goodbye.

"Hey," he said, quietly.

She turned. "Hey."

"You going back to Canada tonight?"

"Yeah. Ariana and I have a red-eye."

He nodded, rocking on his heels. "Then I figured I shouldn't let you go without saying this."

Eva blinked. "Saying what?"

He looked nervous—genuinely nervous. He reached out and grabbed both of Eva's hands, then stepped a little closer.

"We've been through a lot," he said slowly. "From pretending we weren't a thing, to kissing in trailers, to... getting stalked, almost losing everything, fighting, flirting, falling."

Her breath hitched, but she didn't say anything.

Malachi continued, "You've become the best part of this whole experience for me. So..." He pulled something from his back pocket—a small folded note with doodles of fangs and hearts in the corners. "I was gonna write something cooler but... here."

Eva took the note, unfolding it slowly.

Inside, in messy handwriting:

"Be my girlfriend? Check yes, no, or bite me."

She laughed. It came out as a soft gasp and a smile all at once, her eyes filling with tears.

"Bite me?" she teased.

He grinned. "I am a vampire, remember?"

Eva looked up at him, her voice barely above a whisper. "Yes. I'll be your girlfriend."

Relief and warmth flooded his features. He stepped forward, gently wrapping his arms around her, and when she leaned into him, he held her like he never wanted to let go.

Then he murmured, into her hair, "Whatever happens next... I want to do it with you."

⸻

Eva's POV

As they drove away from set, the trailers getting smaller in the rearview, Eva looked out the window, her hand still in Malachi's from where he'd held it last.

She thought about everything.

The day she got the part.
The first table read.
Meeting Mk again on the studio lot.
Meeting him.
The secrecy. The PR games.
The stalker. The fear. The hotel sleepovers.
The dancing. The fights. The love.
The stolen glances in between takes.
The kiss that changed everything.

She thought about how she used to wonder if she'd ever be good enough—if she'd ever feel like she belonged in this world of lights and cameras. And now, she knew she did. Not because someone told her. But because she earned it.

And she didn't just survive it.

She made memories that would last a lifetime.

People she'd never forget.

And a boy who changed everything.

As the plane lifted off later that night, and Ariana leaned against her shoulder, already half-asleep, Eva looked down at her phone.

A photo from set lit up her screen—her and Malachi, outside of one of the sets, hugging eachother as he looked down at her.

And she smiled, quietly, to herself.

Because even with all the chaos, all the danger, all the heartbreak and healing...

It all started with a vampire.