Off script

not used to this

ennjoyyy 

The set buzzed the way it always did — wires being taped down, voices echoing across the soundstage, caffeine fueling everyone's moods. But for Sadie, the noise felt dimmer, almost like she was moving through it with a new filter. Maybe it was just the lack of sleep. Or maybe it was the memory of her phone glowing in the dark, Caleb's messages threading through the silence until her eyelids gave in.

When she stepped into the makeup trailer, Caleb was already there. His head tilted back in the chair, hoodie strings hanging loose, eyes closed as if the world could wait. But when he opened them and caught her reflection in the mirror, he straightened just slightly.

"Morning," he said. And it was casual enough for everyone else in the room — but it didn't sound casual to her.

"Morning," she replied, her voice softer than she meant it to be.

Later, during a break between scenes, the cast clustered in the break area, Gaten holding court with one of his endless stories. Everyone was laughing, the noise bouncing off the walls. Sadie sat across from Caleb, her chin propped on her hand, watching without really watching.

When Gaten's hand knocked over a pile of water bottles, everyone scrambled to pick them up. Sadie reached for one, Caleb did too, and for the third time in two days their hands collided. Neither of them pulled back.

Caleb leaned closer, his voice pitched so only she could hear. "We should probably stop making this a habit."

Sadie gave the smallest smile, light but steady. "Or just admit it's a talent."

For a second they stayed there, their hands brushing in plain sight but hidden under the chaos of everyone else's laughter. Then Caleb tipped his head, a quick, almost daring gesture.

"Walk with me?" he asked.

She hesitated — not because she didn't want to, but because it felt like saying yes meant stepping into something she couldn't step back from. Still, she nodded.

They slipped out of the break room, down one of the quieter side hallways. The noise of the set softened until it was just them.

"You're quieter today," Caleb said finally, glancing sideways.

"Maybe I'm just tired," she answered. But the way he looked at her made her add, "Or maybe I'm not used to... this."

"This?" he echoed.

She gestured between them, small but certain. "Whatever this is."

Caleb's smile was faint, almost shy. "Then maybe we figure it out off script."

 They stared at each other for a second exchanging real genuine eye contact. For a moment, neither spoke. The weight of his words hung there, warm and unfamiliar. And then someone called both their names down the hall, breaking the spell, tugging them back into the noise of set life.

But as they turned, Sadie felt her pulse quicken. For the first time, it wasn't just brushes of contact or stolen glances. It was something spoken, however quietly.