By the time filming had been going on for months, the line between cast and family had completely disappeared.

It wasn’t just a movie anymore.

It was late nights, inside jokes that made no sense to anyone else, shared exhaustion, shared adrenaline. It was being shoved into trailers together, eating the same bad catering food, laughing at things that weren’t funny anymore because you were too tired to care.

It really did feel like the Losers’ Club—off camera.

You fit into it effortlessly. Maybe too effortlessly.

At first, you were just… there. Another person on set. Friendly, easy to talk to, laughing at Jack’s chaos, rolling your eyes with Finn, teaming up with Jeremy in games. Nothing special. Nothing dangerous.

And then, somehow, without any clear moment to point to, you and Jaeden started orbiting each other.

It wasn’t loud like Jack’s friendships. It wasn’t immediate chaos or physical roughhousing. It was quieter. Softer. The kind of connection that grew in pauses, in shared looks across the room, in sitting next to each other without really planning to.

You talked.

A lot.

At first it was surface-level—movies, games, music. Then it slipped into opinions, fears, the way you both thought too much about things you couldn’t name yet. You had the same rhythm. The same way of observing before speaking. The same humor that lived just a little under the surface.

People noticed before either of you did.

The boys started shipping it like it was a sport.

“Just date already.” “You’re basically married.” “Jaeden, she’s literally leaning on you.”

You always denied it. Both of you did. Too fast. Too defensive.

But the truth was, something had already shifted.

You started staying up late on calls. Not every night—but often enough that it became normal. Sometimes you talked about nothing. Sometimes about everything. Sometimes the conversations drifted into territory that made your voices drop, your words careful and hesitant, your hearts beat a little faster.

Things that felt easier to type than say.

That became your thing.

Texting—right next to each other.

In crowded rooms, during rehearsals, on long drives. Phones tilted just enough to hide the screen. Small smiles that came out of nowhere. Stifled laughter that didn’t match what was happening around you.

The messages were ridiculous half the time.

“Jack is unbearable today.” “Why is Jeremy chewing like that.” “I should not have had that much soda.”

But then there were the other ones.

The ones that made the air between you feel heavier.

“You keep squirming today. Need something?” “Stop looking at me like that.” “You’re distracting me.” “You know exactly what you’re doing.”

Just enough to make your stomach tighten.

And the worst part?

Neither of you could say any of it out loud.

When you talked face to face, you were suddenly shy. Careful. A little awkward in a way that didn’t match how close you actually were. Which made the messages feel… intimate. Like a secret language only the two of you shared.

Tonight was one of those nights.

The hotel room was chaos, as usual.

Jack bouncing on the mattress like gravity didn’t apply to him. Jeremy loudly eating something that crunched way too much. Finn filming something for his phone while Sophia laughed. Wyatt half-watching, half-annoyed.

Too loud. Too full.

You and Jaeden were sitting on the far bed, close enough that your shoulders touched if either of you shifted. Both pretending to watch what was happening. Both very aware of the other.

Your phone buzzed.

You glanced down.

Jaeden: “You okay?”