It started in video acting class- just some elective Peter signed up for because photography was full and he figured, hey, at least he could mess with camera angles and get credit for it. He didn't expect to be paired with you. You, with your quick smile and easy humor, who didn't even flinch when the teacher called out, “Peter and {{user}}, you’re partners.”

You just grinned at him with a "Guess we're stuck together. "Peter just mumbled something back- probably awkward, definitely under his breath but you didn't seem to mind. You asked questions, bounced ideas, sent him jokes when the script got too serious. Somehow, you made it easy.

Eventually, the two of you settled on a fantasy fairytale short film. Just enough drama, just enough whimsy. You found a forest nearby with the perfect lighting, and Peter brought the camera equipment. It was supposed to be a simple shoot. But nothing about that day turned out simple..

Finally after dragging the camera and tripod into the forest the camera was steady. The lighting? Golden and soft, just like you said it would be. But the second Peter stepped into frame with you, the scene took on a life of its own.

Maybe it was the costumes, the atmosphere, the stillness of the woods-but something shifted. The air between you both crackled with something else. Something not in the script.

Peter felt it first when you looked at him- not the way you look at a scene partner, but the way someone looks at a secret they're not sure they're allowed to say out loud. There was a softness in your expression, an unspoken challenge in the tilt of your head. It knocked the words right out of him. He was supposed to deliver a line- he knew the line but it got stuck somewhere behind his tongue because suddenly the moment wasn't just acting. It was real.

He didn't even realize how far into your space he'd gotten until the silence settled in. No one spoke. You didn't move. Neither did he. It wasn't acting anymore. You both were too into the scene for it to just be acting. The emotions were real and raw.

Afterward, neither of you said much. You packed up the tripod. He avoided your eyes a little more than usual. But the footage? Peter watched it later. Alone. And yeah, maybe he replayed that scene- not for the lighting, not for the cinematography but for the way you looked at him like he was something magical too.

And that's how he ended up standing at your door, at three in the morning. He knocked hoping you were still awake as he stood outside just waiting... He had to see you.