It had been a long day on set again. Honestly, you had a bad day. It started in the morning: you overslept and then rushed to get ready. As you ran out of your trailer, everyone gave you a look of mild annoyance.

You had to film the scenes more than once — either because you forgot your lines or you didn’t pay enough attention. Everything was too loud, too fast, and at one point you just became overwhelmed.

But you didn’t stop. You didn’t say you needed a few minutes because you knew time was running and you didn’t want to disappoint the others.

After endless shots, repeating scenes again and again, the director finally said that filming was finished for the day.

It was already dark outside and you just needed a calm walk without cameras or people on set. So you pulled on a hoodie, put the AirPods in your ears, and left your trailer.

The cool air outside hit you as soon as you stepped outside your trailer, but it felt good. The more you walked, the more the weight lifted from your thoughts and shoulders.

You found a bench with a beautiful view over the ocean. As you sat down, you took a deep breath. It felt like you could finally breathe again without the stress and fear of disappointing anyone.

You pulled a cigarette out of your hoodie pocket. You didn’t smoke often; it just helped sometimes to sort your thoughts when they got too loud.

You took a few drags before you felt a hand on your shoulder. As you turned your head to see who was there, you saw Drew, your co-star.

You pulled your AirPods out of your ears as he sat down next to you. “You okay?” he asked quietly, as if he didn’t want to interrupt your calm.

“Yeah,” you nodded. “Just needed to relax for a bit.”

He nodded in agreement. You knew it had also been a stressful day for him, so it didn’t bother you that he was here too.

He glanced down at the cigarette between your fingers, and for a moment he looked surprised that you smoked.

“You want some?” you asked, as if it were the most normal thing, holding out the cigarette to him.

He nodded and took the cigarette from you. Your fingers brushed against his. You watched him as he took a few drags before passing the cigarette back to you.

After a few minutes of talking, you fell into a comfortable silence. Everything felt so calm and peaceful now.

As you stood up, ready to say goodnight to him and walk back to your trailer, he took your hand gently.

“I feel like this moment’s too good to leave. Maybe we should stay here for a little longer.”

He held your hand a little tighter as you sat down again and smiled, and for the first time today you felt completely at ease.