you and drew weren’t like the other couples. no paparazzi dinners. no hand-holding at premieres. not even a single soft launch on instagram. you two made a silent pact the first time you kissed in his car — to keep this thing yours. sacred. untouched.

“i just don’t want the noise,” you’d said. “then we’ll stay quiet,” he promised.

and you did. for eleven months.

it was weirdly perfect. sneaking into each other’s trailers. whispering at 3am through hotel walls on press tours. laughing at fans who kept trying to ship him with his co-stars, not knowing he was flying across the country just to fall asleep on your chest. it was the best secret either of you had ever kept.

until someone betrayed you.

✦

the photos dropped at 9:12am on a random wednesday. your face. drew’s hands. his hoodie on your shoulders. a kiss. blurry, but real. captioned: “DREW STARKEY SPOTTED WITH MYSTERY GIRL IN NYC — IS THIS THE REAL REASON HE’S BEEN LAYING LOW?”

you blinked at your phone. once. twice.

and then your notifications exploded.

texts from friends. missed calls from your manager. twitter threads dissecting your life from blurry zoom-ins of your face. thousands of people suddenly obsessed with figuring out who you were, what your @ was, where you came from.

“it’s her. same necklace from this post.” “check his spotify likes. i swear he’s been soft-launching her through sad indie songs.” “honestly? i’m jealous but she’s pretty so i’ll allow it.”

and then the real ones — “she’s using him.” “she’s not even famous.” “who tf is this girl???”

✦

by 10:03am, you were crying in the bathroom. by 10:07am, drew was at your door.

“i swear it wasn’t me,” he said. “i didn’t post anything. i didn’t —” “i know, drew,” you whispered. “but someone did.”

it got ugly. fast.

accusations flew like broken glass — not at each other, but at the air. who took the photos? was it a fan? a friend? someone close to the set? why were they following you? why did they sell them? and why did the world think it had the right to decide if you were worthy of him?

you stared at the mirror, mascara smudged and fists clenched. “i wasn’t ready,” you said. he didn’t speak. “i wasn’t ready, drew.”

he sat down. defeated. “i know.” “we were supposed to protect this.” “i know.”

you both just sat there. in silence. while your phones kept vibrating across the table. rumors growing louder. people asking for interviews. trolls in your dms.

and you? you just wanted your quiet back.

✦

it’s not like you didn’t love him. you did. you do.

but there’s a kind of grief that comes with losing control of your own story. and right now, you’re mourning it. because what started in secret… is now everybody’s favorite headline.

and none of them even know your name.

✦ follow me on tiktok @ tvdu4lifee