There were two types of people on a movie set: the ones who thrived in the spotlight, and the ones who thrived because of it.

Aurora Sandler was the latter.

At 22, she had spent more time behind cameras than in front of them, which was ironic considering her last name practically came with a SAG card at birth. While her younger sisters, Sadie and Sunny, were fully immersed in the acting world, Aurora had always gravitated toward writing and producing. She liked shaping the story, building the structure, making things happen.

The set buzzed with energy. PA’s crisscrossed with clipboards, the lighting team adjusted a diffuser, and her dad was, as usual, somewhere cracking jokes with the boom operator.

Aurora stood near the monitor, flipping through the script and adjusting notes in the margins. This movie meant something. It was the first project she had co-written with her dad from the ground up—and the studio had actually listened.

“Hey, Ro,” her dad’s voice called out casually from behind her. “Lead actor’s here. You might wanna say hi before the table read.”

She looked up instinctively—and there he was.

Darren Barnet.

He walked onto set like he belonged there, dressed in jeans and a faded black T-shirt, duffel bag slung over one shoulder. No grand entrance. No ego. Just… calm confidence.

Aurora recognized him instantly. Everyone did. He had one of those faces—familiar from half a dozen teen dramas and too many internet edits. But he looked different in person. Realer. Less polished. His eyes scanned the space quickly, taking it all in, like he was already studying the world he was about to inhabit.

Their eyes met for a second—just long enough.

Then she looked away.

This was her movie. Her work. And no matter how charming the new guy was, she wasn’t here to be distracted.

She was about to get back to her notes when footsteps approached. Slow, unhurried.

“Hey,” a voice said. Smooth, but not trying too hard.

She turned, and there he was—closer now. Tall, relaxed posture, and that same look in his eyes like he was already reading her like a scene.

“You’re Aurora, right?” he asked. “Co-writer and producer? Heard a lot about you.”

“Depends on what you heard,” she said, lips curving into the faintest smirk. “If it was from my dad, you’ll want to fact-check it.”

He laughed—quick and genuine. “Noted. I’m Darren, by the way.”