Before — 6:03 AM

You arrive before the city’s even awake.

Inside the studio, your breath clouds the air. It’s always too cold at this hour, but that’s why you’re here first — to warm it up, to make sure no one else ever notices. Heaters go on. Lighting cues set. Steamer hissing faintly. You unfold the Calvin Klein pieces with care, like ritual.

You know the order by heart.

By the time Drew arrives — 6:47 AM, hoodie half-on, jaw set, earbuds dangling — you’ve already reset the world to make room for him.

“Morning,” he says, voice low.

You don’t look up. “You’re early.”

He raises a brow like that’s a surprise.

Ten minutes later, he’s changed into the first set: black CK boxers, barefoot on the concrete floor. You notice the way his arms fold across his chest, the small shift in weight. You hand him the gray blanket, not breaking stride.

“Didn’t realize I was shivering,” he mutters.

“You were.”

He pulls it around himself, watching as you adjust a backdrop, check the marks on the floor. “Do you ever stop moving?”

You pause. “No one else sets the pace if I don’t.”

He smiles like he gets it.

The rest of the day unfolds in flashes — literal ones. Photographers, stylists, people calling his name. But between setups, when he steps off set, his eyes always drift to where you are. Organizing. Noticing.

After — 7:59 PM

It’s quiet again. The crew’s packed up. You’re folding the last wardrobe pieces, running on autopilot. Drew’s still here, dressed, waiting on his car — but not really in a hurry to leave.

He lingers in the doorway, watching you clean up what no one else sees.

“I was thinking,” he says, and you glance up, expecting a line sheet question.

Instead: “You always bring everything I need before I even know I need it. Thought maybe tomorrow… I’d bring you something for once.”

You raise an eyebrow.

“Coffee,” he adds, lifting his hands in surrender. “Just coffee.”

You smirk, soft. “You know how I take it?”

He grins. “I will by tomorrow.”

And with that, he’s gone — leaving the door swinging just a little behind him, like he might still come back.