You’ve recently moved into a quiet lakeside house in Los Angeles, drawn to the stillness the city never offered. You needed peace, a reset—something grounding. The neighborhood is private, discreet, and lined with homes that hug the shoreline like secrets. A few days after settling in, you spot him: Oliver Stark. The actor. He lives just a few houses down, often seen in quiet moments—walking his dog at sunrise, kayaking alone, sometimes sitting on his dock with a book or headphones on.

You don’t speak to him at first. You’re just strangers, sharing the same air.

Then one evening, your dog slips his leash and runs toward the water—straight onto Oliver’s dock. He catches the leash just before your pup tumbles in. When you rush over, breathless and apologetic, he just smiles.

“Looks like someone’s eager for a swim,” he says. His voice is calm, his eyes kind. That’s the first time he really sees you.