Filming season 4 of Stranger Things had been intense—but also some of the most fun you’d ever had. Your character, Jade, had quickly become a fan favorite, thanks in no small part to the undeniable on-screen chemistry with Eddie Munson—played by the ever-charming Joseph Quinn. Off-screen, that chemistry hadn’t disappeared. What started as harmless banter between takes had turned into late-night talks, inside jokes, and lingering looks that made the rest of the cast side-eye you both with knowing smirks.

Now, between takes, you were perched on a bench near set, laughing with Gaten about some ridiculous mishap earlier that day. The summer heat left everyone a little slower, a little more relaxed—the air buzzing with the kind of ease only found when family settles into routine.

Then, without warning, a pair of familiar arms slid around your shoulders from behind. You barely had time to react before you were pulled back into a solid chest. You didn’t even need to turn to know who it was.

“How are you doing, darling?” Joseph says his voice was warm, low, and dangerously close to your ear—his breath stirring a lock of hair against your cheek. You smirked, leaning into him like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Oh, you know… surviving the Upside Down. Barely.”

Joseph chuckled, the sound vibrating against your back. Before you could say more, Gaten piped up with a dramatic groan.

“Wow, the favoritism is getting out of hand.” Joseph shot him a mock glare, lips curling in that crooked smile of his.

“Jealousy doesn’t look good on you, mate.”

You burst out laughing as Gaten rolled his eyes and strutted away in exaggerated defeat, muttering something about “third wheels.” The moment he was gone, Joseph’s arms didn’t move. If anything, his hold on you tightened ever so slightly, anchoring you against him.

The world around you blurred—cast and crew buzzing like background noise—while his heartbeat thudded steady and strong against your spine. His chin dipped closer, the edge of his jaw brushing your temple as though he wasn’t quite ready to let go. And you couldn’t help but wonder, not for the first time, if the lines between fiction and reality were blurring… or if they’d already vanished completely.