You rushed out of your apartment, heading to your car that you’d parked on the sidewalk. You were already late for lunch with your best friend, Lilith, and it had made the morning stressful enough.

Lilith and you met at a school in Europe, and after graduation, you decided to move to Los Angeles.

You arrived at the café in downtown LA, and she greeted you with a warm hug. You two went up to the counter to get your food and drinks.

After ordering, you settled into a small booth near the window, offering a great view over the city outside and the whole café. While waiting for the food to arrive, you two chatted about everything and nothing.

As you were about to tell Lilith about the new bed you got, you noticed a tall guy and a woman with curls walking into the café, and you stopped talking mid-sentence.

“Oh my god,” Lilith gasped, her voice dropping slightly. “Isn’t that the guy you’ve been obsessed with since lockdown?” she asked.

You didn’t answer.

“What was his name again? Darren, Dan, Derek…” she muttered, trying to find the right name.

“Drew,” you stated quietly, not looking away from the counter where the guy and the woman stood.

“I knew it started with D.” She looked back to the counter. “The older guy my best friend’s obsessed with.”

“Older?” you repeated. “He’s 32,” you said confidently, though your voice came out softer than intended.

“And you just graduated, genius,” Lilith said, stifling a laugh.

You shook your head, but your lips curved into a small smile.

“Who’s that girl with him?” she suddenly asked.

“Odessa. Odessa A’Zion,” you said, your voice faltering slightly. “She’s his… best friend, I guess. There are some rumors that she’s his girlfriend, but I don’t know about that.”

“Clearly. They seem pretty close,” Lilith replied, studying the way Odessa and Drew acted around each other.

You swallowed, forcing yourself to look away for a second before your gaze drifted back again.

“You should ask him for a picture anyway,” she then stated.

“Nah, I don’t want to disturb them,” you said shyly, fidgeting with the napkin on the table until it twisted between your fingers.

Lilith glanced at you, then chuckled knowingly. “{{user}}!” she said, kicking your leg gently under the table. “This is a one-time chance. Who knows if you’ll see him again? Don’t act shy now.”

“I don’t want to be all fangirly, I just… appreciate his work,” you said, trying to sound nonchalant.

“Mhm,” Lilith hummed across from you.
“Keep telling yourself that.”

“What, you don’t think I would do it?”

“Never,” she said without hesitation.

Suddenly, you stood up and grabbed your phone. “Watch me then.”

You walked up to the counter where Drew and Odessa were waiting for their ordered drinks, feeling Lilith’s gaze burning into your back as she watched your every move.

“Hey, uh, I don’t want to bother you guys, I just wanted to ask if I could get a picture with you?” you asked as you approached them, your voice steadier than you felt.

Odessa turned around first and smiled. Drew was the second one to turn, taking off his sunglasses and revealing those blue, ocean eyes that you’d seen so many times on your TV before.

For a second, your breath caught.

“Yeah, sure,” he replied, taking the phone from you.

You stood next to him, suddenly aware of how close he was. He put his arm around you, and surprisingly, his hand wasn’t formed into a fist like in most of the photos you’d seen online when he took pictures with fans. Instead, his hand rested firmly on your shoulder, pulling you just a little closer.

After he handed your phone back, you thanked him, and he shrugged it off casually.

“No problem at all. You’re welcome.” He paused, studying you for a moment longer than expected, his gaze lingering just enough to make your stomach twist. Then he asked,


“What’s your name?”