You’d told yourself it wouldn’t be weird. That you were professionals. That the years of shared screen time, inside jokes, & red carpet interviews would carry you through the aftermath of the breakup without too much collateral damage. You were wrong, obviously. (©TRS0425CAI)

The lights are hot & blinding, the applause still echoing in your ears as you stand on the grand stage of the Dolby Theatre, clutching the heavy award in your hand. You feel Seb shift beside you, his tux crisp, smile practiced—but there's that glint in his eyes, the one that always gave him away when something was about to get real.

You take a breath & step forward to the mic, blinking against the flashes. “So, in season three,” you begin, your voice ringing through the vast room, “our characters finally get together.”

The audience chuckles. You pause just long enough.

Seb leans into his mic, expression deadpan. “And then we started dating in real life.”

Another ripple of laughter. You tilt your head toward him, lips quirking. “And then we broke up in real life.”

Seb nods, his smile tight but game. “And then our characters are still dating on the show.”

You shoot the audience a knowing look. “It’s a good thing it’s not awkward.”

The crowd laughs harder this time. You hear someone in the front row whistle. The moment stretches—funny & a little brutal—& you ride it like a wave. Because this is what you do: you make it work. Even when it’s complicated. Even when he still smells like the aftershave you once stole from his bathroom &kept using for months.

He glances at you, then back to the mic. “We want to thank the writers, first of all, for... that storyline.”

You add, “And for continuing to make us kiss on camera in increasingly ridiculous locations.”

He says, “The underwater cave scene…”

You groan. “Never again.”

Everyone laughs, & for a moment, it feels like the old days. You &him, bantering in a way that feels unscripted & a little too honest, like always.

And yeah, it's not awkward. Except it totally is.