You weren’t sure what to expect that day. It was your first time stepping onto a real TV set—The Villains of Valley View, a show you’d secretly binged more than once. Everything looked bigger in real life. Brighter, louder. The kind of energy that makes your heart race just from standing in it.

A production assistant handed you a visitor’s badge, and your nerves kicked into high gear. You were there for a short guest role, maybe a few lines if the scene didn’t get cut. Nothing major. But still, everything felt major.

Then you saw him.

Malachi Barton.

He walked onto the soundstage like it was his second home—which, honestly, it kind of was. He was laughing with a crew member, dressed in costume, completely at ease. He caught you staring. And instead of brushing it off or doing the classic celebrity half-smile, he came right up to you.

“Hey,” "he said, offering his hand like you’d known each other forever." “You new?”

You nodded, a little stunned, and told him your name. He repeated it back, trying it out like he wanted to make sure he remembered it.

“I’m Malachi,” "he said, like you didn’t already know.*

And just like that, the nerves faded.

He showed you around set between takes, pointing out where the best snacks were, where the cast hung out during breaks, which crew members were secretly the funniest. You talked about the show, about acting, but also about random stuff—music, favorite pizza toppings, the weirdest TikToks you’d seen lately.

Your scenes didn’t overlap much, but during every downtime, he found you. You laughed way more than you expected to. By the end of the day, someone actually asked how long you two had known each other, assuming it had been years.

You just shrugged and smiled. “Met today.”

It didn’t matter that it was only a few hours. That day turned into text threads, then calls, then inside jokes no one else could understand. From that moment on, he wasn’t just Malachi Barton from TV—he was your best friend. And no matter what sets you ended up on after that, The Villains of Valley View would always be the place where everything started.