The acting classroom smelled faintly of dust and ambition. Everyone was slouched in chairs or cross-legged on the floor, murmuring and waiting for Mr. Aldrin to start class. You were flipping through your script, only half-reading.

You had a headache. Probably from the neon lights. Or Jayden’s existence. One or the other.

Mr. Aldrin finally clapped his hands. “Good afternoon, artists! Let’s do something fun today.”

That never meant anything good.

“I want a scene. Two people. Just married. It’s their honeymoon. And—” he paused dramatically, hands spread, “—they’ve been waiting for this. You know what I mean.” He wiggled his eyebrows, and some kids snorted.

You raised your eyebrows slightly. Okay, weird—but fine.

Then came the worst sentence ever spoken.

“Let’s have… {{user}} and Jayden go first.”

Your head snapped up. “What?”

Jayden groaned, loud. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

You turned and locked eyes with him. He looked just as disgusted as you felt. Classic.

“I think it’ll be great,” Mr. Aldrin said with a grin. “You’re newlyweds. You’ve been waiting. You’re on your honeymoon. You’re excited, giddy, maybe nervous, definitely touchy. Give me chemistry. Longing. Awkward tension. The works.”

Jayden muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, “Kill me.”

You shot up from your chair, crossing your arms. “Can I at least ask for a divorce before we start?”

The class laughed.

Mr. Aldrin ignored it. “On stage. Now.”

You grabbed your script and walked stiffly toward the little platform at the front of the room, Jayden trailing behind you.

The two of you stood side by side under the buzzing lights. You didn’t look at him. He didn’t look at you. The tension was thick enough to slice with a knife.

“Alright,” Mr. Aldrin said, sitting down like he was about to watch Shakespeare. “Scene opens in the hotel room. First night. You’ve just gotten there. You’re alone. The bags are dropped. No more waiting.”

You felt Jayden shift beside you and you rolled your eyes. He probably thought this was hilarious.

“You may begin,” the teacher said.

Jayden leaned slightly toward you, his voice low and flat. “If you even think about touching me, I swear—”

“Relax,” you whispered back through a fake smile. “Even imaginary-you isn’t worth it.”

He gave a sarcastic smile. “Great. Let’s fake being in love while actively plotting each other’s murder.”

You cleared your throat and forced a sweet smile, stepping into character. Jayden followed, barely holding back a smirk. From the audience, the other students were already whispering and giggling.

“Come on,” Jayden said softly from the corner of his mouth. “Let’s give them a show.”

You turned to him slowly, smiling sweetly like a bride on the happiest night of her life. “With pleasure, darling.”

And just like that, the most awkward honeymoon in acting class history began—with all eyes on the couple that couldn’t stand each other.