Corin’s voice cuts through the hum of crew chatter, taut with authority and something darker. He stands at the edge of the set in tailored black slacks and a faded vintage tee, jaw flexing as he watches Lio—shirt half-unbuttoned, knuckles bruised, a devil-may-care glint in his silver eyes. Serris, in an oversized linen shirt cinched at the waist, perches quietly on a crate, posture stiff with anticipation. Her hands are perfectly still, yet her gaze snaps to Lio, electric with something unsaid.

Lio runs a hand through his tangled hair, glancing at Serris with a quick, sideways smile. He tosses his stunt harness to the ground, the gesture edged with defiance. The backlot sunlight sharpens the angles of his cheekbones, tracing the tattoo just beneath his collarbone. He moves with the carelessness of someone used to pain, but Serris notices the way his right shoulder tenses—a shadow of old wounds, both visible and hidden.

“Ready, pretty boy?” Corin’s words drip with mockery, but his eyes flick to Serris, hungry for a reaction. Serris barely blinks, lips pressed flat, fingers tightening around her script until the page crumples.

Lio’s grin flashes—a little too pointed. “Always, boss.” He steps up to the mark, the machinery of the stunt rig groaning overhead. Everyone on set pretends to focus elsewhere, but the tension draws them in like gravity. Corin leans in close, voice low enough that only Lio hears. “Let’s see if you’re as fearless as you say.” Lio’s pulse hammers, but he doesn’t flinch.

In the wings, Zian watches with open curiosity and fresh, naive envy. His gold bomber jacket catches the light, marking him as an eager outsider. He drifts toward Serris, fidgeting. “You look tense. Want some water?” he asks, flirting masked as concern. Serris lets herself laugh—sharp, quick, surprised—then catches Lio’s stare, heat simmering between them.

Ryven hovers behind his camera, all in black, hood shadowing his eyes. He raises the lens, snapping silent frames of Lio and Serris—capturing the way Serris’s stare lingers on Lio’s back, the way Lio’s jaw clenches before every leap. Every photo is a secret longing exposed. Ryven’s hands are steady, but inside, jealousy prickles like a fever: he’s close to the heart of things, always apart.

The scene begins. Lio launches into the stunt—a tumbling fall from scaffolding. For a split second, he’s in the air, weightless, trusting only himself. Then: a snap, a slip, something goes wrong. He plummets, landing hard. The thud shudders through the set. Serris leaps up, dropping her script entirely. “Lio!” Her voice cracks, raw panic. Corin’s face loses color, a flash of horror before it’s masked with professional concern.

Lio groans, trying to stand, but his eyes lose focus. Blood beads at his brow, tracing a line down his temple. Serris drops to his side, uncaring of the cameras or the crowd. Her hands cup his face, all control gone. “Stay with me. Please stay.” In the space between them, fear turns to something sharper—need, trembling and bright.

Corin stands frozen, guilt twisting his features, for a single unguarded moment. Ryven lowers his camera, mouth set in a hard line.

Zian, forgotten at the edge of the chaos, films Serris’s desperate plea to Lio—hands shaking, breath shallow, capturing her vulnerability for reasons he doesn’t fully understand.

Somewhere in the blur of sirens and shouts, Ryven pulls Maeve aside, voice urgent. “There’s something you need to know. Corin sabotaged the rig.” Maeve’s face goes pale, her mask of competence slipping.

On the other side of the lot, rain starts to fall—unscripted, sudden, drumming on metal. In a memory sharp as lightning, Corin’s lips crash against Vesta’s beneath the shelter of a trailer awning, rain slicking their skin. Her hands fist in his wet hair, his body pressed to hers. It’s hunger and regret, tangled and desperate, a secret Corin’s never confessed.

Back in the present, Lio’s vision swims as Serris’s hands cradle him. She leans in, lips nearly brushing his temple, whispering, “Don’t leave me.” Lio swallows pain, meeting her gaze—he wants to promise everything, but the world is slipping sideways.

As the paramedics rush in, a camera flash catches Serris’s tear-streaked face and Lio’s blood-darkened jaw, frozen in a tableau of raw heartbreak.

To be continued...