LOGIN{ Anastasia }Dr Andrea's office feels exactly the same as it always has. Calm and boring. The nothingness of it leaves no room for distraction, no excuse to pretend this is anything other than what it is, a space designed for honesty that I have been actively avoiding for weeks.I sit on her couch, hands clasped in my lap, eyes fixed on a point somewhere just past the bookshelf, because looking directly at Dr Andrea right now feels like volunteering for something I am not entirely ready to give.She doesn't rush me, though. She never does. She just watches, calm and observant in that way that makes silence feel intentional rather than awkward, which means I am the one who has to break it."I almost didn't come," I admit finally, my voice low and unsure. "I know," Andrea replies, "You've canceled on me four times.""I wasn't avoiding you," I say automatically, then pause, exhaling softly. "Okay, that's not true. I was avoiding you... because I was avoiding everything."She nods once,
"Bram—" she starts, already standing."Did you tell him that we were nothing? That we were never 'a thing'?" I cut in immediately, my voice rough, already too loud, already past the point of control."What?" Her brows pull together, "Tell who what?""Don't fucking play dumb, I know what you've been doing," I snap, stepping fully into the room, the door slamming shut behind me, "Alex. Did you tell him we were nothing?"There's a split second where she hesitates. That's all it takes."Wow," I laugh, sharp and ugly. I have to lift my hands and rub my face, "That's a yes, isn't it?""I told him we were fake dating and never wer—""Shut up," I cut her off, pointing at her like that will physically stop the words, "Shut the fuck up, no we weren't."Her entire posture stiffens. "Excuse me?""We weren't 'nothing' and we weren't 'fake dating'," I repeat, louder now, everything boiling over, "We were real. I fucked up once, I talked a lot of shit, but everything after that was real and you fuck
"Look, I'll be honest... I would never go for my boy's girl, but she was very clear about you two not being a thing, dude," Alex says and that takes me aback completely. Even Shawn and Gray look at him like he's stupid, "Like, I'm sorry... but it was obvious at the party that she was into me too."Something in my jaw tightens and my fists clench on their own, as if they want to be smashed against Alex's face, but I can't let myself go there. I can't get in trouble right now"That so," I manage to say. Gray takes a deep breath, probably feeling how close I am to flipping the fuck out. "Yeah, like—" he laughs lightly, shaking his head. "I didn't even expect it, but she kept coming onto me, you know? And even now, she's been flirting with me every day. You can look at our texts."I blink, then nod and stretch my hand. Alex rolls his eyes as if he had been expecting me to say no, but he unlocks his phone and gives it to me anyway. But since I can't read normally and specially not now th
"I think it's better like this, if I give you a drink. You did really well," I say to him. That earns a small smile from him before he gives me a look of disbelief, as if he's asking me if I'm sure about that, "Better than I expected.""That makes more sense," he chuckles, then receives his drink and lifts it to me, "To you and your cool brain. I really liked the idea behind the whole shooting."My eyebrows shoot up and I get genuinely happy about the compliment. This is the best first compliment a flirty guy has ever given me, especially because I haven't seen his eyes going down to my tits even once. He's good. Genuine. Hot. So, I lift my mojito to have a toast."And you, for being the perfect subject to bring my vision to life," I add, making him smile too, so hard his eyes go small. It's very cute, "Don't look away from my eyes or it's seven years of bad sex for both of us.""Shit!" he exclaims before opening his eyes as far as they go and lock eyes with me. I laugh, "Hey, don't
{ Anastasia }The second morning of the shoot starts earlier than it needs to, which I justify with a long list of practical reasons involving lighting grids, set lists, and the product display table that I check more times than necessary, because it is much easier to focus on details than it is to admit that I simply do not want to walk in at the same time as him, and I am doing an excellent job of maintaining that illusion right up until I hear his voice somewhere behind the curtain of equipment, followed by an easy laugh that sounds completely normal, which feels wildly inconsiderate given the situation, and my pulse reacts so abruptly that I have to grip the table just to steady myself."I don't care," I murmur under my breath.This is, objectively, a lie, but it is a useful one, so I repeat it once more for good measure before stepping out onto the set with a calm expression and professional posture, moving like nothing is wrong because if I keep moving, there is a chance the fee
By midday, the studio finally settles into something that feels less like chaos and more like a system that accidentally works, the earlier stiffness fading into a kind of shaky confidence that everyone pretends is intentional, and Gray, naturally, leans into it like he was born for this exact moment, turning toward me with a grin that suggests he has already decided he's the face of the campaign."I could get used to this," he says, adjusting his stance like he's seen professionals do it a hundred times. "Be honest, do I have a future in this industry?""Absolutely not," I tease him without even glancing up.He freezes, offended in the most theatrical way possible. "Wow. How dare you.""You asked for honesty.""I asked for support, bitch," he lets out, shaking his head in disappointment "As my best friend, you've failed me.""Bah. You'll recover."He snorts, the sound easy and unbothered, then he starts criticizing me for being too loud on camera. The moment drags me out of my own he







