Chapter 2

Ethan’s POV

The photoshoot lasted longer than I expected.

At first, everything felt normal. Adrian stood under the lights, calm and quiet, while I adjusted the camera and took the pictures one after another. The assistants moved around the room, fixing the background and changing the lights, but the noise slowly faded into the background.

After a while, it felt like it was just the two of us.

I lowered the camera slightly and looked at the screen. The photos were better than I expected. Adrian didn’t try too hard to look perfect. He just stood there naturally, and somehow that made every picture look more real.

“Do you always look this serious in photos?” I asked before I could stop myself.

The moment the words left my mouth, I froze. I wasn’t sure if I had just said something wrong.

Adrian looked at me quietly for a second.

“Only when I’m tired,” he replied.

There was no anger in his voice. Just honesty.

I nodded slowly. “You look different in real life.”

Adrian raised an eyebrow slightly. “Different how?”

I hesitated, trying to find the right words.

“Less… distant,” I said quietly.

For a moment, Adrian didn’t say anything. Then he turned slightly away from the lights and looked down at the floor, like he was thinking about something he didn’t want to say out loud.

“Most people don’t notice that,” he said softly.

I didn’t know why, but hearing that made something inside me feel warm and nervous at the same time.

I lifted the camera again quickly, trying to focus on the photos instead of the strange feeling in my chest.

“Look this way,” I said.

Adrian turned slowly, and this time, his expression was softer. Not the confident look people saw in music videos. Something quieter. Something more real.

I pressed the button again.

Click.

The sound echoed softly in the studio.

“Can I see one?” Adrian asked.

I hesitated for a second, then walked closer and turned the camera screen toward him.

Adrian leaned slightly closer to look at the photo. He didn’t speak immediately.

I suddenly became very aware of how close we were standing. Close enough to hear Adrian breathing quietly. Close enough to notice the faint smell of his perfume. Close enough that moving away would feel obvious.

“This doesn’t look like me,” Adrian said softly.

I frowned. “Is that a bad thing?”

Adrian shook his head slowly.

“No,” he said. “It looks like the version of me I don’t show people.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. I just looked at the photo again, then back at Adrian.

“I think that version looks better,” I said quietly.

The moment felt longer than it should have.

Neither of us moved.

Neither of us spoke.

Then suddenly, one of the assistants called Adrian’s name from the other side of the room, and the moment disappeared just as quickly as it had started.

Adrian stepped back, his expression returning to normal again.

“Let’s continue,” he said.

I nodded and lifted the camera again, but my hands didn’t feel as steady as before.

Something had changed.

I didn’t know exactly what it was yet, but I could feel it clearly.

And the more time I spent looking at Adrian through the camera, the more I realized something dangerous was starting to grow inside me.

By the time the photoshoot ended, it was almost midnight.

Most of the staff had already left. The bright studio lights were turned off one by one, leaving only a few soft lights near the wall. The room suddenly felt quieter and smaller, like all the noise from earlier had never happened.

I carefully placed my camera back into the bag and zipped it slowly. I didn’t know why I was taking my time. Maybe because I didn’t want the night to end yet.

“You work very quietly.”

I looked up immediately.

Adrian was still there.

He wasn’t standing in the center of the room anymore. He was leaning lightly against the wall, his jacket hanging loosely over one shoulder. Without the strong lights, he looked completely different. Less like a celebrity and more like a normal person who just happened to be tired.

“I think better when it’s quiet,” I replied.

Adrian nodded slowly, like he understood exactly what that meant.

“I hate loud places,” he said. “People think I enjoy them, but I don’t.”

I blinked slightly. That was the last thing I expected someone famous to say.

“Then why do you stay in them?” I asked before thinking too much.

Adrian smiled a little, but this time the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“Because I don’t really have a choice.”

The room became quiet again after that.

I didn’t know why, but hearing that made me feel like Adrian wasn’t as confident as everyone believed. It felt like there was something heavy behind his calm voice, something he didn’t want anyone to see.

“You looked different in the photos today,” I said softly.

Adrian looked at me carefully. “Different how?”

“Less… lonely,” I replied without thinking.

The moment the words left my mouth, I wished I could take them back. It sounded too personal. Too honest.

But Adrian didn’t get angry.

Instead, he looked away for a moment, like the words had surprised him.

“No one has ever said that to me before,” he said quietly.

I felt my heart beat faster. I didn’t know why such a small conversation suddenly felt so important.

Adrian pushed himself away from the wall and walked a little closer.

“Most photographers only care about how I look,” he said. “You look at me like you’re trying to understand something.”

I didn’t know what to say to that, so I stayed silent.

For a few seconds, neither of us spoke. The quiet space between us didn’t feel uncomfortable. It felt… calm. Like both of us were thinking about something we didn’t want to say yet.

“Are you always this quiet?” Adrian asked gently.

“Only when I don’t know what to say,” I replied.

Adrian laughed softly. It was a small laugh, but it sounded real.

“That makes two of us,” he said.

I smiled without realizing it.

At some point that night, the nervous feeling in my chest didn’t feel so heavy anymore. It felt lighter. Warmer.

Adrian looked at the camera bag in my hands.

“Do you live far from here?” he asked.

“Not really,” I replied.

Adrian hesitated for a second, like he wasn’t sure if he should say the next words.

“Do you want to get coffee before you go?” he asked quietly.

I froze.

I wasn’t sure if I had heard correctly.

“Coffee?” I repeated.

Adrian nodded slightly. “Just coffee. Nothing complicated.”

“It's late, cafés are probably closed,” I said looking at him.

“Don’t worry, I know a spot,” He replied smiling.

I looked at him for a few seconds, trying to understand why someone like Adrian would want to spend time with someone like me.

But deep inside, I already knew my answer.

“Okay,” I said softly.

Adrian smiled again, and this time the smile reached his eyes.

The studio lights were almost completely off now. Only one small light remained near the door, casting long shadows across the floor.

As we walked toward the exit together, I felt something strange growing inside me again.

Something that felt a lot like the beginning of a story I wasn’t ready for… but didn’t want to stop.