Chapter: 02

Later that afternoon, the group made their way into the university's media lab, a sleek space with blacked-out windows, scattered equipment, and the faint hum of editing machines running in the background. Today was filming day for their final creative project in Visual Storytelling, and their professor had given them complete creative freedom.

The concept? A dramatic short film about a mysterious love triangle.

Zayna stood at the center of the mock set—a dimly lit room decorated to look like a vintage café. Her outfit was soft and romantic: a light blue dress with delicate embroidery, and a side braid that framed her face like it was woven straight out of a period piece.

Harv adjusted his collar, wearing a crisp white button-down under a brown trench coat. He looked like a charming novelist with a secret.

“You ready to confess your undying love for me on camera?” Zayna teased, sipping her coffee prop.

Harv grinned. “I’ve been rehearsing that moment since day one. Want me to freestyle it?”

“Please don’t,” Alyssa laughed, holding up the boom mic. “Stick to the script, Romeo.”

Isaac stood beside Fenris, setting up the reflector as Fenris adjusted the lens of the camera, his face hidden behind the viewfinder—but his eyes? Fixed on Zayna.

“Camera rolling,” Fenris called out, his voice calm but deeper than usual. “Scene three. Action.”

The air shifted.

Harv stepped into character instantly. “You don’t see it, do you? Every time you walk into a room… it feels like I can breathe again.”

Zayna’s expression softened. She leaned in slightly, her eyes vulnerable, voice trembling just enough. “And when you leave?”

“I hold my breath.”

From behind the camera, Fenris’s fingers tightened slightly on the focus ring. His jaw clenched but his camera stayed steady.

Zayna’s gaze faltered—not because of the script, but because she felt something else. Something heavier. Fenris’s presence. Though he said nothing, she always knew when his eyes were on her. They carried a weight, a heat, that no spotlight could match.

“Cut,” Fenris finally said.

But no one moved. Zayna blinked, stepping back out of character with a nervous laugh. “That was… intense.”

Harv smirked. “You okay? You zoned out for a second.”

“Yeah,” she said quickly, brushing a loose strand behind her ear. “Just... really getting into it.”

Fenris set the camera down slowly. “Let’s run it again. One more take.”

Zayna nodded, but her fingers trembled slightly as she picked up the script.

This wasn’t just a university project anymore. There were real feelings bleeding through the lines and someone behind the lens was capturing more than just footage.

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After the shoot, everyone headed home, tired but buzzing from the intensity of the day.

Fenris was in his room, the lights dimmed, a soft playlist humming in the background. He lay on his bed, one arm behind his head, the other holding his phone. He wasn’t really scrolling, just hovering. Waiting. Thinking. Then he opened Zayna’s Instagram. She’d posted a photo just an hour ago, a behind-the-scenes shot from the shoot. She was in costume, sitting at the café table, one eyebrow arched with a soft, mysterious smile on her lips. The lighting wrapped around her like it belonged to her, and the caption read:

“Method acting or just feeling it?”

Fenris stared at the screen longer than he meant to. Her braid, the delicate embroidery, the light in her eyes—she looked like she’d stepped out of another world. Not just beautiful, timeless. His thumb hovered over the like button, but something in him paused. He wasn’t just admiring a friend anymore. He was falling and he knew it.

Just then, a knock at his door.

Before he could react, Harv walked in without waiting. Fenris quickly locked his phone and sat up, tossing it aside like it had never been in his hand.

Harv dropped into the beanbag beside Fenris’s bed with a tired sigh. “You good?”

“Yeah,” Fenris replied, trying to sound casual. “Just... reviewing the footage.”

Harv ran a hand through his messy hair. “That scene today was insane, right? Zayna really went all in.”

Fenris nodded, trying to keep his face unreadable. There was a short pause, then Harv spoke again, his tone more serious.

“Listen… there’s something I need to tell you.”

Fenris glanced at him.

Harv took a breath. “I think I’m falling for her.”

Fenris’s chest tightened.

He kept his gaze steady, but inside, it felt like someone had flipped his world upside down. Every beat of his heart echoed in his ears. Her? Zayna?

“I know it’s fast,” Harv continued, “but it’s real. I haven’t felt this way before. She’s just… different.” Fenris forced a smile, nodding slowly "It’s different with her. It’s not a crush. I feel it like deep, real stuff.” Fenris forced a smile, nodding slowly. “Wow… didn’t see that coming. Harv laughed nervously. “Yeah, me neither. But hey, I just needed to say it out loud. You’re the only one I trust with this.”

Fenris gave him a pat on the shoulder. “I’m glad you told me.” Harv chuckled, a bit awkward. “Yeah. I didn’t know who else to tell. You’re my big bro, you always get it.” Fenris reached over, patting his shoulder. “I’m glad you told me.”

Harv smiled, relieved. “Cool. Alright, I’ll let you crash. Night, man.”

“Night.”

As soon as the door closed behind him, Fenris sat in silence, staring at nothing. The image of Zayna still floated in his mind, now twisted with something heavier. His chest felt tight, like something was slipping through his fingers before he even had the chance to hold it. He closed his eyes, the weight of unspoken things pressing down. And just like that, the chapter didn’t end with the camera’s “cut”—but with something far more difficult:

Letting go before anything had even begun.

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