Full Throttle of Fate

Chapter 12: Amateur's Rehearsal

Back at her Serena's flat, the dim light from the setting sun cast long shadows across the room, wrapping everything in a soft, golden glow.

Serena hesitated, her fingers trailing over the edge of the script, feeling the weight of the moment pressing down on her.

She handed Severin the script, their fingers brushing briefly.

The contact was fleeting but electric, sending a subtle jolt through her that she tried to ignore.

"This is the scene I'm struggling with..." she murmured, her voice quieter than usual.

"It's not just about the words... it's about what's underneath."

Severin took the script, his expression neutral at first, but as his eyes scanned the lines, his jaw tightened, and something dark flickered in his gaze.

The scene was more intense than he had expected, far more intimate than the excerpt she had sent him before.

The idea of Serena acting this out with someone else... of her being this close to another man - twisted something deep inside him, something he didn't want to examine too closely.

"Alright, let's start with the dialogue. We'll take it slow." he said, his voice a little rougher than intended.

Serena nodded, shifting slightly on the couch, aware of how close they were sitting, how the space between them seemed to shrink with every breath.

There was something about Severin's presence that made her hyper-aware of every small movement, every unspoken word.

She stole a glance at him, noting the way his brow furrowed in concentration, how his lips pressed into a thin line as he focused on the script.

The tension between them was palpable, and she wasn't sure if it was just the scene or something more.

"So, the scene starts with my character confessing her feelings." Serena began, her voice a bit steadier now.

But even as she spoke, she felt a strange unease—a sense that they were venturing into territory that had nothing to do with the characters on the page.

Severin nodded, his gaze flicking between the script and her face, as if trying to gauge how much of this was acting and how much was real.

"Ready?" he asked, though the question seemed to carry more weight than it should have.

Serena took a deep breath, feeling the air grow thick in her lungs.

"Yes... let's begin."

They started, their voices low, the weight of the script pressing between them like a third presence in the room.

Serena's voice came first, the words slipping from her lips with a softness that felt too close to her own emotions.

"My lord... I have tried, with all my might, to silence these feelings, to push them aside... But I fear they have taken root, and no amount of reason can remove them."  she began as Sophie, her eyes meeting his.

Severin responded, slipping into Benedict's role, his voice tinged with an intensity that mirrored the storm brewing inside him.

"You must understand, Miss Beckett, that I am not a man of simple means or intentions. My path is fraught with responsibility, with burdens that I would not wish upon anyone—least of all you."

As they continued, the lines between their characters and themselves blurred, each word carrying the weight of something unspoken.

Serena's heart pounded in her chest, the scene pulling her deeper into an emotional territory she wasn't sure she could navigate.