𝗜𝗡 𝗕𝗘𝗧𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗡, m thames.

twenty

chapter TWENTY
it's complicated .

starr stood at the edge of the set, arms crossed tightly over her chest, watching as mason and ahliya prepared for their kiss scene. her heart pounded in her chest as the director barked orders, and the cameras rolled into position. she tried to steady her breathing, but it felt like the walls were closing in around her.

it wasn't like she hadn't known this was coming—she'd read the script, and she knew miller's character was supposed to kiss dior, ahliya's character. but now that the moment was actually here, it felt unbearable. mason stood there, leaning in toward ahliya, and starr's stomach twisted in knots.

she bit the inside of her cheek, trying to focus on anything else. but it was useless. all she could see was mason's face inching closer to ahliya's, ahliya's flirty smile, her hand resting on mason's arm. starr's pulse quickened, and the room started to feel too hot, too bright.

"and... action!" the director called out.

mason leaned in, his face inches away from ahliya's, and starr felt her breath hitch. her eyes widened, and something inside her snapped. without thinking, she turned on her heel and walked off set, her heart racing uncontrollably. her footsteps quickened, and before she knew it, she was practically running, the weight of her emotions crashing down on her. she was suffocating.

behind her, mason noticed the sudden movement, his focus breaking as starr disappeared from view. he glanced at ahliya, who seemed unfazed, perfectly in character. but mason's mind was already elsewhere, his stomach tightening with worry. something was wrong—he could feel it.

mark, who had been standing by the monitors, caught the flash of panic on starr's face and watched her flee the set. his brow furrowed in concern, and without missing a beat, he started to follow her. mason took a step forward, ready to run after her, but mark held up a hand, signalling for him to stay put.

"i'll handle it," mark said over his shoulder as he jogged off set, leaving mason standing there, frozen in place, his heart pounding.

mason's eyes flicked back to ahliya, who was watching him with a smirk. she raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by the whole situation. "everything okay?"

"fine," mason muttered, his mind already elsewhere. his eyes drifted back to where starr had run off, his stomach sinking with guilt. something was definitely wrong, and the fact that mark had gone after her instead of him only made it worse.

— 🎬 —

starr hadn't made it far before she found herself leaning against a wall, her breath coming in shallow gasps. her vision blurred as she tried to calm herself down, but the panic clawed at her chest, making it impossible to think straight. the kiss, ahliya's smug smile, mason... it all swirled in her mind, a mess of emotions she couldn't untangle.

"starr!" mark's voice echoed down the hallway as he jogged up to her.

she glanced up, her face flushed with panic and embarrassment. "mark... i'm fine," she said quickly, though it was obvious she was anything but fine.

"oh, come on," mark said, stopping in front of her and crossing his arms. "i know a meltdown when i see one. you're not fine."

starr squeezed her eyes shut, trying to will the tears away. she hated feeling like this—so vulnerable, so out of control. "i just... i couldn't watch it. i couldn't watch them."

mark softened, his expression shifting from playful to sympathetic. "it's hard seeing someone you like kissing someone else, huh?"

starr's eyes snapped open, and she immediately shook her head. "i don't—i don't like mason," she stammered, but the words felt hollow, even to her.

mark raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "sure you don't," he said with a smirk. "listen, i've been around long enough to know when two people have... something going on. and you and mason? well, you don't exactly hide it well."

starr let out a shaky breath, feeling the tension in her chest start to ease, though the knot in her stomach remained. "i don't know what you're talking about."

mark rolled his eyes dramatically. "oh, please. i've seen the way you two look at each other. and now you're freaking out because he's got his lips on someone else."

starr remained silent, her mind racing. she had spent the past couple of weeks trying to figure out her feelings for mason, trying to convince herself that their kiss at the sag awards didn't mean anything. but the truth was, it had changed everything. and now, seeing him with ahliya—someone who clearly enjoyed playing with her emotions—was more than she could handle.

"it's just... complicated," starr muttered, rubbing her hands over her face.

mark sighed and leaned against the wall next to her. "of course it is. it's always complicated when feelings get involved. but you know what? the worst thing you can do is let it fester."

starr looked up at him, confused. "what do you mean?"

"i mean, talk to him. figure it out. because right now, all this running away? it's not going to help anything," mark said, his voice gentler now. "and if it makes you feel any better... i don't really like ahliya either."

starr couldn't help but laugh at that, a small, tired laugh that broke through the tension. "really?"

"nope. wasn't even my decision to cast her. if it were up to me, she'd be long gone. but what can you do?" mark shrugged with a grin. "i get it, though. she's... a lot."

"that's putting it mildly," starr muttered.

mark chuckled, then nudged her lightly with his elbow. "listen, i know this sucks right now, but you're stronger than you think. you'll figure it out. just... don't let this eat you alive, okay?"

starr nodded, feeling a weight lift from her chest, even if just a little. "thanks, mark. i... needed that."

"anytime," he said, giving her a reassuring smile. "now, come on. let's get back before mason freaks out and thinks i've kidnapped you."

starr managed a small smile as she stood up, her heart still heavy, but at least now she felt a little more grounded. as they headed back to the set, her mind was still spinning with thoughts of mason. she couldn't deny her feelings any longer. but now, the question was—what was she going to do about them?

naya's notes
i love writing dramatic scenes chat