𝗜𝗡 𝗕𝗘𝗧𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗡, m thames.

twenty two

chapter TWENTY TWO
the kiss .

as filming neared its end, there was one scene lingering in the back of both starr and mason's minds. it was the climax of the entire movie: the big rain-soaked kiss between miller and clara, the one that would follow a heated, raw confession of love. it was intense, emotional, and easily the most anticipated moment in the entire script.

and both of them had been thinking about it ever since they'd read it.

the scene was set to be filmed on one of the last days, but starr couldn't get it out of her head. every time she read the lines, her heart would skip a beat, and she wasn't sure if that was because of the script itself or because of the thought of doing the scene with mason. either way, it had become a constant presence in her thoughts, like a storm looming on the horizon, waiting to break.

mason had his own thoughts on it too, though he wasn't as vocal about it. but starr could tell, from the way he'd glance at her when they were going over their lines, or how he'd shift slightly whenever the scene came up in conversation. he was thinking about it just as much as she was.

"so," mason said one day, breaking the silence between them as they sat in the studio's lounge. "the rain scene. you ready for it?"

starr, who'd been flipping through her script for the hundredth time, looked up, her pulse quickening. she gave a nonchalant shrug, hoping he didn't notice. "yeah, why wouldn't i be?"

mason smirked, leaning back in his chair. "i don't know. it's a pretty intense scene. lots of yelling, confessing undying love, making out in the rain... sounds exhausting."

"you sound nervous," starr teased, raising an eyebrow.

"me? nervous?" mason scoffed, but there was something playful in his eyes. "nah, i've done scenes like that before. but you... i mean, this is a big one for clara. you sure you can handle it?"

starr narrowed her eyes, leaning forward slightly. "i'm pretty sure i can handle it. the real question is... can you?"

mason's smirk widened, but there was a flicker of something more serious behind it. "guess we'll find out soon enough."

they both fell quiet, the weight of the scene hanging between them. it wasn't just about the acting—it felt personal, too. the kiss at the sag awards, the tension that had built between them over the past few months, ahliya's presence, dylan's interference... it all seemed to be coming to a head. and now, with this rain-soaked kiss just days away, starr couldn't help but feel like it was more than just a script. it felt real. too real.

"i've been thinking about it," starr admitted, her voice quieter now.

mason glanced over at her, his expression softening. "yeah?"

"yeah. i mean, it's the big moment. everything's been leading up to it." she paused, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the edge of her script. "it's strange. i feel like it's going to be more than just... acting, you know?"

mason didn't say anything for a moment, just nodded slowly, like he understood exactly what she meant. "i get it. i've been thinking about it too."

their eyes met, and for a second, the air between them felt charged, heavy with unspoken things. but then mason leaned back again, breaking the tension with a grin.

"well, whatever happens, i'm sure it'll be a memorable scene," he said, his tone light, though his eyes still held that lingering seriousness.

"yeah," starr agreed, though her heart was pounding. "memorable."

and as she looked back down at the script, her mind wandered once again to that final kiss, the rain pouring down, their characters drenched and angry and hopelessly in love. it was supposed to be fiction. but the lines between reality and the movie had been blurring for a while now.

and starr couldn't help but wonder what would happen when they finally filmed it. would they just be acting? or would the storm that had been brewing between them finally break?

one way or another, the rain was coming. and starr wasn't sure either of them were ready for it.

naya's notes
u deserve a double update since i'm probably disappearing for the week cz of school !! enjoy mls <3