"confess i loved you from the start."

What happens when Malachi Barton decides to spend his last year of high school like a normal teenager? For once, no cameras, no handlers, no red carpets- just lockers that slam too hard, cafeteria food that tastes like rubber, and the quiet hope of finally blending in. But there's one thing he can't seem to blend into: getting the attention of the only girl who won't give him the time of day. Olivia Reed doesn't hate Malachi. Not at all. She just doesn't understand the hype around him. Sure, he's famous- posters, interviews, fans waiting outside the school gates- but what else? What's behind the smile the whole world seems obsessed with?

Nineteen-year-old Lena Flores has always preferred the world through a viewfinder. With her grandfather's vintage Pentax camera as her constant companion, she left the vibrant streets of San Antonio for the hazy glow of Los Angeles, determined to turn her passion for filmmaking into a future. She's a quiet observer, a storyteller who captures the raw, authentic moments others might miss. Her lens was never supposed to land on someone like Malachi Barton. When she meets the charming young actor at a small club in Silver Lake, the connection is immediate and honest-a shared love for 80s movies and a mutual respect for craft. But on their first date, amidst the neon buzz of an old arcade, a single phone call changes their entire world. Malachi lands the breakout role of a lifetime, and their private, budding romance is suddenly on a collision course with Hollywood's brightest spotlight. As Malachi is catapulted into stardom, Lena-a girl who treasures authenticity-becomes a public spectacle. The girl behind the lens is suddenly thrust in front of it, her relationship subject to the scrutiny of millions. Can a love that started with a simple, honest glance survive in a city built on illusion? As their two worlds merge, Lena must fight to hold onto the girl she's always been while navigating a future she never imagined, discovering that her own story is the most challenging to capture. Book One Social Media.