Between Takes

There was a time when Lana Reyes only knew Julian Hale from behind a screen.
She saw him through flickering pixels and falling YouTube interviews-an untouchable face in a glossy world. A world she didn't belong to.
He was the actor. The one who made people fall in love with characters and never fully return. The one who kissed with his eyes open and made it feel more intimate than anything else.
She had memorized his lines, laughed at his bloopers, and-stupidly-once told her best friend, "I swear if I ever meet him, it's over for me."
It was meant to be a joke.
But jokes have sharp edges when they cut too close to fate.

And somewhere between an impulsive audition and a role she wasn't supposed to get, Lana found herself in his orbit. Julian, on the other hand, had mastered the art of detachment. His name was always in someone else's mouth-paparazzi, fans, old flames. Especially her. The ex everyone whispered about but never named.
So when Lana arrived, bright-eyed and impossible to ignore, he didn't mean to notice her.
He just did.