Fake it till you make it

So, here we are—about to shoot our final scene again. The last one. The one everyone's been waiting for. It's supposed to be simple, straightforward, romantic—just me and Kairo under the spotlight, saying a few lines and looking like we actually belong in a love story. Easy, right?

But why does it feel like there's a third wheel hovering over us? A really annoying third wheel.

Miss Liora, was busy adjusting the lights and giving last-minute instructions. "Just you two on stage, Yeli and Kairo," she said firmly but kindly. "Keep it clean and emotional, okay?" She gave a thumbs up like she believed in us. I wished I could feel half as confident as she did right then.

Clean? Emotional? I'm a walking mess of nerves. Inside, I was screaming, "How am I supposed to do all that when my heart is about to jump out of my chest?" But I plastered on my best 'professional' smile and nodded. Okay, I got this. Fake it till you make it, right?

We stepped onto the stage, and I immediately felt the heat of the lights and the weight of everyone's eyes. My hands were clammy and my breath came faster. Deep breath. I told myself, "Just breathe. You've acted in front of smaller crowds. This is nothing."

"Lights, camera… action!" The director called out, his voice echoing in the quiet theater.

I glanced at Kairo. His face was calm and focused, the kind of calm that made me wonder if he was secretly a robot. My hand shook a little when I reached out to hold his, but he didn't pull away. Instead, his eyes locked onto mine with something real—something I wasn't ready for.

"Yeli," he said in that deep, steady voice that always managed to make my knees weak, "no matter how many times, you're still the one I'd choose."

Wait. What?

My eyes went wide. THAT LINE WASN'T IN THE SCRIPT.

"W-wait, what?" I stammered, blinking like I'd misheard him.

Kairo just smiled, his lips curving slightly as if he was about to share a secret. "I'm improvising," he whispered, eyes still locked on mine. "Go with it."

Go with it?! What am I supposed to do? Collapse? Faint? Start giggling like a crazy person? My brain short-circuited. But I remembered this was acting, and I had to keep going.

I took a shaky breath and replied, "W-why me? Why not someone better, more—"

"Because you're you," he cut me off, stepping closer, his voice soft but sure. "And that's enough."

Oh my god. My heart was seriously racing, pounding like a drum in my chest. It was like someone hit the fast-forward button on my emotions, and suddenly, the whole world shrunk down to just him and me.

I was barely able to keep my balance when Kairo leaned in for the kiss—

Then, suddenly—

BOGSH!

A loud thud echoed from the side of the stage.

Everyone stopped. Everyone looked. Including me, because I'm human and curiosity got the better of me.

And there, right at the edge of the stage, was River—popping popcorn like this was the most entertaining thing he'd seen all day.

"Oh, what?" he said with that infuriating innocent look, as if showing up uninvited to mess with our scene was completely normal. "I'm just here to support. Best seat in the house."

Kairo sighed, rubbing his temple. "Can we not do this right now?"

"I'm not doing anything," River smirked, turning to look at me like I was the one losing my cool. "Seems like only Yeli's bothered."

Yeah. That's definitely me.

I gave River a sharp glare. If I reacted too much, we'd never get this scene done, so I forced myself to turn back to the director.

"Can we start again, please?" I asked, trying to sound normal even though my heart was still doing somersaults.

The director looked utterly exhausted, like this was his third or fourth take today. He sighed heavily and rubbed his face, then said in a voice that could slice through steel, "One last take. And this time, you better mean it. And you, Mr. Illustre, DO. NOT. INTERRUPT!" He pointed a finger at River, who just raised his hands in mock surrender.

I smirked internally. Well deserved.

My mind was a tornado. What was River even doing here? Why did he always show up at the worst moments? Was this his way of messing with me? Was he jealous? Or was he just bored and looking for trouble? I didn't know, and honestly, I didn't want to waste brain space on him right now.

I glanced back at Kairo, who was already slipping back into character. His calm was contagious, and I realized I needed to calm down too. This was supposed to be the easy part. The sweet ending to all our hard work.

I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans and took a deep breath. "Okay. Focus."

Lights dimmed, spotlight hit us just right, and the stage felt like a world of its own.

"Lights, camera… action!" the director called.

Kairo took my hand again, his grip steady and warm. "Yeli," he said softly, "no matter how many times, you're still the one I'd choose."

I bit my lip, trying to ignore the flutter in my chest, and replied, "Why me?"

He smiled, just a little. "Because you're you. And that's more than enough."

The world melted away as he leaned in.

Then River's voice rang out from the wings, "Hey, can you save some romance for the rest of us?"

I froze. Did that really just happen?

I glanced toward the side, and River was grinning like the king of chaos.

Kairo rolled his eyes, but this time, I couldn't help but laugh a little too.

"Cut!" the director shouted, sounding like he needed a vacation.

I looked at River, who was still munching on his popcorn, and thought, Why is he like this?

But then, weirdly, I felt a little grateful. Because even in all the chaos, maybe it was what I needed—the reminder that things don't have to be perfect to be memorable.

-_-