"Uh...what...did you just say?" I asked haltingly, wondering if I'd somehow misheard Theo because there was no way he was telling me to spend the night with him.

"That's why I asked you to meet me," he responded, sounding too calm for my liking.

I couldn't help but gape at him. "Huh?"

"You said you were scared last night. I wanted to suggest you stay with me so you wouldn't be too scared to sleep again." He pointed to the far side of the cabin where a ratty old cot I hadn't noticed before was set up. "I'm sleeping there. You can have my bed."

Oh. So that's what he meant.

But it still didn't make sense.

"What about Rowan?" I asked. Where would she sleep? On the air mattress with Theo?

He gave me a questioning look. "I asked her. She said you'd feel more comfortable with me."

"Wait, you guys don't share a room?"

"No. There's only one bed in each cabin," he said. "I asked them to bring the cot over today while we were filming."

I didn't think only having one bed would stop them. Where had Theo and Rowan slept the night I stayed at her apartment? Had they not slept on the couch together? Was there a spare room I hadn't noticed? Why did I care so much?

"Obviously if you're uncomfortable, I'm not forcing you to stay here," Theo continued, his head turning to the side as he adjusted the pillows again, the sharpness of his jawline bared to me. "It's up to you."

I found myself hesitating, even though I really, really should have declined his offer immediately. "You'd be okay with it? If I stayed here?" I asked instead.

"I wouldn't be offering if I wasn't. You're injured, too. You need rest. And you'll be safe here, so you don't have to be scared."

I wanted to hide my face in my hands, embarrassment creeping through me as he brought up my being scared again. "I didn't feel unsafe," I muttered, my cheek burning. "These cabins are just a bit creepy."

"Should I have Rowan collect your belongings from your cabin?" he asked, pulling out his phone.

"Okay," I agreed meekly. "Thanks."

Theo focused on his phone for a moment before letting out a short sigh, making me hyper-aware, wondering if I was the cause of his sigh. He walked over to me, tossing his phone on the desk, frowning down at me as he stopped at my feet. "How were you scared of sleeping in your cabin, but not climbing a mountain in the dark to look for me?"

I had to tilt my head all the way back to look up at him. "That's a great question. I guess my concern for you outweighed my fear. You know, if you can believe I feel that way without you owing me anything," I added, still feeling a twinge of insult from earlier.

Theo's expression tightened for a moment, and I now recognized that look of distrust, but I watched as he closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath, and releasing his tension as he breathed out. "...I'll believe it," he said tersely, avoiding my gaze. Then a second later, softly muttered, "Thank you."

It hit me then. His need to make sure doors were locked, his abstinence from alcohol, his dislike of being in the public eye, his aversion at the thought of someone having feelings for him, his hesitation of revealing where he lived, his lack of trust, and now his resistance to ever having to owe anyone were all connected. It was hard for him to trust that I could be concerned about him without an ulterior motive, just like he hadn't trusted me when I first offered to pretend to be his girlfriend. I wasn't the problem in any of these situations. He'd told me that before, too, when he'd said he could only trust me because he had something over me. That it wasn't me, but him. But I hadn't really understood it until this moment, and instead, had selfishly felt hurt by him.

Whatever had happened to Theo before had absolutely traumatized him. To the point where he believed someone caring about him meant they were plotting something against him. All my actions toward him up to this point replayed in my head, and I understood why Theo had his guard up around me, even from the very first time we met when he'd thought I'd broken into his dressing room. I now understood why he seemed so hot and cold— like he'd begun to trust me, only to then do a one-eighty, putting his guard up again.

You're not the first who has broken into my dressing room and probably won't be the last.

Are you satisfied?

Did you get to see what you wanted to see? Or did you want something more from me?

My mouth went dry, my mind racing with scenarios of what could have happened in the past to Theo. Had all this been caused by his ex? The one that betrayed him? But what kind of betrayal could be so devastating?

Theo's hands flexed at his sides, betraying his discomfort at accepting my concern, his attention focused on the door to the cabin.

"Only four people know who I actually am," I said quietly. "Four people hold my deepest secret. One that I consider life-ruining if I were found out— overly dramatic or not, that's how I feel. I'd do anything to protect it. Anything."

Slowly, Theo's gaze returned to mine.

"You're one of those four that holds that secret," I told him. "You know something about me I don't want anyone else knowing. That you were never supposed to know. That I never would have told you because of how desperately I want to keep it hidden."

His controlled expression softened, confusion flickering across his face.

"I would never give you a reason to reveal who I am," I said pointedly. "You can trust that if nothing else."

"I already told you that I—" He cut himself off, voice faltering as realization settled into his features. "You want me to use it again you," he said, his voice dropping lower.

Before either of us could speak again, the door swung open, and Rowan swept in, carrying my laptop and backpack in one hand and an umbrella in her other. "I was going to make fun of you for being scared," she started, oblivious to the gravity between Theo and I, "but your cabin is creepy as fuck. Why is it so close to the woods? It's got weird energy, too."

Theo stepped away from me, his gaze lingering on me for one more moment, before taking my belongings from Rowan and setting them near the bed. "Thanks, Rowan."

"Thanks, Rowan," I parroted, seeing as how it was my stuff she'd brought. "And see? I had a reason for being scared last night."

Rowan gave a sympathetic pat to my shoulder as she came over to me. "Well, no worries. Theo will protect you tonight. From ghosts and from yourself. I have Maisie-falls-into-the-lake on my bingo card for tomorrow, so don't let me down. You checked my falls-down-a-mountain one today."

I scowled now, shoving her hand off me. "I didn't fall down the mountain. I tripped."

"Basically the same thing.

"No, it's not!"

"Rowan, let's step outside so Maisie can change," Theo said, cutting into our bickering.

Rowan, always so mature, stuck her tongue out at me as she went back to the door, joining Theo. "I'm headed back to my cabin. Night, Maisie. Don't let the New Jersey Devil get you."

"The what?" I asked, trying to pretend like my heart didn't pick up speed at the mention of some kind of devil.

The door closed behind her and Theo, leaving me without an answer. I glanced at the window, the pitch blackness of the night behind it, and then forced my attention to my backpack, afraid if I kept looking something would jump out. I hopped over to it, trying not to put weight on my injured ankle, and struggled through changing my clothes, falling onto the bed twice as I lost my balance.

Once in clean and dry clothing, I hopped back over to the desk, for some reason feeling too shy to sit on Theo's bed again. "All set!" I called.

Theo re-entered a moment later, running a hand through the front of his hair, making it lay flat against his forehead. "I'll run to the bathrooms to change," he said, still wearing his damp clothing.

I took a glance out the window again, seeing droplets on the panes. "Isn't it still raining?"

"It's fine."

"You'll get just get wet again on your way back," I said. "Just change here."

"No."

"Then I'll step outside." I struggled to push myself up from the chair, taking two hops toward the door before he stepped in my way.

"Fine, I'll change here," he muttered, not meeting my eyes.

I hopped back to the chair. "You've filmed scenes nearly naked before, don't think of it any differently."

"How did you..." His skin took on a deeper, pinker hue. "You've watched all my movies?" he asked hesitantly.

"I had to do my research," I said, flushing in response to his. "And, you know, there's going to be sex scenes in my movie, so—"

Theo abruptly coughed. "Okay, I get it. Turn around. I'm going to change."

I did as he said, sliding in the chair so I faced the opposite direction. "Is it weird to film those scenes?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Is it weird to write them?" he returned, and I heard the rustling of fabric as I assumed his shirt dropped to the floor. "It's just part of the job. By the time I film the scene I've rehearsed it so many times, it's like going through mechanics."

"True." I drummed my fingers on the seat of the chair by my thighs. "Then you've read the ones I've written multiple times in preparation for filming?"

"Yes."

"Did the actions seem, um... accurate?" I hedged. "I received feedback before that they weren't that realistic. So, I did a lot of research when I rewrote them, but then there was no time to get feedback because the scriptwriter took that version."

Footsteps approached from behind me, and I turned my head instinctively, catching a brief glimpse of Theo's midriff as he finished pulling a clean t-shirt over his head. "You did research?" he asked, eyes alight with amusement.

"By reading," I elaborated, hating how my cheeks heated up. "And on, like, Reddit and stuff."

His lips twitched, but he quickly schooled his features, keeping his aloof façade up. "That's some dedication."

"Can you just answer the question?" I asked, hunching my shoulders. "I'm asking as a writer looking for criticism from someone who's done this before."

"This? As in—"

"As in acting in a scene from a script!" I clarified, my cheeks burning even hotter.

Theo put his hand on the back of my chair, his fingers brushing my shoulder, considering my question for a moment. "You want to know if it's accurate enough? Technically speaking, yes."

I could hear the but in his voice. "But?"

"I wouldn't say it's the actions that make the scene. It's more the emotions and the chemistry between the characters. The dialogue. It's what makes it believable and what makes an audience connect with it."

"And that was bad?" I asked, frowning as I adjusted myself in my seat so I could face him.

"No," he said evenly. "The opposite. Your words made my heart race. They made me think that that I'd like to—" He suddenly cut himself off, his grip tightening on the back of my chair.

"You'd what?" I asked, sitting straighter, preening at the compliment, and pressing closer to him. "Like to read more? Was it really that good? I knew my research would pay off! I'll admit it was a little awkward at first, I saw some stuff I wish I hadn't, but I pushed through it, and now you're saying you were affected by it, so—"

Theo took a step back, releasing my chair, as my motion made my arm brush against his fingers, his eyes widening a fraction of an inch. "Affected?'

"You said your heart raced."

"Oh. Right," he muttered.

"That makes me feel a lot better," I admit, folding my forearms over the back of my chair and resting my chin on them. "Maybe I should have told Marco we could add another." I paused. "Actually, no. Still, not a trade-off for what he suggested, even if you think my sex scenes are good. Evie's character is still more important, and I think it's her development that makes her relationship with Jun work so well. Evie's struggle to find herself is relatable, I think, and then her being able to do so with Jun's support really makes readers root for them and honestly, I think I wrote Jun pretty sexy—"

Theo breathed out a quiet laugh, making me snap my lips shut. "My bad," he said, dark eyes softening as I stared at him. "You're normally pretty quiet, but when you talk about writing, you don't hold back."

"Oh. Sorry," I apologized, my gaze dropping to the floor.

"Don't apologize. I think it's cute."

I buried my face into my arms a little more, refusing to look back up at him, knowing my face had to be red. What was worse, the nature of our conversation had also caught up to me, and I wanted to throw myself down the mountain again. Even if I'd been curious about my skill, why had I brought the topic of sex scenes up with him? I was lucky he didn't kick me out into the rain.

"You should get some sleep," he said, and I heard him approach me again. "We have another early call in the morning."

An involuntary groan left my lips when I thought about waking up early. "Just tell them I died when I fell down the mountain."

"That's not very funny," Theo said, tone disapproving, his feet appearing in my field of vision as he stopped at my side. "Something serious could have happened to you, Maisie."

"I'm fine, though." I kicked out my foot in proof, wiggling my ankle, and immediately grimacing. "Ow. Kind of."

A soft sigh left his lips and before I could protest, he picked me up off the chair, carrying me princess-style to the bed. He sat me down carefully, lowering my weight slowly, but showing no signs of exertion. Although shorter than average for a woman, I wasn't exactly light, and his strength surprised me. So much that the embarrassment of being carried slipped my mind before I could get swept up in it. He moved my leg so my injured ankle rested on the pile of pillows at the foot of the bed and then threw the comforter over me.

"Goodnight, Maisie."

I adjusted myself on the bed, settling in, suddenly feeling a little guilty. "Are you sure it's okay for me to stay here?"

"I already told you it was," he said, but the muscles in his arms flexed as he turned away.

"Do you want to like, tie my hands together, or something?"

Theo paused, pivoting back to face me, blinking. "Just what kind of research were you doing again?"

"That's not what I— ugh." I wanted to bury my face in the comforter, my skin feeling tight and hot. "I just wanted to think of something that could make you feel more at ease. Although now considering our previous conversation, I can see why you made that connection," I said begrudgingly. "Forget I said anything."

To my surprise, Theo let out a soft chuckle. "I don't need to do that, Maisie. I can trust you won't try anything."

"You can?"

He nodded, a soft half-smile forming on his lips. "Because you wouldn't want your secret getting out... right?"

"Right," I agreed, finding myself smiling back at him. "Goodnight, Theo."

Theo retreated to the old cot and I watched as he climbed onto it and slid under the blanket. His feet nearly dangled off the edge as he straightened out.

"I can sleep there," I offered.

His feet disappeared from the edge as he curled up. "It's fine."

"Okay."

"Wake me up if you get scared."

"I'm not going to get scared," I said, a little louder than I expected, but my eyes still darted to the window. What was that creature Rowan mentioned, again? A devil?

I turned my head toward the ceiling, taking one of the extra pillows, and putting it over my head.

"Don't suffocate yourself."

I pulled the pillow off again, turning my head to look over at Theo, who stared back at me, his head resting against his pillow, body facing me. "Aren't you going to go to sleep?"

"I'll stay up until you fall asleep first."

Did he really think I was that scared? I was about to argue, but it hit me that maybe he wanted to see me fall asleep first so he could have peace of mind for reasons other than my supposed fear. So instead of replying, I made myself comfortable again and closed my eyes, hoping sleep would come sooner than later.

When my alarm went off the next morning, I didn't bother opening my eyes, feeling around for my phone until I could snooze it. Although a little uncomfortable for having slept with my foot propped up all night, I'd somehow managed to sleep through the entire night... but I still didn't want to get up. I would never get used to waking up so early. Nor did I want to.

Again, I considered stepping down from my role.

I dozed off again before the alarm went off a second time, then a third, then a fourth.

And then on the fifth when I reached for it, I touched a hand instead.

My eyes snapped open and I sat up, yanking my hand back. Theo stood by the side of my bed, his hand hovering above my phone, his lips tilted down. Droplets of water fell from his wet hair onto his neck, sliding down until they met the collar of his white cotton shirt. "I was going to turn it off and wake you before call time," he said, pulling his hand back. "Rather than have the alarm keep waking you up."

"That's just how I wake up," I said quickly, trying not to stare as I noticed the top buttons of his shirt weren't done up, revealing a decent portion of his chest, the lines of his pecs included.

"Hitting snooze can mess up your sleep cycle. You can just end up making yourself more tired," he told me, shaking his head, sending droplets flying at me.

I simply nodded, deciding it was too early for lectures. "Right. I'll keep that in mind."

"I'm going to head to the set. Make sure you don't fall back asleep."

"So early?" I asked.

He threw me a look as he started buttoning up his shirt. "Would you rather we leave my cabin together and risk being seen?"

"No," I responded immediately.

"I thought so. Rowan will be here soon. She should have some crutches for you and then she can help you get ready if you need it."

Theo left without saying anything more and I stared after him for a moment before deciding to test my ankle. With one step I knew it would be a rough day. I didn't want to use the crutches, but I figured hopping everywhere would draw even more attention. I just had to deal with it for the day.

Rowan showed up a little while later, and after getting used to using the crutches, we also parted ways so I could go to the showers and get ready, a plastic bag in hand to not get my wrapping wet. It took me a little longer than usual to shower, but I still arrived at the set on time. We were filming at the lake today, ending with a kiss scene at sunset, which meant all our other takes had to go over smoothly so by the time sunset came, we were ready to shoot. Zara set me to work right away, and I didn't even have time to think if I stuck out because of the crutches.

Break time came right before sunset, and I decided to skip eating, staying around set. Everyone ran around like madmen, knowing we had limited time with the sunset, and maybe time for three takes at most. After going over the script for the kiss, I started making my way to where the scene would be filmed to scope out the background, deciding to make sure nothing abnormal stuck out of the water.

As I approached, I saw that Theo, Director Ahn, Marco, Zara, and the cinematographer stood at the foot of the wooden dock that went about a hundred feet out into the lake. I hobbled up to them, the crutches even hard to use on the sand, nearly falling as one sunk into the sand deeper than I expected it to.

Zara put a hand to her head in annoyance as I closed in on them. "Let's call an extra over."

"Is there even one that is her height? She's short," Marco responded, his arms folded over his chest. "Just have Sienna come over now."

"She's still eating," Theo said. "We've been filming nonstop. I don't think she's been eating breakfast lately. Let her eat."

"We need to get the angles set up," the cinematographer, Amerie, said, looking up at the sky, then checking her watch. "Find someone to stand in then."

"What's up?" I asked, finally making it over to them, noticing the serious looks on all their faces.

They all turned toward me, and Marco's brow furrowed as his gaze roamed over me. Then his eyes let up. "Maisie will work perfectly."

"For?" I asked, glancing at Zara.

"We need to set up the cameras," she explained. "Can you quickly walk through the scene with Theo? Sienna isn't here at the moment."

I couldn't help but glance at Theo, whose expression was as neutral as ever. "Isn't that the extras' job?"

"You're already here," Marco said, reaching out to grab my shoulders, urging me toward the dock. "And you know the script, don't you? You know how it will be filmed."

Theo stepped into our path, causing Marco to come to a dead halt, his hands sliding off my shoulders. "We can just get an extra."

"Maisie is the perfect height," Marco responded. "And she's right here."

"I'm sure there is someone else," he said firmly.

I tried not to be offended— Theo was most likely trying to help me by refusing to try and keep attention off me, but an annoying part of my mind told me that it was because he didn't want me to be too close to him.

Both Zara and Amerie sent each other troubled looks. "Maybe you could?" Zara suggested, as if Amerie wasn't almost as tall as Theo.

"Maybe Marco?"

Marco's mouth fell open. "I'm not that short."

"Guys, we're wasting time," Director Ahn chided.

I knew how important the timing was for the scene and I sighed inwardly. "I'll do it. You just need to have us pose to check camera angles, right? I can do that until Sienna gets here."

"Thank you," Amerie said gratefully, waving to the rest of the crew, everyone taking their places.

Theo and I climbed onto the dock, taking careful steps as it bobbed under our weight, going further onto it until Amerie told us to stop. She positioned us closer to each other, taking my crutches from me. I had no choice but to place my weight on my injured ankle, and I grimaced a bit, turning my head down so no one would see.

"A little closer to him, Maisie," Amerie instructed. "Closer...closer."

It wasn't until I was nearly pressed against his chest that she told me to stop.

It was also then that I remembered this was the first kiss scene.

She directed him to put his hand on my waist.

I went to jerk back, but Theo's hand curled around my forearm, keeping me from moving while his other hand went to my waist. My body went still and I looked up at him, only to find him looking at Amerie, waiting for her comments.

Right. This was just acting. He was in professional mode. I needed to be, too.

But even though I told myself that, my pulse raced, every nerve in my body feeling on edge from being this close to Theo. His hand on my hip felt molten as he guided my body into different angles as Amerie called out adjustments. My breathing hitched as he cupped my cheek, tilting my head up toward him.

"How is that?" I heard Amerie asking as one of the crew came closer to us, the video camera appearing in my peripherals. "There are a few close-ups, so just hold that pose for a moment."

Theo's hand remained on my cheek, his touch gentle and warm. When his thumb began to stroke my skin, I froze. Was that in the script? I suddenly couldn't remember. Was he improvising it? Director Ahn had a positive response to it, instructing the videographer to zoom in further, making me think it wasn't scripted. Theo's attention remained on Amerie, leaving me alone to blush like an idiot.

"Okay, so far so good," Director Ahn said, glancing between us and the video monitor. "This scene should come out really well."

"I want to see if we can get the view of the mountain in the background of a close-up," Amerie said. "Could you two switch places? And then go in for the kiss."

"Huh?" I said out loud, staggering back as I tried to pull away from Theo again, wincing as I put too much weight on my ankle.

"I won't actually kiss you," Theo said in a low voice, his hands going to my hips, lifting me up enough to take the weight off my feet to switch places with me, but not enough so that someone could tell he picked me up.

"I—" I started, shying away from him, my voice dying out as his hand brushed against my cheek again before sliding down to my neck, fingers extending and fanning out against the side of it, thumb resting firmly on my jaw as he brought his face closer to mine.

Our gazes met as he tipped my head back again, his dark eyes burning into mine with a tenderness I wasn't used to seeing within them. His breath caressed my lips as he grew closer, his touch sending shivers down my spine. I involuntarily arched against him as his other hand slipped to my lower back, pressing me into him. His lips were only millimeters away from mine and closer and—

I turned my head away, panicking, my heart threatening to burst out of my chest, but Theo's thumb pushed into my jaw, using soft pressure to guide my face back into place. His lips parted and the world faded out around me, my attention captured by the way his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed.

"Oh, that was good," Director Ahn commented, causing me to jump violently.

I'd forgotten we had an audience.

"Yes, it was," Marco agreed. "Zara, can you adjust the script so Sienna looks away like that?"

"The shot looks great, too," Amerie added. "Oh, I can't wait to see how this comes out after editing."

Theo's hand remained on my neck, even as he straightened out, putting a little space between us as he glanced toward the others. "Is that all we need?"

"Yep," Amerie responded happily. "I see Sienna heading over, too, so we can jump right into filming."

Theo's hand finally left my neck, and I took in a shaky breath, my body still full of adrenaline. He seemed unfazed as he went to collect my crutches for me, barely looking at me now, only staying by my side until I was off the dock, re-joining Zara's side.

"Your improvising was great, Maisie," she said, her script open as she jotted down the notes Marco requested. "Theo reacted so naturally, too. You may have some talent for acting, too."

"Ha..." I responded with a heavy breath, suddenly feeling overwhelming tired, my muscles sore from standing so stiffly. "I think I'll just stick with watching."

Because if I was that close to Theo ever again I was terrified I wouldn't be able to resist closing those few millimeters to kiss him.