Lydia sighed as she answered the FaceTime call from Scarlett. "Hey," she said softly.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Scarlett asked immediately.

Lydia hesitated for a moment before answering honestly. "I still feel unsure and scared," she admitted. "I don't know how things will be on set, especially with Jeremy. He didn't even respond in the groupchat once."

Scarlett's expression softened. "Don't worry about Jeremy," she said reassuringly. "He's not going to be able to stay mad at you once you two meet and talk it out, okay?"

Lydia nodded, feeling a bit better by her words, "I hope you're right," she said. "I don't want things to be awkward between us."

"They won't be," Scarlett said firmly. "We're all professionals, and we're here to make a great movie together. Nothing else matters. Old misunderstandings will resolve themselves, you'll see."

Lydia smiled, feeling grateful for Scarlett's words of encouragement. She then brought up the group chat conversation from earlier in the day. "What did you think of Chris' reaction?" she asked.

Scarlett rolled her eyes, "typical Chris, being the grandpa of the group," she said with a chuckle. "But did you notice how he diverted the conversation when it got too personal for you?"

Lydia furrowed her brow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"When Holland mentioned your parents," Scarlett clarified, "he quickly changed the subject to something else, because he knew it would make you uncomfortable."

Lydia hummed, replaying the conversation in her head, "I didn't even realize that," she said. "Thank you for pointing it out. That was really nice of him."

"It really was," Scarlett agreed, "see? I told you he doesn't hate you."

Lydia hesitates for a moment, but then takes a deep breath and asks Scarlet, "do you think I should text Chris and thank him for being considerate?"

Scarlet nods and says, "I think you should. It's always better to clear the air and express your gratitude. Plus, it might help ease some of the tension between you two."

Lydia nods slowly, still unsure, "but what if he doesn't respond or worse, he's rude to me?"

Scarlet shakes her head, "I don't think that will happen. You know Chris just as well as I do, Lyds and it's very unlike him to be rude to someone. Especially you."

Lydia smiles gratefully, "thank you, Scarlett. You always know what to say."

Scarlett smiles back, "That's what friends are for. Now go ahead and send that text. And just remember that we're all here for you, and we want you to feel comfortable and happy."

Lydia nodded, feeling a bit better about things. She knew that the road ahead wouldn't be easy, but with friends like Scarlett by her side, she was ready to face whatever challenges came her way.

Hanging up the call, Lydia finds Chris' number from the groupchat to see it hasn't changed. She still knew his number by heart.

Taking a deep breath, she quickly types a text and hits 'send' before letting herself have second thoughts and backing out.

"Hey Chris,
I hope you're doing well. I just wanted to reach out and say thank you for being considerate during our group chat earlier. I really appreciate it. I know things haven't been easy between us in the past, but I hope we can put that behind us and move forward as professionals. Thank you for being so open to the idea of join this project, it is an absolute honor.

Looking forward to seeing you soon on set.
Take care, Lydia."

She puts her phone down, feeling a mix of nerves and relief. She knows that it's a small step, but she hopes that it's a positive one towards building a better working relationship with Chris. And now, all that was left to do was wait for a response from him.

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

On the other side of the phone screen, Chris stared at his phone for a moment, unsure of how to respond. He knew he had to reply, but he also knew he had to be careful with his words. Finally, he typed out a response:

"Hey Lydia, I appreciate the message. I'm glad I could be there for you. I know things have been tough, but I'm glad that things are falling into place for you.

It wasn't upto me to stop you from joining this project when everyone saw how much of a perfect fit you were. I'm glad you accepted the offer. I'm excited to work with you and see what you bring to the role of Nyx. And don't worry about the past, we're all professionals here and we're here to make a great movie. We can make this work. Welcome onboard."

He read over the message and sighed. It sounded so formal and distant, but he couldn't bring himself to be more emotional.

He couldn't help the way he felt. He had missed Lydia terribly but she had ghosted him after moving away. Sure, they were broken up but he still wanted to be there for her as her friend, knowing what a rough patch she was going through with her family but she hadn't responded to him. And now, the thought of working with her again but not being able to have the kind of relationship he had always wanted with her was too much to bear. He couldn't figure out where his feelings for Lydia stood now.

He put his phone down and rubbed his eyes, feeling a mix of sadness and frustration wash over him. How was he supposed to navigate this new reality, where Lydia was back in his life but not in the way he wanted?