their project was supposed to be simple. a short film, just a few minutes long, something experimental for their class. they had agreed on the concept—something raw, something real. but somewhere along the way, their ideas started to clash.

"you don't take this seriously," zaire muttered, arms crossed, his jaw tight.

demitra scoffed, tossing her hands up. "because i don't want it to be miserable?"

"because you're more worried about aesthetics than meaning."

"god, you're insufferable," she snapped, frustration burning in her chest. "not everything has to be some deep, tortured masterpiece, zaire. sometimes, people just want to feel something good."

"and sometimes, people should care about more than just vibes," he shot back.

the air between them crackled, their usual teasing by something sharper, something unspoken.

and yet, neither of them walked away.

 ིྀ

    the film was supposed to capture something real—something raw and unfiltered. that was the only thing they had agreed on in the beginning. but now, they were trapped in a loop of frustration, every conversation turning into an argument.

"why are you making this so difficult?" demitra asked, pacing the small studio space they had borrowed for the weekend. the camera equipment sat untouched on the table, waiting for them to get their act together.

"i could ask you the same thing," zaire said, leaning against the desk, arms still crossed. "you're treating this like some aesthetic montage instead of an actual story."

"and you're treating it like we have all the time in the world to make the next cinematic masterpiece. newsflash, we don't. this is due in three weeks."

zaire exhaled sharply, running a hand through his curls. "i just think if we're gonna do this, it should mean something."

"and i think meaning isn't just in pain," demitra countered. "why does everything have to be heavy? why can't it be about something simple—something that makes people happy?"

he shook his head. "because that's not the point."

"maybe it's not your point," she shot back. "but it's mine."

zaire sighed, dragging a hand down his face. for a moment, neither of them spoke.

outside, rain pattered against the windows, a steady rhythm filling the silence between them. demitra sat down on the couch, pulling her knees to her chest.

"look," she said, quieter now. "i get that you want this to be deep and moving and all that, but it feels like you're pushing so hard for meaning that you're forgetting to actually make something people connect with. it doesn't have to be sad to be real."

zaire hesitated, his jaw tight like he was holding something back. "maybe i just don't know how to make something light," he admitted, his voice lower.

demitra studied him, the weight behind his words settling between them.

"you don't have to make it light," she said after a moment. "you just have to make it honest."

zaire finally sat down across from her, elbows resting on his knees. "so what now?"

"we compromise."

"you? compromising?" he smirked. "that's new."

she rolled her eyes, but a small smile tugged at her lips. "shut up."

𝓃𝑜𝓉𝑒𝓈;shorts I have wrote for this book and I didn't  know what to write for the next part...but I hope you like it!! (so another chapter coming of also)