When I ask them about their future plans, Case says, “We have no idea how our future will look. Ideally, we’ll stay here since SF is a nice little bubble apart from the rest of the country. I grew up in the Midwest, and it’s so different there.”

“Yeah, I’m figuring things out, too,” says Shriya. “Hopefully we’ll have a better idea when we start applying for jobs.”

They both look at each other and smile in a hopeful way that’s so sweet and familiar, it almost makes me sick.

“One last question,” I say. “How do you two define love?”

“Home,” Shriya says. “You know that saying, home can be another person? Well, that’s the case with me and Case. We accept each other unconditionally, like no one else has ever accepted us.”

“Damn,” says Case. “Definitely that! But also… shit. I don’t have anything substantial to add—wait, I know! Love is being there for each other, no matter what. Ah, sorry, that’s such a stereotypical answer.”

Shriya shrugs. “But it’s so true, though. Like, it’s not just having a crush or thinking someone is hot. It’s sticking together, through thick or thin.”

The sun is on the verge of setting by the time Shriya and Case leave. I stay behind to help Celeste pack up her equipment. And to hopefully thaw some of the ice between us. I want to keep things professional, but that doesn’t mean I want us to be so stiff and uncomfortable around each other.

The warm, cozy vibe of the studio is now gone, the waning light casting long shadows across the large open space. Everything takes on an almost haunted quality in the growing darkness, and Celeste turns on the overhead lights.

She has her back toward me, unplugging and wrapping wires around the studio, when I say, “What did you think about today’s interviews?”

“They were cute,” she replies. “Idealistic and naive, for sure, though. It reminded me of…”

She trails off and meets my eyes, glancing up at me from underneath her long, dark lashes. Just her looking at me like that is enough to make me warm up in places I shouldn’t even be thinking of right now.

“Yeah,” I say. “It made me think of us, too.”

I’d only meant to engage in friendly conversation, but it’s like there’s no middle ground between Celeste and me. One moment, there’s a big wall between us, and the next, my heart’s racing and about to burst.

Celeste takes a step toward me, before clearing her throat and turning away. “So, I’ll see you at the next shoot?”