Lydia's breath caught, the tea halfway to her lips.
"I see the way he looks at you," Pearl continued. "He's had that look since he was fifteen. You liked him back then too, didn't you?"
Lydia gave a small, helpless smile. "I thought he hated me. He barely said a word."
Pearl chuckled softly. "He didn't hate you. He adored you. But back then, things were complicated. He was just George, the boy with holes in his shoes, and you were Lydia, the girl with a bright future. I feared for both of you. Your worlds were different."
Pearl placed a comforting hand over Lydia's. "But now… now, you're both standing on the same ground. I think it's time you both stopped punishing yourselves."
Lydia looked down at her tea, the words sinking in deeper than she expected.
That night, as she lay in bed, her mind wandered back to a fifteen-year-old George. How he'd stare at her during family dinners, how he'd find excuses to be around, yet never say much. She had mistaken his quietness for indifference, never realizing it was shyness, maybe even fear.
A soft smile tugged at her lips as sleep began to pull her under.
***
Time flew by, and Lydia still couldn't believe where life had taken her. She and George had just wrapped their new romantic drama, "Fated to Be," a project that had them working side by side for months. Early mornings, exhausting days, and yet, every scene had drawn them closer. They were no longer just co-stars; they had become... something more. Something unspoken.
On the last day of filming, they were invited to "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon." Lydia was a bundle of nerves backstage, fidgeting with her bracelet, while George sat beside her, looking calm..if you ignored his restless fingers tapping his knee.
"Relax," George said, giving her a reassuring nudge with his shoulder.
"Easy for you to say," Lydia muttered. "You've done this a hundred times."
George smirked. "This time, it's different. You're here."