<🎧 Song Recommendation: Mess It Up by Gracie Abrams>

...

Chloe was a bit surprised at how direct the question had been. Her cheeks flushed slightly in the cool air, but she knew she had to answer honestly.

"I don’t really know..." Chloe admitted, looking down at her hands.

"I find you really attractive, and you’re a good guy. But aside from that... my heart desires you sometimes. I don’t know if it’s just because of Aiden and Camila, or maybe I really like you."

Chloe felt a lot better letting this off her chest. She turned to Von, who also had a deep, thinking gaze as he watched the stars.

"Do you have feelings for me?" she asked back.

The question was much more difficult for Von, but their answers were bound to be almost identical.

Sometimes he felt like he really liked her, and it wasn’t just a surface-level attraction.

Of course, Von knew that was likely the effect of his [Immersion] skill blurring his reality, but what if it wasn’t? What if he liked her genuinely?

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I don’t really know... I feel like I do, but then I think that I don’t... It’s a mess."

Chloe was completely out of words. She wasn’t a fan of whatever this messy deliberation was.

Love wasn’t meant to be situational, and she didn’t want to build a real relationship on the confusing foundation of fake movie characters.

"How about this..." Von started.

"Let’s just stop. Let’s leave Aiden and Camila behind us. So from now on, we’re just co-stars. No... friends."

It took a massive amount of courage for Von to suggest that, putting logic over his confused emotions.

It was the same for Chloe. She watched Von’s outstretched hand for a moment. It was very difficult for her to ignore the intense feelings in her chest, but she knew she just had to, so she wouldn’t make a permanent mistake.

"Okay... Friends... I accept." Chloe reached out, and they both shook each other’s hand firmly.

There was some silence for a while as they stood there as just Von and Chloe.

"I wouldn’t call it being in love," Chloe finally said, her voice dropping to a soft whisper.

"But whatever was between us during the movie... I enjoyed every moment of it, and it’s such a pity we’re calling it quits."

She let go of his hand and took a slow step closer to him.

"But I just have a request," Chloe asked, looking up into his eyes. "Just for one last time, can we... This time not as Aiden and Camila, but as a goodbye, and an end to whatever this beautiful mess was?"

Von could already guess what she wanted, and looking at her standing there in the moonlight, he equally wanted it too.

He didn’t hesitate. He pulled her into himself, his hands holding the back of her neck as he leaned down for his second ever kiss.

Their lips met, and for the second time, they competed to consume each other.

It was another violent, desperate kiss, but this time it wasn’t for the cameras.

It was filled with so many mixed emotions, a painful finality, and the bittersweet taste of a proper goodbye.

Their faces remained deeply entangled with each other, completely lost in the private moment.

Suddenly, the glass balcony door slid open.

Leviathan walked out onto the balcony, holding a drink. "Hey Von, I was looking for—"

The rapper froze, his eyes widening as he saw the two of them locked together.

"Oh... my bad," Leviathan quickly apologized, holding his hands up and immediately stepping backward into the ballroom, sliding the glass door shut to excuse himself.

But the interruption was enough. That was the end for Von and Chloe.

They slowly broke apart, both breathing heavily. There were fresh tears shining on Chloe’s face as she shifted back from him, wiping her cheek.

"Bye, Mr. Janitor..." Chloe whispered, a sad but genuine smile on her lips. "I’ll be hoping I see you again."

Von also felt incredibly emotional seeing her leave, but he could only wave her goodbye as she turned around to head back inside.

"We definitely will..." Von promised softly.

After she had departed from the balcony, he stood alone in the cool night air. His mind remained on everything that had just happened, but what mattered most was that his head suddenly felt a lot clearer.

The heavy, lingering fog of Aiden had finally, completely vanished from his mind.

Von was just Von again.

He took in a long, deep breath of the fresh air, steeling his nerves before turning around to go find Leviathan.

He was already aware that the rapper had been looking for him when he came up to the balcony, and Von had a very important soundtrack pitch to make.

***

Von found Leviathan downstairs in the grand ballroom. The wrap party was in full swing, with the heavy bass of the music shaking the walls and the crew dancing wildly in the center.

Leviathan was standing near the bar section, holding a red cup and nodding his head to the rhythm.

When the rapper saw Von approaching, a knowing smirk immediately appeared on his face.

"Sorry for interrupting your moment over there, eh. I always knew you and my niece had a thing, but oh man, you two make a great pair."

Von shook his head quickly. "No, it’s not like that... There’s nothing between us."

Leviathan raised his eyebrow, giving Von a look as if asking who he was kidding.

"No, seriously," Von insisted. "You can ask her yourself... It’s all good."

Leviathan chuckled, taking a sip from his cup. "Okay, say less. It ain’t really my business anyway. But I was actually looking for you for something else... about your offer."

Von was instantly curious to hear him out, hoping that his pitch had finally been accepted.

"It won’t work out," Leviathan said bluntly.

Von was deflated for a second. His shoulders dropped slightly at the rejection. But before he could completely lose hope, Leviathan continued.

"But I have something else for you... It depends on your ability. Follow me, I’ll show you."