The sun snuck through the clouds at that exact moment, lighting her face with a soft golden edge.
“You good?” Savannah asked, searching their expression.
Tilly swallowed. “Yeah. The light… it works.”
Savannah stilled. Her breath hitched the tiniest bit. Her cheeks warmed, and she looked down at her notes like the printed lines had suddenly become poetry.
“Oh. Thanks.”
The interview restarted. Smooth. Precise. Strong.
When it came time for the standup, Savannah positioned herself without needing direction. Tilly still gave some anyway, their voice quieter than usual, and she followed each cue with calm confidence.
Closer. Right. Lift your chin. Center yourself in the frame.
She stepped in just slightly too close during one adjustment, close enough that her arm brushed theirs. Close enough that Tilly felt the heat of her body through her coat. Close enough to feel the air shift between them.
Savannah noticed. Her pupils widened just a fraction. Her breath caught.
She held the line for her standup. Voice steady. Eyes sharp. But her shoulders were not tense for once. They were softening, just barely.
After the final take, she didn’t step back immediately.
Then she realized.
And took two quick steps away like the pavement was burning beneath her.
“That should… that should work,” she said.
“It does,” Tilly said, trying to keep their voice even. “Nice job.”
Her head whipped around. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
She took that in. Carefully. Like it meant something. Maybe it did.
“Thank you,” she said, softer than anything she’d said all day.
Tilly busied themself with the camera to break whatever was threading between them.
Savannah cleared her throat. “I’ll head back and start logging. You want to grab B-roll?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay.”
But she didn’t leave right away. She hovered, shifting her weight, glancing at Tilly like she was trying to decide whether to say something real.
She didn’t.
She tucked her hair again, though the wind would undo it immediately. “I’ll see you there.”
“Yeah.”
She walked off, boots clicking on the stone, then hesitated at the curb. Looked back once. Just once.
Tilly pretended they weren’t still watching her.
