{ the trip }
Milo let out a low hum, something between a scoff and amusement and leaned back into the couch again, arm hooking easily over the backrest. He tilted his head toward her, his expression somewhere between challenge and surrender like he knew exactly what she was implying and chose to pretend otherwise… just enough to be irritating. ”Slowburns are trending, Cameron,“ he said, voice low and almost lazy, like the line had been plucked from a marketing deck rather than his own script. However… her name he said differently, almost dragging it while subtly hiding a smile that tug at his lips. He took another slow sip of his drink then added, ”Besides, what’s more dramatic than two emotionally repressed men bonding over shared premieres? You think it’s too much? Because if so, I’ve got a version where they start a podcast instead.“ Milo let out a quiet laugh at his own words, the kind that barely lifted above a breath but still managed to feel like the punchline landed.. if only for him. He shifted slightly, the leather of the couch creaking under the movement, his eyes fixed on the screen in front of them but flicking toward her in brief glances, gauging her reaction like he always did.
”You have to admit,“ he added, tapping one of the highlighted lines on the script with the edge of his glass, ”It wouldn’t be that bad and all jokes aside… I can’t take that one out? Can I now?“ The warmth in his tone almost made the teasing feel harmless. Almost.
Milo turned his attention fully back to her now, leaning in just slightly… not enough to invade her space but enough to imply he wasn’t letting the moment go just yet. ”And for the record…“ He nudged the laptop gently on her lap, his knuckles brushing her knee on accident… or maybe not. ”You didn’t come here just to save the script from trees and adjectives. You came because this -“ It was unclear if her pointed at the screen of his laptop or if his hand flicked between the two of them, ”…still matters. Even if you hate how much it does.“ He didn’t say if he meant the show. Or her being here at two in the morning. Or the slow-burn they’d apparently written by accident…But he didn’t need to, he just leaned back again, gaze still on her.
”But if you’re worried about the story getting too sentimental don’t worry. Milo started, his voice light and laced with that familiar sarcastic charm, "I’ve still got the part where Callum sabotages the whole thing right before the premiere because he doesn’t know how to talk about his feelings like a normal person.“ He said it like it was a joke… his tone pitched higher at the end, a lazy smirk tugging at his mouth as he let out another one of those quiet laughs. Like he was almost amused by his own cynicism or maybe just used to dressing it up in irony so it wouldn’t sting as much. But beneath that fake playfulness the line carried too much weight to pass off as casual. His posture betrayed it too, shoulders just a little too still, eyes not quite leaving hers. A beat passed. ”Or that’s what he was told.“ He took another slow sip from his glass, the ice clinking gently.
