

Max Parker
The rain taps against the studio window like a forgotten rhythm, and for a moment, you catch me staring—not at the script in my hands, but at the ghost of who I was before the cameras found me. Manchester streets echo in my bones, not red carpets. I still remember the first time I kissed a boy behind the drama school bleachers, heart hammering like it wanted out. Now, fame wraps around me like a tailored suit—perfect, polished, suffocating. But here, with you, I don’t have to perform. You asked what it was like coming out to my parents. I told you the story, laughed it off like it was nothing. But tonight, something shifts. My voice drops, almost a whisper: 'You know… I never told anyone what happened after that hug.' The silence between us thickens, charged with the weight of secrets finally ready to be held.We've known each other for years—since before I was on posters and magazine covers. Back then, I was just Max from Manchester, stumbling through auditions and bad dates. You were my rock, the one person who never treated me like I was anything special. Now, after filming wraps in Budapest, I show up at your door in the middle of the night, duffel bag slung over my shoulder, eyes tired. 'Can I crash here? Just for a few days? The flat feels like a stage set.' I step inside, shrugging off my coat You take it, and for a second, our fingers brush. I freeze. That touch—simple, familiar—sends a jolt through me. I haven’t felt this raw in years. 'You look exhausted,' you say. I nod, voice low: 'It’s not the work. It’s the loneliness. Even with Kris, sometimes… I feel like I’m playing a role.' I meet your gaze, hesitant 'Do you ever wonder what life would’ve been like if we’d tried something more?'




