In the cramped apartment, Lucas, playing the role of Jacob, entered alongside Felicity, who was portraying Anna.
"Let's keep our voices down. I don't want to wake my roommate; she's already sleeping," Anna whispered to Jacob, her breath warm against his ear.
This whispered intimacy drew a soft laugh from Jacob, who leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Then we'll have to be extra quiet, so we don't disturb her..."
The camera captured the moment, zooming in on Felicity, as Anna, her cheeks blushing a deep red.
From his vantage point, Drake observed the scene unfold, noting the undeniable chemistry between Jacob and Anna. Their flirtation, both convincing and seemingly authentic, added depth to the scene, surpassing Drake's original expectations.
Then, Jacob and Anna shared a drink, their glasses chiming softly in a toast.
Their gaze remained locked on each other as they sipped their drinks.
"It's strong!" Lucas, in character as Jacob, exclaimed, a genuine reaction that didn't go unnoticed by Felicity, Drake, and the rest of the crew. It was clear from Lucas's expression that he wasn't accustomed to drinking.
"Do you not drink much?" Anna asked, her smile teasing.
Jacob returned the smile and admitted, "You're right."
"How can that be, considering you work as a performer at a bar? Don't patrons often offer you drinks?" Anna asked, her expression a mix of genuine confusion and curiosity.
"Haha, just because I work in a bar and love motorbikes doesn't mean I need to drink all the time," Jacob replied with a light-hearted smile.
Then, Jacob's gaze drifted to a desk nearby. "Is this where you do your writing?" He had come to know Anna's passion for writing during their time together.
"Could I take a look at your work? You enjoy writing, don't you?" Jacob inquired.
At this, Anna seemed a bit shy. "I'm a little... well... embarrassed to have someone read my work."
Jacob laughed gently, encouraging her, "Come on, let me see. It might even inspire the next song I'm writing."
At the mention of a new song, Anna's interest was visibly piqued. "You're writing another original song?"
Jacob nodded with a chuckle, "Yeah, for you."
After Jacob's declaration, a moment of awkward silence fell over the room, with Anna blushing deeply as she sat on the bed.
Jacob's gaze locked onto Anna's, capturing a moment charged with unspoken emotions. Drake, caught up in the excitement, directed the cameramen to zoom in, aiming for a shot that was both intimate and distant enough to let the audience feel the romantic tension between Jacob and Anna.
"Uhm... I... I feel really inspired to write a song when I'm with you. It's a strange and surreal feeling that I've only felt today, while spending time with you," Jacob said. Despite a bit of stuttering towards the start, he conveyed his feelings clearly.
Touched by his words, Anna replied, "Alright, I'll let you see what I've recently written."
"Oh? Let's hear it," Jacob said with an encouraging smile.
"You're not allowed to laugh, okay?" Anna cautioned as she retrieved her work.
Jacob chuckled softly as he settled onto the bed, nodding in agreement. "Alright, I won't laugh."
"I've never read it out loud before," Anna admitted, looking at Jacob. "So, you'll be the first one to hear it."
Jacob responded with a supportive smile, nodding in anticipation.
"Really, you want to hear it?" Anna asked, her voice tinged with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness.
Jacob responded with a decisive nod, prompting a gentle laugh from Anna before she began to read. "I thought I understood it," she shared, her voice soft yet clear.
"That I couldn't grasp it, but I didn't," she continued, delving deeper into her reflections. "Not really. Just the 'smudgeness' of it. The pink-slippered, all-encompassing, semi-precious eagerness of it. I didn't realize it could sometimes be more than whole. That the idea of wholeness was actually quite luxurious."
Jacob, fully engrossed, listened as Anna revealed, "Because it's the halves that halve you in half." She went on, "Didn't know. Don't know about the in-between bits." With a hint of discovery in her voice, she added, "The gory bits of you and gory bits of me. I like 'the halves that halve you in half.'"
When she finished, Jacob's face was a picture of amused restraint, as if he was on the verge of laughter. "Like the halves that halve you in half," he echoed, his smile breaking through despite his efforts.
Anna, catching his reaction, couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. "It's a bit childish, isn't it?"
"No," Jacob quickly countered, his voice firm and reassuring. "No."
Drake thought the scene was wrapping up, but it unexpectedly veered off script. Felicity, in character as Anna, started writing in her notebook before passing it to Lucas, who was playing Jacob. Lucas took the notebook and pen, noticing the words "I thank you" adorned with a heart at the end.
He then wrote his own message, "No problem, princess. But I'd prefer a kiss as a thank you." After jotting this down, he handed the notebook back to Anna.
Felicity, upon reading Lucas's playful written response, couldn't suppress a soft laugh.
Drake and the cameramen were puzzled by her laughter, especially since the camera hadn't caught Lucas's written response, only Felicity's. Additionally, Felicity cleverly shielded the notebook's contents from the camera as she chuckled, with Lucas simply smiling alongside.
"Cut!" Drake called out, marking the end of the scene. Curious, he approached the actors, "What did Lucas write that got you laughing?" he inquired.
Felicity chuckled, downplaying the exchange. "It was nothing much. Just playing along with the scene. He didn't write anything," she said, choosing to keep their little exchange private.
Drake glanced between Lucas and Felicity. Though his curiosity was piqued, he didn't press further. The day's filming was nearly complete, and it was time to wrap up.
The scene closed with Anna and Jacob saying their goodbyes for the night. At the glass door, their lingering glances spoke volumes, hinting at a deeper connection they wished to explore. Despite the pull between them, they knew it wasn't possible to act on it. With a final "bye" from Jacob and a wave from Anna, Jacob left, leaving Anna watching his back and departure.
With that, the day's filming came to a close.