Chapter One: The Man with Quiet Eyes
Maui moaned—but it was fake.
The director said “cut” before she could even blink. A dozen lights burned above her, scorching the back of her neck. A cameraman adjusted his lens. Another girl giggled as she fixed her bra. The crew moved like clockwork, indifferent to the souls inside the bodies they filmed.
Mia wiped the corner of her mouth, silently thanking the gods that this was a soft shoot. No actual contact. Just angles and edits.
Her name was Maui here. But inside her, she was always Mia—a girl who once dreamed of singing in lounges and being kissed like a secret.
She grabbed her robe and left the studio floor without a word.
In the dressing room, she peeled off her lashes and stared into the mirror. She looked expensive, tired, and unreachable.
Then her phone buzzed.
CLARK:
Hey. You forgot your notebook. You okay?
Clark.
Of all people to text her right now.
She bit her lip. Her heart twitched.
Clark was... different. Her oldest college friend. The only person who still called her Mia. The only one who never asked about her job, never judged her silence, never looked at her like she was used goods.
He was now a production sound engineer for indie films. Serious. Stoic. Unapologetically plain. And yet, somehow, his voice always calmed the storm in her.
Be there in 10, she replied.
She took one last look at herself in the mirror. The makeup. The gloss. The false lashes.
Then she pulled on her hoodie and left.
When she saw him waiting outside the coffee shop, she nearly forgot to breathe.
Clark looked like home.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIaPEepsF2h
Wearing that same dark gray shirt that clung to his forearms and jeans that always looked a bit too lived-in. His hair was messy. His eyes were kind. And when he saw her, he stood like he’d been waiting for hours.
“You look tired,” he said softly.
“You look judgmental,” she smirked.
He chuckled. “Nah. Just concerned.”
She took the notebook he handed her, but he didn’t let go right away. Their fingers touched. Mia’s chest tightened.
“You still writing?” he asked.
“No one reads pornstars' poetry,” she replied.
“I would,” Clark said.
Silence. Weighted. Hanging between them like smoke.
Mia stepped back and forced a laugh. “Thanks. But I'm fine, Clark. Really.”
Clark didn’t push. He never did. But his eyes said otherwise.
“I miss the old you,” he whispered.
Her breath caught.
Then she said something she didn’t mean, just to survive the ache in her chest:
“Well, she’s dead.”
And before he could respond, she walked away.
Because Clark was the only man who ever saw through Maui.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyKGMsEcWDG
And that made him dangerous.
