Hidden in the Light

Soft Light

I looked through the camera.

And for a second—I forgot to click.

Because William looked exactly like the idea I had drawn last night.

Not polished. Not perfect. Just real.

I lowered the camera slowly.

"Is something wrong?" He asked.

I shook my head. "No. It's just—this is exactly what I was hoping for."

He smiled, a little confused, but there was a softness in it. "Glad I could help, then."

I started shooting.

The tension eased as we worked. I gave little directions; he followed them. But after a while, William stopped needing them. He just... moved in his own rhythm. Tilting his head slightly. Looking down. Eyes closing for a second like he was inside a song he wasn't playing out loud.

Then, in the middle of a shot, I stepped closer to fix his clothes.

"Hold still," I murmured, reaching up.

But just as I adjusted the edge of his shirt, my hand brushed against his neck.

His breath caught. I felt it.

And so did mine.

Our eyes met—brief, sharp, electric.

I pulled back too fast, knocking into the lighting equipment. He reached out instinctively to steady me, his hand catching my wrist for a second.

A heartbeat. Maybe two.

I could feel the warmth of his skin through my sleeve, and suddenly, everything else in the room—the lights, the props, the camera—blurred into background noise.

Then he let go, clearing his throat. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I said too quickly. "I'm fine. I'm fine."

We didn't say anything for a moment.

Then he smiled again, softer this time. "You sure?"

I nodded, even though I wasn't sure of anything anymore.

Especially not the way my heart was still racing.
———
William's POV

It was nothing. Just a touch.

But it wasn't.

His fingers had only brushed my skin for a second—maybe less. Still, I felt it everywhere. Like electricity. Like a secret I hadn't meant to find.

And it wasn't even the touch itself that hit the hardest.

It was how he reacted.

Est froze. His eyes darted away like the moment had betrayed him, like he hadn't meant for it to happen, or didn't know what to do with it now that it had. His posture shifted just slightly, but I noticed. I always noticed things like that.

He looked... scared.

And part of me wanted to reach out again. Just to prove it wasn't anything to be afraid of.

But I didn't. I kept playing, like I hadn't felt it too. Like I hadn't been hyper-aware of every inch of air between us for the last hour. Like I wasn't still thinking about it long after I'd walked out of the studio.

Now, I was home, staring at the ceiling, my guitar on my lap and my phone screen glowing with a message I hadn't sent.

Est.

Just his name in the box.

What the hell was I supposed to say?

Thanks for almost touching my soul by accident?

I sighed and leaned back against my headboard, fingers aimlessly sliding over the strings.

He'd looked up at me earlier—when he was crouched near the light—and there was something in his eyes. Something sharp and fragile at the same time. Like he didn't want me to see him, but he also didn't want me to stop looking.

He was so confusing. So guarded. But also... honest. Completely honest, in a way most people weren't. Like every time he clicked that camera, it wasn't about how you looked. It was about what you were hiding.

And damn it, I wanted him to see me.

I wanted him to look again, with those same eyes that made everything else feel blurry and distant.

I placed the guitar aside and picked up my phone again. The message box was still open.

This time, I typed something real.

William – Thanks again for today. I don't know why, but it didn't feel like just a photoshoot.

I hovered over the send button, hesitating.

Then I hit it.

And just like that, the silence of my room felt louder—like the beginning of something I didn't have words for yet. But I like it.

Heyy again💫

Hope you liked it, even though the previous chapter wasn't entirely about William and Est, hope you enjoyed it as well😝

Thanks for reading💙🌠