Sometimes life gives us moments of clarity, where your feelings and perceptions light up and everything suddenly starts to make sense. Other times, things just happen bit by bit, in such small doses that you don't even notice the picture forming right in front of you. It's like one of those thousand-piece puzzles with a surprise image: you start putting it together, piece by piece, but you can't see what it's becoming in those first few moves.Wave and Dan were in the early stages of that giant puzzle, and neither of them could quite understand what was happening. Wave, with his excitement and curiosity, was the one bringing all the pieces at once and showing them to Dan, who unknowingly fit each piece into place as if he were completing the other's game. You will understand what I'm talking about later.Were either of them in love at that point? Of course not! I'm not dealing with easy, love-at-first-sight stories here. I'm not saying that kind of love isn't real, okay? I'm just saying I prefer to work with love that unfolds more realistically and, honestly, more beautifully. But if it wasn't love or passion yet, then what are we talking about here? Well... interest.Wave hadn't realized it, but he was very interested in Dan: interested in his personality, his mystery, his uniqueness. And as we know, interest is one of the fundamental pieces for completing a long story. And that's why he was there, standing at the entrance of an old movie theater, smiling from ear to ear, feeling his heart beat a little faster with every step the other guy took toward him."You actually came!" Wave exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with excitement. He shook a bucket of popcorn and a soda in a celebratory gesture, nearly spilling the drink as he leaned forward. "I thought you might bail."Dan didn't respond at first, and as he got closer, he noticed what Wave was holding, a look of confusion appearing on his face. That look deepened when he saw the movie theater behind them. Quickly, he pulled out his phone and started typing, making a notification sound go off in Wave's pocket."As you can see, there's no way I can check your message right now," Wave announced, raising the popcorn and soda. "Either you grab my phone from my back pocket or you talk." He was smiling, hoping to hear his junior's voice again.To his disappointment, Dan just sighed and turned his phone screen toward him, showing the following message:[Dan Zanon]What's this?"This? You mean... this?" Wave nodded toward the theater, and Dan nodded back. "Well... it's exactly what it looks like: a movie theater."Dan's expression grew even more tense, and he started staring into the distance as if searching for the right words. Then, he grabbed his phone again and typed something, showing it to Wave. He read the message in a whisper to himself:"Why did you arrange to meet me at a movie theater? Why?" He was trying to figure out why Dan seemed so uncomfortable with the location, and after a few seconds, it hit him, and a loud laugh escaped his lips. "Oh, I get it! This seems really weird, doesn't it? Like a date."Dan's eyes widened instantly at that word, and seeing this, Wave tried to stifle his laughter and stepped closer to calm him down."It seems like a date, but it's not a date, got it?" He was still chuckling at his junior's reaction. "I know it feels weird, but relax, you're not my type... you're not, like... a girl." He gave a subtle wink, trying to put Dan at ease. "And more importantly, I'd never hit on someone from the theater, no matter how good-looking you are. It would be way too much trouble."Dan still looked skeptical, so Wave continued, "Trust me, I want to show you something really important." He smiled broadly, his eyes locked on Dan's with steady certainty. "Let's watch this movie together, and I promise you won't need to audition tomorrow, okay? You won't regret it."Dan just took a deep breath, and it seemed to erase the lines of worry from his face. This made Wave keep smiling as he took the chance to observe him: he was wearing black jeans ripped at the knee, a tight striped shirt, and a white jacket over it. His hair was more styled than usual, perfectly matching his almost cold expressions. It made Wave wonder if he could ever actually get someone this good-looking to go on a date with him, and he laughed to himself at the thought."For obvious reasons, I only bought one soda," Wave said. "I can't carry that much. We can share this one, or you can buy another..."He didn't have to finish the sentence; Dan quickly headed to the snack counter and got in line for another drink. Meanwhile, his eyes scanned the posters of the movies playing that night and the upcoming days, bringing a look of confusion to his face."You're probably wondering what kind of movie we're going to see, right?" Wave asked suddenly, making Dan jump at his quiet approach.Dan didn't answer but nodded."Well, you've inspired me!" Wave said with a genuine smile. "All these movies have one thing in common: they tell a story without anyone speaking."Dan looked even more confused by this information, as if nothing coming out of his senior's mouth made any sense at that moment. Seeing this, Wave continued with an enthusiastic tone and a wide smile that lit up his face:"Welcome to the world of silent film!"I always said Wave was a theater kid, but the truth is, he wasn't limited to that; he was someone fascinated by nature, engineering, and anything else that sparked his interest, no matter how different it was from other aspects of his life. Various forms of art made his eyes shine like diamonds. So when he met Dan and felt unsettled by his silence, Wave started to realize how much it attracted him. But why?To explain himself, he related it to art and remembered when he was a child, watching old movies with his grandmother. But these weren't ordinary films; they were movies where the actors didn't say a single word and communicated only through exaggerated performances and expressions. It fascinated him and was comforting, as if words weren't necessary. And despite being bothered by Dan's lack of responses, he began to notice that he also felt comfortable with it. A comfort amidst the discomfort.He wanted, somehow, to show Dan that even if he was shy and didn't like to talk—whatever the reasons—he communicated very well just through his eyes and expressions, and that it was also a form of art, sometimes even more beautiful than the conventional kind. Maybe it would make him view acting, theater, and visual arts from a new perspective."See, it's amazing, right?" Wave asked with excitement in every syllable as they both made their way to their seats in the theater, which, surprisingly, wasn't very empty.Dan had a peculiar expression on his face the entire way, probably thinking his senior was even more peculiar than he had initially thought. In fact, I'm being generous using the word 'peculiar'; he was probably thinking Wave was completely strange and wondering how he ended up there, but that's just my speculation."I hope you like it." The movie hadn't started yet, but Wave was already whispering and leaning his head close to Dan's ear, who, by the way, seemed to lean away a little.The film was The Kid, telling the story of a mother who abandons her baby in a car because she can't raise him. Then a tramp makes his morning rounds and finds the baby. Initially, he wants to get rid of the child, but various factors keep preventing him, and gradually he grows to love the baby. A good story, with truly exaggerated performances, as is typical of silent cinema.Wave tried to focus on the movie, but within the first five minutes, his attention turned to the guy next to him. He was more interested in observing Dan's reactions than in following the plot. Initially, Dan seemed tense and confused, but over time, his expressions softened, and his head began to tilt slightly to the side."Sign of interest," Wave murmured almost inaudibly as he leaned in again. "You see? No words are spoken, but you can clearly see the mother's panic and her regret at returning and not finding the baby. She now realizes there's no going back and that she'll never see him again."Dan subtly shifted his gaze to the guy almost resting on his shoulder and nodded in understanding. Wave then settled back into his seat, his whole body vibrating with enthusiasm. His eyes sparkled with an almost childlike brightness, and he frequently dipped his hands into the bucket of popcorn between them, with a wide smile that wouldn't fade. Every time he grabbed a handful of popcorn, the corners of his mouth curled up even more, revealing the excitement that overflowed into his gestures. In one of those movements, his fingers brushed against Dan's, and he laughed.If this were a date, it would be just like a movie, he thought to himself, not realizing that the person next to him had taken a deep breath and had moved away again, not reaching for the popcorn any further.Wave waited a few more minutes of the movie and, noticing that Dan was completely absorbed in the story, leaned in again, asking:"If it were you, what would you do?" he whispered. Dan looked at him, somewhat confused. "If you found a baby on the street, what would you do? Raise it like the protagonist did?"Dan didn't answer and pointed to the screen, then made a gesture of silence over his own lips, directed at Wave, who ignored it completely."Huh? Huh? What would you do?" Wave whispered again, giving light taps on the other's shoulder, who sighed loudly and grabbed his phone, typing something.Wave was startled by the phone notification and mentally cursed himself for not putting the device on silent. Some complaints and signs of silence echoed through the theater. He swallowed hard, faced the guy's glaring look, and silently apologized, almost melting into his seat to avoid drawing attention. He then took out his phone and opened the conversation with Dan.[Dan Zanon]Can you stop talking? And I don't know what I would do if I found a baby on the street; I'd probably call the police."Call the police? But that's so boring!" Wave replied, his voice a bit louder, drawing more complaints from the surrounding audience. Dan was already leaning on the armrest of his chair, hiding his face with his right hand.Wave felt guilty; after all, he was the one who had brought Dan there and was now bothering him with his endless anxiety. So, he decided to stay quiet, but that didn't mean he couldn't keep observing Dan's reactions.'He's tense,' Wave thought, noticing how Dan's eyebrows knitted together, creating a deep crease on his forehead.'Now he's impatient and nervous.' At that moment, Dan was shifting in his seat, biting his lower lip.'He's pretending to be calm, but his breathing gives him away.' Wave smiled to himself, picking up on these details in Dan's behavior during one of the final scenes of the movie.'Now he's happy. I think he liked the ending.' It would have been impossible for anyone else to understand how Wave came to that conclusion, given that Dan's expression was completely neutral. But that's what you and I would think. After all, we don't have the sensitivity that our nature-loving boy possessed. Wave could pick up on every subtle change in the brightness of people's eyes, especially Dan's."I'm really glad you enjoyed it!" Wave said as the credits began to roll and the theater lights came on. Dan looked at him, confused. How had he figured that out?"Did you enjoy it?" It was a woman's voice behind them, asking the question to the man beside her, likely her husband."Yes... but it would have been better if those two girls in front of us hadn't been flirting the whole time."There weren't many people in the theater, and Wave and Dan were sitting right in front of the couple. The fact that the man looked directly at them as he spoke made it clear who the comment was aimed at. The woman lightly slapped her husband's shoulder and told him to hush. Wave swallowed hard, his shoulders slumping slightly. Meanwhile, Dan, as he stood up, slammed his hand hard on the back of the chair, making a loud noise and glaring at the man behind him with fury. Wave noticed this and grabbed Dan by the arm."Dan, let's go! Let's go! It's already really late, and this area isn't safe. We shouldn't stick around." He wanted to calm the situation; after all, it was just a comment from a random stranger, and it definitely wasn't worth losing his cool over."See what I mean?" the man said again to his wife. "Two girls, a couple." He added with irony, and the woman scolded him once more.In a flash, Dan grabbed the rest of his soda from the cupholder and threw it in the man's face, crushing the cup in one hand as a threat. Wave had never seen him like this; his expressions were tense and filled with rage, the veins in his hand bulging as he squeezed the plastic. The man sat there, shocked, with dark liquid dripping from his hair onto his white shirt."We... we need to go now, Dan!" Wave grabbed him tighter and pulled him out of the theater, hearing the man's curses and his wife's soft voice trying to calm him down.Wave didn't understand why, but he pulled Dan not just out of the theater but dragged him by the arm all the way to the street corner, as if they'd be safer there, even though he didn't really think the man would follow them. Slightly out of breath, Wave let go and leaned on his knees, taking deep breaths."Dan..." he said, still winded. "I really didn't expect you to do that."Dan still seemed angry, but he was less on edge now and just stared at Wave."It was just a joke from some old stranger. You didn't need to react like that." Wave lifted his head to look at him, regaining his composure. "If I threw soda at everyone who made a joke about me, I'd have a lot of enemies in Bangkok by now."Dan didn't respond and quickly pulled out his phone, typing something furiously. Wave opened the conversation as soon as he heard the notification.[Dan Zanon]It wasn't just a joke, it was disrespectful."I didn't think you'd get so mad about being called a 'girl,'" Wave laughed and stepped closer, placing his right hand on Dan's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, you're plenty masculine if that's what you're worried about."Dan closed his eyes momentarily, probably trying to take the comment as a simple compliment. Then, he started typing again, and Wave soon received the message:[Dan Zanon]That's definitely not my concern.Wave read the message and took a deep breath. He knew full well that wasn't the real issue and had only said it to try to defuse the uncomfortable situation. However, he realized this wasn't the time for jokes. So he said:"I know that's not what's really bothering you. You don't seem like that kind of guy," he began. "That old man is just a homophobic jerk. It's not the first time I've heard something like that, especially when I'm with the theater crew. Unfortunately, being an actor isn't seen as masculine by people like him. We should definitely fight against that kind of talk with stricter punishments, I know," Wave's expression was firm, a rare sight for him, clearly showing how seriously he took the situation. He looked at Dan closely, not breaking eye contact. "But here and now, we're just two students in a pretty sketchy part of Bangkok, and I can't let anything bad happen to us, especially to my junior. That's why it was best to just walk away."Dan stared at him, eyes wide open, not blinking since Wave had started speaking—probably shocked to see such seriousness on his face, something he likely thought was impossible. Seeing Dan's reaction, Wave softened his expression and allowed a brief smile to cross his lips as he changed the subject."But that's not the most important thing. I really want to know... you liked it, didn't you?" Wave asked excitedly, already forgetting the little drama that had just happened. When he noticed Dan's confusion, he clarified, "The movie... did you like it?"Dan nodded, and with the softness of his expression and a faint hint of a smile, Wave couldn't help but celebrate, pumping his fists in the air."Yes! I knew you'd like it." His eyes almost sparkled as he looked at Dan. "It's such a beautiful art form, right? I was inspired by you!" Realizing what he had just said, he quickly added, "I mean, your vibe reminded me of this kind of film, and I thought you might be interested."Dan nodded again, which made Wave mentally congratulate himself for being smart enough to suggest that kind of outing."Serious boy, so... shall we go? I can give you a ride home." He was quickly met with a shake of Dan's head. "Are you sure? It's no trouble at all."Dan started typing something on his phone, and Wave waited for the message:[Dan Zanon]I live nearby, I'll walk."Really? Good thing I picked a place close by without even knowing!" He smiled, energized. "Well then, Dan, we'd better head out, right? See you tomorrow! Don't get into any more trouble with strangers on the street, okay?"He smiled and waved goodbye. As he turned and began walking toward where he'd parked his car, a phrase echoed in his ears:"Thanks for the movie."Wave stopped in his tracks, feeling his heart leap in a sudden, intense beat. The wind gently brushed through his hair, causing a few strands to fall in front of his eyes. He blinked a few times, trying to process exactly where the phrase had come from. But he didn't need to think too hard; he'd heard that voice before. Slowly, he turned around and saw Dan walking away, heading towards his home.A smile formed on Wave's lips as he wondered if he would always feel his heart skip a beat and be overcome with an irresistible urge to smile whenever he heard Dan's voice, no matter how simple the words.The next day, at the theater company's meeting, Wave quickly told Marco that he was getting closer to Dan and that from their conversations, he'd noticed Dan would feel much more integrated and comfortable working backstage or in production. That was all it took to make the director extremely happy; after all, he seemed eager for his nephew to find a place in the theater, no matter where."I talked to him, so you won't need to take part in the casting selection today, okay? But you still have to watch," Wave informed Dan, omitting the fact that the obligation to participate in the selection was something he made up.Everyone had received a portion of the script at the last meeting to get a better understanding of the characters and the overall narrative. They were now there to decide who would play the two lead roles. After the first ten auditions, Wave began to feel his brain fry from information overload. He tried to be meticulous in his work, really studying the essence of each character to see if the person in front of him had what it took to embody that essence—or at least, could convincingly fake it."Alright, our next candidate for the role of Arthur... Jay," Wave announced, a bit reluctantly.Despite his lack of enthusiasm in calling Jay's name, Wave was genuinely excited about the audition. Putting aside all the issues he had with Jay, he was undeniably the best actor in the company, tied only with Wave himself. And this was even more evident during the audition.Jay had nothing in common with Arthur; the character was charismatic, friendly, talkative, enthusiastic, and very brave. Jay, on the other hand, was none of those things. Yet, on that stage, he managed to fully embody the necessary essence, conveying all the right signals and expressions. It was as if he had been born for the role. In that moment, Wave knew it would be impossible for anyone to outdo him.After five more auditions, completely exhausted and slumped in the chair next to Marco, Wave decided to give his mind a break and not focus too much on the person in front of him. He used this brief pause to observe Dan, who was sitting in a more distant seat.A huge smile spread across Wave's lips as he noticed a different sparkle in Dan's eyes while he watched the person auditioning, giving their all to bring a fictional character to life. Dan was clearly interested and absorbed in the energy that the theater brought.This filled Wave's heart with an inexplicable happiness, as if he had taken the first right step towards what he wanted. The goal seemed wonderful; after all, Dan was incredibly engaged, his attention completely captivated by something. It was something irresistible, almost magnetic.Wave felt completely drawn to Dan at that moment."Silence is deep as Eternity, speech is shallow as Time" — Thomas Carlyle.