Chapter 2: First Filming Session
Aiden's POV
The library was supposed to be our first filming location, an idea Elias had pushed. He'd gone on about capturing the "quiet beauty of academia" his words, not mine. Pretentious or not, here we were, surrounded by the musty scent of old books and silence, setting up clunky equipment that felt as outdated as the project itself.
Elias was by the tripod, adjusting it with an intensity that made it look like he was handling something delicate. I caught myself watching him, a little thrown off by how absorbed he looked. Here, surrounded by the quiet rows of books, his usual sarcastic edge seemed dulled, replaced by a rare seriousness. It felt strange, almost as if I were glimpsing a side of him he kept hidden.
"You know, we don't have all day," I muttered, crossing my arms.
Without even looking up, he replied, "Maybe if you helped, we'd be ready sooner."
I bit back a retort, partly because I didn't actually know how to set up a tripod. Instead, I pulled out my notebook and jotted down a few questions we could cover in our first segment. One that was supposed to capture "our perspectives on high school life." My point of view: the privileged kid. His: the outsider. I wasn't thrilled about giving him more reasons to judge me, but we had a job to get done.
He glanced up from the camera, raising an eyebrow. "Got any angles in mind, or are we winging it?"
"Not really. Let's just get this over with." My tone was sharper than I intended, but I wasn't about to talk about my life with him. He'd made it clear what he thought of people like me, and I wasn't interested in giving him any more ammunition.
Elias's eyebrow quirked in amusement. "Fine. Let's start with something basic." He pressed record and nodded, signaling me to begin.
I hesitated, my practiced indifference slipping for just a second. "High school... it's just a stepping stone," I said finally. "A means to an end."
"Typical answer from someone who's got their future handed to them," he shot back, crossing his arms as he stared at me through the lens.
My eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me." His voice was steady, but there was a hint of resentment. "High school's about survival. About working hard enough to make something of yourself because no one else is going to hand it to you."
The sting in his words hit harder than I wanted to admit. He didn't know anything about my life, about the pressures and expectations I faced. But I kept my expression neutral, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a reaction.
"Not everything's handed to me," I replied curtly.
His laugh was short and bitter. "Right. You're probably already set up for the family business or whatever."
My jaw tightened, but I forced myself to shrug, aiming for indifference. "Some of us just know where we're going."
He looked at me with something between frustration and pity. "You think you know everything, don't you?"
I leaned back, crossing my arms. "Just stating facts."
Elias's POV
He was impossible. Arrogant. Everything about him grated on me, from his flippant answers to the way he looked down on everyone. But I could tell my words had gotten under his skin, though he tried hard not to show it. I hadn't meant to be so blunt, but his attitude struck a nerve.
"Let's just stick to the project," I said, reigning in my frustration. "We're supposed to talk about our experiences, not turn this into an argument."
He rolled his eyes but nodded. "Fine. What's the next question?"
I glanced at my list, reading aloud, "What's the biggest misconception people have about you?"
His expression changed instantly, his guard going up. For a moment, he looked almost... vulnerable. I hadn't expected that.
"I don't know. That I'm... perfect, I guess," he mumbled, his voice barely a mutter. He looked away, and I caught a glimpse of something raw, something real.
I paused, taken aback. I could push him, see what else lay behind that wall, but I decided to let it go for now. "People think I'm arrogant because I don't open up to everyone," I said, hoping to keep the conversation balanced.
"Maybe you just have a hard time letting people in," he said, his tone softer, almost thoughtful.
"Maybe." The word slipped out before I could stop myself, and I was surprised by how much truth there was in it.
A silence fell between us, a fragile truce. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but for the first time, I felt like we'd hit on something genuine. I knew this project wouldn't be easy, but maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be a complete nightmare either.
Aiden's POV
The silence stretched, and I shifted uncomfortably. I wasn't used to people seeing past the facade, especially not Elias. I wanted to put my walls back up, protect myself but there was another part of me, a much quieter part that wondered if it was okay to let them down, even just a little.
"What about you?" I asked, surprising myself. "What's the biggest misconception people have about you?"
Elias hesitated, his fingers fidgeting with the notebook in his hands. "That I don't care what people think of me," he said, his voice quiet, his gaze focused somewhere past my shoulder. "Everyone assumes I'm... above it all. Like I don't need anyone. But that's not exactly true."
I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. This was a side of him I hadn't seen, and I couldn't help but feel curious. "So... do you care what people think?"
He shrugged, not meeting my eyes. "Not everyone. But yeah, sometimes. More than I'd like to admit."
There was a vulnerability in his voice that I hadn't expected, and part of me wanted to ask more, to dig deeper. But this wasn't supposed to be a heart-to-heart. This was a project, a simple assignment. I cleared my throat, steering us back on track. "Right. So... what's next?"
Elias checked his notes, slipping back into his usual serious demeanor. "We should get some shots of the school, maybe from outside, capture that empty, kind of eerie vibe."
"Lead the way," I replied, grabbing the camera and following him down the hall. It was strange, walking side by side, not bickering, just... cooperating.
Once we reached the courtyard, Elias set up the tripod, aiming the camera at the deserted benches. As he adjusted the angle, I found myself watching his focus, the way he lost himself in the work. There was something oddly... admirable about it.
"Are you going to help, or just stand there staring?" His voice broke through my thoughts, and I saw the smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.
I felt my face heat up. "I wasn't staring."
He laughed, clearly amused. "Sure. In that case, hold this." He handed me the microphone, our fingers brushing briefly. It was just an accidental touch, but I felt my heart skip a beat.
We worked in relative silence, capturing shots around campus. Our usual tension was absent, replaced by an easy rhythm that surprised me. With every minute that passed, it felt like we were starting to understand each other, at least when it came to this project.
When we finished, Elias looked over at me, a half-smile playing on his lips. "You're not as insufferable as I thought."
I laughed, caught off guard. "Wow. Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"Don't get used to it," he said, but there was a warmth in his tone that wasn't there before.
For the first time, I found myself smiling back, genuinely. Maybe he wasn't as bad as I'd thought.
As we packed up, I couldn't shake the feeling that something between us had shifted. We walked back to the main building in a comfortable silence, each lost in thought.
When we reached the doors, he paused, looking over at me. "Same time tomorrow?"
"Yeah," I replied, surprised by how easily I agreed. I wasn't dreading it like before. If anything, I was almost... looking forward to it.