During one of their late-night sessions, the growing tension between Ella and Noah reached its breaking point—not in anger, but in something entirely unexpected.
As they reviewed the voiceovers, Ella noticed Noah watching her instead of the screen.
"What?" she asked, feeling self-conscious.
Noah hesitated before saying, "You're… incredible, you know that?"
Ella laughed nervously. "Stop joking around."
"I'm not joking," he said, his voice steady. "You're smart, talented, and you care about people. It's… inspiring."
Ella looked at him, stunned. She wasn't used to people seeing her like that—especially not someone like Noah.
"I… don't know what to say," she admitted.
"You don't have to say anything," Noah said, a soft smile on his lips. "I just wanted you to know."
The moment lingered, unspoken emotions hanging in the air.
The night before the final presentation, disaster struck again.
Ella accidentally spilled water on her laptop, which contained the only updated version of their project. Panic set in as they tried to salvage the files, but the screen refused to turn on.
"No, no, no!" Ella cried, her hands trembling.
Noah placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. We have backups, right?"
Ella shook her head. "I was so focused on editing that I didn't save it anywhere else."
Maya, who had been quiet until now, said, "We'll stay up all night if we have to. We can redo it."
Fueled by determination and adrenaline, they worked tirelessly to recreate the project from memory. Noah's music filled the room as they pieced everything back together.
By sunrise, the new version was complete—imperfect but heartfelt.