Chapter 3 ~ Where Is She
696 Words
The next morning felt exactly the same. The schedule didn’t change, the studio didn’t change, and neither did Evan Kade. He arrived at the same time, walked through the same space, and carried the same quiet authority that made everything else adjust around him without being told. People moved out of his way, conversations lowered, and no one tried to meet his eyes for too long. It was routine. It was control.
But something wasn’t aligned.
He didn’t notice it immediately. Not when he stepped in, not when the manager started briefing him, not even when the makeup artist approached him with the usual careful distance. Everything was functioning the way it always did. Predictable. Controlled.
Until it wasn’t.
“Where’s Lila?” he asked.
The question came out before he thought about it.
The manager paused, just slightly. “She should be around. Wardrobe, I think.”
Evan didn’t respond. He didn’t need to. But the fact that he had asked at all—he noticed that.
That didn’t happen.
He didn’t track assistants. He didn’t remember names unless necessary. People rotated in and out of his environment all the time and he rarely acknowledged them beyond function. That was how things stayed efficient.
So why her?
He didn’t ask again. Instead, he moved through the set, adjusting his cuff, checking the scene setup, listening only half to the instructions being given around him. His attention stayed where it should be—on work.
But not entirely.
Because a small part of it was elsewhere.
Looking.
Waiting.
Without permission.
He found her near the wardrobe rack again. Same position as yesterday. Clipboard in hand, speaking quietly with another staff member, focused, unaware. She didn’t notice him approaching, didn’t adjust her posture, didn’t react.
That was consistent.
And yet—
Evan stopped beside her.
“Schedule change,” he said.
His voice was low, controlled.
She turned, just slightly startled, but recovered quickly. “Yes?”
“Stay closer to the main set today,” he continued. “It’ll be faster if you handle adjustments directly.”
It was a reasonable instruction.
Efficient.
Necessary.
At least, it sounded that way.
Lila nodded without hesitation. “Okay, I will.”
No questions.
No hesitation.
No attempt to read into it.
She simply accepted it.
That should have ended it.
It didn’t.
Because now she was there.
Closer.
Within his line of sight.
He noticed it immediately.
Every movement.
Every time she stepped in, fixed something, stepped back.
Careful.
Quiet.
Precise.
She didn’t draw attention.
And yet she held it.
Evan kept his expression neutral, his posture unchanged, his focus where it needed to be. No one would have noticed anything different.
But inside, something wasn’t sitting right.
He was aware of her position at all times.
Not intentionally.
Not consciously.
But constantly.
That wasn’t normal.
At one point during the shoot, she stepped closer to adjust the collar of his jacket. It was brief. Professional. Her fingers barely brushed the fabric.
But the distance was wrong.
Too close.
Evan didn’t move.
Didn’t react.
But he noticed the exact moment she stepped into his space.
And the exact moment she stepped out.
The timing.
The shift.
The absence after.
His hand paused for a fraction of a second before he corrected it.
“Done,” she said softly, stepping back.
He gave a short nod.
That was all.
But his attention didn’t leave with her.
It stayed.
Fixed.
Unresolved.
Later, during a break, the manager approached him again, discussing the next shoot, the lighting, the timing.
Evan listened.
Answered when needed.
Maintained the same controlled tone.
But midway through his gaze shifted.
Not by much.
Just enough.
The wardrobe area.
Empty.
He frowned slightly.
“Where is she?” he asked again.
This time, he didn’t mean to say it.
The manager blinked. “She just stepped out. Maybe to check something.”
Evan didn’t respond.
But something in his chest tightened.
Unfamiliar.
Unnecessary.
He looked away immediately.
Correction.
But the absence remained.
And that was worse than before.
Because now, it wasn’t just that he had noticed her.
It was that,
He knew when she wasn’t there.
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