1988, dir. James Signorelli

“ you absolutely can. ” he protests. “ — just tell her AI writes all the songs i claim to, and that my real dream is to be an accountant. ” though the thought of either sends a shudder through him. millie might still be worth the rumours that his music is written by a data centre somewhere, but tadeo still grumbles softly in the knowledge she's right. a sudden campaign against him would look suspicious, especially when the truth they're... whatever they are finally comes out. if it ever does. “ our lives, like — the two of our separate, long lives. or mine and naina's at this rate. i'm not proposing to you. ” he counters quickly, amusement flashing over his features as fingers lifting to push back through messy hair. the panic's only temporary, her teasing bringing an exasperated smile back to tug on the edges of his lips. “ a penthouse apartment. ” he corrects. “ then a few world tours, handful of number one albums, we'll travel the world. ” him and ezra. him and millie. tadeo's happy to leave the statement vague as his gaze pulls across the familiar features, amusement dancing on his own expression. “ then three kids. and maybe a large dog. ” he's never planned beyond the first part before, a life which revolved around music and his work. that's been the goal since he was a kid, though not forever, and the idea of a future after it isn't quite as abhorrent as he once would have thought it could be. “ nothing is fair, mils. ” certainly not the fact he's supposed to feel guilty about being this close to her, his free hand moving to the side of her neck as the other raises to meet it, tilting her jaw gently up to look at him. she is beautiful, even telling him for the hundredth time why they can't do this. the agreement is enough to bring a softer smile back to his features, lips pressing to hers before there's any chance for millie to overthink herself out of it. his arm moves to wrap round her waist once more, pulling her closer so he can deepen the kiss in an eager reminder of why they shouldn't be stopping it.

" an accountant ? " the horror was immediate. " absolutely not. nobody would believe that you're willingly opening spreadsheets and even if she did believe it, who's to say she doesn't get super into spreadsheets over night hm ? " his next words earned an immediate gasp. "a hand flying dramatically to her chest. "wow." the accusation came instantly. " you're not proposing to me ? " eyes narrowed. offended. or at least pretending to be. " after everything we've been through ? " which admittedly wasn't all that much. but still. the betrayal. " okay, I get it. I can go track her down ? maybe get you guys jump started on this whole thing then ? " the smile already threatening at the corners of her mouth ruined the performance entirely. especially when he continued. penthouse apartment. world tours. number one albums. travel. the picture painted itself effortlessly. despite herself, she found her smile growing the more he talked. " that sounds much more like you. " soft. genuine. because it did. she could picture that version of him even if she wasn't part of that picture. " three kids is still too many though. I stand by twins. " as if she had any authority on the matter. " and a dog. " his hand finding her waist made the next thought considerably harder to hold onto... and the one after that even harder. somewhere along the way she'd forgotten why she was protesting so much in the first place. or maybe not forgotten. just… temporarily misplaced. his hand moved to her neck. her breath caught. suddenly every logical point she'd had lined up neatly in her head scattered in different directions, completely useless. to make it worse ? his lips met hers. just like that, whatever point she'd been trying to make disappeared completely. gone. vanished. not a single coherent thought left behind. which felt deeply unfair considering she'd had several very good points only moments ago. breath caught softly. arms lifting almost instinctively, finding their place around his neck. pulling him closer ? or her closer to him ? either way would get her where she wanted to be.

eyes roll instantly at the retort, though the smile on his lips doesn't waver when he'll take any laugh from ezra as a victory. “ you're in my office. " he counters with a soft scoff, arms gesturing round to the studio. “ and you interrupted me to ask about the music, i'm totally innocent here. ” even if they both know he would have been messaging ezra throughout the night where the other male anywhere but at his side. that's not the point. “ you're a broody musician, isn't everyone supposed to have a crush on you. maybe i also have a crush on andrew. ” he jokes, ignoring the way his skin momentarily burns under the collar of his shirt at what feels like too much to an admission. it's far easier to focus his attention on the endearing horror that seems to flicker over the other male's features, a slight twist of guilt daring to appear in his chest even if he's sure that doing something other than staring at the notepad is for ezra's own good. “ alright, just play it for me then. ” he suggests, words only half in jest. “ i wanna know how it's going, and i'm not people — plus, if you play it for me, i won't make you come on mic. ” the compromise is offered with a familiar grin, another song queued and ready to go if they need it, just enough to buy them some time even if he doesn't expect ezra to jump at the offer. “ interesting might be a stretch. ” he brushes off the words with a quick shake of his head. “ they just needed someone who could talk for fifteen minutes at a time without caffeine at 2am. it's a unique skillset. ” but marcus does love it, no matter how antisocial the hours are. “ maybe we do such a good interview i can finally get promoted to a decent spot. ”

" andrew's not broody. " the correction came automatic, brows furrowed right along with it. " andrew's a trust fund kid on the lacrosse team. " his gaze narrowed slightly. " I'm not convinced he's the one writing half those songs. " the accusation was delivered completely deadpan. the hint of a smile threatening the corner of his mouth ruined the effect somewhat. mostly because he had absolutely zero evidence to support the claim. he just enjoyed talking shit. especially when it came to people he'd spent two years competing with. attention drifted back toward the notebook. stuck on the same four lines that had refused to cooperate for the better part of an hour. play it for me. the suggestion lingered longer than he would've liked. normally he didn't care. most songs were finished before anyone ever had a chance to hear them. this one wasn't. his nose wrinkled. absolutely not. the interview, however… his eyes flickered toward the microphone. then the notebook. then back toward marcus. interview. unfinished song. " that's extortion or some shit, I'm pretty sure. " his fingers tapped once against the guitar. twice. a sigh escaped him. " yeah alright, fine. " he carefully set the guitar against the couch, pushed himself upright. " if this somehow turns into a game halfway through, I'm leaving. " the warning came as he dropped into the chair beside marcus. the wheels protested loudly beneath the sudden weight. one arm hooked over the back of the chair. eyes narrowing immediately at the microphone sitting between them as if it might bite. it might not be his number one choice of things to be doing right now, but it also wasn't like he had anything better to do. " alright then interesting skillset, interview me. "

she's not, of course. gigi will never not look hot in a bikini and no number of jokes will stop brooks from knowing it, even as he let's out a soft groan in protest. “ fine, fine... i'll support your dream of a fake beach and budget frat alcohol. ” eyes roll lightly. “ but some day we've got to start getting you to aim for more - a real beach, maybe, and drinks that aren't poured by freshmen to be lethal. i'll take you paddle boarding. ” the thought's a welcome distraction from the faint pounding in the back of his head, one that only gets worse as brooks shifts himself further upright, though he does his best to ignore it in the knowledge more complaints will get him nowhere. “ i'll have you know, girls love to be in here. ” he counters, lips spreading back to a tired version of their signature grin. “ it's a hardship actually, getting them to leave. like a momma duck, i've created a nest too cosy to get out of. ” the metaphor loses sense somewhere along the way, though he's too committed not to see it through as he shrugs off any real thoughts to how frequently or infrequently it might be the case. gigi unfortunately has a point, he doesn't have much else to do today — climbing would have been nice, yet the ache in his head makes it far less appealing as blond locks shake gently against the headboard. “ god, you're mean when you want a drink. ” he observes, teasing lacing easily through the tone. “ it's kind of hot. ” at the muffled confirmation he slides himself out the far side of the bed, crossing the room to the chest of drawers. “ what colour bikini are you wearing? ” he calls back, as if the need to match her might help him pick the right trunks.

" see ? now you're getting it. " the victory arrived instantly. " that's growth. I'm proud of you. " whether she was proud of him for agreeing to come or for finally embracing the fake beach lifestyle remained unclear. probably both. " listen I have goals okay ? a real beach costs money and that is going entirely to tuition at the moment. " came the immediate counter. " this one costs a swimsuit and questionable decision making so for now I'm taking the deal. " considerably more attainable considering her current financial situation. the mention of paddle boarding finally had her lifting her head. " wait, really ? paddle boarding, sounds good. I could totally do that. " confidence arrived with absolutely zero evidence to support it. not that it ever stopped her before. " put it on the list. " because apparently there was a list now. " scuba certification is still number one, but paddle boarding can be number two. " the topic of girls, however, had her snorting immediately. " mhm. " the sound was entirely unconvinced not that she really even wanted to know who or how many had gone through this room. " sure they do. " if there were girls flocking to his room in droves, gigi would rather remain in the dark about it. the duck analogy didn't help his case. if anything it made it worse. " that's not how ducks work. I don't think that's how nests work either. " which felt concerning for an environmental major. his next comment earned an immediate kick of both legs against the mattress. once. twice. " I'm always hot. " the words came out muffled through the pillow. as if she was simply correcting the record. " red. " that answer came easy. " wanna match ? very baywatch. "

costa d'angelo via tiktok

Inde Navarrette by Nick Rasmussen for Schön Magazine (2026)