Little late, but I got you.

Chapter 2

The production office was buzzing with the usual chaos of last-minute decisions. Empty coffee cups, casting notes, and headshots covered every available surface. Alex sat at the head of the table, the only queer producer in the room, tasked with narrowing down the final contestants for Just Say I Do. She had her favorites and knew exactly which names she was going to pitch.

"Alright," Alex said, gathering the team's attention. "We've got a few strong contenders left to discuss. We need that couple of the season—the pair that'll keep people glued to their screens."

Rick, one of the other producers, lazily sifted through the headshots, raising an eyebrow at some of the names. "Yeah, yeah. We just need chemistry, some drama, and good looks."

"Chemistry's key, but so is finding a match that feels real," Alex shot back. "We don't want it to look like a setup."

Alex grabbed two photos and slid them to the center of the table—Tori Vega and Jade West. The room quieted for a moment as the producers leaned in to get a better look.

"These two," Alex said, tapping their headshots. "Tori and Jade. They went to school together at some performing arts high school in LA. We don't know much beyond that, but look at their profiles. Tori's a musician struggling to break through, and Jade's an independent filmmaker clawing her way through production gigs. Their paths haven't crossed in years, but there's a history here. That's gold."

Rick sat up a little straighter, his interest piqued. "Wait, so they knew each other in high school? Could be some serious tension there."

"Exactly," Alex replied. "We don't know what their dynamic was back then, but I'm telling you, they're practically describing each other when they talk about their ideal match."

Steve, another producer, raised an eyebrow as he flipped through their files. "Okay, I'm listening. What did they say?"

"Tori's ideal match?" Alex began. "She wants someone creative, grounded, intense—but someone who challenges her. And Jade? She's looking for someone passionate, smart, and able to keep up with her without backing down. Sound familiar?"

The room murmured in agreement as they compared the notes.

"Plus," Alex added, smirking, "they're both hot. Tori's got that 'cool, edgy musician' thing going, and Jade's got… well, that 'don't mess with me' vibe."

Rick laughed. "So, you're telling me, two artsy types who went to high school together are our ticket to a good season? I can see the drama already."

"I'm saying more than that," Alex countered, leaning forward. "I'm betting they'll be the couple of the season. And not just because they're easy on the eyes. I've got a feeling about them."

Rick crossed his arms, giving her a skeptical look. "You think they'll be the ones to stay together, though? I mean, it's reality TV, Alex. What are the odds?"

Alex grinned, her confidence unwavering. "I'm willing to bet that Tori and Jade will not only be the fan favorites, but they'll stay married by the end of the season. They've got history, they're both driven, and they're looking for something real—even if they don't know it yet."

Steve exchanged a glance with Rick before laughing. "Alright, alright. I'll take that bet. But I'm putting money on them imploding halfway through the season. Too much intensity and old baggage."

Rick chuckled, nodding. "Yeah, I'm with Steve. If they knew each other back in high school, there's bound to be some unresolved drama. I'm betting it'll be great TV, but no way they make it."

Alex leaned back, her eyes gleaming with confidence. "We'll see. When they're still together at the finale, I expect a nice steak dinner from both of you."

Rick shook his head, still laughing. "You're on, but don't say we didn't warn you."

The group turned their attention back to the rest of the casting decisions, but Alex couldn't shake the feeling. Tori and Jade were about to be the couple everyone was talking about. They just didn't know it yet.

Jade's heart raced with a strange mix of excitement and disbelief as she listened to the producer's voice on the other end of the line. A callback. A real chance. This could be it—the breakthrough she'd been chasing through years of auditions, dead-end PA jobs, and lonely nights editing footage no one would ever see. The terms were clear: a job that wouldn't interfere with her work, a $100 per diem, and a move to Los Angeles.

Los Angeles.

The irony wasn't lost on her. She already lived here, in the heart of the entertainment industry, yet somehow, it still felt like a city just out of reach. Like she was always one step away from breaking through but never quite there.

Jade looked around her cramped one-bedroom apartment. The rent was astronomical, and yet the worn-out furniture and peeling paint seemed to mock her with every glance. These walls had seen her at her worst—late nights sobbing in frustration after rejection after rejection, days spent avoiding eviction notices by sheer willpower, and the creeping loneliness that always filled the empty spaces around her.

But not tonight. Tonight, things were different.

A grin stretched across her lips as she imagined herself finally leaving all of this behind. There was excitement bubbling up in her chest, the kind she hadn't felt in years. This was the beginning of something new, something better. With trembling fingers, Jade grabbed her phone. She had to tell someone—someone who would get it, who would understand just how big this moment was.

Without thinking, she typed out a message to Beck. He was her closest confidant, someone who had always been there, even when her walls were at their highest.

"Hey Beck! Big news – I'm heading out to celebrate tonight. Wanna join?"

She hit send, her pulse still quick with anticipation. Beck was always up for a good time, and she knew he'd be down to celebrate with her. But when her phone pinged back almost immediately, she wasn't expecting his response.

"Hey Jade! Sounds awesome. Tori and Andre are back in town, and I was thinking of meeting up with them. Wanna make it a group hang?"

Her breath caught in her throat, her excitement freezing for a moment. Tori.

It had been years since they'd all been together, and though she and Tori had always stayed in touch in small, sporadic ways, it had never felt the same since high school. Since Jade had realized her feelings for Tori went far beyond friendship. And then… the years passed, and those feelings got buried under her work, trying to convince herself that none of it mattered anymore.

But now, the idea of seeing Tori—especially on a night like this—sent her spiraling. The memories came flooding back: the late nights at Hollywood Arts, the way Tori's laugh used to make Jade's stomach flip, the unspoken tension between them that Jade had never dared to acknowledge out loud. What would it be like now, seeing her again?

Jade's fingers hovered over her phone, hesitating. She'd spent years trying to move past those lingering feelings for Tori, convincing herself that the crush had been nothing but a stupid fantasy, something she'd outgrown. And now, with the promise of this new job and the possibility of someone new on the horizon, wasn't it time to let go of that old chapter of her life?

But something pulled at her. The idea of closure. Maybe seeing Tori again would finally put those feelings to rest. Maybe tonight was the night she could start fresh.

With a deep breath, Jade typed her response, forcing her inner turmoil aside. "Sure, count me in."

She slid her phone back into her pocket, her heart still racing, but now for a different reason. Tonight was supposed to be a celebration of her new beginning, but it was becoming something more complicated. Jade felt that familiar tightness in her chest, the one that came every time she thought of Tori and what might have been.

As she glanced at her reflection in the smudged mirror above the dresser, she steeled herself. This wasn't high school anymore. She wasn't that vulnerable, uncertain girl who couldn't figure out what she wanted. She had a career to focus on now, a shot at real success. Tori was her past, and tonight would be about celebrating the future.

And maybe, just maybe, by the end of it, she could finally let go of the feelings she'd been holding onto for so long. Maybe, in the space between old friendships and new beginnings, she could find closure.

As the plane touched down at LAX, Tori's phone buzzed in her lap, lighting up with a notification that seemed to pulse with promise. It interrupted Andre's animated chatter about their plans for the evening, but Tori barely heard him anymore. Her heart pounded as she read the message confirming her spot on the reality show *Just Say I Do*. Excitement surged through her veins, momentarily eclipsing everything else.

A new beginning.

While Andre droned on about where they should grab drinks and catch up with old friends, Tori's mind drifted. The words on her screen burned brightly in her thoughts: *$100 per diem, *move to Los Angeles*—and more importantly, a chance. A chance to start over, to find something real.

New York had been nothing but a grind. Years of playing to half-empty clubs, hustling with Andre, always hoping their big break was around the corner. But it never came. New York had chewed them up and spit them out, leaving them both jaded and exhausted. The idea of coming back to Los Angeles, where she'd grown up, suddenly felt like a lifeline.

This—this reality show, as crazy as it was—felt like a fresh start, like maybe for once, she could stop running after a dream that wasn't chasing her back. And love? Tori hadn't allowed herself to even think about that in years. Not since Jade. That chapter of her life had been closed off, locked away behind a string of failed attempts at relationships with men who had never truly filled the void.

Without hesitation, Tori accepted the invitation to meet up with their friends tonight. Her fingers moved almost on autopilot as she signed the digital documents sent to her phone. It wasn't the most glamorous way to kick off a new adventure, but she was in. This was it. She was really doing this—putting herself out there again, vulnerable, open to the possibility of love.

Suddenly, Andre's voice pierced through her thoughts. "Oh, Yes… its a real party. Even Jade is coming tonight!"

Jade.*

The name hit her like a punch to the gut. Tori felt the air leave her lungs as the memories rushed back—the late nights at Hollywood Arts, the easy laughter, the way Jade's smirk could turn her insides into knots. Jade had been the one woman she could never get over, no matter how much time had passed. It didn't matter that Tori had dated men, tried to tell herself that it had been a fleeting crush, a phase. None of it stuck. Because every time she thought she had moved on, the memory of Jade would sneak back in, uninvited and undeniable.

And now, after all these years, they were about to face each other again.

Tori's heart raced, but not with the same giddy excitement she'd felt when she got the call about the show. This was different—nerves, dread, longing all twisted together into something she couldn't quite name.

She hadn't told Andre or anyone about Just Say I Do. How could she? Telling her friends she was resorting to *reality TV* to find love felt… embarrassing. It wasn't the Tori they used to know. The Tori who had been ambitious, driven, determined to make it big through her music—not by putting her personal life on display for millions of strangers. But if she was being honest with herself, she had come to a point where something had to change. And maybe—just maybe—this was her chance to find the connection she'd been missing for so long.

But Jade.

Tori didn't know how to process seeing her tonight, especially now, on the cusp of embarking on this strange new journey. Would seeing Jade again dredge up all the old feelings she thought she had buried? Or worse—would Jade look at her the way she always had, and Tori would realize she hadn't moved on at all?

"That's great," Tori finally replied to Andre, forcing a smile to her lips. She couldn't let him see how much Jade's name had just rocked her world.

As they made their way through the bustling airport, she fought to keep her emotions in check. Tonight was supposed to be about celebrating the next phase of her life, and yet Jade's presence loomed like a shadow over everything. Tori hadn't even told Andre about the show because, deep down, she felt inadequate. She didn't want to admit in front of Jade—*especially* in front of Jade—that she was throwing herself into reality TV in a desperate attempt to find love. It felt like admitting she had failed somehow, that she was grasping at straws.

The truth was, Tori had decided. She was really going to give this a try.

But as they stepped outside into the warm Los Angeles air, Tori couldn't help but wonder if facing Jade tonight was fate's way of testing her resolve. Would this new beginning be the fresh start she needed—or would it just pull her right back into the past she had been trying so hard to leave behind?

Either way, she knew one thing: she wasn't turning back now.

The restaurant buzzed with energy, the chatter and clinking glasses mixing with the occasional burst of laughter. Tori and Andre slid into their seats at the table, greeted by a chorus of familiar voices. Beck's booming laugh, Robbie's sarcastic quips, and Cat's effervescent chatter all welcomed them warmly, the night quickly taking on the air of a long-overdue reunion.

As Tori settled in, the nostalgia hit hard. It felt like stepping back in time, to when they were all just teenagers at Hollywood Arts, full of hope and ambition, unaware of how difficult the world outside would be. She smiled and joined in on the conversation, but she couldn't help stealing glances at Jade from across the table. Jade sat quietly, more reserved than Tori remembered, her dark hair catching the soft glow of the restaurant's lights.

Jade.*

It had been years since Tori had last seen her, but the connection between them hadn't dimmed with time. If anything, it felt stronger, more potent. She thought she'd buried those feelings, convinced herself that whatever was between them had been fleeting, a crush that hadn't meant as much as it did. But now, sitting just a few feet away from Jade, Tori could feel the weight of their history pressing down on her chest.

At first, they exchanged only polite pleasantries, careful smiles and neutral small talk. But their eyes—those unspoken moments stretched between them, heavier than words. There was something still there, simmering beneath the surface. Neither of them had to say it for Tori to know that Jade felt it, too.

As the night wore on, the table buzzed with stories of the past and updates about the present. Beck was bragging about his new studio gig, while Cat excitedly recounted her latest web series. But Tori stayed silent about her upcoming journey on *Just Say I Do*. It felt too raw, too personal to share, especially in front of Jade. And judging by the way Jade kept dodging questions about her own life, Tori had a feeling she wasn't the only one keeping secrets tonight.

"So, Tori," Beck said, leaning in with a teasing grin, "what's new with you? Heard New York was treating you like a queen."

Tori chuckled lightly, trying to avoid his gaze. "Oh, you know… gigs here and there. Nothing huge yet."

Jade's eyes flicked toward her, curious, but she said nothing. There was a tension in the air now, subtle but unmistakable. Jade hadn't asked about Tori's life in New York, and Tori hadn't volunteered any real details. They were circling each other, both too afraid to dig into the real conversation that hung between them.

"How about you, Jade?" Robbie piped up from the end of the table. "You ever finish that script you were working on?"

Jade's lips quirked into a wry smile, but her eyes held a quiet frustration. "Still working on it," she replied vaguely. "Got a few other things going on."

Tori could tell by her tone that Jade wasn't about to offer more information. They were both holding back, hiding the pieces of their lives that felt too exposed, too vulnerable to share with the group. It was almost laughable—two women, both on the edge of new beginnings, too afraid to admit they were starting over.

Eventually, Tori excused herself from the table, the weight of her unspoken thoughts becoming too much. She needed a break, a moment of clarity, away from the swirling emotions that threatened to consume her. She headed toward the bar, hoping the distraction of a drink would help settle her nerves. But all it did was magnify the storm inside her.

Meanwhile, Jade slipped away to the bathroom, her hands trembling as she stared into the mirror. Seeing Tori again after all this time—after everything that had happened between them—was more than she'd bargained for. She had told herself she was over it, that the night they spent together was a mistake, something to forget. But the second she saw Tori, every buried emotion resurfaced, flooding her with regret and longing.

Her mind flashed back to that night—the night before Tori had left for New York. They'd both been drunk, and Jade, in a moment of weakness, had confessed her feelings. Tori had laughed it off, thinking Jade was just joking, just messing with her like she always did. But then they'd ended up in bed together, and in the cold light of morning, everything had gone wrong. Jade had panicked, put up walls, and shut Tori out. They parted on bad terms, and Jade had spent the years since regretting every minute of it.

As Jade stared at her reflection, the bathroom door creaked open, and Tori walked in. Their eyes met in the mirror, and the air between them crackled with tension.

"Hey," Tori murmured, her voice soft, careful.

"Hey," Jade replied, barely above a whisper. She could feel her heart pounding, each beat a reminder of everything she hadn't said.

The silence between them stretched on, charged and heavy with all the words left unsaid. They stood mere inches apart, but the emotional distance felt so much wider.

Before either of them could say anything more, Cat burst into the room with her signature bubbly energy, completely oblivious to the tension she'd just interrupted. "There you two are!" she exclaimed. "Come on, the party's out there! What's with the serious faces?"

Tori and Jade exchanged a quick glance, their private moment shattered. With a forced smile, Tori nodded and turned to leave the bathroom, Jade following close behind. They rejoined the group, but the atmosphere had shifted. The lively chatter and laughter from before faded into the background as Tori and Jade found themselves lost in their own world, still circling around each other, still avoiding the truth.

Eventually, the night began to wind down, and Tori felt the exhaustion of the evening catching up to her. She stood from the table, pushing her chair back with a soft sigh.

"I think I'm gonna head back to my hotel," she announced, her voice tinged with fatigue.

Jade's heart skipped a beat at the opportunity. "I'll walk with you," she offered, her voice gentle but laced with something more—hope, maybe.

Tori hesitated, her eyes searching Jade's for a moment, trying to decide if this was a good idea. But the pull between them was undeniable. With a small nod, she agreed, and together they left the restaurant.

As they walked side by side down the dimly lit street, the tension between them was palpable. Tori could feel it in the way their arms brushed against each other, the way neither of them could find the right words to fill the silence. Memories of their last encounter—of that night—swirled in Tori's mind, each one tinged with regret.

"So… the last time we saw each other," Tori began, her voice trailing off as she struggled to find the right words.

Jade stopped walking, turning to face her. There was a sadness in her eyes, one that Tori had never seen before. "I owe you an apology," Jade said, her voice low. "For how I acted. For what I said that night. I wasn't honest with myself. And I hurt you because of that."

Tori's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"

Jade took a deep breath, her gaze never wavering. "I mean… I was scared. Scared of what I felt for you. I didn't think you could feel the same way, so I pushed you away. But I should've been honest. I've had a lot of time to think about it, and I wish I'd done things differently."

Tori's breath caught in her throat. She'd spent years wondering what had gone wrong, what had made Jade shut her out. And now, hearing these words, she didn't know what to feel. Relief? Anger? Hope?

They stood there for a moment, the hotel looming just behind them. And then, before Tori could respond, Jade took a step closer, her eyes searching Tori's for permission. Slowly, tentatively, Jade leaned in and kissed her, the kiss filled with all the years of longing, regret, and unspoken feelings.

But as quickly as it had started, Tori pulled away, her eyes wide with panic. "I… I can't," she whispered, her voice trembling. The weight of the past, of what could have been, was too much.

And with that, she turned and hurried up the steps to her hotel room, leaving Jade standing alone in the quiet street, her heart breaking all over again.