Summer's POV
Silence, she learned, could be louder than fame.
Three days after her quiet post, the internet had turned into a guessing machine.
Every gossip page had a theory; every fan account had an opinion.
> "They're definitely together."
"It's all marketing."
"He's been seen near her apartment!"
The noise was everywhere.
But the moment she saw the picture, her stomach dropped.
It was a blurry night photo — her balcony, a soft light, and two silhouettes sitting close together.
Her and Ethan.
The caption read:
> EXCLUSIVE: Off-Camera Love?
She stared, frozen. "You have got to be kidding me."
Ethan, sitting on her couch, looked up. "What happened?"
She showed him the picture. He tilted his head, studying it like art. "Well, at least it's flattering."
"Ethan," she groaned. "This is serious."
"I know," he said calmly. "But if we panic, they win."
She sighed. "So what do we do?"
He thought for a moment. "Breathe. And maybe get some air."
---
Ethan's POV
They went out after midnight, hoping the city would be asleep.
They dressed simply—caps, hoodies, quiet clothes.
It felt almost normal walking side by side again, away from the lights, just two people sharing space.
"Strange, isn't it?" Summer said softly. "Out here, nobody knows who we are."
"I like it that way," he replied.
They walked by the river. The sound of water and distant music felt unreal after weeks of cameras.
She laughed quietly. "We look suspicious."
"Good," he said. "Maybe they'll think we're characters from a story."
But the peace didn't last.
A sudden flash broke the darkness.
Summer froze.
"Please tell me that was lightning," she whispered.
He turned, scanning the street. Someone stood half-hidden near a parked car, holding something shiny.
"Let's keep moving," he said evenly.
They walked faster, taking turns until the narrow streets swallowed the sound of footsteps behind them.
---
Summer's POV
They stopped under a streetlight, both out of breath and half laughing.
"That was insane," she said, pressing a hand over her chest.
"Welcome back to real life," Ethan said, smiling.
"Real life feels exhausting."
"Then maybe we make our own version of it."
She looked at him. "You're too calm."
"And you're too worried," he said softly. "Let me balance that."
His voice always did that—found the quiet in her chaos.
They stood close, the world around them soft and golden from the streetlight.
Neither spoke for a while. The city noise faded into something gentler.
"You know," she said finally, "if anyone took another photo right now, it would look suspicious again."
He smiled. "Then let them wonder."
---
Ethan's POV
He wanted to protect her from the attention, from the constant guessing. But part of him knew that what made them interesting to the world was exactly what made her real to him—the honesty, the spark, the way she refused to play by anyone's rules.
"You okay?" he asked quietly.
She nodded. "You realize people will twist this."
"They always do," he said. "But we don't owe them our version."
She blinked. "So what do we do?"
He smiled faintly. "We live. Let them see what they want. We'll know what's true."
Summer looked at him for a long moment, and then laughed softly. "You make it sound easy."
"It's not," he admitted. "But it's worth it."
---
Summer's POV
When they got back home, the street was quiet again.
But by sunrise, the internet was not.
Someone had uploaded a grainy picture of two hooded figures walking close together.
The caption read:
> "Spotted Again: The Late-Night Mystery Pair."
Summer groaned when she saw it. "We can't even take a walk now."
Ethan poured coffee, calm as ever. "Correction: we're trending again."
She shot him a look. "How do you stay so calm?"
He handed her a mug. "Because they can only photograph what they see—not what they don't understand."
She took a sip, rolling her eyes. "That sounds like a quote from your future memoir."
He smiled. "Maybe. But until then, we live quietly. Together."
She leaned back, letting the warmth of the coffee and his words settle.
"Fine," she said, smiling despite herself. "But next time we go out, you're in charge of navigation."
"Deal," he said.
Outside, the city whispered their names.
Inside, peace finally felt possible again.