Days After the Fall

Days After the Hospital

Days had passed since Liam was finally released from the hospital. Sophie had remained cocooned in her apartment for the past week, hesitant to leave. The walls of her home offered a fragile illusion of safety. But today, she forced herself out, if only for a few hours—needing sunlight on her face, needing her legs to move, needing a breath of the outside world.

Ext. City Streets – Day

Sophie walked cautiously along the sidewalk, wrapped in a soft grey tracksuit. Her hoodie was pulled low over her hair, sneakers scuffing the pavement lightly. Every corner held the threat of a camera flash; paparazzi crouched behind bushes, lampposts, even street signs, lenses poised to capture any slip in her composure.

Her phone buzzed. The flashes went off again, but she hardly noticed as she glanced down.

The teaser for Riders of Destiny had just dropped.

Her heart lurched. Liam. She. On screen.

The clip opened with Ethan—Liam—guiding Emma—her—through her first hesitant mount. The horse shifted beneath her; their hands brushed. Laughter spilled softly, eyes locked. The camera lingered just a heartbeat too long on their shared glance—an unmistakable spark igniting.

Sophie’s chest warmed. She hugged herself, recording a voice note to Liam:

“You’re perfect… and I can’t stop watching it!”

Online comments exploded:

“Liam + Sophie = perfection 😍 #EmmaEthan”

“Horse-riding romance! I’m dead!”

“Can’t wait to see more of Riders of Destiny!”

Her cheeks burned. Cameras popped again. Reporters shouted. None of it cut through the haze of that one video frame echoing in her chest.

Ext. Same Street – Moments Later

Claire jogged up behind her, breath quick but eyes sharp.

“Sophie, slow down! Cameras everywhere!”

Sophie blinked up at her, sheepish.

“I… I just had to see it again.”

Claire’s expression softened.

“Okay. Just keep it low profile. I’ve got your back.”

Sophie nodded, checking her phone again. Viktor’s name flashed across the screen. She answered quickly.

“Good work,” her father said, voice firm but not unkind. “You were excellent. But remember… the second part of filming. I expect the same dedication. No mistakes.”

“Yes, Father,” she replied, hiding her nerves behind practiced calm. She hung up, fingers lingering on the device for a moment.

Int. Liam’s Apartment – Day

Liam sat on the edge of the couch, guitar resting against his ribs. Each chord was careful and deliberate; the bruising still ached.

But his mind drifted. Every note conjured Sophie: her laugh, her shy smile, the way her eyes lit up in the teaser. His fingers moved instinctively, playing melodies that felt like messages meant only for her.

He closed his eyes and imagined her across from him, biting her lip as she listened. A small, wistful smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Max stepped in quietly, shutting the door behind him.

“They’ve gone completely bonkers,” he remarked, nodding at the laptop where fan comments scrolled nonstop. “#EmmaEthan is trending worldwide.”

Liam let out a faint smile.

“Yeah… I saw.”

Max studied him, then the laptop. His tone remained steady, professional.

“Just stay focused on recovery and the band. Rest when you need to. The concert’s coming up soon, and your health comes first. Everything else can wait.”

Liam nodded, though his mind strayed back to Sophie. Each chord he strummed felt wrapped in the memory of her scent, her laugh, the warmth of her presence.

Max pulled a chair forward, typing steadily while monitoring suspicious accounts and interactions from the week of the accident.

“I’m keeping an eye on everything,” he said quietly. “Strange posts, unusual comments—anything that smells like trouble. You just… heal.”

Liam’s hand hovered over the strings, imagining Sophie beside him. The notes that followed were softer, more intimate.

Int. Sophie’s Apartment – Later

Sophie dialed Liam. Her stomach fluttered, though her voice stayed level.

“Hey,” he answered, warmth threading through the caution.

“Hey,” she breathed. “I just… wanted to hear your voice. And see how you’re holding up.”

“Better than yesterday,” he said with a soft chuckle. “Managed a few chords. You’d laugh at me.”

“I’d never laugh at you,” she whispered. “Play something for me?”

He did.

A soft melody drifted through the speaker. Raw, intimate, imperfect in the most human way. Sophie curled up on the couch, eyes closed, letting the music cradle her.

Hours drifted by like minutes. Conversation ebbed and flowed—quiet laughter, soft hums, words slipping into music and back into silence. They held the night together, careful, hidden, close.

Int. Various – Max And Claire Checking In

While Liam and Sophie floated in their private orbit, Max and Claire worked in quiet tandem.

“Liam’s doing fine,” Max murmured. “And Sophie… she’s handling the fan chaos.”

Claire nodded, expression thoughtful.

“They’re connected. Careful about it. But connected.”

She added softly,

“We keep watching. Protecting. Making sure nothing slips through.”

Max rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“This is going to get tricky.”

Montage – Days Passing

A soft, intense rhythm settled over the week:

– Sophie sipping coffee in her hoodie, eyes glued to the teaser, laughing and nearly tearing up at the same moment. Claire hovering nearby, texting reminders: Side streets. Hood up. Keep moving.

– Liam with his guitar, ribs aching but fingers stubborn, melodies dripping with longing.

– Maks tracking posts, accounts, private messages. Claire mapping safe routes for Sophie, watching for tails, watching for patterns.

– Sophie sending Liam voice notes: a laugh, a whisper, a quiet miss you. Liam replying with soft chords and teasing messages.

– Paparazzi lurking. Claire intercepting them with calm efficiency.

Evening Calls – Intimacy Through Distance

Each night, they found each other again.

“I miss you,” Sophie whispered.

“I miss you too… but this keeps us close,” Liam murmured.

Hours unfurled in soft conversation, shared breaths, whispered thoughts.

Max and Claire remained the invisible guardians—observing, analyzing, protecting—never intruding on the fragile world the two young hearts built across a phone line.

Day 4 – Escalating Hype

The teaser exploded across the internet. Sophie scrolled through edits, memes, ship art—her face and Liam’s intertwined across hundreds of posts.

Claire kept her moving, away from cameras.

Liam watched from his couch, guitar on his lap.

“They’re obsessed,” Max said. “But rest. The concert’s close. Your health comes first.”

Sophie sent Liam a short, playful video of her practicing a movement from the teaser. Liam chuckled, pride flickering behind his smile.

Day 5 – Tethered By Voice

Despite paparazzi, fans, and rising chaos, Sophie and Liam stayed connected.

Sophie with her hoodie low, moving through the streets under Claire’s watchful eye.

Liam with his guitar, ribs healing, Max monitoring the world around him.

Their nightly calls stretched long into the darkness—soft melodies, whispered admissions, gentle laughter.

Outside their orbit, Max and Claire worked tirelessly, guarding the fragile line between privacy and threat.