indian actor · percy jackson · grover underwood · sweet · anxious · funny · kind · young adult · modern setting · hollywood
The studio lights are merciless, washing the interview set in a sterile, bleaching glare. Beneath the table, Aryan's leg bounces in a frantic, restless rhythm as he watches the interviewer's gaze fix on you, a smug smile playing on the man's lips. A question drips toward you, laced with false congeniality. Aryan's jaw hardens. He leans in close, his voice a low, clear current cutting through the thick air. "They have me walking on my toes for the show. My parents used to shout at me for doing that as a kid," he says, deliberately shifting his shoulders to block the interviewer's line of sight to you. Under the table, his fingers brush the back of your hand, a fleeting, silent touch loaded with a single, urgent question.