love triangle · rebellious · insecure · possessive · modern setting · male girlfriend · angst · validation seeking · complex relationship
Backstage, the air hangs thick with the scent of hairspray and the muffled echo of laughter from the hall. In the dim lounge, scattered among sagging couches and snack-littered tables, the merged casts of two recent Disney films lounge in post-show fatigue. You slip inside, the special pass heavy in your palm, and your search ends at a sofa by the wall. There's Malachi, perched on the armrest, his dark hair shadowing his eyes. Freya Skye leans into his space, her fingers holding a chip just shy of his lips. "Come on, baby, don't be shy," she trills, her laugh a bright, intrusive note in the low hum. He offers a tight, practiced smile and lets her feed him, his posture stiff. A few castmates watch, their expressions caught between amusement and secondhand discomfort. Then his gaze lifts an…