Chapter Text
In the middle of January, Kylie got the phone call she had been dreading. Filming for Descendants 6 was about to begin. She had known it was coming. She had expected it. But that didn't make it any easier, especially after the success of the tour. Autumn had been hectic for the rising star, but it had also been incredibly rewarding.
The holidays had come and gone before she had even noticed. They had given her the breathing room she desperately needed. But they couldn't last forever, and with them came the new year. Kylie had started working on her new album back in October, and everything had been going surprisingly well. She had already finished four songs. Songs about the tour and dancing. No drama. No problems. No boys.
But every good period eventually comes to an end, and this phone call marked exactly that. A call that reopened old wounds, some healed, others not quite. Yet Kylie's fate had already been decided. She had spoken with her team, and there was no way out of the contract. She had to return as Red.
And that wasn't the problem.
The problem had a different name. A name she hadn't spoken in months.
Malia.
Malia Baker.
Her Chloe Charming.
No.
Just Chloe. Just her co-star.
But she wasn't just that. She was Lia. Maliki. Buddy Baker. Names that belonged to someone who had shared everything with Kylie before the drama. Before the betrayal. Before Malachi. Before all the lies came to light and everything fell apart. Before Malia had shown what was perhaps her true face.
Kylie never really figured it out.
Malia had apologized, over and over again. She had called it a rushed decision, and later, a mistake. But lying to your best friend for weeks wasn't a mistake.
It was a choice.
Even when they had been forced to promote the last movie together, to see each other, sit in the same room, and talk, Kylie still saw it as a choice. A choice that had shattered their friendship. A choice that had driven a wedge between them over a boy. And no matter how many times they had been required to work together, to stand by each other for the sake of the movie, Kylie simply couldn't.
Not anymore. The trust was just gone. She couldn't allow herself to rely on the girl who hadn't just taken some boy from her, but had destroyed three years of friendship to do it. For a relationship that hadn't even lasted a year.
And that was the funniest part, at least to Kylie. Malia hadn't just ruined them. She had ruined things for herself, too.
So this was where Kylie found herself now. Wondering how she was supposed to slip back into a role that had once come so naturally.
Not Red. Playing Red was second nature by now. No.
Playing Chloe's best friend.
Playing Malia's best friend.
But she knew there was nothing she could do about that right now. So she threw herself into preparing for the movie instead. She added an extra dance training session to her weekly schedule, started doing more vocal exercises, and tried to go to bed earlier. Sleep had always been important. Filming days were long. Sometimes painfully long.
So she spent the next few weeks preparing for the production while continuing to work on her album. On February 10th, she flew to Canada. The official rehearsals weren't scheduled to begin until the 20th, but Kylie preferred arriving early, just like she had before the second movie.
The difference was that this time she was alone. It wasn't like two years ago, when she had stayed with Malia before filming started.
Now it was just her, standing at the airport with her suitcases.
When she landed, someone from production met her and drove her to the hotel. The room was ordinary, nothing special. She unpacked her luggage before letting herself fall back onto the mattress.
Canada was as cold as ever.
She gave herself a little time to rest before calling Shar. They talked for a while, but Kylie's best friend insisted that she get some sleep and recover from the jet lag.
The singer didn't want to. She didn't want to spend the day trapped in a hotel room.
Instead, she called the people at the studio and headed over to pick up her scripts.
The moment she walked into the building, it felt a little like coming home. A place she knew like the back of her hand by now. She made her way toward the writers' room, stopping by the wardrobe department first to say hello. She knocked on the door, and to her surprise, Kimmy opened it.
"Kylie."
"Hey, boss." The two hugged.
"When did you get here?"
"About three hours ago. I couldn't sit still, so I came to pick up my scripts. How have you been? How's everything going?"
"I'm good. And everything else is the same as always. We're making progress. Most things have been figured out by now, but you know how it is."
"You never really know until the last minute. Hi, everyone." She waved at the writers.
"We have to congratulate you on the tour." One of them said.
"Thank you. It was incredible. So... is there anything we need to discuss, or are you just going to hand me my homework and send me on my way?" The room burst into laughter.
"We've got plenty to discuss, as always." Kimmy replied with a smile.
Kylie took one of the empty chairs.
"So, where are we starting?" She actress asked, sounding slightly eager.
"With the music, just the way you like it. When we found out you were coming today instead of tomorrow, we decided to gather everyone who was already here so we could go over everything together."
"Okay." A script packet was slid across the table toward her.
Here. We’re not expected to wait to long.
"Sounds good." She opened the packet and started reading.
The moment she saw the first few lines, Kylie smiled. Reading a script for the first time always excited her.
This time, though. There was nervousness mixed in with the excitement. The writers chatted quietly while she read, occasionally making jokes that kept the mood light.
Kylie had reached page twelve when the door opened.
"Hey." Kimmy greeted the newcomer warmly. "We've been waiting for you."
"Hi." The voice made Kylie stop reading.
That voice.
Slowly, she looked up from the script.
The moment she saw who had walked in, she felt her smile disappear. Her expression settled into something completely neutral. She didn't let her irritation show.
Her face remained perfectly calm. She waited while everyone exchanged greetings.
Then it happened.
"Hey, Kylie. You're here early too."
"Hi. Yes."
"Looks like great minds think alike." Kimmy joked.
"Yes." Malia replied.
Kylie simply nodded.
"Alright, let's get started. Have a seat." A few moments later, everyone was gathered around the writers' table, and Malia had a stack of scripts in front of her as well.
"As always, these aren't the complete scripts." Kimmy explained. "This is just the foundation. First, we'll go over the musical concepts. You can turn to page..."
The team gradually walked the actresses through their planned musical numbers for the film.
After discussing the songs, they moved on to the story itself and the ideas behind the third movie. Then they briefly shared some early concepts for costumes and makeup, though those would be discussed in much greater detail later.
The entire meeting lasted three hours. Afterward, both actresses packed up their script packets and left the room.
Soon they were walking down the hallway, Kylie staying two steps ahead of Malia. But even that distance wasn't enough to stop Kylie from feeling Malia's eyes on her back.
When they stepped outside the building, Kylie headed toward the main entrance while calling a car to take her back to the hotel. She just wanted to leave. Unfortunately, she wasn't fast enough.
Malia caught up with her.
"Hey. Do you have a minute?"
"I'm kind of in a hurry. Long day." Kylie looked her straight in the eyes. She wasn't the one who had anything to be ashamed of.
"I... I'm sorry." The words made the actress tense up. "I didn't know you were already here. I got here yesterday."
"I landed a few hours ago. Besides, it doesn't really matter. We're going to be working together. Whether we saw each other today or tomorrow... it makes no difference."
"You're right." Malia looked down for a brief moment before meeting her eyes again. "But still... I'm sorry."
"And like I said, there's no need. If you'll excuse me." Kylie took a few steps toward the nearby sidewalk. She needed some distance.
She started scrolling through her phone, though her eyes kept drifting back in secret. Her co-star was still standing there, watching her. Malia lingered for a few more seconds before finally turning around and walking away down the street.
The car arrived soon after, and Kylie didn't truly relax until she was inside and they had driven away.
By the time she got back to the hotel, it was a little after seven in the evening. She ordered dinner from the hotel restaurant and settled onto the bed with the script. She read slowly, she wasn't in any rush. She wanted to pay attention to every line, to understand as much of the context as possible.
Her food arrived while she was on page nineteen. Kylie set the script aside, ate dinner, then took a shower and went through her usual nighttime routine. She planned to go to bed as soon as she finished reading.
So she found herself curled up beneath the blankets, the script in her hands.
Everything was fine. Just an ordinary evening. Until page twenty-seven.
She tensed as she read. It was a scene between Red and Chloe. An emotional one. A scene filled with the warmth, tenderness, and playful affection of their friendship. The scene lasted three full pages. Kylie didn't realize she'd been holding her breath until it was over.
It's just one scene, she told herself.
Just one.
Then came page forty-three.
Then page forty-seven.
But what finally made her stop was page fifty-four. She abruptly dropped the script onto the bed and got to her feet.
"No. No. No. Not this." She shook her head.
The scene was heavy. Chloe was comforting Red, promising that she would always be there for the Princess of Hearts, no matter what happened. With every line Kylie read, the knot in her stomach tightened until it became something dangerously close to panic.
She began pacing around the room.
"No... I can't stay here." Suddenly she felt wide awake. "But where do I go?"
Then she remembered a bar nearby. The music there was good. Movement would help. Dancing would help. Dancing had always helped her deal with stress.
She immediately opened one of her suitcases and pulled out a pair of baggy jeans, a cute slightly cropped tank top with distressed details, and her leather jacket. She changed quickly, put on a little makeup, grabbed her phone, money, and slipped on the jacket.
Her long hair, now completely black, fell freely around her shoulders, with only the ends lightly curled.
Fifteen minutes later, she was standing outside the club. It was almost midnight.
When she walked inside, it was still fairly empty, but she didn't mind. The music was blasting.
"One martini." She said at the bar as she took off her jacket.
A glass was placed in front of her moments later.
She took an impatient sip before simply leaning against the barstool, moving to the rhythm of the music.
Little by little, the beat took over. After a while, a few more girls joined her at the bar. She introduced herself, and before long they were dancing together. Gradually, the club came to life.
After finishing her first drink, Kylie wondered what to order next. She didn't actually want to drink tonight. She had a meeting with Kimmy at ten the next morning.
So instead, she ordered a virgin cocktail and a bottle of water.
As the club filled up, she let herself get lost in the atmosphere. Before she even realized it, she was dancing full choreographies. When she made one of her signature moves, a genuine smile spread across her face. She ran her fingers through her hair.
The anxiety was gone. And for the first time that day...
the night actually felt good.
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At the same time, on the other side of the city, Malia was lying in bed, talking to Momo.
"It can't be that bad." Her best friend tried to reassure her.
"But it is. Some of those scenes... God, Momo, I don't know. She's still avoiding me. She barely spoke to me today."
"You haven't seen each other in a long time, and she wasn't expecting it. It's been months. Things have to be better now. After the whole tour and how successful the EP was."
"I hope so. But it doesn't make me any less nervous."
"We've already talked about this, Lia. You have to stay positive. Kylie will be professional. The two of you just have to get through this." She paused before adding, "And besides... this is your last movie together."
"I know."
"You just have to make it through somehow. You're both adults. Even if she can be a little impulsive sometimes."
"Yeah..." But Malia's eyes drifted back to the scripts lying in front of her.
"You don't sound convinced, Lia."
"I'm not, Momo. She..." Malia sighed. "It's Kylie. She's always so steady. So calm. But... even after everything... I just know she's not over it."
"You don't know that," Momo replied gently. "Like I said, today was only the first day. Tomorrow will be better."
"I ju...." Ivory burst into the room.
"Malia, you need to see this."
"What is it? It's late." Her sister walked over, holding out her phone.
"Look. Shawn sent it to me."
"Wha..." Malia grabbed the phone. "Oh my God."
"What?" Momo asked through the speaker.
"Kylie..." Malia stared at the screen. "She's at a club."
"At a club?" Momo sounded confused.
"Yeah." Malia watched the ten-second clip for a second time. "She's dancing."
In the video, Kylie moved freely to the beat of the music, her body flowing effortlessly with the rhythm.
Her eyes were closed.
"What do we do?" Malia whispered.
"About what?" Ivory asked. "She's just..."
"She's alone." Malia interrupted. "And she only got here today. What if she gets drunk and something happens?"
"I'll text Mckenna. She can reach out to someone from L.A." Momo said.
A minute later, Malia's phone rang.
She added Mckenna to the call.
"Hey, what's going on in the middle of the night?"
"Cantrall at the club." Momo announced.
"Kylie?"
"Yeah. And she doesn't look like herself."
"I'm sending you the video." Malia forwarded the clip.
"Oh..." A few seconds of silence followed. "Okay. I'm calling Shar."
"Okay." The call ended.
"So..." Momo said after a moment. "Where were we, Lia?"
But Malia was still staring at the video on the screen.
"Can I have my phone back?" Ivory asked.
"Yeah. I... here." Malia handed it back to her sister.
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Kylie had completely surrendered herself to the music. Her body seemed to move on its own.
The beat grew more and more electrifying. She spun, and just as she was about to drop into a split to finish the choreography, the phone in her pocket started ringing.
Slowly, she pulled it out.
Shar.
She was calling.
Kylie declined the call. Immediately, twenty unread messages from her best friend filled the screen. Before she could open them, the phone rang again.
Kylie turned toward the bar, paid, grabbed her jacket, threw it over her arm, picked up her bottle of water, and headed for the exit.
Only after stepping out into the cold night did she answer.
"Yeah, Shar. What's up?"
"Where are you?"
"In Vancouver. We talked when I landed."
"No, K." Shar sighed. "Where are you right now?"
"Uh... outside. Why?" Kylie already knew she was about to get scolded for going out alone.
"We've talked about you not going to clubs by yourself."
"I wasn't..."
"K, Mckenna sent me a video of you dancing in a club."
"What?" Kylie blinked in surprise. "How does she have a video?"
"That doesn't matter, K. She was worried about you."
"Damn it." She cursed under her breath. "I haven't even been drinking. I'm just exhausted. I had one martini. God..."
"It doesn't matter, K. It's after two in the morning. Just go back to your hotel. I'll stay on the phone with you, okay?"
"I'm fine." Kylie insisted.
"I know. Come on. I'm here."
Kylie order an Uber, and Shar stayed on the line until she reached her hotel room.
"There. I'm back." She nudged the door shut behind her. "Happy now?"
"You know that's not the point, K." Shar's voice softened. "I just want you to be safe, okay?"
"Okay." Kylie sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just... today was a lot. We saw each other. And the script is awful."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No. It's way too late. I have to be up in less than four hours."
She forced a small smile, even though Shar couldn't see it.
"I'm okay."
"Alright. Good night. And next time... at least send me a text, okay?"
"Okay. Sweet dreams, Shar."
When the call ended, Kylie stared at her phone.
She scrolled through the missed messages before walking into the bathroom.
As she got ready for bed, one question kept circling in her mind.
How did Mckenna know I was at the club?
Once she was under the covers, Kylie sent Mckenna a text.
How did you get that video? But sleep claimed her almost immediately.
She never stayed awake long enough to get the reply.
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Her alarm dragged her out of sleep. Kylie rolled over on the mattress. She wanted nothing more than to close her eyes again, but work was waiting.
Barely awake, she forced herself out of bed. Almost on autopilot, she started getting ready. She needed to catch a cab at nine.
By 8:40, she was almost ready. Only her makeup was left.
She finally picked up her phone. She was about to open Instagram and TikTok for a few minutes when a notification stopped her.
Mckenna had replied.
Malia called me. Ivory got the video from someone. I hope you're okay.
The singer blinked at the message.
Ivory got the video... and... Malia?
"Fuck."
She clenched her jaw.
"God, that..." She caught herself before finishing the sentence. "So that's why Shar wouldn't tell me. Damn it.
Kylie tossed her phone onto the bed and finished doing her makeup.
She didn't pick it up again until it was time to put on her shoes.
She ordered a car and called her dad. They talked while she headed downstairs and waited outside for her ride.
On the way, the driver stopped by a café where Kylie picked up a matcha for herself and a coffee for Kimmy before continuing to the studio.
When the car pulled up, Kylie stepped out, gripping the cup in one hand.
She adjusted her bag on her shoulder and took a sip of her drink. Even the matcha couldn't calm the quiet anger simmering inside her.
She walked into Kimi's office at exactly 9:21 AM.
The director was sitting behind her desk, editing something on her laptop.
"Good morning. Coffee?"
Kimmy immediately looked up.
"Yes. Good morning. Thank you."
Kylie handed her the cup.
"So... what do you think?"
"The honest version?" Kimmy smiled.
"Always."
"I like it." She nodded toward the script. "Most of it's great."
"But?" Kimmy asked, Kylie take another sip of her matcha.
"I'm not sure page fifty-four is a good idea."
"Page fifty-four?" Kimmy flipped through the script.
"Oh... that." She looked back at Kylie. "What exactly concerns you?"
The two held each other's gaze.
"It's not one specific thing." Kylie took a slow breath. "It's just... the scene itself."
"Okay. What needs to change? Some of the dialogue?"
"The entire scene." Kylie pulled out her own copy of the script, opened it, and pointed to the bottom of page fifty-four.
"From here..." She flipped through the pages."...through the end of page fifty-six."
She looked up.
"This isn't going to work."
"Why?" Kimmy asked. "What's the problem?"
Kylie knew it would be easier to say it now, while they were alone.
"Malia is a very good actress." The director nodded. "She lies effortlessly."
A brief silence settled between them.
"But this..." Kylie glanced down at the pages. "...this scene."
She shook her head.
"Even she can't lie that well."
Kimmy looked genuinely surprised.
"What do you mean?"
"For this scene to work..." Kylie searched for the right words. "...she has to look at me."
She paused.
"Actually see me. And she still looks at me like I'm a bomb that's about to explode in her face at any second.
The woman slowly rubbed a hand across her face.
"I thought you two had worked things out after the press tour."
"We did." Kylie nodded. "There's no conflict between us anymore."
She gave a small, humorless smile.
"But there's nothing else left between us either. And that's exactly why it won't work."
"So you think the scene will fall flat?"
"I think it might." She shrugged. "But we won't know until we try it."
Kimmy nodded thoughtfully.
"Alright. I'll keep that in mind. When Malia gets here, we'll do a few table reads. Just the three of us, okay?"
"Yeah. That's fine." Kylie stayed in her chair, quietly sipping her matcha while reading through the script again.
A few minutes later, Kimi stepped out of the office. When she returned, Malia was with her.
"No, it's nothing serious." Kimmy assured her.
"We're just going to do a few quick reads."
"Good morning." Kylie said politely.
"Morning." Malia took the empty chair across from her. "Sorry I'm late."
"I was early." Kylie replied matter-of-factly.
She looked over at Kimmy.
"So, boss, where are we starting? Warm-up first, or...?"
"Whatever you two want." Kimi said. "Just a read-through."
Kylie immediately began warming up her voice. After a brief hesitation, Malia joined her.
Three minutes later, they were both ready.
"Let's start with your first scene on page eight." Kimmy said, opening her script. "Then we'll move to pages twenty-seven and forty-three."
She looked at both of them.
"And finally..." Her eyes lingered on Kylie for a moment before shifting to Malia. "...I want to try page fifty-four. Sound good?"
The two of them nodded.
Kylie closed her eyes, took a deep breath, let her shoulders relax, and then opened her eyes again.
When she spoke, her voice came out light and playful. Red's voice.
A second later, Malia answered.
As the two actresses read through the scene, Kimmy watched them carefully.
It didn't take her long to understand exactly what Kylie had meant.
They both sounded good. Professional. The lines were delivered smoothly. But with every scene they finished, it became more and more obvious that something was missing.
"Alright," Kimmy said at last. "Let's jump to the end of page fifty-four."
Malia nodded and began reading in a calm, steady voice.
Kylie answered effortlessly. The dialogue passed back and forth between them like a ball.
A ball that barely had any air left in it.
"Okay... okay." Kimi stopped them. "Can you try it again, but with a little more emotion? Don't keep it so flat."
Both actresses nodded. Malia started over. But it still wasn't right.
Not the way it was supposed to sound. Not the way it had before.
Kimmy sighed and interrupted again.
"You were right, Kylie." A bitter smile tugged at the actress's lips.
"I wish I hadn't been." She shifted slightly in her chair.
Across from her, Malia looked at her with confusion.
"What is it?"
"It's gone." Kimmy answered.
That only confused Malia even more.
"The spark." Kylie said quietly. "Our spark is gone, Malia."
The younger woman let out a tired sigh and lowered her eyes to the floor.
Her fingers tightened around the fabric of her skirt.
"So... what now?" Kylie asked calmly.
Kimmy fell silent for a moment. She knew there were still wounds between them that had never truly healed.
"I don't know." She admitted. "But this is only your first day. Maybe rehearsing will make it better..."
She hesitated.
"...or maybe it'll make it worse." She looked between them. "What if you two just... talked for a while? Relax a little. I'll make a few phone calls, and then we'll figure out where to go from there."
"Okay." Malia agreed immediately.
Kylie simply nodded.
The director stepped out of the office, leaving the two actresses alone.
Kylie tightened her grip around her cup before looking over at her co-star.
"So...How've things been?" The question hung awkwardly in the air.
They both knew it was empty.
"Fine." Malia answered shortly.
Kylie rolled her eyes.
"You know this isn't going to work like this, right?" The Canadian said with a quiet sigh.
"And what exactly were you expecting me to say?" Malia asked. "To ask how you've been these past few months?"
Pain seeped into every word.
"No." Kylie met her eyes. "I expected you to tell me about the two projects you worked on. Or about that big environmental conference you spoke at."
Surprise flashed across Malia's face.
"You knew about that?"
"And you knew about my tour."
"Yeah, but your tour was huge. The media didn't really cover..."
"We still have mutual friends, Malia." Kylie took another sip of her matcha. "We're still part of the same circles."
"That's true." Silence settled between them again.
Kylie was already beginning to hate it.
"How's your sister?"
"Same as always." Malia smiled faintly. "Studying. Annoying me every chance she gets. Your dad?"
"Dad's good. Working, as always."
"And you?" New album?"
"I can't talk about that yet." The awkward silence returned.
The two of them sat there, staring straight ahead.
Kylie finished another sip of her drink before standing up. She walked over to throw the plastic cup into the trash, then returned to her chair.
She didn't want the silence. But she had nothing left to say. She wasn't about to start talking about the weather.
The tension in the room had become almost tangible by the time Kimmy came back.
"So, ladies? How did it go?"
"Peaceful." Malia answered.
"Quiet." Kylie added.
Their director sighed.
"Alright."
She picked up her script.
"Let's try page twenty-seven again." Both actresses opened their scripts and found their lines.
When they started reading again, it was somehow both better... and worse. The dialogue sounded good.
But the actresses' body language betrayed the fact that something was wrong. As they moved on to page forty-three and then page fifty-four, Kimmy slowly realized what it was.
The problem wasn't the delivery. It was their bodies.
Kylie wore concern across her face, while Malia spoke with quiet warmth and reassurance.
They were doing everything exactly as the scene called for. And yet...
It was as if they weren't hearing each other.
The emotions in Kylie's posture matched what Red was supposed to be feeling, but they never connected with Malia's.
They simply kept missing one another.
Kimmy wasn't even sure when the scene ended. She had been staring at the wall behind them, trying to figure out what she'd just witnessed.
"Was that any better?" Malia asked.
"The line delivery was good." Kimmy nodded. "Very good. But it feels like you aren't actually listening to each other."
Kylie raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
Malia looked between them.
"Could you record us? So we can see it ourselves?"
Kylie nodded.
Kimmy pulled out her phone.
They started again from the beginning of page fifty-four. The scene lasted almost five minutes.
When it was over, Kimmy handed the phone to Malia.
The two actresses watched in silence. About halfway through, Kylie looked away. She let out a disappointed breath, stood up, and walked over to the corner of the room.
"Damn it..." She whispered.
Malia kept watching the video, but Kimmy could see the shine in her eyes.
When it ended, Malia slowly leaned back in her chair. She stared up at the ceiling. The pain on her face was unmistakable.
Across the room, Kylie still stood silently in the corner.
"Alright." Kimmy finally broke the silence. "How about we leave this for today? I'll think about what we can do. Maybe tomorrow will be better."
"And if it isn't?" Malia whispered.
"We'll deal with it then." Kimmy offered them a small, encouraging smile. "For today, why don't you go in for some of your makeup tests? I'll arrange the costume department to meet with you later. No point wasting the day."
"Okay." Kylie sounded as though she couldn't wait to leave.
"Okay." Malia echoed quietly as she slowly gathered her things.
Less than thirty seconds later, Kylie was practically out the door.
Kimmy watched Malia thoughtfully.
"Don't worry. We'll figure it out." Malia's hands froze.
She looked up.
"That's easy to say..." Her voice was calm, but heavy. "...when you weren't the one who ruined it."
The words caught Kimi completely off guard. She had no idea how to respond.
A few minutes later, she was alone in her office.
She immediately started making phone calls, asking colleagues for advice.
This wasn't exactly a new problem in the industry.
Actors with complicated histories had worked together before.
Even so... it was far from an ideal situation.
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The next day, at eleven o'clock, Kylie returned to Kimi's office.
To her surprise, it was just the two of them.
"Hey."
"Morning. Come on in." The director sounded unusually cheerful.
"Looks like you're having a good day."
"I actually am." Kylie closed the door behind her.
"So... do you have a solution for us?"
"I think I do."
Kimmy nodded. "I spoke to someone I know who specializes in handling situations like this. I explained everything, and he suggested an approach."
"Great." Kylie smiled hopefully. "What is it? Therapy? Some kind of trust-building workshop?"
"It's neither." The singer let out a small smile.
"Thank God. I really wasn't looking forward to talking about my feelings in a sterile office." Kimi laughed softly.
"No." She hesitated. "You're just going to move."
"Okay..." Kylie frowned slightly. "To which hotel?"
"Actually... an apartment." There's a nice apartment complex within walking distance of here."
"Alright." Kylie tilted her head. "And how exactly is that supposed to help my chemistry with Malia?"
A faint smile appeared on Kimi's face. She quickly tried to hide it. There was guilt written all over her expression.
Kylie blinked. Then realization hit.
"You're kidding."
"No." Kylie slowly ran a hand through her hair.
"Okay..." She took a deep breath. "And how long is this supposed to last?"
"I don't know."
Kimmy answered honestly. "It depends on how things go. The idea is simply to help you get used to being around each other again. It could only be during rehearsals."
She paused.
"Or...it could last until filming wraps." Kylie folded her arms across her chest.
"Fine. But I'm not sharing a bathroom."
The simplicity of the condition caught Kimmy off guard.
"I think we can arrange that." She nodded.
"Anything else?"
Kylie's dark eyes stayed fixed on the woman across from her.
"I don't want Malia to know about the contract."
Kimmy's expression immediately turned serious.
"Of course."