Chapter 10 - Milo's POV

Friday, 9:27 PM — Beach Bonfire

Milo had mastered a lot of things over the years — eyebrow raises, banana peel slip saves, the exact moment to add a dumb joke during a serious take to get a laugh out of Meg — but the most important skill tonight?

Controlled chaos.

It was like working with fireworks. Set them off just right, and everyone stared at the sparks. Not the shadows.

And there were a lot of shadows to cover tonight.

Freya and Malachi? Definitely more than just longtime co-stars. They thought they were subtle, but Milo had noticed the pinky brushes. The quick glances. The frequency of shared gummy worms.

He and Meg? Well... they'd gotten good at this. So good it wasn't even acting anymore — the jokes, the jabs, the little moments of affection just quiet enough to pass for friendly.

Still, the truth was getting close.

And Julian? He was thinking. Milo could tell. Julian had that "just spotted a pattern" face, and that was dangerous.

So Milo spun the bottle like it was a roulette wheel and turned up the volume.

It landed on Julian.

Milo clapped once. "YES. Okay, you have to pick dare. It's required by the council."

Julian laughed, a little too sharp. "Fine. Dare. Hit me."

Milo leaned forward. "You've gotta do your best impression of everyone here — rapid fire. No prep. No mercy."

The group hollered.

Julian stood. "Okay, okay, you asked for it."

He started with MK, puffing up his chest and slouching like he'd just walked into a music video: "Yo. You ever think about how raccoons are just forest cats with little hands?"

Then Chandler: "Guys, no joke, I googled this earlier and it's actually based on Norse mythology. I can't believe they didn't tell us that on set."

Then Freya: "Hi. I'm chaos in a glitter jacket. Don't ask me about my past. I will ruin your life with a truth and then smile politely."

Freya cackled. "That's fair."

Malachi got a deep, gravelly-voiced impression: "I only speak in slow-motion trailer-worthy dialogue and coded looks."

Next was Sway, who Julian mimicked with a deadpan: "I'm not judging. I'm just taking mental notes for my memoir."

Sway laughed. "That was scarily accurate."

Then came Meg.

Julian struck a pose and said in a sing-song: "You guys, I'm not saying I'm perfect, but my coffee is color-coordinated with my outfit today."

Everyone lost it.

Meg buried her face in her hands. "Oh my God."

Then Julian turned to Milo and put on an over-the-top grin: "HEY BESTIE. Can you help me carry six iced matchas and also emotionally regulate me while I spiral over a Netflix password?"

"I stand by that," Milo said, laughing.

The mood shifted in the best way. Just like he wanted. Everyone cracked up. Everyone forgot the weird tension from a few rounds ago. Even Meg looked like she was back in safe territory, her smile soft and easy as she nudged his shoulder.

"Nice save," she mouthed.

Milo gave her a tiny nod.

Fireworks. Focus on the fireworks.

The next spin hit MK, who picked truth.

Chandler jumped in before anyone else could ask. "What's your most embarrassing on-set moment?"

MK groaned. "Do I have to say?"

Meg was already gasping. "OH. This better be the one I'm thinking of—"

"It is," MK muttered. "Zombies 5. Day three. I bent down during rehearsal and split my pants straight up the back."

Malachi cracked up. "You were wearing BRIGHT ORANGE boxers."

"With tacos on them," MK added miserably. "The entire lighting team saw."

Julian fell over laughing. "This is the greatest day of my life."

They kept going.

Freya had to do a slow-motion beach run while Julian hummed romantic music.

Sway had to wear two beach towels like a cape and narrate the next five minutes like a villain monologue.

Meg dared Chandler to dramatically fake-propose to MK using a burnt marshmallow and an old flip-flop.

And somewhere in that swirl of laughter and moonlight and dumb dares, Milo let the pressure roll off his shoulders.

Because this was what he was good at.

Letting things boil without spilling over.

He spun the bottle again — harder this time, because the night wasn't done yet. Not even close.

It landed on Meg.

He locked eyes with her, and in that moment, they weren't best friends, or castmates, or longtime co-conspirators.

They were fire and secrets.

But Milo just smiled like always and said, "Dare or dare?"