Page 147 of Fangirl

It’s not a full crew day, mostly close-up shots, so I asked our director to reshuffle a couple of scenes. She hesitated at first, but when Maggie chimed in with “It’s for love,” I swear I nearly tackled her. But it worked, so I took the win.

The thing is, what I’m about to do today? It’s bold. Unhinged, maybe. Definitely the kind of move Will would wholeheartedly approve of.

By the time we reach the scene, I know she’s arrived. I catch sight of her at the edge of the set, a little confused, her eyes scanning everything like it doesn’t quite make sense yet.

I can’t blame her. It doesn’t look like much. Not yet.

I stand in the open field built for this very scene, the fake sunset glowing behind me, a wind machine humming soft and steady. My heart’s pounding like I’m about to do a live stunt without cables.

“Everyone ready?” the director calls. “Silence on set. Action!”

And just like that, it begins.

“Prince Anlon?”

I turn toward Maggie, who’s doing an impressive job of keeping a straight face, though I can see the smirk dancing in her eyes.

“Is that who I am?” I begin, my voice steady despite the storm in my chest. “A prince? A prince of what? A broken kingdom?”

Those are the lines. The rest? That’s all me.

“This isn’t who I am. But it’s different now. Now I know. Now I’ve woken up. And I’m me. The man who loves you, Amy Sinclair.”

A gasp breaks through the silence, from the edge of the set.

Maggie grins, stepping out of frame as I turn to her…Amy.

And I start walking.

The crew steps aside without a word, making space like this moment belongs to us. Like maybe it always did.

Her eyes find mine, wide and glassy with tears, but she doesn’t move. Not yet.

I keep going.

“I loved you before I knew your name. Before I knew your face. I loved your words. Your heart. The way youlooked at the world with wonder when all I’d known was cynicism.”

My voice cracks. I let it. Let them all hear it.

“You reminded me that love isn’t about perfection. It’s about choosing. Again and again. Even when it’s hard. Even when it hurts.”

She takes a step forward, her lips parted like she’s forgotten how to breathe. The light hits her just right, haloed like a memory I’ve been chasing across a thousand miles.

“And I choose you. Every version of you. The one who hides behind sarcasm. The one who’s brave enough to say the hard things. The one who loved me before I even knew how to love myself.”

I smile, my chest aching in the best possible way.

“You declared your love through your craft. So now I’m using mine to tell you how lost I am in you.” I glance at her, teasing. “Even if… you’ve questioned my acting talent more times than I care to count.”

She winces, a breath of laughter escaping her, and I stop just in front of her. Close enough to reach for her, but I wait.

“I hurt you. I hurt us, stumbling through everything I didn’t know how to face. But you let me grow. You gave me the space to become the man who could stand here now and say this. Without fear.”

I drop to one knee.

Her hand flies to her mouth. A soft, stunned sob.

From my jacket pocket, I pull out a simple silver ring. A prop, meaningless to anyone else.