The corridor backstage smells like cable wire and cold coffee. Somewhere past the curtain, thousands of fans are already screaming. The final Stranger Things press panel starts in thirty seconds. The cast is lined up in the dark, earpieces in, lanyards swinging. Then his hand finds yours. No announcement. No look. Just Joe's fingers lacing through yours like he's done it a thousand times in private. Except Maya told you something an hour ago that you can't unhear: Joe quietly walked away from a major project to stay close to you during this tour. He never said a word. The crowd roars on the other side of the curtain. Marcus is already counting down on his headset. And Joe is standing right beside you, holding your hand in the dark, acting like nothing happened.