Chapter Ten

Amos

Being boyfriends with Chase was terrible.

Even fake boyfriends, whatever. He was irritating, had far too much energy, and most of all, he was clingy.

Clingy.

So touchy-feely all the time.

He had to be touching me. Holding my hand, his arm around my shoulder, his leg over mine.

He was like a koala bear with separation anxiety.

He'd said he was a touchy-feely person right from the very beginning. So this shouldn't have been a surprise to me. I thought I was prepared.

I wasn't prepared for him.

For the warmth of his body. For the way he'd laugh. For how easily he draped himself over me.

Admittedly, I did put his legs over mine on the bed. But that was only because he chose to lie down and I had to sit where I could see the screen.

And we were used to touching, somewhat.

Like we'd touched at the bar. He'd planted me on a stool in the corner, which was kinda sweet of him, not gonna lie. But then he'd stood beside me, between my legs even. He had his arm around me, so casually, so effortlessly.

So perfectly.

Then he'd held my hand.

Until he got all moody and sullen, then he'd dropped my hand and pouted like a baby. It was annoyingly cute. And I could see he was torn about staying, about what Georgia had said.

So a quick distracting compliment and subject change were in order, and he was back to his usual annoying self.

His funny, charming, sweet, clingy self.

Totally annoying.

And with filming about to start, I could only imagine it was going to get a whole lot worse.

I walked into the rehearsal hall to find everyone either crowded around the iPad or looking on their own phones. Chase was in the middle of it all, of course, holding the iPad.

He was grinning, and when he looked up and saw me, he groaned. "Babe. Where've you been? I messaged you."

Babe.

"Babe?"

He held the iPad up. "Yes. It's what boyfriends do. If you'd read my messages, you'd know what I'm talking about."

Phoebe took some pity on me and filled me in. "You and Chase are the stars of the show already. All the photos from last night are online."

"Photos from last night?" I mumbled. "What photos... "

I went to look on the iPad and Chase pulled me in between his legs and turned me around so I could lean against him and hold the iPad for myself.

It also meant he could sling one arm around my waist and rest his chin on my shoulder and watch the screen with me as I scrolled...

Through post after post, photo after photo. Of me and Chase.

On the beach, me holding his shirt. Him shirtless, again, his bare muscular torso looking golden in the fading sunlight.

Us walking to the bar, his arm around my shoulder.

Us in the bar, at the table, crowded in. Him leaning against me. He was laughing at something and... god, was I smiling?

I hadn't meant to look happy.

"I like that photo," he said, pointing to me. "You look so cute."

I ignored that and kept scrolling. The next photo was of me holding the door to my dormitory open for him, again smiling...

I had to stop doing that.

Why did I look so damned happy?

"I didn't see anyone take any of these photos," I mumbled.

"Me either," Chase mumbled.

The comments were much the same.

Chase and Amos, or is it Dominic and Elijah? Acting or real?

Chase doesn't date. It's all part of the act.

There's no camera crew .

They look too cozy to be acting.

Someone at Shenanigans said they were all over each other.

No cameras rolling, who do you think they're acting for?

Never noticed Amos before. He's hot.

Well, that's not humiliating. "Goddammit."

There were some photos of Tucker and Didi too, though they weren't even holding hands. Max and Holly too, though the comments were more about Max being cast with Holly when he already had a girlfriend and how hard it must be for her.

"Oooh," Deirdre said, sliding into the room with a clap of her hands. "Publicity is hot today."

Great. Awesome.

Publicity.

Not sure any of us were so enthusiastic about it.

"Filming starts tomorrow," Deirdre said. "We're gonna go through some final production stuff today and do some practice runs with the whole cast in the courtyard."

I handed Chase the iPad, not wanting to see any more.

"Someone said you're hot," he noted. "I mean, they're not wrong."

I sighed. "Did you write that? Was it you?"

He laughed. "Nope. But I do concur." He slid the iPad onto the next desk, then wrapped both arms around me, his chin still on my shoulder.

He was far too comfortable with this.

Deirdre came over for the iPad. "Well, you two look very relaxed."

I made a point of trying to remove Chase's arm from my waist and failing. "He's like those dryer sheets," I said. " You know the staticky ones that stick to everything. He's like that."

"He's called me worse," Chase mumbled, seemingly undeterred. "Staticky dryer sheet is a compliment coming from him."

I sighed. "It's not too late for a partner change, right?"

Chase held onto me harder and Deirdre waved me off. "You two are the leading couple right now. The public's already invested. There's no way you're changing now."

Chase laughed like he'd won, and I sighed. Deirdre went off to do whatever she needed to do. "You're stuck with me," Chase said. His lips were precariously close to my neck and I tried to shuck him off, but it just made him worse. "Plus, I like this whole boyfriend thing. It's fun."

"I could be a prime case study for Stockholm Syndrome," I muttered. "Coerced into staying, now unable to leave. My tormentor believes I'll love him if he annoys me enough."

Chase just laughed and gave me a squeeze, and I resigned to him being stuck to me like glue for the rest of the class.

The fact I was beginning not to mind it was something I'd never tell him.

That it felt nice. That it was nice to rest my cheek against the top of his head when he had his head on my shoulder. That his knee on my thigh felt nice when we were reading scene outlines. That by mid-afternoon when he was tired, the way he weaseled himself in between my legs and leaned against me and closed his eyes felt especially good.

So I'd missed the contact, the closeness. The physical touch. It'd been too long since I'd been with anyone, and my body certainly liked the attention. Especially given the fact that Chase was bigger than me—more muscular, broader, and taller. He was Mr. Perfect Popularity.

And he was a bottom.

The guys I've douched for certainly appreciated it.

That was what he'd said. He'd all but admitted it to my face.

So yeah, my body liked the idea of that too.

I'd had to jerk off when he'd left my room last night. To the fresh memories of his body close to mine, to his touch, to the smell of him on my pillow.

To imagine the Chase Soria naked in my bed. Underneath me, gripping the sheets as I sank into him. I imagined the sounds he'd make, the look on his face as he came...

It was the quickest jerk-off session ever.

It also made seeing him later kinda awkward, even though he had no idea of the fantasies I'd played out. The fantasies that still echoed in my mind. And it certainly didn't help that he kept touching me, kept his body as close to mine as he could without being indecent.

I wanted him to be indecent.

So yeah, if he wanted to keep lying all over me, keep me close with his arm around me, his hands on me, I wasn't saying no.

I pretended to be annoyed, but honestly it was all going into the memory bank for later.

The eight of us—the four main couples—spent the afternoon in the courtyard, walking the halls, sitting in the dining hall, going to the beach. Well, Chase, Max, and Tucker played frisbee and the rest of us sat in the shade. And of course, Chase had his shirt off...

Did it bother me that I was the only guy not playing?

Absolutely fucking not.

They should be grateful I was even outside.

But the camera crews worked angles and the sound techs did their thing. The editors and production team were already talking about cuts and lead-ins...

It was really happening.

Official filming started tomorrow, so yes, it was really happening.

Holly was kinda bummed though, and honestly, I didn't blame her at all. She was playing Max's girlfriend, and Max's real-life girlfriend, Jenna, was not too happy.

"She has to deal with it," Jess tried. "If she's going to date an actor, this is part of the process. If he's going to play lead roles, he's going to be partnered at some point. Don't feel bad."

Didi nodded. "I've spoken to Jenna, and she does understand... She's trying to be supportive but she just says it kinda sucks."

Holly sighed for about the tenth time. "Yeah, and I get where she's coming from. At least we're not as hands-on as you two," she said, looking at me.

"That's all Chase," I said. "He's like one of those magnetic monkeys we had as kids. You know with the long arms that hook on and don't let go. It's like that."

They laughed. "Oh, I had a purple one of those," Phoebe said. "I loved it."

Jess nudged her knee to mine. "Lucky you're both single, huh? You and Chase? No one getting mad that you're all over each other. "

"You two are the most touchy-feely out of all of us," Holly said. "Thank god."

"Yep," Jess added. "People love the idea of you guys already. You have a ship name already. Domeli or Domijah, I think."

I resisted groaning. Because yeah, while dealing with shit like that was better than dealing with upset girlfriends or worse, bigotry. People had been accepting... from what I'd seen.

"I ignore all the online stuff," I said, shrugging it off. "I don't care what they say. I mean, I hope they'll like the show when it begins streaming but I don't play into any of that shipping crap. And why is his character's name first anyway?"

"It's a top/bottom thing, I think," Phoebe answered. "Sorry."

I rolled my eyes. "Jesus Christ."

I wasn't about to tell them they had that wrong. I wasn't even entertaining any idea of it.

Chase ran over and crashed onto the ground beside me, taking my drink and draining it, slurping the ice in the bottom. "Thanks. I'm parched."

"Are you allergic to shirts?"

He laughed and lay on his back, swatting me with the offending shirt. Then he ran his hand over his pec. "You love it."

"Oh yes, your emotional support tiddies. How could I forget?"

The others laughed, and he swatted me again with his shirt, only to then shuffle over enough to use my hip as a pillow. He covered his face with his shirt. "Wake me up when it's time to leave. Or whenever you've all had enough of checking me out. Whichever comes first."

The fact that he was ripped and tanned only served to annoy me. The fact he'd starred in my fantasies last night annoyed me too. And the fact that the waistband of his shorts outlined the planes and valleys of his V muscles and the bulge in his crotch...

It annoyed me that I noticed these things.

That I wanted them.

"We should do dinner tonight," Tucker suggested. He gave Max a nod. "Bring Jenna."

"Good idea," Holly agreed. "So she can see us as a work team."

Everyone kinda nodded, but it wasn't something I could do. "Gotta work tonight, sorry."

Chase put his hand up, his shirt still over his face. "I'm with him. If he's a no-go, then I'm out too."

He totally could still go . . .

"We could meet at the coffee shop?" Jess suggested. "It's probably gonna feature a bit anyway, in the filming and whatever, so it might be a good test run. Amos will already be there and that way Chase could come too."

Chase pulled his shirt from his face, his big blue eyes looking up at me. "Will there be iced coffee?"

I sighed and put his shirt back over his face.

Chase held my hand when we walked back to the rehearsal hall. He kept his arm around my shoulder while we did some filming at the lockers. He kept his chin on my shoulder, his hand slung on my waist as we filmed in the dining hall.

I knew people around campus were watching us and watching Chase and me especially.

And as an actor, for all the plays and stage productions I'd done, I was used to having an audience.

But this one felt different.

Personal, somehow. As if Chase and I were having our privacy invaded, even though we weren't.

But if we were going for the Friends / 90210 reality feel, we needed to be in familiar sets around campus, so filming at the Bean Necessities made sense. And Jerry, the owner, was fine with it. It was all publicity, he'd said, as long as his logo was showing, his customers weren't inconvenienced, and the business was perceived in a positive light.

Which I'm sure it would be.

But it was also my work. No one else had film crews at their work, and I tried not to let it bother me.

And, admittedly, as the other cast members all crammed into one booth, including Max's girlfriend, it was fun to watch.

It did have a Friends / 90210 vibe, and the cameras took some footage and some photos, and it was great for the production... but I wasn't sure how it would work if the café was super busy.

Not well, probably.

"Hey," Chase said, leaning against the end of the service counter.

I slid the tray of cookies into the fridge and closed the door, standing up. "Hey. Whassup? "

"You okay?"

I walked over to him, close enough so our conversation would be private. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"It's just that you haven't come over . . ."

I gestured to the counter. "Uh, yeah, I'm at work."

"Can you take a break?"

I checked the time. "Soon, I guess. Why?"

"'Cause it's not the same without you. They're all couple-y and I'm sitting there third wheeling it." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "And I don't know what to do with my hands when you're not there."

I snorted. "You mean, you have no one to accost."

"I don't accost you. I... touch you. Why would you say it like that? Now it's weird."

I snorted at that. "Yeah, I'm the one who makes it weird."

He made a face. Slipping his fingers under the waistband seam of my apron, he tugged me closer. "Take your break. Come and sit with me."

Jesus. Now we were not even an inch apart. His face was far too close to mine, his eyes playful and imploring.

"Has anyone ever told you you're annoying?"

"Yes. You tell me all the time."

"And needy."

"Well, I think that's a first, but I don't even mind."

My god, he was pitiful. I sighed. "Mason," I called out. "Gonna take my ten."

Chase grinned, and when we turned around, the whole cast in the booth was watching us, cameras too. Aaaand the table by the door.

Just great .

Chase took my hand and dragged me over. "Look who I found."

I was greeted with smiles and heyyyy s around the table, and before I could pull a seat over, Chase sat and pulled me onto his knee. He pressed his face into the back of my arm, kept one hand on my thigh, the other on my waist.

Okay then.

It was a very boyfriend thing to do, so I went along with it.

Then he took his half-finished iced coffee and held it up to my mouth so I could sip from his straw. I figured it was a boyfriend thing to do as well, so I went along with that too.

We got a few funny looks but mostly everyone at the table wasn't surprised. Were we taking the method acting thing too seriously? Or were they not taking it seriously enough?

Maybe because their character's couples weren't as established as ours. Elijah and Dominic have been together for a year. We had to establish a level of comfort around each other, and we'd done that.

I was comfortable with Chase. Despite my best efforts to not like the guy, I kinda did. He was easy to hang out with. Easy to joke with. Easy to antagonize and rankle.

Easy to sit on and cuddle with.

"Ready for your morning shoot?" Max asked, looking at me and Chase.

We were up first thing. The basic script was that Chase would leave from his place at Mundell House, then cross the campus to my dorm. It was intended to give the audience a view of the college campus, and it would set the scene. There'd be location shots of the beach, the courtyard, the campus itself.

In the opening of the series, the viewer would get acquainted with the college campus, following the cute guy up to the dorms where he would meet his boyfriend.

That was the opening scene.

No pressure.

From there, Dominic and Elijah would then stroll across to the dining hall, and the rest of the cast would come in for breakfast before heading to class.

Sounded easy.

"Ready as we'll ever be," Chase said. "Once shooting starts and we get used to the cameras being one step behind us, we'll be fine." He looked up at me, his lips pressed to my shoulder blade. "Won't we, babe?"

Babe.

"Sure thing," I replied. "Babe."

He chuckled. "See? We'll be fiiiiiine."

I rolled my eyes but took his drink and finished it.

Max's girlfriend gave me a timid smile, she still seemed uncomfortable and Max and Holly weren't even touching each other. It made me realize just how different Chase and I were.

We were so comfortable with each other.

Too comfortable, maybe?

When the camera crews asked Jenna to squeeze out of the booth so they could take some more shots of just the eight of us, it got really awkward and quiet.

I began to stand up. "Want me to?—"

"No, stay there," they said. Chase pulled me back onto his lap and smiled at the camera from behind my shoulder. "That's perfect."

I went back to work, and not long after the cast made their leave, they all yelled out goodbyes and waved, except Chase. He cleared the table for me, bringing empty cups to the trash, and he waited while Mason and I quickly closed up.

He even helped a bit, lifting chairs onto tables—without the Les Mis encore tonight—and soon enough, we were locked up and leaving. Mason waved us off, and Chase nodded toward my dorm. "I'll walk you back."

"You don't need to," I said, even though I liked that he did.

But he didn't hold my hand or put his arm around me, and I was surprised by how disappointed it made me.

"So," he began. "Do you think Jenna and Max will last?"

"She didn't look too happy tonight."

"I know, right?" he said, animatedly. Probably happy that I noticed like he did. "She has to understand it's just acting. I feel sorry for Max."

Just acting. It's just acting . . .

"Yeah, same," I said, though I wasn't sure... "And Holly. I feel bad for her too. It's not her fault."

He let out a groan. "It was awkward tonight. Did you see how she was looking at us?"

"I did, yeah."

"Man, I'm so glad we're not awkward like that." He shot me a questioning look as if he was seeing if I agreed with him ?

"Yeah," I said. "We're not awkward. If anything, we're too comfortable."

"Too comfortable? What's that supposed to mean?"

"You pulled me onto your lap tonight."

"Hey, that wasn't me. That was Dominic pulling Elijah onto his lap."

"Right."

"That's the Dominic privilege. Elijah allows Dominic to do that. Amos, on the other hand, would not allow Chase to do that."

I laughed. "The Dominic privilege. I have a feeling Dominic is going to try and get away with all kinds of shit."

Chase laughed. "I think he might."

"Elijah might be a willing participant, but he will still put Dominic on his ass if he goes too far."

Chase laughed. "See, Dominic thinks that's foreplay, so he's totally on board with that."

I gave him a shove. "No, Chase thinks that's foreplay."

Chase laughed. "Dominic and I are very similar."

"I know," I said. "Much to mine and Elijah's disdain."

He laughed as we reached the steps to my dorm. "Well, here you are. Home, safe and sound."

"Dominic is a gentleman."

"And Chase," he added. "It was his idea."

I snorted. "Right."

"I'll see you back here bright and early," he said, rocking back on his heels. He looked around as if he were nervous. Chase Soria, nervous? Or was he being Dominic right now?

"Okay," I said. "Thanks for walking me back."

He gave a nod but said nothing else, so I turned for the door .

"Oh hey," he said. "Just before you go."

I stopped and he ran his hand through his hair. "Were you comfortable with me pulling you onto my lap? I know we discussed boundaries before, but filming starts tomorrow, so I just wanted to double-check that you're still okay with that kind of physical touch. I mean, you didn't object tonight, but the camera was rolling so I just thought I should ask to be sure."

Oh my god, he was actually nervous.

Chase Soria was nervous and double-checking consent.

There in the dark with only the building lights illuminating half his face, I could still see the uncertainty in the shadows.

I could also see the sweetness.

"It was fine," I said. "I was okay with that."

I was more than okay with it.

A grin broke out on his face. "Good. Same. It felt natural, so I went with it. Dominic would absolutely do that."

Right. Dominic.

"And Elijah would allow that."

His eyes met mine and he held my gaze for a beat. Then he turned and nodded to the dark. "Awesome. Okay, see you here, bright and early tomorrow. I'll text you before I leave so you know I'm on my way."

"Thanks."

He disappeared into the dark, no doubt heading back to his place.

I went upstairs, showered and changed, got ready for bed. I lay there, staring at the ceiling for what felt like hours. Remembering how it felt to sit on his lap with his arm around me. Remembering his face pressed into my shoulder. Remembering his hand on my thigh.

And remembering his face in the dark. How he'd asked me for consent again. How he'd smiled.

How he'd said it was his character that was so touchy-feely. How I'd said my character was okay with it.

When really it was me.

I didn't sleep for ages, my mind reliving every angle, every moment. And I slept through my first alarm and only realized he'd texted me when I was getting out of the shower.

Shit.

I threw on my jeans and a hoodie, had my socks on and one shoe in my hand when there was a knock on my door.

Who the hell was it? I didn't have time for talking, I had to get downstairs...

Still holding the shoe, I opened the door.

To find Chase standing there, grinning, Daniel and Bridgette behind him, camera on.

"Morning, babe," he said. Then he stepped in close, put his hand on my cheek, and kissed me.