Chapter Fifteen

Chase

I didn't know what Holly was going to ask, and honestly it didn't matter.

Because for all the shit that Amos and I were going through—okay, so the shit I put him through—it paled in comparison to what poor Holly and Max were going through.

I had no idea what Amos and I were, or if everything we felt was all because of this stupid acting project. Maybe being fake boyfriends, having to act all lovey-dovey together, made us think we were more than acting.

Okay, so yes. Maybe it made me think we were more than friends.

Maybe it made me think I'd finally gone and fallen in actual stupid love with him. Maybe it was all real on my behalf and completely fake and just acting on his.

That was the bottom line that had made me lose my shit earlier.

Because hearing Jimmy say that L-word made me realize it was possibly true. And seeing Amos's reaction made me realize he didn't feel the same.

But then he'd said that he does like me. That he had actual feelings for me.

And waiting until after the filming was done made sense. It certainly didn't make sense to fail the unit—I could see that now.

But if we remove the filming, the acting, the make-believe stuff, then all that should remain was the truth.

And then we'd find out how we really felt.

And that made sense.

Even though I already knew my answer. I knew how I felt.

And maybe, just maybe, Amos felt the same.

God, I hope he does.

He acted all irritated but I was pretty sure he secretly loved it when I annoyed him. When I pretended to be joking and acting like a big old whiny baby and giving him that pout that made him smile.

He could deny that he liked that pout all he wanted, but I knew he loved it.

He wasn't the emo, dark, and broody guy that pretended to hate everything and everyone. He wasn't a sullen Keanu Reeves or a misunderstood James Dean.

He was Amos Beddington. An actor with diverse range, an introvert who just needed peace and quiet, who avoided crowds but put up with them for me.

He was amazing.

And he was going to help me help Holly. If Deirdre wanted a big drama to see the show out, then that's what she'd get. Was what Holly wanted to do risky ?

Sure.

Would it work?

Totally impromptu and secret, so the reactions would be real and honest.

It would either be awesome or a disaster.

Either way, ratings should be good.

Max and Holly's scene was to take place in the courtyard for optimal audience viewing. It was also kinda risky given the likelihood of some douchey student ruining a scene, but for the most part, the student body had been very respectful of our filming. Helpful, even.

But given the fan wars between the Max and Holly shippers and the Max and Jenna shippers or even their real-life friends, anything was possible.

As people took their places and the scene began, Amos and I were on a side quest to save the scene, or possibly ruin it. Deirdre could get mad at us all she liked, but she wanted a big finale, and that's what she was going to get.

We found Jenna hiding in the dining hall, right where Holly said she'd be. She had her phone out, watching the livestream of the show.

Watching her boyfriend about to declare his undying love for someone else.

"Hey," I said, startling her.

She put her phone screen-side down on the table. "Oh, hey."

"We need you to come with us. "

Her eyes widened. "Why?"

"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. Holly didn't say, exactly. She just asked us to bring you to the set."

She shook her head. "Oh no. I'm not... I can't. I can't watch that."

Amos glanced to her phone, hinting that she already was.

"In person," she amended.

Clearly asking nicely wasn't going to work.

I took her by the arm and pulled her out of the chair. "Come on. We're running out of time."

"I don't think this is a good idea," she tried.

Amos grabbed her phone and her bag and followed them out the door.

"Do you trust Max?" I asked, dragging her along.

"Yes, of course."

"Because you know he's acting, right?"

"Well, yes . . ."

"And so is Holly. That girl has your back, I promise."

We came into the courtyard and hit a wall of people. The onlooking crowd was way bigger than we'd anticipated, people standing on chairs to see over heads, and amazingly, they were being quiet.

I could hear Max talking, his voice carrying. "You know how I feel," he said.

"I'm saying no," Holly replied.

There was a beat of silence.

Followed by Max's very confused, "Uh, what?"

"Excuse me," Chase said, pulling Jenna through the crowd with him.

When people realized it was us, they parted to let us through. And when they realized we had Jenna, people in the audience clapped and a few hollered, "Yes!" and "About time."

We burst through to the center, where Max and Holly were in a stand off with each other. Jess and Phoebe were behind them, Tucker and Didi too. There were wild eyes between everyone, silently asking us what the fuck? Max looked confused as hell.

And poor Jenna. Looking like a deer in headlights...

Amos pulled me back by the arm, and Holly stepped forward. "I'm saying no, because it's not me you love." She took Jenna's arm and faced Max. "Because every time you're with me, you're thinking of her. I know you tried. I know you did. But you're in love with someone else."

People in the crowd cheered.

"I know you wish I was her," Holly said. "I can see it in your eyes. You need to make the choice for you, not our families, not our parents. Be with the woman you love."

Holly even looked a little sad. Well, her character did. I'd maybe not given her acting enough credit, because she was nailing this.

But Max only had eyes for Jenna... and Jenna burst into tears.

He quickly pulled her into his arms. He kissed the side of her head as the audience hollered and clapped. Even Tucker clapped and Didi was laughing. Jess and Phoebe both stood there with their hands to their mouths.

Holly patted Max's arm, then she looked over at me and Amos. "Thank you," she mouthed.

Then she stood in the middle, raised her arms. "And scene," she yelled, and gave a bow to a standing ovation .

We all clapped.

Not only because that scene was awesome, it was, but because it was over.

Tucker ran over and gave Max and Jenna a big hug, and Jenna was laugh-crying. Max took her face in his hands and gave her a soft kiss before tucking her into his side.

Jenna looked at Holly. "Thank you."

She grinned at her. "You're welcome."

Deirdre appeared, somewhat bewildered, yet trying to maintain the outward appearance that she knew what was going on. People were still standing there, watching, so she was putting on her best stage face.

"Okay, team," she said, trying to round us up. "Let's take this back into the classroom."

We all made our way back to the rehearsal hall. I slid my arm around Amos's waist and he hung his arm around my shoulder. The happy outcome felt good, and I was proud to be a part of it, even if Deirdre was about to rip into us.

We filed in, and Amos sat on a desk so I stood between his legs and pulled his hand around my waist, threading our fingers. And we had to wait for Max to come in. He'd left Jenna at the door with a kiss and jogged in.

Deirdre signaled at the door. "Invite Jenna in, please, Max."

Oh great.

We were all gonna cop it.

"It wasn't her idea," Holly volunteered. "It was my idea. She knew nothing about it."

"Oh, I know that," Deirdre said. "I could see by the look on her face."

Max brought Jenna in, holding her hand. She looked like a rabbit caught in a snare, so I offered a huge smile. "It's okay," I told her. "Deirdre wants to bite us, but she's legally not allowed."

Deirdre shot me a look. "Mr. Soria. Your daily limit of that smile getting you what you want has been exceeded today. Try again tomorrow."

I laughed, and Amos chuckled into my shoulder. "She knows you well."

"It was all my idea," Holly said again. "We needed to do something. My character was too meek. She clearly knew Max's character wasn't in love with her, and the audience knew it as well. You've read the comments. You heard the applause when Jenna arrived." Holly raised her chin, not the least bit sorry. "My character needed to find some self-worth."

"It was awesome," Phoebe said.

Jess held up her phone. "People loved it. Already. The view count is huge."

"It was pretty cool," Tucker said. "Kinda like Ross's ‘I take thee, Rachel' scene."

I snorted. "I dunno about that. I think Amos and I came in with incredible timing, like at the end of Avengers: Infinity Wars . We totally saved the whole scene."

Everyone rolled their eyes.

"Okay," Deirdre said. "Look, it wasn't planned. But I have to applaud the improvisation and the ability to stay in character. Rolling with a mishap and making it look natural takes skill."

Of course she'd turn it into a lesson.

"Yeah, maybe a little heads-up next time," Max said. "When you said no, I was like uh, what the hell? "

Holly laughed. "If you'd known what I was going to do, we wouldn't have gotten to see the real reaction. It was visceral, and we nailed it."

We all went in for a high five. "Hell yes, we did."

"Okay, so final scene tomorrow," Deirdre said. She looked around the rehearsal hall. "Who wants to help the set designers turn this into a graduation after party."

I took Amos's hand and pulled him toward the door. "Sorry. Would love to stay and chat, but we have plans."

"We do?" Amos mumbled.

"Yes, we do." I waved them all farewell as we went out the door. "See you all tomorrow! Great show today."

We fell into the corridor and Amos laughed. "So what are we doing?"

"Anything but set design," I replied. "Oooh, I know. You could do me."

"I thought you said?—"

"That was past-me. Now-me wants it, and future-me agrees."

"Chase," he murmured.

"Just a little orgasm. It doesn't have to be a big orgasm. Just a little one."

He looked up to the sky and sighed. "Can I just point out the mixed signals you give? You say you want something, then you change your mind. You say you don't want something, then you change your mind. How am I supposed to know what you really want?"

"I really want you to do me. That's what I really want."

"But earlier you said?—"

"Earlier-me was a dick to now-me. We've been through this. "

He snorted out a laugh and dug his fingers into his eyeballs. "You need to make up your mind and stick to it. Now if we do something, you could regret it and tell me you'd said you didn't want to do anything until the filming was over."

"The filming is over."

"For today. Technically it ends tomorrow."

Now it was my turn to sigh. Because he had a point. I had said we shouldn't do anything in bed until the filming was all over because I needed to separate us from our characters.

"Fine," I conceded. "If you won't give me an orgasm, the very least you can do is give me tacos. I missed lunch and I'm starving."

I just happened to say this somewhat loudly, and as people were walking past us, they laughed, and Amos let out a long-suffering sigh. "No one appreciates my pain."