Page 7 of Dramatic AF
Jayden had justified my presence at the theater by introducing me as his new boyfriend. While easier than explaining why he needed a bodyguard, the white lie created a whole new set of problems.
And expectations.
I constantly felt the eyes of the cast and crew on me, watching to see what I would do next, especially when it came to Jayden. Did I bring him lunch and coffee? Did I praise him after a scene? Did I show the proper amount of affection during our interactions?
They never said anything out loud, but their expressions spoke volumes.
The unexpected attention did have certain advantages, though. For instance, it made it easier to spot those who went out of their way to avoid me.
When I encountered someone new, I paid close attention to their body language. I might not know who had been on the other side of the screen, but the anonymous user had both my name and a photograph.
So far, I had met the three main suspects, and not one of them had seemed surprised or suspicious when Jayden had introduced me as his partner. There had been no nervousness, no tension.
Even if two out of the three happened to be trained actors, no one was that good at hiding their reactions. While not definitive proof of innocence, I didn’t think Jayden’s co-star, understudy, or his director had made the request.
Which put me right back at square fucking one.
“I’m starving,” Jayden said as he flopped into the seat beside me.
“Are you finished?”
“Yeah, but I kind of want to go over that last scene again. It just doesn’t feel right.”
“Does that mean you want me to order food?”
His face lit up, his eyes bright and beseeching. “Please?” Leaning back, he plucked at the front of his shirt and chuckled. “I’m not really dressed to go out anyway.”
Today, he’d donned a pair of neon pink leggings dotted with black stars, pairing it with another oversized black tee knotted at the hip. I doubted any restaurant would turn him away, but I also understood he had an image to maintain.
“Craving anything in particular?”
Tucking his bare feet under him, he sat cross-legged and leaned to the side to rest his head on my shoulder. “Whatever you want is fine.”
I’d noticed he had a habit of running around the theater barefoot, even during rehearsals. While I didn’t know what he had against shoes, I found the quirk kind of cute. Gross, but endearing, nonetheless.
“How about sushi?”
“Ooh, yes. Please and thank you.”
I chuckled and reached over to ruffle his hair, not really thinking about it until it drew quiet giggles from a couple of female crew members on stage.
“Can I have bubble tea?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. It’s already late.”
Maybe because he didn’t drink it often, but he seemed particularly sensitive to caffeine, and even small amounts disrupted his sleep. The last time I’d indulged him so late in the day, he had barely slept, and he’d arrived at rehearsal looking like an adorable zombie.
He gripped my bicep and rolled his head to look up at me with big doe eyes. “Just a little one?”
I laughed again and shook my head. “How about ginger tea instead?”
Jayden scrunched his nose and stuck his tongue out. “Blech.”
I flicked the end of his tongue to force it back into his mouth. “They have a citrus tea that’s pretty good.”
“Mm, okay,” he relented. “I’ll try it.”
“That’s the spirit,” I teased, pinching the end of his nose and wiggling it playfully.
