by M. J. O'Shea
“What’s wrong with him?” Jenna mused.
Tony shrugged. He wasn’t going to think about it. He refused to think about it.
Everyone stayed for another hour or so, then emptied out slowly until it was only him, Blair, Sander, and sleeping Lizzie. He helped Blair and Sander clean up, although quite a few of the cast members had done some cleaning before they left. Tony knew he liked them for a reason. After everything was put back where it belonged, Tony stretched out on the sofa with a light blanket and an extra pillow.
“Sorry your room got commandeered, man,” Blair said.
Tony shrugged. “It’s okay. I’m the one who put her in there. I’ll be fine.” He was tired of saying that he was fine. Of course, having people who gave a shit whether he was okay or not was probably something to be grateful for. “Night, bro,” he said to Blair.
Blair reached out and ruffled his hair. “Night.”
HE WAS woken in the morning by a sheepish-looking Lizzie. “Sorry I stole your room. I need to tone it down,” she muttered. “I owe you dinner or something for sticking you out here on the couch.”
Tony sat up. His back hurt from the too-soft pillows that liked to slide out until they were halfway off the couch and he was wedged in the gap between them and the back. It had been a long night. “It’s okay. You good to get home?”
She nodded. “I really will make you dinner sometime.”
Tony thought of Lizzie’s cooking skills, or rather the horrible lack thereof. “Maybe buy me dinner instead?”
She giggled. “Probably best that way.”
He didn’t notice his phone’s message light flashing until after Lizzie was out the door. Tony picked it up gingerly. It could be nothing. Most of him hoped it was nothing.
It wasn’t nothing.
Come over to my place today. I should be done on set by six. I think we need to talk.
The message was from Casey and was followed by the address of what must be his new condo in town. Of course it was. Jesus. He’d never been there before. Last year it was hot nights hiding in one of their hotel rooms and hidden kisses in the corners of various sets. Sometimes Tony wished he could neatly strip every last one of them from his memory like in some sci-fi movie.
“WE’VE GOTTA stop doing this,” Casey murmured.
Tony was plastered over his chest. He barely had his breath back, and he was still spinning. It had been the most intense ten minutes of his life. He didn’t know how he was supposed to stay away.
“I don’t want to stop,” Tony whispered.
From the kiss at the pool, to a few kisses on set, to too many nights spent wrapped around each other, he was addicted. It was official.
“I don’t either,” Casey said. “But—”
“We’re adults.”
“Let’s just go to sleep, okay?” Casey said.
“Okay. Maybe I should go back to my room. I have an early call tomorrow.”
Casey tightened his arms. “No. Please stay.”
Tony relaxed into the embrace and let his eyes grow heavy….
TONY WANTED to throw his phone against the wall. He wanted to be a pathetic sucker and hop in his car, race all the way over to Casey’s place, and drag him to bed. But he refused to let himself. Not again.
Pretty sure you said it all last spring when you rejected me. You don’t want me, so leave me alone. Don’t text again.
He turned his phone off after that, stuck the damn thing in his desk drawer, changed into board shorts and flip-flops, and took off for the beach down the street. It would be deserted in the middle of the week—no tourists, no fans, just a few people who also owned houses along the same strip, and most of them would be at work. Tony flopped down on the sand and looked at the long stretch of quiet pale beach. Deserted in both directions, not a single soul in sight. Good.
Perfect place to hide.
Chapter Four
Hey Tiffers! TV Tiffany here, as usual with your Monday update.
Do I have some goss for you! It’s steamy and oh so hottie-hot-hot, but it’s not about something that happens on your favorite TV series. No misses and misters. It’s about what’s rumored to be going on behind the scenes! Totally adorable Tony Adams, who plays Joey on Coconut Cove, and runway style hottie Blair Fletcher, who plays Ryder, have been spotted getting cozy at local hotspot Pirate’s Booty—no sign of Blair Fletcher’s hometown hottie of a boyfriend. Or should I say ex-boyfriend? Who knows at the rate this twosome seems to be steaming things up. Maybe Blair’s old romance turned sour and adorable Tony is comforting his BFF the only way he knows how. Lots and lots of kisses.
Reports say the two have been giggling and acting cuddly in the grass hut VIP booths that are unfortunately hard to see from the regular section of the bar. I only wish there were more pictures! Sounds delicious. We’ll have to use our imaginations. The thoughts of them kissing will be enough to entertain me for weeks.
I hope that Levi, Tony’s on-screen love, doesn’t get jealous! Don’t worry, sweetie. I’ll find you someone to cuddle with. I’m sure you’d get tons of applications.
xoxo
Tiff
“TONY, CAN I please talk to you?” Casey looked as hot as he always did, all done up as Evan, with preppy plaid shorts, a polo, and a pair of Sperrys. Tony was both glad and annoyed that they’d let him keep his newly-grown hot surfer hair. He hadn’t started season one with it, but it had grown in a little over the months, and the golden curls didn’t do much for Tony’s self-control. There wasn’t much about Casey that helped his self-control. Tony gritted his teeth. He was annoyed with Casey and even more with himself for not being able to let go completely.
“I don’t know what there is to say.” Tony sighed. “Listen, I don’t want to be a dick, but you were pretty clear about your feelings last spring. Why are we still doing this?”
“Are you and Blair really together now?” Casey asked abruptly. It looked like he had to spit it out, like maybe it was hard for him to ask. Tony would’ve been smug about that if he wasn’t so pissed about the whole situation.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Well, all the tabloids are saying you two seem awfully cozy. And there are pictures of you two together.”
“Of course there are pictures of us together.” Part of him wanted to deny it outright. It wasn’t fucking true, of course. There was no part of it that was true, and Casey should damn well know that. Blair was like a brother to him, which was one of the reasons the whole romance between them was so ridiculous. But another part of him was still pissed enough to let Casey believe it. So he shrugged. Didn’t say yes, didn’t say no. Tony knew the whole time he was doing it that he was a big asshole for playing games. He didn’t really care.
“Since when are you into him?” Casey’s unsure face had turned angry. Tony tried to keep from rolling his eyes.
“I’m not going to dignify that with an answer. You don’t care. You shouldn’t care. You made it very clear that you didn’t want to be with me. And if you don’t want to be with me, you don’t get to decide who does.”
“I did want to be with you. We already talked about why it’s not—”
“Yeah. Image, image, blah, blah. You don’t want to be seen with me in public because it wouldn’t look good for your reputation. Man, I almost wish it was just that you weren’t that into me. At least then, I wouldn’t feel like I’m an embarrassment to you.”
“Tony. That’s not—”
“No. Just no. Do you have any idea how humiliating that was for me? I thought we had something, and then you fucking…. No. I’m not doing all of this again.”
He didn’t wait for Casey to say another word. Instead, he walked off toward the set, where he was needed. Dramatic, maybe, but necessary too. They were there to work, after all. Work, not get into dumb confrontations about fake romances.
It felt so childish, like Casey wanted to walk away but keep Tony on a hook at the same time. The whole damn thing wasn’t fair. H
e didn’t get it. Maybe he was too straightforward for the whole scene, but either he wanted someone or didn’t. He’d wanted Casey. Hell, as much as he wished he didn’t, he still wanted Casey. Simple as that. Casey was the one who seemed to want to play games. Tony was fucking tired of them, and he was late for his call.
BLAIR WAS waiting on the set that was his bedroom. They’d changed some things over the break—moved a few pictures, added some souvenirs from Paris and Switzerland. It was still comforting somehow, like it was his real friend’s room, instead of just a set. Tony supposed he liked the familiar, after everything that had happened.
“Thought you were going to ditch us. Amy’s been running around looking for you.”
“I was in wardrobe.”
“Did the White Witch kidnap you and take you to her palace or something? You were gone forever.”
Tony was in the middle of growling and laughing. “No. It was C—”
And then he remembered he hadn’t told the guy who was pretty much his best friend in the world about Casey. He didn’t know what to say. Who wants to admit that the guy they thought was the one they wanted, like, forever, didn’t want them back enough to actually go for it. Tony wasn’t going to hide in the damn closet for anyone. Even if the closet was about something other than sexuality. He wasn’t into being someone’s dirty secret.
“What’s up, dude? You look steamed.”
Blair probably wouldn’t take “fine” for an answer. He knew Tony better than that, and Tony was obviously not fine.
“Oh, just that bullshit the tabloids are making up about you and I, like, fucking or whatever.”
Blair laughed. “What, did someone actually believe that shit?” He looked incredulous.
Tony didn’t want to admit who’d believed it, so he did what actors do best. Made something up. “Yeah, like, Lorelei and a few of the girls in makeup were talking about it. I overheard them.”
“But Lorelei’s met Sander. More than once. How can anyone think I’d be messing around on him or that you’d be okay with it?”
Tony realized he probably had gotten Lorelei in trouble, and she hadn’t even done anything. He had to backtrack.
“Oh, I don’t think she bought it. I think the other girls did, but she was putting them off.”
Blair looked relieved. “That’s cool. I’d hate for people we know to think that we’d screw around like that. I’m not like that, and if you were with someone, you wouldn’t be like that either. I don’t get why anyone would say that shit.”
IT WAS weird again the next week. Tony hadn’t seen Casey for days, which wasn’t weird, because they rarely shared a scene, but it seemed like Joey and Mack had more and more scenes together as they started to be friends on the show. Which meant more scenes at the bed-and-breakfast set and the probability of Casey being around waiting for his own call time. He felt the possibility of a run-in with Casey weighing him down like this storm cloud that had been threatening to break for days but just made everything heavy and hot. A sad little part of him still wanted to see Casey. The rest of him was annoyed that he was such a fucking idiot for still wanting that asshole.
It was his third day at the bed-and-breakfast set that week. He’d been with Flynn all day, doing a few takes here and there, and a lot of waiting. Good thing he and Flynn spent a lot of time together anyway offset. If he’d been with Howie, like he knew Blair was going to be a lot this season, he’d probably die. He and Flynn had been playing cards for nearly an hour while the lighting guys futzed around, trying to get the lights in the right place. They’d gotten to the point where they were doing more throwing than playing, but it was fun to laugh. It would probably be more fun to get the shooting done and go to the beach by Blair’s house. The fans hadn’t found it yet, which surprised him, but he supposed it was off the beaten path. Tony considered himself lucky. He loved the fans, but he needed that place to be quiet and relax.
They were playing Speed, slapping cards down on the table way harder than necessary, when the hairs on Tony’s neck went up. Casey. There was something in him, some gene or mutated cell that found Casey every single time he was anywhere nearby. He had to be in the room. Tony didn’t have to turn around, and he didn’t want to. He wouldn’t give Casey the satisfaction.
“We’re ready, guys. Places!” Xara called out. She took her own place on the perimeter of the scene and waited for Flynn and Tony to get on their marks. As soon as they were ready, she called action, and they started to shoot the scene.
IT DIDN’T take much longer for them to finish their scenes. Pretty soon, Xara was calling it for the day. Tony and Flynn dragged themselves off their chairs and toward wardrobe. Tony wanted nothing more than to get his board shorts on and get to the beach, where he could hang out in solitude if he wanted. It would be deserted after dinner, and more and more often lately, Tony wanted to be alone. It was easier that way. He didn’t have to remember what to say to who, what drama to avoid. He was just… alone.
It was dumb, probably, to keep the Casey thing from Blair. Tony didn’t know why he didn’t want to tell his best friend, but something was holding him back. It changed everything, though. It felt like it was hard to talk to Blair, or anyone, if they didn’t know what he’d been through. Like, in the grand scheme of things, it had been so small, but it felt so big. Tony didn’t know how to act like himself, and he was sure his friends were starting to notice.
He waved at Flynn and turned to head toward wardrobe. He figured he shouldn’t have been surprised when he was pushed against the doorframe. Casey nosed along his neck and kissed his jaw. It felt fucking amazing, warm and tingly and sexy. Tony started to sink into the feeling. For a moment. It took about that long to remember what Casey had said, how he’d pushed Tony away and barely looked back. Not a word all summer.
“What the fuck?” Tony muttered. He pushed Casey on the chest. Hard.
“I miss kissing you. Don’t push me away.”
“Screw you. You don’t get your cake if you only want to eat it in a dark room where nobody can see. There’s a word for that, and it’s not healthy. Either you want me or you don’t.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Yeah, it is. Pretty simple as far as I’m concerned.”
“Not simple. I do want you.”
“But you don’t. Not really. I’m going now. I need to get out of this costume. Don’t follow me.”
Chapter Five
“YOU OKAY, man?” Joey asked Mack. He kicked at the sand where he’d dug his toes in. It was a nice day, balmy, midseventies. It happened like that sometimes in the winter. He’d pulled his hoodie off hours before and was relaxed against it, staring up at the clouds.
“I guess. It’s just weird being alone. I got used to having Kelly around.” Mack still didn’t look quite like he fit in Coconut Cove. His clothes were a bit too northern, and he hadn’t given up on his boots yet, but he was getting there. At least he was better at being friends with the other kids in school. It had been awkward when he’d pretty much only talk to Kelly.
“You think you two might make up?” he asked. Joey took a swig of his beer and passed it to Mack.
“I don’t know. I still have a lot of feelings for him.” He chuckled and shook his head. “I can’t believe I’m sitting here talking about this with a straight face.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want to be that guy. You know, relationship guy?” Mack shrugged. He looked embarrassed. “I was raised by two dudes. When they’re pissed at each other they repaint rooms. Or build shit. They don’t sit on the beach and talk.”
“Well, I was mostly raised by my mom and my older sisters. I know how to talk if you need me to.” Joey nudged Mack’s shoulder.
“Thanks, man. You have any more of these beers?”
Joey hopped up. “Yeah, there are more in the house. I’ll be right back.”
He’d been hanging out with Mack more and more often, when he wasn’t busy with Robbie and lying to his mom about it.
She wasn’t happy that he was friends with “that boy who’d spent the weekend in juvie.” She’d hate if she knew that wasn’t all there was to the story. Sometimes Joey couldn’t believe that was happening. It was surreal every time Robbie kissed him. And he was nice when they were alone. It gave Joey whiplash. Too bad he wasn’t like that in public. Joey wondered how much of it was just like Ryder—that Robbie was only acting the way everyone expected him to act.
When he got back out to the beach, Mack was still sitting there, unmoving. Joey felt bad for the guy. He really seemed like he’d been falling for Kelly. Joey still didn’t know what had happened. He hoped like hell it didn’t have anything to do with Ryder’s manipulative ass. Joey loved the hell out of the guy, but Ryder knew how to push buttons like nobody else.
“Here ya go.” Joey handed Mack his beer and sank back down into the sand.
Mack drank quietly for a few minutes, draining his beer to the bottom before he shoved the bottle into the sand next to the first.
“I should probably take those in,” Joey muttered. “I had an unfortunate incident with Roy, the beach cop, when I was about fourteen. He’s not a huge fan of mine.”
Mack chuckled, but he didn’t look happy. “I’m sure Roy is at home with his dinner.”
“Listen, I know you don’t know me all that well, but you can talk to me. Even if it’s not about Kelly every time. I’m a good listener.”
“Thanks. I’ll be fine. Just gotta get over it. I will eventually.” Mack smiled. “You’re pretty cool, you know. Not everyone around here is.”
There were definite hidden meanings there. Joey had no idea what had happened. They were fine when everyone left for break, and then all of a sudden, they weren’t. Something had to have gone down because Ryder was acting weird too, and Joey was about a million percent sure he didn’t want to know what it was. The last thing Joey needed was getting involved in whatever crap was between Kelly and Ryder. Nobody needed that. They loved each other more than anything, but they’d been competing for as long as Joey remembered their existence. He felt kinda bad for Mack, getting in the middle of it like he did. The poor guy hadn’t even known what crap he was getting involved in. Probably still didn’t get it. Nobody did.