Something Like Hope
Page 11
Word of our relationship had leaked out to select members of the cast. Dan was the first to know, but MA, Allison, and Court weren’t far behind. Dan wasn’t surprised in the least, and though Court was shocked to find out Lucas liked men, he had to admit that we made a good couple. The ladies took the news in stride, and MA showed up at our apartment the night it was official to bring us bread.
“If I were any kind of cook, I would have made a casserole. But I’m not, so you get bread machine bread.” She gave us a sassy wink, kissed us both, and left us in peace. I really adored that woman.
There were rumors. Of course there were. The tabloids were jam-packed with stories about a clandestine relationship between Lucas and me. When the first story popped up, I was filled with trepidation at the way Lucas would take it. I was surprised and more than a little pleased that he seemed unaffected. It probably helped that we weren’t the only pairing getting page time. One magazine insisted that Dan and I had been secret lovers for more than a decade, while another ran a story about Lucas and MA’s illicit love affair. At the end of the day, the rumors were just that and they could be easily ignored.
What was much more troublesome were the protests.
Miranda Lassiter, Jared Connors, and the rest of the security team were definitely earning their keep. Somehow, I’d never imagined that anti-gay groups would actually picket the warehouse where we filmed. They remained across the street, and I couldn’t help but think that Jared’s icy stare and dominating presence in the parking lot had something to do with that.
They showed up when we shot on location as well. It had yet to get out of hand. They did little more than shout and rant and rave. It meant that we had to do even more voiceover work in post than normal, but we all thought it was an acceptable price to pay. Security kept us safe and allowed us to do our jobs. The haters could congregate and yell if they wanted, it wasn’t keeping us from going on the air.
Because of all the buzz generated by the upcoming season, the network had decided to air what was originally going to be the two-part season opener as one long episode in a special broadcast. Marc decided to host a viewing party at DeLorio’s. He let us all out a little early, and when Lucas and I got to the restaurant, we were ushered into our regular room. Marc had set up a huge viewing screen across the back wall, and the tables had been rearranged so that we’d all be able to have our dinner and still see the screen.
Lucas sat close to me, and Dan had taken up residence on my other side. It was possibly self-indulgent that every last one of us stared with rapt attention as the episode played out. Connie had done a fantastic job cutting the scenes together. The episode was filled with exactly the right amount of tension, emotion, and angst.
Before I knew it, there we were on the screen. Dan had his arms around me and we kissed for several long moments before the screen faded to black. The room erupted into cheers. I knew the fans would be pleased, and it had made for a great show. I knew that the rest of the season lived up to the hype the first episode promised. Even better, the show had been picked up for a fifth season. We’d have a couple of weeks off before we started taping again.
I sat back, pleased with a job well done. But next to me, Lucas was tense. He took the noise and chaos in the room as an opportunity to lean in and whisper in my ear.
“I fucking hate seeing him kiss you.”
I grinned. “But you’re the only one that gets to kiss me for real.”
His scowl was incredibly hot. “Damn straight.”
I hooked my foot around his ankle underneath the table. Surreptitiously, I leaned in and pressed our legs together. “How about you take me home and do just that?”
Lucas sucked in a harsh breath through his nose. “We have to stay for dessert.”
“You’re right,” I said, my tone placating. I patted his thigh, then ran my fingers up his inseam before pulling away my hand. “Save that thought then.”
He gave me a glare. I sat back in my chair, a smug smirk on my face. Neither of us could be certain what the future held. But we were both fully invested and in love. It was all I could hope for.
THE END
ABOUT KRIS T. BETHKE
Kris T. Bethke has been a voracious reader for pretty much her entire life and has been writing stories for nearly as long. An avid and prolific daydreamer, she always has a story in her head.
She spends most of her free time reading, writing, or knitting/crocheting her latest project. Her biggest desire is to find a way to accomplish all three tasks at one time. A classic muscle car will always turn her head, and naps on the weekend are one of her greatest guilty pleasures. She lives in a converted attic with a way too fluffy cat and the voices in her head. She’ll tell you she thinks that’s a pretty good deal. Kris believes that love is love, no matter the gender of people involved, and that all love deserves to be celebrated.
For more information, visit kristbethke.com.
ABOUT JMS BOOKS LLC
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