Page 1 of Baby Love

Chapter One: Spin

When the taxi lets me out by the sidewalk, I spot my friends waiting outside the bar for me and race toward them. When Kiet turns around, I jump into his arms.

“I got it! I got the part! Oof!”

Kiet hugs me so hard I momentarily lose my breath then spins me around until I’m dizzy. We’ve gotten closer lately, since Pravat started dating Rama and has less time for his best friend, Kiet. When Kiet sets me on my feet, I’m so dizzy I stagger, and Bass has to grab my shoulders to steady me.

“I knew you’d get it!” Cushion’s long hair tickles my nose as she pulls me into a hug.

“That makes one of us,” I say. When I went to the audition yesterday afternoon, I hoped to get a part, but not the one I ended up getting. SPPT was my top pick of companies to work for, but I’m green, having acted in only one boys’ love drama last year. Although it was well received, I was part of the secondary couple, and their story didn’t have much air time. Cushion had encouraged me to try out for one of the main roles, but I wanted to start with something smaller.

“Drinks are on me,” Kiet says, wrapping his arm around my neck. Standing only five feet five inches, I’m quite a bit shorter than all of my friends. Even Cushion towers over me.

Our usual table at the Pickle Barrel is free, and we make our way around the other tables to get to it.

“I’m so proud of you for going for what you want, Baby,” Cushion tells me. The nickname Baby stuck after I played the part in a gay version of Dirty Dancing at university. Apparently, it fits my personality because, according to my friend group, I’m cuddly, clingy, and needy.

We met at the beginning of our freshman year at university, all of us majoring in theater except for Kiet, who went into engineering. After graduation, we remained in Bangkok. I was over the moon when I landed a part in a bl with Hearts Entertainment. Pravat and Rama are actors with the company, and I’m sure they put in a good word for me. But when the series ended, so did my ship with my co-star, Bang. I didn’t expect that, and it bothered me so much, I made the decision to leave. Part of it is because I really do want to work for SPPT—they make great bl dramas. But I have to admit it’s also because I’m a little hurt. I thought my ship with Bang worked. I know it’s all supposed to be just a show, but the relationship between me and Bang felt real to me. By the time filming and promotion ended for our series, Love Time, I was well on my way to having a serious crush on him, and then the next thing I knew, we were over.

This wasn’t the first time I fell for my costar. I did it in Dirty Dancing, too, and isn’t that ironic because—

“What can I get you?” My thoughts are interrupted by the waiter, and we all quickly put in our orders.

“Aren’t you going to miss Bang?” Bass asks when the server leaves. He has no idea about my crush and the knife he’s twisting.

“Sure, but I wanted a change,” I say, doing my best to appear nonchalant.

My friends share looks that tell me I’m not fooling them at all.

Sighing, I say, “They broke up our ship, and I don’t know why. I just wanted to get out of there.”

“But you and Bang were so cute together!” Cushion exclaims.

“I thought so, too.” I lay my head on her shoulder and she runs her fingers through my hair.

Affection is my love language. A good therapist would probably say I didn’t get enough of it growing up.

“And we had fans,” I bemoan. “But the executives put Bang with Knot for his next role, and they didn’t have any immediate plans for me. It was embarrassing.”

“Don’t worry. You’ll get a better partner at SPPT,” Bass says. “Do you know who you’re paired up with yet?”

Before I have time to answer, Kiet stands up from the table, and I look up to see his girlfriend, Daw, has arrived. Damn. When I didn’t see her before, I hoped it meant she couldn’t come. Bass, Cushion, and I aren’t very fond of her. On the rebound from his short-lived relationship with Rama’s sister, Kiet fell hard and fast for Daw, but it didn’t take long for us to a be privy to a side of her that Kiet never sees.

“Spin,” she says in greeting, her voice lacking warmth.

“Daw,” I say, trying to sound a little more enthusiastic. I get that she hates me because she’s jealous that Kiet and I are close. But couldn’t she at least fake it for her boyfriend’s sake?

The waiter brings our drinks, including a fancy imported beer Kiet must have ordered for Daw. She sits on Kiet’s other side at the small, round table.

“Congratulations, Baby,” Kiet toasts me. Daw rolls her eyes at his use of my nickname but doesn’t comment.

“Thanks,” I say.

“We were just asking Baby about his role,” Cushion says.

“I got the part of Boom,” I say, smiling.

Cushion turns to me, eyes widening comically. “Wait. What? You auditioned for a main role? But you didn’t rehearse for that one!” Having read the book that the series is based off of, she insisted the part of Boom was perfect for me and I should go for it, but I didn’t listen.

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