Page 4 of Baby Love

The producer, Khun Hom, appears to be giving everyone some time to chat before we begin the workshop, so I clear my throat and say, “Spin, can I talk to you before things get started?”

“Oh, sure. See you guys later.” Spin waves to Daeng and Aod and follows me to a quiet corner.

“I was surprised to hear you left Hearts Entertainment. Were you unhappy there?” I ask when we sit down on one of the couches. “I’ve always heard Hearts is one of the better production companies to work for.”

Taking a sip of his bubble tea, Spin shrugs. “No, it was fine. But SPPT’s better, don’t you think? You’ve been with them a while.``

“Sure. They’ve been good to me.”

I remember Spin’s co-star in that series was Bang Suramongkol and wonder if he was the reason Spin left. Of course, not all paired actors stay together—I’ve been through a few partners since I started in the bl industry a few years ago. But if things were uncomfortable enough, it might push Spin to leave the company.

Khun Hom’s PA comes by and hands us each a script with our names in marker at the top. Spin opens his.

“We’ll just be doing a lot of get-to-know-you exercises today,” I tell him, since he looks a little nervous. “After that, we’ll run through scenes together, probably with the acting coach.”

Spin looks relieved. “Okay. That sounds like what we did at Hearts. I wasn’t sure if it was the same with every company. I’ve been reading the novel, but I’m not finished yet. Have you read it?”

“Yeah, I read it a couple of months ago when I heard I was going to be cast in the series,” I tell him.

“Attention!” Khun Hom calls out. When everyone’s quiet, she requests that each member of the cast introduce themselves. I begin, and when it’s Spin’s turn, he blushes but stands and tells everyone who he is in a loud, clear voice. He’s small and has a cap of dark, wavy hair, round eyes, and a smile that draws people in. I remember how confident he was on stage, and how I admired that about him.

Cream, who sat down on my other side when Khun Hom started talking, leans toward me and whispers, “The two of you look great together. Seriously.”

Hope blossoms in my chest. Spin and I were good together in the play—maybe we’ll get lucky and still have that chemistry so many people said we had back then. Maybe our ship will be successful and my career will finally take off.

Chapter Three: Spin

Kiet is lying on his stomach on the couch in my apartment, thumbing through Instagram on his phone. It’s rare for me to get to be alone with him like this because Daw monopolizes all his time.

“So…Park Rardchawat, the guy you had a crush on when you starred with him in the university play, is your new ship partner,” he says teasingly.

“I didn’t have a crush on him.”

“Yes, you did. A big, fat, ugly one.”

I throw a balled up sock at him, and it bounces off his arm.

“Stop giving me a hard time and help me pick something to wear. Our agent spent thirty minutes telling us how important it is for our ship to make a good impression at this event, and I’m nervous.”

Tossing his phone down, Kiet gracefully rolls off the sofa. “That should be easy. You and Park had real chemistry in the play. Everyone shipped you back then.”

“That was years ago!”

“Well, you must still have it, or they wouldn’t have cast you together,” Kiet says. “How are the workshops going?”

“It’s mostly been the cast getting acquainted so far.”

“Come on,” Kiet says, and I follow him into the bedroom where he stops at the closet I share with my sister. “Did they say anything about you and Park color coordinating at this event? I've noticed from clips my sister's made me watch that the guys often do that.”

I frown and pick up my phone, scrolling back through my texts from the producer. “Shit! I didn’t even see this text. Red with black or navy pants.” I hug him. “You saved my life.”

Chuckling at my dramatics, Kiet gives me a squeeze before turning back to the closet and pulling out a red shirt. “Okay, so this with…” he finds a pair of dark blue dress slacks. “These. And these shoes.” He picks up a pair of black leather loafers from the rack on the closet floor.

“Are you sure?” I ask, looking them over critically.

“Absolutely. I’ll do your hair and put a little makeup on you when you get out of the shower. Where is this event being held?”

“At the convention center downtown. Oh! Do you think you can give me a lift? I meant to ask you earlier.” I sift through my drawer of socks.

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