Page 47 of Method Acting

“Did you want to talk about anything we did today?” I asked. “Was how I acted as Dominic okay with you? You need to tell me if I cross a line or anything.”

He was quiet again for another second, like a pause, while he decided how honestly he was going to answer. “It was fine. I just... your character is very you. Dominic is very Chase-coded. And while Elijah is still introverted like me, my character is expected to conform to yours.” He sighed with a shrug. “I know it’s for ratings and whatever. Introverts and quiet book-types don’t make very interesting reality TV stars.”

I sat up and stared at him. “Are you kidding? Introverts make the best characters. All mysterious and shit. And you guys always get to be the serial killers and psychos. You know, it’s the quiet ones you gotta watch.”

It was an attempt to get him to smile, and it kinda worked. “Gee, thanks.”

“I get it,” I said, putting my hand on his knee. “And people are gonna be watching us. Watching you. That’s a lot, I get it. So if you need to decompress alone, then I get that too.”

“Like you’re leaving me alone right now?” He gestured to the empty room, then to him and me. “Alone, but with you.”

I grinned at him. “Exactly!”

“So, everything is about you.”

I gave his knee a shove. “See? You know exactly what it’s like to be in a relationship with me.”

His lips twisted into something that was almost a pouty smirk. “God. Even being in a fake relationship with you is a lot.”

I laughed and jumped up to my feet. I held out my hand and pulled him up. “Come on, I need food.”

“You always need food.”

“Oh my god, you are so good at this.”

He was smiling when we picked up our bags, just as some girls—freshmen—came barreling in. They stopped when they saw us, giggled, and got all shy, so I grabbed Amos’s hand and pulled him out of the room.

I dropped his hand as we got outside and we headed toward the dining hall. “I get the feeling we need to get used to that,” I said.

“Would you ever get used to it?”

I held the door open for him to go inside. “Hell yes. Fame and fortune all the way.”

“So you need security to get groceries?”

“Dude. Fame and fortune. I’m talking enough fortune so I can pay someone else to shop for me.”

He rolled his eyes and took a tray. I was surprised he was going to eat but never made a point to mention it. I was just glad. I took a plate of pasta and salad, some fruit and a juice, then threw on some bread as well.

He chose pretty much the same, just not as much, which was fair.

We sat down at the back of the dining hall. He faced the wall; I faced the room. I was kinda glad he couldn’t see the people watching us.

“I think it’ll settle down once filming starts,” I said after we’d eaten a bit. “People will be used to seeing the cameras around. Pretty sure Deirdre said there were announcements going out about the filming and to remind people to please not interrupt or act like idiots in the background.”

He nodded slowly. “Yeah, given it’s basically an insight into life at FU, I’m guessing they don’t want any bad raps. I mean, they’re calling it some fictional college, but everyone will know it’s here.”

“True.” I stabbed some pasta with my fork, wondering how I should say this... “And once the bulletin goes out, people will know I’m Dominic and you’re Elijah, so when they see us with the cameras around, they’ll know we’re in character.” I made a face at my lunch. “I mean, just in case you... if you don’t want people to think you and me are... dating for real.”

He looked at me then. “I don’t care what people think. I’ve told you that. But you do, clearly.”

“No, not like that,” I said quickly. “I don’t care if people think I’m dating you. I don’t care if they see us together. It’s their idea of who I should date that makes them write stupid comments on social media. But at least writing our character names next to our real names will remind them that we’re just acting.”

He did a weird thing with his eyebrows that kinda came off as sarcastic without him having to say a word. He was so good at silent acting. “Sure.”

God.

Now I’d made it weird, and I wasn’t even sure how.

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