Page 59 of Method Acting

I slid the tray of cookies into the fridge and closed the door, standing up. “Hey. Whassup?”

“You okay?”

I walked over to him, close enough so our conversation would be private. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

“It’s just that you haven’t come over . . .”

I gestured to the counter. “Uh, yeah, I’m at work.”

“Can you take a break?”

I checked the time. “Soon, I guess. Why?”

“’Cause it’s not the same without you. They’re all couple-y and I’m sitting there third wheeling it.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “And I don’t know what to do with my hands when you’re not there.”

I snorted. “You mean, you have no one to accost.”

“I don’t accost you. I... touch you. Why would you say it like that? Now it’s weird.”

I snorted at that. “Yeah, I’m the one who makes it weird.”

He made a face. Slipping his fingers under the waistband seam of my apron, he tugged me closer. “Take your break. Come and sit with me.”

Jesus. Now we were not even an inch apart. His face was far too close to mine, his eyes playful and imploring.

“Has anyone ever told you you’re annoying?”

“Yes. You tell me all the time.”

“And needy.”

“Well, I think that’s a first, but I don’t even mind.”

My god, he was pitiful. I sighed. “Mason,” I called out. “Gonna take my ten.”

Chase grinned, and when we turned around, the whole cast in the booth was watching us, cameras too. Aaaand the table by the door.

Just great.

Chase took my hand and dragged me over. “Look who I found.”

I was greeted with smiles and heyyyys around the table, and before I could pull a seat over, Chase sat and pulled me onto his knee. He pressed his face into the back of my arm, kept one hand on my thigh, the other on my waist.

Okay then.

It was a very boyfriend thing to do, so I went along with it.

Then he took his half-finished iced coffee and held it up to my mouth so I could sip from his straw. I figured it was a boyfriend thing to do as well, so I went along with that too.

We got a few funny looks but mostly everyone at the table wasn’t surprised. Were we taking the method acting thing too seriously? Or were they not taking it seriously enough?

Maybe because their character’s couples weren’t as established as ours. Elijah and Dominic have been together for a year. We had to establish a level of comfort around each other, and we’d done that.

I was comfortable with Chase. Despite my best efforts to not like the guy, I kinda did. He was easy to hang out with. Easy to joke with. Easy to antagonize and rankle.

Easy to sit on and cuddle with.

“Ready for your morning shoot?” Max asked, looking at me and Chase.

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