Page 45 of Hot Set

“He just took a shower and spent the night,” I replied. “It’s not that big a deal.”

Even though I’d looked over Alex more than I probably should’ve when he came out of the shower, my shirt clinging to his abdominal muscles. I might’ve glanced once or twice at his sleep-tousled hair as he stumbled about the morning after.

“You like him,” Seth said, fixing me with an intense stare.

I caught the implications of the statement, and my heart quickened. Despite his carefree attitude and flippancy Seth tried to portray; I knew he was observant. And he’d figured out that I felt more for Alex than I should. I swallowed, trying to decide whether or not to deny what he was saying.

“Everyone likes Alex,” I said. “He’s fun and talented. Quick-witted.”

“But not everyone invites Alex over to their apartment to spend the night,” Seth said.

“I’ve invited the whole crew over to my apartment,” I countered. “You included. You drank me out of house and home.”

Seth smirked and shrugged. “What can I say?” he asked, climbing onto the edge of a table and sitting there. “I’m in a very stressful line of work.”

“When you bother to show up.”

Seth waved a dismissive hand. “Details,” he said. “Youstilldidn’t invite me to stay the night.”

Sometimes, I really felt like Seth just tried to be as infuriating as possible. He probably got some sort of twisted enjoyment out of making me miserable.

“You know very well that you could’ve stayed the night if you really wanted to,” I said, lightly kicking his shin. “Quit being an ass.”

Seth’s grin suddenly fell. His eyes studied me for a long moment, seemingly contemplative. Somehow, now thoughtful, solemn Seth was more worrisome than loud, obnoxious Seth. “What are you thinking?” I asked.

“Are you in love with him?” Seth asked gently.

My breath caught in my throat. “It doesn’t matter,” I said, after a beat. “I have too much to do already. My father is going to show up any day now. We only have a week left, and we can’t possibly get everything done in that amount of time. That’s a question for an opportune moment.”

“I think it does matter,” Seth said, and again, “Are you in love with him?”

I sighed and set my script aside. Seth wasn’t going to drop this until he got an answer; that much was quite obvious. “I am,” I said, “but it doesn’t matter.”

“Itdoesn’t matteryou love someone?” Seth asked, sounding incredulous. “Good God, has this film project leeched all the romance out of you like some parasite?”

“Alex is a nice guy.Andhe likes you back. He really does.”

I sighed. “He’s not even gay,” I replied.

Seth’s eyes widened. “I see I have my work cut out for me,” he muttered. “Look, Brandon. Alex likes you.Reallylikes you. He’s head over heels for you.”

My heart skipped a beat when Seth said that. “Did he… tell you that?” I asked.

Seth sighed and leaned back, only to discover he sat on a table and not a chair; almost falling back; his legs flying up. “Yes,”Seth admitted, grabbing the edge of the table just in time, “and maybe I gave him some advice. Bad advice, maybe, but I felt like…”

“What did you tell him?” I asked. “To set me on fire?”

“No,” Seth replied. “I… I’ll admit I discouraged him, okay? But I did it with the best of intentions. I didn’t know you were in love with him, and you know I’m not big on work romances anyway…”

Not since he’d been involved with a coworker named Julia. She was the make-up artist on a film Seth was in, and while it had begun as a sweet, storybook romance, it fell apart, disastrously. And from the stories Seth told aboutthat, I believe he’d see the need to warn people against work romances. That was good advice anyway.

“That was… actually, exactly what you should’ve told him,” I said. “Work romances generallyarea bad idea.”

“Yes,” Seth said, “But if you both like each other… I mean, maybe I was wrong. Besides, the two of you are far more mature than Julia and me.”

I began chewing the end of my pen again, as I mulled over the idea. Inside, my pulse quickened. I’d already imagined how wonderfully this could all go. I imagined going straight to Alex’s house and admitting Iwasin love with him and had been for a long time. Heat rushed to my face, and I hoped that Seth hadn’t noticed. He’d tease me if he had.

But I didn’t know what my future was going to be. I knew what Alex’s would be, though; the FBI, Washington D.C. That was his dream and what he was going to do. He needed to focus on that. I’d just be a distraction from achieving what he really wanted. And I’d never be able to forgive myself if I kept Alex from that.

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