Page 5 of Hot Set

Brandon held the door open for me. As I entered, a burst of noise filled my ears. Shouting warred for space with music and the sounds of sewing machines, cameras clicking, and wheels squeaking as scenery was moved. A flash went off. A crowd of zombies ambled by, followed by a woman in a very form-fitting blue velvet dress.

The make-up wasn’t bad. Not at all.

“So, as you can see, we’re kind of in full production,” Brandon said proudly. “It’s a work in progress. I’ve never really—you know—worked on a set before, but I’m trying my best.”

We wove through a crowd of zombies, followed by a few schoolgirls with katanas strapped to their backs. Whatever Brandon’s movie was, it was going to begreat, judging from the characters I had seen thus far. We passed a set, a background ofa swamp. It was incredible. Beyond incredible. From a distance, it didn’t look like a painting; it looked like the real thing. It was only when I was close that I could see it had been painted, airbrushed.

“Great, isn’t it?” Brandon asked.

“It’s amazing,” I replied.

“My friend Mark painted it,” Brandon replied. “He’s been a good sport about doing a lot of the sets for me. His boyfriend, too.”

“A good sport?” I asked.

Brandon laughed. “We were dating for a bit,” he replied, shrugging. “It didn’t work out. No harm, no foul, though. He’s a great guy.”

“That’s very mature of you,” I said.

“I don’t think so. That’s just being decent,” Brandon said. “It’s not really all that worthy of praise.”

I didn’t really know what to say about that. I supposed Brandon was right—to a degree. Itshouldn’tbe that much of a novelty to be a good person, but while I hadn’t had much in the way of friends, I had watched people who did. I knew that it wasn’t always all that easy or commonplace to find someone who was a good person.

“Have you dated a lot of guys?” I asked.

Brandon arched an eyebrow.

“I’m just wondering,” I replied. “To be fair, any number is a lot to me. I’ve never even been on a date.”

Brandon whistled between his teeth. “And how did this happen?” he asked.

I shrugged. “I’m awkward around women.”

Around everyone, really.

“I just kind of have a hard time approaching people,” I replied. “I—um—well…”

I didn’t want to admit that I’d considered Brandon was a human trafficker or that I’d thought several times of canceling my visit to his set. There didn’t seem to be any way to say it that wouldn’t come across as insulting.

“Well, lucky for you I was there!” Brandon declared, winking. “I get it, though. Sometimes, it’s hard to talk to attractive people. It takes practice and a lot of rejection.”

“I don’t imagine you get all that much rejection,” I replied wryly.

“You’d be surprised,” Brandon said.

“Hey, Brandon!”

Brandon turned around. A man in a black leather jacket andverytight jeans approached us. His hair was dark and thick, clearly straightened within an inch of its life, and his eyes were a sharp, piercing hazel. Once he was close, I caught the scent of his cologne—something spicy and subtle. The man grinned, showing off perfect teeth. “New actor?” the man asked, his eyes snapping to me.

“New friend,” Brandon replied. “Alex, this is Seth.”

Seth tilted his head back and flipped his dark bangs, as though he was filming a commercial for shampoo right at that moment. “Nice to meet you!”

“You, too,” I replied.

“Seth is our hero,” Brandon replied, “In the film, at least.”

“That’s right,” Seth said. “I’m theonlysurvivor of the zombie cast ofHamilton…among other things.”

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