Page 10 of Dramatic AF
“Don’t worry about it.” My co-lead patted me awkwardly on the shoulder. “David is under a lot of pressure.”
“We’re all under a lot of pressure,” I replied as I used the collar of my T-shirt to wipe the tears from my face. “That’s no reason to be a dick.”
Arkin tucked a strand of platinum hair behind his elongated ear and nodded solemnly. “His aura is awful.”
“Shocking,” I muttered under my breath. According to the elf, everyone in the theater had something wrong with their aura.
“Yours is looking much better, though,” he added, a curious smile pulling at his lips. “I’m glad to know my suggestions helped.”
“Oh, absolutely. Chamomile tea before bed and meditation in the morning totally helped.”
Oblivious to my sarcasm, he patted my shoulder again. “Thank you for taking care of that. It was quite distracting.”
Then he turned and wandered off stage, his shoulders back and his chest puffed out like he had just solved world hunger.
I stared at his back, a quiet chuckle rumbling in my chest. The guy had the personality of a wet mop, but at least he was consistent.
“Say the word, and I’ll hex him.”
My pulse jumped, and my face lit up with a bright smile when I spun around to find Trick standing just beyond the curtains. Although no one else had shown up to magic me into early retirement, he still insisted on sticking close at all times.
Granted, I had paid him handsomely for the service, but that fee hadn’t included daily food and drink deliveries. Nor did it come with a clause requiring him to curse anyone who annoyed me.
If he kept it up, I might start to think he liked me.
“Which one?” I asked as I shuffled over to join him. “David or Arkin?”
He pretended to think about it, then gave me a wicked grin and a casual shrug. “Why choose?”
I laughed, my previous annoyance with the director melting away. “What are you doing back there anyway?”
His gaze flickered around the perimeter of the theater, then back to me. “I was helping Molly move one of the set pieces, then I got roped into mediating a disagreement between the lighting crew and the sound techs.”
“Yeah, that sounds about right.” I hooked my arm around his and rested my head on his shoulder. “I’m sure it was appreciated.”
“You have no idea,” came a bright, cheerful voice from my left. “I like this one.”
Straightening, I peeked up at Trick before turning my attention to Molly. “What’s not to like?”
“Much better than the last one.” Another member of the cast joined us, slinging his arm around my neck and pulling me into an affectionate—though aggressive—embrace. “I don’t understand what you saw in that guy.” His mouth twisted, and he shook his head. “Pendejo.”
I sensed more than saw Trick tense, and I glanced over at him just in time to catch a flash of crimson flare around the edges of his irises. The glow had been brief, and I was pretty sure no one else had noticed, but I still extracted myself from Paulo’s embrace and inched closer to Trick’s side.
“Uh, you know Paulo, my understudy.”
Winding his arm around my waist, Trick pulled me against his side and dipped his head toward the male. “Mío.”
The sting of a blush heated my cheeks, and I ducked my head, biting my bottom lip to try to hide my smile. Paulo, however, didn’t have the same restraint.
“Dios,” he breathed, fanning his face as he shared a playful grin with Molly. “Qué bueno.”
“Okay, okay!” I called, my voice rising an octave. “I get it. We like Trick.”
“And Elijah was a clingy little asshole,” Molly added, holding her hands up when I glared at her. “Just saying.”
“He wasn’t that bad.”
“Oh,conejito.” Paulo shook his head with a sad sigh. “He really was.”
