I watched his posture stiffen and began to feel guilty. “No, I’m not going to stop being your friend. Don’t mind me. I care too much about what other people think. I need to stop.”
Damon’s eyes flickered between mine as he studied me. I felt a little like I was under a microscope and grew self-conscious. Finally, he said, “Good, because I still need you to help me find a decent barber.”
What was this? Humour from Damon Atwood? He wasn’t smiling but his voice held a hint of teasing.
I shot him a look of mock horror. “But I like your hair how it is. Don’t listen to Jacob — you can easily just slick it back when you’re on stage.”
He ran a hand through his long locks. “Nah, it’s a bother this long, any road. I could do with getting the chop.”
“Yeah?”
The tiniest, most minuscule smile tugged at the edges of his lips, and my heart leapt. His eyes were warm as he responded, “Aye.”
“Well, okay then, meet me out front after rehearsals, and I’ll take you to the place Julian gets his hair done.”
“Sounds like a plan,” said Damon, leaving me to finish the last of my sandwich.
Seven.
*Damon*
Rehearsals ended half an hour ago. I took a shower and currently stood outside in the cold, waiting for Rose. I rubbed my palms together, my breath visible in the chilly evening air. Several members of the cast passed me by, sending curious glances my way. They were probably all wondering what I was doing, waiting around on my tod.
Aside from a surprisingly interesting conversation with Alicia yesterday, I hadn’t really made much of an effort to befriend anyone. The only person I really spoke to was Rose¸ and when she wasn’t around — for instance, when we were running lines from the script — I felt oddly alone. All day I couldn’t get the phrase “show crush” out of my head. I’d never heard of it before, but it made sense. Lots of celebrity couples met through working together.
Sure, when being interviewed they all gave the same answer about acting out love scenes.
No, I didn’t enjoy it. We’re like brother and sister.
Or….
It was more awkward than sexy, especially when you have twenty pairs of eyes watching your every move.
Often these things were true, but other times they weren’t. I hadn’t ever filmed a love scene; however, I was sure that if I had to do one with a woman I was attracted to, I’d feel something other than awkwardness. If I had to touch her, pretend to be aroused and listen to her laboured breathing, even if it was fake, I’d feel…oh, bloody hell. I’d be horny as fuck, let’s put it that way.
“You shouldn’t be out here with damp hair. You’ll catch your death,” said Rose as she approached me. “Sorry I’m late, by the way. I got held up talking with Iggy.”
I shrugged. “No worries.”
“The barber’s isn’t too far from here. Do you want to walk?” she asked.
“Sure,” I replied, and held out my arm. She linked hers through it, and I let her lead the way. Glancing down, I saw she’d let her hair out of its knot. The long, wavy strands framed her face and disappeared inside her thick winter coat.
“I don’t suppose Iggy held you back to discuss what a lost cause of a dancer I am,” I said self-deprecatingly.
Rose grinned, her pretty lips curving at the edges, and shook her head. “Nope. One of the backing dancers was in a minor car accident this morning and will need to be replaced. He was asking my opinion on who to call. I know a lot of people in the biz.”
“Ah, I see.” I wanted to ask her why she couldn’t do it. In fact, I’d been wondering why she wasn’t a part of the cast for a while now. She was certainly good enough.
“And stop being so down on yourself,” she went on. “You’re not as bad as you were five days ago, and that’s saying something. If you want, we can go back to the studio after your haircut and have our first private lesson.”
I tilted my head at her. “I wondered if you’d forgotten.”
“Of course I hadn’t. I actually went to find you yesterday to set a time, but you were in your dressing room with Alicia and I didn’t want to interrupt.”
My brow furrowed. “Why not?”
Her shoulders rose and fell on a sigh as she glanced away. The tip of her nose was