wouldn’t be so affected by the scene, but after talking with Blake, I was wired and tense. Therefore, seeing Alicia acting flirtatious with Damon made me violently jealous.
Speak of the devil, Blake stood in a group, but his eyes were on me. He seemed to notice where I was looking, and a curious expression crossed his face. I quickly went to stow away my coat and purse. The last thing I needed was Blake interfering in what was between Damon and me.
We got straight back to rehearsing, and by the time lunch came around, I was ready to collapse into bed and go to sleep. It was a good thing the cast would be running lines for the afternoon session. I could go home and relax, but not before I shared a quick lunch with Damon. I’d promised him we’d talk, and I’d never be mean enough to stand him up.
Ten.
*Damon*
It was a strange morning, and it only got stranger when I went to use the bathroom and bumped into Blake the arsehole. It seemed appropriate to be standing in the shitter. I’d just zipped up my fly when he walked inside, rubbing at the scruff on his jaw in agitation. I didn’t have anything to say to him, so I kept my mouth shut.
I did wish he’d quit standing there though, watching me. It was beginning to create an atmosphere, and atmospheres made me want to lash out. It was one of the main reasons why I spent so much time on my own. There was less chance of me doing irritating fuckers a mischief.
“So, Rose, eh?” he said, looking at me through the mirror as I washed my hands.
I only cocked a brow in response and turned off the tap. The bloke had been nothing but friendly when Jacob introduced us earlier, but now there was an air of hostility about him, and he could fuck right off if he thought I was gonna bite.
He let out a low chuckle at my continued silence and went on, “You might not know this, but we used to have a thing, Rosie and me.”
“Good for you,” I muttered, and turned to leave.
“Ah, he speaks,” Blake declared, and I suddenly wanted to punch the sod. “Look, I’m not trying to a dick — ”
“No?” I interrupted, and he laughed.
“No. In fact, I’d like us to be mates. It’ll be a long old three-month stint when this thing finally goes to stage if we’re both hating on each other.”
“I don’t hate you. I don’t know you,” I replied evenly.
He let out a long, over-exaggerated sigh. “Let’s cut the bullshit, shall we? I’ve been asking around, and apparently you and Rose are tight. And since I know her so well, I know she wears her heart on her sleeve and has probably told you all about what happened between us.”
When I didn’t respond, he barked another amused laugh. “So that’s how it’s gonna be, eh? Look, I just wanted to tell you that I’m not here to cause upset. In fact, I’ve had a lot of time to think these past few weeks, and I want to make things up to Rose.”
“Fair dues, mate,” I said, mildly sarcastic. I didn’t believe his bullshit for a second. Sometimes you just met people who made your hackles rise. Blake was one of those people. I moved to leave again, but he sidestepped into my path for the second time. I lost my patience. He opened his mouth to speak, but I glowered at him, taking a step forward into his space. I was a few inches taller, which made it easy to glare down as I crowded him.
“Move,” I grunted.
Blake raised his hands in the air but did as I ordered.
“I know you don’t like me, Damon, but you’ll change your mind, you mark my words,” he said in a sincere voice before finally letting me pass. I very much doubted that, but I let him have the final say all the same.
I really didn’t know what to make of him, and couldn’t be sure if he was trying to tell me he wanted to win Rose back, or if he genuinely wanted to be buddies. I was so preoccupied with these thoughts that I left the studio and was sitting on a park bench ten minutes away when I remembered I was supposed to meet her for lunch. Fuck.
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I quickly dialled her number. It rang out with no