"Jake, what the hell?" Ryan said as Jake came in to the room, carrying the new scripts. "You can't just leave right after I've asked you to do something. Where the hell did you go?" Ryan asked. Jake was lucky. It was early, even too early for Ryan to be really angry.
"I'm sorry." Jake apologized. He put the scripts on the table. "Something personal happened and I just had to go home." Jake answered. He tried to keep his explanation as vague as possible, since various cast members were walking in to the room for the script reading.
Ryan sighed. "What happened?" He asked. He obviously wasn't interested, but he needed to know why Jake had ran off like that.
Jake looked around the room. He couldn't tell Ryan with all those people in the room. "I would rather not tell you." He said in a small voice.
"Well," Ryan leaned back in his chair. "you're my employee and I should know what's going on when it means that you'll just excuse yourself from work."
Jake considered telling Ryan when he noticed no one was paying attention to Ryan and himself, but at that moment Chris and Darren came in. They were holding their coffeecups in one hand and their other hands were linked between their bodies. "I- I really can't tell you right now." Jake said. "I promise it won't happen again." With that he ran trough the door. He had pushed the happy couple aside slightly while doing so. He didn't mean to, but he had pushed Chris in to Darren's side even more.
"Jake!" Ryan yelled after him, but Jake was already gone. "What's up with him?" He muttered to himself.
"I don't know." Darren answered and sat down. Chris sat next to him and put his head on Darren's shoulder. He closed his eyes and instantly fell asleep.
Harry waved his hand in front of Chris' face. Chris didn't even notice it. "What did you guys do last night?" Harry asked with a smug smile on his face.
"Nothing." Darren said. Jeez, we're together for only a few days and these insane people think we're jumping each other's bones already. "He just stayed up working all night." Darren explained.
"Working." Harry smirked and gave Darren a wink.
"Yes working." Darren said. "Actually working." Darren told him. "I'm surprised he didn't cause an accident while driving here."
"People!" Ryan yelled to get the attention of the people in the room.
Chris' head shot up. "I'm late!" He screamed. Everybody gave him weird looks.
Ryan just shook his head and started to hand out the scripts. Chris managed to stay awake the whole script reading and woke up a little more. "Guys does anyone know what's up with Jake?" Ryan asked. "He left yesterday without even telling me and he is acting weird ever since."
"I saw him running to his car. I tried to get hold of him, but he was gone when I reached his parking spot." Jenna said.
"So, no one knows what's bothering him?" Ryan tried once more.
"Well, I might have an idea, but I don't think that's it." Chris answered unsure. Ryan raised his eyebrows and waited for him to continue. "Okay, I've noticed that he's had a crush on me for a while now. Maybe he is jealous of me and Darren." Chris explained "But he didn't know yesterday at lunch. I mean, he had lunch with us." He looked over at Darren.
"Maybe he found out?" Darren said.
Ryan shook his head. "No, I saw you guys. He left like ten minutes after that."
"Well, Crisscolfer was sucking face right after he left their table." Chord said bluntly and looked up from his script.
"We were not." Chris said in a unconvincing voice. Yes, they had kissed, but it wasn't anywhere near sucking face. Chord just shot them his 'don't even act like it's not true' look.
Darren blushed. "Thanks for the totally appropriate way of saying that." He said sarcastically.
"Chris, go talk to him." Ryan simply said from the other side of the room.
Chris's eyes went wide. "What? Why me?" Chris didn't feel like facing Jake right now. It wasn't his fault Jake had a crush on him. Besides, he had already sort of had that conversation with Jake. He seemed to be okay with the fact that Chris was taken.
"Because you are the one he has a crush on." Was Ryan's explanation.
"I don't even think that's the problem." Chris objected.
"He ran away when he saw you two enter the room." Ryan said with his terrifying bitch face.
"Fine, I'll go talk to him." Chris sighed in annoyance. He decided it would be better to just give in. He downed his coffee in one gulp and kissed Darren's cheek. He walked away and ignored the 'Aw's a few people were giving them.
Chris wandered around set for some time, looking for Jake. Eventually he found him on the unused footballfield set. He was seated on his blazer. Which didn't make any sense to Chris, because, instead of grass stains on his jeans, he would get grass stains on his expensive looking blazer.
"Hey Jake." Chris said. Apparently Jake hadn't noticed him before because he picked up his clipboar and pretend to read the papers that were clipped to it.
"I'm busy." Jake muttered. He kept his head turned downwards.
"I can see that." Chris said. He sat down next to Jake in the grass. "Could you maybe stop your training for upside down reading for a moment? I want to talk to you." Chris chuckled.
"Shit." Jake whispered when he realized he had been holding the clipboard upside down. He turned his head towards Chris, not really looking in his eyes. He offered Chris a fake smile, but Chris saw right trough him.
"Let me get right to the point." Chris said bluntly. He just wanted this to get over with. "Why are you so freaked out?"
"I'm not." Jake answered with 'deer caught in headlights' eyes. He was obviously lying.
"So you really were reading the filming schedule upside down?" Chris asked sarcastically.
"No." The blond boy said in a small voice and hung his head again.
"Then what's bothering you?" Chris tried to push him to answer, but Jake stayed silent. "Is it about me and Darren?" Chris asked after a short, uncomfortable silence.
"I know it's stupid." Jake's voice was shaky. Chris could tell he was close to tears.
"It's not." Chris patted his back softly. "I just don't get why it's bugging you this much." His tone was sympathetic and caring.
Jake looked up, two thin lines of tears rolled over his cheeks. "Chris, I don't know if you've noticed," He took a deep breath and continued. "but I really like you. I have since the day I met you." He confessed.
Chris chuckled. Does he really think I'm that clueless? "Oh, I've noticed." He told Jake, still rubbing small circles on Jake's back.
"You have?" He seemed surprised. "And then, I finally had the guts to ask you out." He trailed off and rolled his watering eyes.
"But I don't get why you left yesterday. I had already told you that I have a boyfriend." The actor was confused. He got that Jake didn't like his chances being taken away, but what changed when he had found out it was Darren?
"Yes, but really seeing it just did something to me." He explained. "Especially since your boyfriend is someone who I hadn't even considered as 'competition'." Jake laughed bitterly trough his tears.
"I'm really sorry, Jake. But I don't think we would have worked out anyways."
"Woh, a double rejection." He laughed and wiped his tears away.
Chris got up and offered his hand to help Jake up. "Come on, any guy would be lucky to have you." He said and Jake took his hand. Of course, he held it for a little too long when he was on his feet again.
"You're a guy." Jake tried.
"Nice try." Chris laughed and picked up Jake's blazer. He brushed off a few pieces of grass and handed it to Jake.