The first weeks of filming went without a hitch, but David was beginning to have a little bit of an identity crisis.
He had always thought of himself as straight, because, well, he’d only ever had one romantic interest and that had been Jennifer in the ninth grade. But he was beginning to think that his interest towards Louis was more than just a desire for friendship.
A guilty part of his mind wondered if it was some sort of obsession left over from when he was a kid. Though, it probably couldn't be called leftover if he'd never really gotten over his interest in Louis to begin with. But it was... different now. Actually knowing him was different than anything David could have imagined.
Before he started working on Night Mist, Louis had been a sort of idol, something desirable but completely out of reach. After meeting him, though, it was even more obvious how ridiculous it was that David was so obsessed with a letter written by a seven-year-old. Louis wasn’t at all condescending or superior about his work. He was quiet, David supposed, and the way he liked to collect other's viewpoints before stating any of his own opinions could definitely give the impression of being aloof, but he had made an effort to get to know David. It made David feel warm inside.
David was probably a little bit in love with him. Both in jest and in seriousness. He hadn’t felt like this for another person since Jennifer, and he and Jennifer had been friends for years at that point.
This had come over him all at once. It was overwhelming and confusing and a bad idea, anyway. Now wasn’t the time to start dating—especially a coworker.
Besides, he wasn’t sure if he found Louis attractive per se. He was handsome, obviously, and compelling—all long, hard lines and sharp angles. He had this way of moving, too, that was perfect for the role he played. What vampire could outshine that amount of sensual intensity?
The best—and sometimes worst—thing about it all was that he seemed to actually enjoy David’s presence as much as David enjoyed his. He had this way of looking at David that made him feel like he was trying to pick pick apart and examine everything that David was. It felt both intrusive and intimate.
It was common knowledge by now that Louis Greene was gay, but David didn’t want to get either of their hopes up by doing anything stupid. There were too many ways that that could go wrong, even if they weren't coworkers.
It was a bad idea.
David just had to keep reminding himself of that. He wasn't even exactly sure that he was interested in men. He was just a little more than disinterested in Louis. But that didn't mean it was a good idea to experiment.
Jennifer called three minutes before she arrived to pick him up for the cast party. David had to wonder why they didn’t just go for pizza. The pizza parlor was closer and also had pizza. Not that he was against a good cheeseburger—you’d have to be crazy to say no to that—but he was tired after a long week and was pretty sure he was going to sleep through his entire day off at this rate. Driving to the city for a cheeseburger seemed a little unnecessary.
David pulled on a brown blouson and the particular beanie that Jennifer despised most—just because he could and she hated it, which he found endearing—then went down to the car. The little orange mustang was humming happily outside the B&B when he got downstairs and David hopped in, ignoring Jennifer’s familiar glare at his hat. He had to duck out of the way when she made a grab for it.
“Eyes on the road!” he snapped.
“We’re in park,” she said, but didn’t try to snatch his beanie again.
“How has work been going?” she asked. “I hear good things about you. You better have behaved.”
“You’re not my mother, you can’t tell me what to do,” David sing-songed back at her.
“I can and I will,” she said.
“It was good, though,” David said, buckling his seatbelt before Jennifer pulled back onto the tiny single-lane road.
“You’ve got to give me more than that,” she said.
“It's a little overwhelming, honestly,” David muttered. “I’ve never worked on a project with someone really famous before. I was sure I was going to make a fool of myself. Well, I did that already, but I mean make more of a fool of myself. But Louis is actually... not so much nice, but kind of respectful.”
“You have incredibly low standards.”
“Shut up, I didn’t mean it like that,” David said, though part of him whispered that maybe he did. “He could have been a lot less understanding of when I screwed up—especially considering the first impression I made on him.” David wrinkled his nose.
“By ‘first impression’ do you mean your infamous audition or the even worse lyrics you sent him?”
“What? The audition, of course! He doesn’t know about the lyrics and he never will.”
Jennifer gave him an odd look at that, but then returned her eyes to the road. David wasn’t sure what world she lived in that she thought he’d ever in a million years tell Louis about the letter. There were some things that did not ever need to see the light of day.
“You signed your full name, don’t you think it’s at least crossed his mind?” she asked.
“I signed my full name,” David said. “But I signed my full name at the age of five. My name wasn’t Benton at five, it was Truman. And he wouldn't remember anyway.”
“Then why is it a secret?”
“It isn't,” David said, shifting in his seat. “It doesn't matter, that's why I won't bring it up. I only remember because I was delicate and impressionable at that age.”
“You’re still delicate and impressionable,” Jennifer said, nodding sagely.
David huffed out a breath and glared at her. “How do you like working there? I’ve seen you making eyes at the director.”
That got a faint flush to color Jennifer’s cheeks. Bingo. David grinned. “Who I’ve been making eyes at is none of your damn business.”
“It is so!” David protested. "You're my best friend, I want only the best for you, and you have to tell me all your secrets!"
"I can replace you," Jennifer said, flipping him off.
They went on for a while like that, during which time David decided Jennifer was definitely interested in Nabila, but was unlikely to do anything about it. So be it. She knew what she wanted, and if she wasn’t going to get it, that was her prerogative. Sometimes her priorities were a little messed up, but David loved her anyway.
“I really like working here,” David admitted as they finally reached the city. “I didn’t think I’d enjoy it as much as this and it’s only been a week. I’m worried I might do something to mess it up.”
“Just don’t kick the bucket and it’ll be fine,” Jennifer said. David made a face.
“That’s inappropriate humor,” David said.
Jennifer shrugged, unrepentant.
They pulled into Blue’s Bar, a tiny side-of-the-road establishment, and Jennifer shut the car off. Half the cast and crew were already inside, chatting as they crowded around several adjacent tables. David walked up to Amelia and greeted her. Aside from Louis, Amelia Landing was probably David’s favorite coworker. She was fun and genuinely sweet and reminded him a bit of a rabbit with her constant energy.
Louis wasn’t there yet, David noted, and, for a moment, wondered if he would come at all. When David asked, Amelia frowned saying that she’d worked with him a couple times before and he wasn’t usually big on the social functions. David was pretty sure he’d implied he would be here, but that was at the beginning of the week. After about thirty minutes, he started to wonder if he had misunderstood.
He pushed down the disappointment at that. Just because Louis wasn't here didn't mean that he couldn't enjoy his time with everyone else.
"Is Nabila here?" he asked, as he saw Jennifer casually glancing around, even as she spoke with one of the costume designers.
Amelia shook her head. "I haven't seen her, but she should be here. She must be running late."
As she spoke, the door opened and Nabila walked in, followed closely by Louis. David couldn't help but grin as Louis's looked over at him.
“Sorry we’re late,” Nabila said, “my tire blew and I had to call for rescue.”
Louis nodded to a few people as he made his way over to David.
David watched out of the corner of his eye as Jennifer casually wandered towards Nabila. Whatever Jennifer said, it was clear that she was more than a little interested in the director. It wasn't often that he saw her so openly familiar with someone else.
“David, Amelia. Enjoying yourselves?” Louis asked as he came to a stop beside him smiling more with his eyes than his lips as he greeted them.
David practically did a double take. Something was different about him tonight. He looked energetic, younger, even.
“Of course,” David said. “Though I’ve yet to try the cheeseburgers you promised were fantastic.”
“Ooh, damn, I almost wish I could eat red meat,” Amelia broke in. “I’d better go find something else to eat before you tempt me into a decision I’ll regret.” She wandered off with a wave and David turned his full attention to Louis.
“You won’t be disappointed,” Louis said, shuffling a little closer to David when a waiter appeared, squeezing past him to get to another table. David’s breath caught just a little.
He could smell the faint scent of aftershave on Louis and his eyes drifted down to the chiseled jaw to see that it was clean-shaven. That was what was different. He actually looked his age without the perpetual five-o-clock shadow he sported. Not that he looked bad either way, just older and a bit more serious with the stubble.
David swallowed hard, shifting back a little.
“So you had to rescue the director?” David asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I was driving by when I saw her broken down, actually,” Louis said. “I just helped her change her tire. I’m actually late because I had to pick my sister up from the doctor.”
“Oh, is she all right?” David asked. He could tell by the expression that flickered across Louis's face that that was a can of worms he shouldn’t have opened.
“She’s doing fine,” he said after a long pause, though there was obviously more to it than that.
David didn’t want to pry, but he couldn’t stop the corners of his lips from falling in concern. He nodded, though, and let the subject drop.
Louis's eyes roved around the room, taking in the crowd, and he shifted, hands deep in the pockets of his peacoat. He looked uncomfortable, even a bit uneasy. Maybe he really didn’t come to these often. That wasn’t so surprising, he supposed. Louis did strike him as a bit of an introvert, strange as that was in the industry.
“Want to grab a table, then?” David asked.
Louis shot him a grateful nod and they separated from the rest of the crowd.
They both ordered cheeseburgers and chatted while they waited for their food to arrive.
“I’ve wanted to ask you,” Louis said, “I watched The Wake of War before we hired you. If it's not prying too much, I was curious why you stopped acting after that. There’s a good four year gap in your filmography.”
“Ah, well, I guess it was me being a moody teenager.” David laughed self-consciously and scratched the back of his head. After Wake he probably could have gotten more work. It would have helped him avoid all of the mess with Lust Story, too, no doubt. “My parents were in the middle of a divorce and acting sort of just fell off my radar for a while.”
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Louis said, fingers playing with the stem of his water glass in a way that made David’s neck heat.
Louis had that effect on him more often than not. The man didn’t seem to be interested in small talk or comfortable discussions; he always cut straight to something of substance or importance to him. It was a little unsettling to be asked to bare your mind to someone so regularly, but it was also reassuring. It was confirmation that Louis was really interested in David’s life. And, in a way, the questions said as much about Louis as the answers did about David.
It felt intimate.
“It’s nothing. Looking back on it, it was stupid to let that stop me, but I thought that maybe I could fix it somehow. Yeah, I know that it wasn't about me at all—that it wasn't anything I could have fixed. But I thought that maybe if I played the good kid role, things would work out and nothing would change. I finished high school and applied to college. Don’t know what I was thinking on that front. I have no academic proclivity at all.”
Louis nodded and David laughed, thinking of something.
“Actually, I think Jennifer is the one who told me not to bother going to college. She said that what braincells I had were best used elsewhere. She’s always been pretty blunt.”
Louis gave a noncommittal hum, cocking his head to the side as he studied David. “I doubt she meant it like that. You don’t strike me as being unintelligent, but maybe that wasn't where you belonged.”
“Uh, thanks,” David said, swallowing thickly as the careful conversation turned into a pregnant silence.
David was suddenly struck by the fact that their knees were brushing under the table. He may have been reading too much into it, but half of him hoped that Louis would make a move. The other half reminded him that he wasn’t sure he was into men like that and Louis wasn’t the kind of guy to experiment with.
Louis wasn't the kind of person that David wanted to enter and leave his life just like that. David was starting to think of him as a friend and he didn't want to mess that up.
*****
It was possible that Louis was not a nice person.
Throughout the conversation—a surprisingly illuminating one—David’s eyes kept flickering down to where Louis fingers toyed with the stem of his water goblet. It was a natural connection to make, and Louis almost wished he had a beer bottle. He didn't drink, but it was much more obviously phallic and he wondered where he could get David’s mind to go with that.
As it was, Louis couldn’t help but finger the glass with a little more intention than was completely natural just to watch the flush rise up David’s neck.
It wasn’t that he was intentionally making a move on him. He’d like to, sure, but that wasn’t all he wanted from David, and to waste the connection they could have as friends on a one-night stand seemed like a shame. Louis didn’t know how to do emotionally attached relationships—for him it was either or.
He wasn’t sure if it was internalized shame over his inclinations, a desire to keep them discreet from his sister, or just some failing in himself that didn’t allow him to be emotionally attached to his romantic partners, but for Louis, his relationships were either friends or fucks.
Still, Louis was curious. He hadn’t heard any whispers of David having a girl and the two—yes, two, in as many weeks—people who had asked David out since he got here had been bashfully turned down.
The way he had done it, though, led Louis to believe that David wasn’t very experienced in romance. Louis thought there was a decent chance he was even interested in men. That thought was more appealing than it should have been for Louis's innocent intentions toward David.
David’s knee bumped into his under the table then moved away again.
“You said that Jennifer bribed you here,” Louis said when David’s attention began to wander. “Where did you come from?”
“Oh, I was born and raised in San Francisco,” he said. “But I actually moved up north to a little city—well, it was little at the time; it’s grown a lot since then—called Weldstone Harbor.”
“No kidding,” Louis said, heart thumping a little harder. If he believed in fate, he might have thought this was a sign.
“What?”
“I live in Weldstone Harbor," he said.
David's eyebrows rose. "I didn't know that. I guess I always assumed you were in Hollywood or something."
"The sun doesn't suit my complexion," he said wryly, rewarded when David laughed. "Are you familiar with The Rose and Thistle? It’s a little bookshop on Main Street. I know you like books.”
David grinned, nodding enthusiastically. “Yeah, I practically lived there. My place was about four blocks down from it,” he said. “What a small world.”
“The odds do seem rather astronomical that we both live in Weldstone and somehow found ourselves in this place.”
Louis's disgust at their current location must have shown on his face because David laughed and said, “It’s charming! There are cows everywhere.”
“Cows aren’t charming,” Louis said, though he couldn’t help but smile back. David opened his mouth as though to retort, but then closed it with a shake of his head.
“I thought you mentioned your sister was here. Did she just come with you or—?” David asked, letting the question hang open ended.
Louis gave a half-smile. He wasn’t really sure he wanted to get into this, but David had been nothing but forthcoming with Louis sometimes tactlessly invasive questions.
“She lives here. That’s why I’m here, really,” Louis admitted, glancing around to make sure no one was giving them any notice. “She’s lived here for about five years now. I took the job to be closer to her. She was diagnosed with leukemia four years ago, and late last year it came out of remission." He hesitated for a moment before admitting. "I wanted to be here with her for as long as I can.”
“Oh,” David said, paling a little, and those eyes so wide and full of compassion that Louis couldn't help but look away. “I’m sorry. That’s... rough.” David cringed at his own choice of words and made a face that Louis understood all too well.
Sometimes there just weren’t words to express what you felt or what you needed to convey to others.
But he knew what David meant.
“Thanks,” Louis said.
Their attention turned to the rest of the cast and crew after that, the conversation fading away a little too pointedly. He glanced surreptitiously at his watch. It was almost ten already and Louis was more than ready to escape.
After being around everyone all day, he was usually more content to leave the crowd and go home to decompress with Rosemarie. Even when he needed solitude, Rosemarie had always been such a natural part of his life that it was just like being at peaceful together. She didn’t count as people anymore, she was more like an extension of himself. He didn’t know what he would do when that was gone. When she was gone.
“Want to get out of here?” David asked, as though reading his mind.
“Aren’t you having a good time?” Louis asked, wondering if he was boring his friend. Were they friends? Louis certainly hoped so, but they’d only known each other for a couple of weeks.
“No,” David said, then frowned. “Yes? Wait, what was the question? That doesn’t matter, I just thought it looked like you were getting fed up with this place. Maybe you could show me around and take me home. You know, if you want company.”
Louis was almost positive that David didn’t mean that last part the way it sounded, but he couldn’t help but raise a wry brow anyway. David’s cheeks colored, but he didn’t comment. Interesting.
“I can show you,” Louis said. He left a tip for the waitress under his water goblet and then stood to say his goodbyes to everyone. Ms. Yang gave Louis a look that reminded him again of a teacher warning off bad behavior when David told her that he’d get a ride with him.
“See you tomorrow,” David said and actually hugged her. Louis still found their easy affection entirely at odds with the woman he had come to know in the preceding weeks, but he supposed that even pastel pit-vipers needed affection. And really, Louis couldn’t talk—he would love to get his hands on David.
“This one is mine,” Louis said, gesturing to a practical silver Prius. David raised an eyebrow. Admittedly, it was probably a step down from Jennifer’s Mustang, but David didn’t complain as he slipped in.
“Not the kind of car I’d expect a movie star to drive,” he said. Louis gave him a level look.
“The gas mileage is great,” Louis said. David laughed, buckling his seatbelt.
“Well, I can’t argue with that logic.”
Honestly, it was just the first car he looked at at the dealer. Louis didn’t intend to keep it long.
“Where to, then?” David asked, one hand resting on the window frame as the other tapped rhythmically against his knee.
Louis felt a wave of fondness at David's inability to sit for even a second in idle stillness. He seemed to exist in a state of perpetual motion—tapping, fidgeting, clicking, or even humming to himself. The humming intrigued him most of all. He desperately wanted to hear David actually sing. He wanted to hear what those scribbled lyrics sounded like on his lips.
“I figured since we’re in the city I might take you to Salmon Park,” Louis said. He didn’t know a lot about the sights around here, but figured that that was as good a place as any. It was, at the very least, secluded and beautiful.
“As long as it doesn’t smell like fish,” David said, wrinkling his nose. Louis chuckled and shook his head.
“I think it’s named after the trees. They turn pink in the spring—or so I’ve heard.”
They did visit the park and then the neighboring forest trail. It was scenic and beautiful and everything that Louis did not like, but David seemed pleased. And Louis found that, even though this was not the way he would have decided to spend an evening, having David around was easy. Good. Good enough, even, that it made the park and the chill and the little town, seem a little bit better, a little less daunting. He had that effect on the show, too.
When they had circled through the woods back to the park, Louis watched David sit down on a swing and start pumping his legs until the chain snapped taut at the end of each arc. David grinned, letting out a bark of laughter and Louis smiled in answer.
When exactly had he stopped dreading the idea of staying here, of working here?The feeling couldn’t last, he was sure of that, but for now he was grateful for it.
“Come on, what are you waiting for? I’ll race you!” David said, swinging even higher until Louis's stomach lurched every time he swung back down.
“You’re already swinging, you have an unfair advantage,” Louis called. He didn’t think that he could let go of his dignity enough to actually get on the swing, but it was amusing to watch David do it.
“Live a little!” David called, laughter in his voice. Louis shook his head.
A little whoop whoop and the flash of red and blue lights had Louis jumping and David nearly falling out of the swing as they both turned toward the patrol car. An officer stepped out and walked toward them, hands hooked in his belt in a way that drew attention to his gun.
“What are you boys up to?” he called out, stopping a good five feet from them. David dragged his feet, sending sand spraying everywhere until he came to a stop, and hopped off. He walked up beside Louis with a wide-eyed expression that probably got him out of a lot of trouble.
“Swinging,” David said, sounding bemused. “Sorry, were we breaking some rule?” Louis almost cracked a grin. David had been the one to point out the sign that held the hours and tell it to bite him.
“Park’s only open until dusk,” the man said.
“Sorry, officer,” Louis cut in, “I was just showing my friend around the city. He’s new here and we’re only in the city tonight.” The officer looked at him skeptically, but then took a couple steps closer, hand relaxing from his belt—he’d probably realized they were both white, Louis thought.
“I’m going to need both of your names,” he said.
Louis stifled a grimace. “My name is Louis Greene. L-o-u-i-s and Greene with a final e,” he said. The officer froze where he was pulling a pad of paper out of his pocket. He squinted at Louis in the dim lamp-light. Louis could see the moment he was recognized and his stomach gave an uncomfortable lurch.
“You aren’t Louis Greene as in Jason Oliver from Starfly, are you?” the man said, still squinting at Louis in the dark. Well, that was one way to get out of a ticket, he supposed.
*****
Louis practically oozed charm as he spoke to the officer, but David didn’t miss the way his spine stiffened a little at being recognized.
“Guilty,” he said. “You watched it?”
“Every Monday,” the officer said, expression turning more amiable. “My wife is a huge fan. She watched it twice through when she was pregnant with our son. I don’t suppose you’d be willing to sign something for her? It would mean the world.”
“Of course, officer,” Louis said with a grin. David watched as Louis signed a piece of paper to Janice, and then nodded solemnly to the officer as he gave them a warning.
“I guess that means it’s time to head back?” David asked, glancing at his watch. It was nearly midnight already.
Louis let out sigh, breath fogging in the night air. He looked really beautiful in the moonlight, David mused. His pale skin and dark hair seemed even more stark without the flush of daylight.
“Probably best,” Louis said almost apologetically.
“I thought for sure we’d get a ticket,” he said, grinning as he nudged his shoulder into Louis's. “Who gives tickets at a park?” Louis glanced at him, but didn't brush him off.
“Apparently Janice’s husband gives tickets at a park,” he said dryly.
David chuckled, slapping an easy hand over Louis shoulder as they walked back to the car.
Louis flipped the radio on as soon as he climbed in and David glanced at him in surprise.
“Don’t like this song?” Louis asked, hand reaching for the dial again.
David shook his head, smiling to himself. “It’s not that. Jennifer just never listens to music while she drives so I was surprised.”
“Oh?” Louis asked. “What about you? Do you like music?”
“I like it,” he said neutrally, though he didn’t elaborate.
David didn’t really want to talk music with Louis. It was irrational, but it seemed too close to jinxing their time together. It was absurd to think that Louis would guess that David had written him a song as a child if David told him that he liked Queen and the Doobie Brothers, but his tongue still wouldn’t move on the subject.
Louis, it seemed, liked classic rock, because the preset he hit was 101.5, and played a selection of nostalgic melodies that David’s dad listened to when David was growing up.
“Honestly,” Louis said, “I don’t know a lot about music. Most of my taste comes from my sister. She used to play the piano doing classical renditions of iconic rock and pop.”
“Really? She’s a musician?” David asked. Maybe that was why Louis had been so opinionated as a seven-year-old.
“She was for a while. Moved on to teaching some years back, though.”
“She sounds like an amazing person,” David observed.
“She is. She’s an inspiration,” he said.
Louis had seemed hesitant to talk about her at first, but as the night went on, he opened up more about her. David learned that her name was Rosemarie, she was a high school music teacher, she was fifteen years older than Louis—and had practically raised him. He learned she liked fish tacos and that she and Louis could never agree on what to watch.
And she was dying of cancer.
David’s heart ached for her and Louis both. He wished that there was some comfort he could offer his friend, but what did one say in the face of inevitable grief?
The drive back from the city to Midtown fell into a comfortable silence. Louis pulled into the tiny parking lot of the B&B, his car coming to stop in near silence. David looked over at Louis, who still had that strange youthful softness to him and David's brain caught for a moment before he realized he was staring.
"See you later, then," he said with half a smile. "Thanks for showing me around."
Louis nodded and David climbed out of the Prius. He hadn't made it ten steps before he heard Louis' voice.
“David!”
The driver's side door was open and Louis stood with one foot still inside the car. He beckoned David over with a crook of his finger and David jogged back over, coming to a stop on the other side of the door.
“What is it?” David asked, voice coming out a little breathy.
Louis leaned forward, a hand coming up to grip the back of David’s neck as he leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to David’s mouth. David didn’t even have time to react before Louis had pulled away, hand dropping to the frame of the car.
“Just that. If you want it. Otherwise, it was just part of a strange dream,” Louis said.
David’s brain short circuited. All he could do was stare as Louis gave him a hesitant smile, then climbed back into his car and drove off with a wave.
It was entirely too long before David realized he was still standing out in the cold holding his keys and realizing that he had managed to lose his beanie somewhere between the park and the B&B. David fumbled for the right key and hurried back to his room, closing the door definitively behind him.
Well. That happened. Hadn’t it?
David’s hand pressed up against his lips almost as though to check they were still there. He hadn’t been kissed since... Well, since his first kiss when he was twelve, and nothing had come of that experience except teasing.
Louis's lips had been warm and a little cracked and he smelled like that aftershave—something sharp and deep. It had been only a moment's contact, there and then gone again, but David closed his eyes, trying to remember everything about it. It was a bit odd, but it wasn’t bad.
David's heart gave a loud thump. He'd kissed Louis Greene. Louis Greene had kissed him.
It really did seem like part of a strange dream.