Welcome to 2017 everyone 😊 It was my three year anniversary of writing two days ago 💛
Chapter dedication goes out to Belli_Love for her constant love and dedication to all my books 😊❤️
Highest rank on the hot list over the last two weeks - #465 in Chick Lit
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© 2017 Shay Spencer. All rights reserved.
The Buddies Rule
Chapter 18
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Since I could remember, I had always wanted to grow up. It didn't matter the time or the place, I had this longing to get to the next day, the next year, the next exciting point in my life. I've always been impatient in that sense, unable to wait to find out what was next.
But now that I was here, and I was living living what were supposed to be the best years of my life, I was starting to find that I wanted things to slow down.
It felt as though everything had been moving so quickly as of late. The last few months of college had felt like a rollercoaster, and now I was ready to get off the ride. I was ready for a more uneventful life, even if it only lasted for a second.
"Please tell me someone's seen Alan," Lewis sighed. The man then fell back into one of the many auditorium seats, silently watching as everyone scrambled around up on stage. I myself was sitting just on the edge of the stage, waiting for the tech crew to arrange the sets for our first set rehearsal.
"He wasn't in English three," I called, knowing my words wouldn't help settle Lewis down any. He would be a nervous wreck if we couldn't find Alan within the next few minutes. We were almost half an hour into practice, and our play had only received a small time slot this afternoon for rehearsal.
Alan was dead if he didn't show up soon.
"Great," Lewis said with a fake smile. "Looks like I'm recasting for the afternoon, because the idiot isn't returning my texts!" Lewis reached out, the man pointing around the stage as he started mentally counting the actors who had bothered to show up. "Where the hell is Astrid!" He yelled.
"I ran into her at lunch," I said warily. "She said she needed to talk to Alan."
Lewis sent me a snide smile, "well you just have all the answers, don't you?"
I bit down on my tongue to keep from laughing at him. I knew how stressed Lewis was at the moment, but I couldn't help but to find the humor in the situation. Lewis looked like he was about to fall asleep, and we couldn't find two of our lead actors. Funnily enough, this was one of the most important days leading up to the play, and it was quickly turning into a disaster.
"All this just had to happen the first day I call in an assistant," Lewis muttered.
I frowned with his words. "What?"
"An assistant," Lewis repeated. "As in an assistant director. I thought I needed help corralling all you people. Evidently, I was right."
"You make us sound like farm animals," I laughed. Lewis cracked a small smile.
"Alan's pretty close."
"Close to what?" Chase said as he kneeled down beside me. Lewis' eyes lit up at the sight of Chase.
"Chase," Lewis sighed as he rose from his seat. The man in question had a small stripe of brown paint on his face, probably from finishing the sets so quickly.
On Chase, it was actually kind of adorable.
"What's up boss?" Chase remarked with a smirk.
"You know the lines, right?"
Chase shrugged before placing his hands into his knees, "for Alan's part?"
Lewis nodded, "I'll take that as a yes. Now all I need to do is call Zoey in for the second act."
"What?" I squeaked, feeling my stomach flip at the mere thought of seeing her again today. It had been awkward enough earlier, I wasn't wanting to relive lunch.
"Yes, Zoey will be filling in. But don't worry, no one will be kissing your man, Bree." I rolled my eyes and pushed up onto my feet.
It was time to kill our little director.
"Bree," Chase whispered. I turned to look back at him, and instantly, I could see the fear in his eyes. Chase was more nervous than I had been on my first day of rehearsal. "He wants me to fill in?"
"Don't worry," I reassured as I made my way over to him. I reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. "Lewis is practically a zombie at this point, he's been up for days. He won't notice if you're missing a line. It's not like it's opening night or anything."
"Still," Chase whined. "You know how much I hate theater."
I could feel a smile taking over my face. "Then why do the play? I mean, I know you're just backstage and all, but still."
Chase shrugged, "I don't know. I guess," he stopped as he looked up into my eyes. "I wanted an excuse to hang out with you. I know you love it up here."
I could feel a blush creeping into my cheeks before Lewis came bounding down the isle and towards the stage. The sound of his feet repeatedly slamming against the ground was enough to make Chase and I jump away from one another.
"Oh good," Lewis breathed heavily. "You two are getting comfortable. You know it always starts with a hand on the shoulder."
"And I'm out," Chase teased. The man sent me a wink as Lewis began to whimper below us.
"No! Chasey! You need to at least run through this. Screw Zoey, you two can do the whole play alone. Bree needs to learn to feel comfortable up there! You're the only one who can help!"
I narrowed my eyes in on Lewis. "Excuse me, but I'm perfectly comfortable up here." I spoke matter-of-factly before crossing my arms over my chest.
"Now, now. No need to get defensive, Bree. I just need a freaking run through. Is that too much to ask for?"
I nodded, giving in as I leaning down a bit to hand Lewis my script. He gave me a knowing smile before taking a seat in the front row.
I turned back to see that the tech crew had assembled the sets perfectly according to the script. Now all Chase and I had to do, was nail our marks and lines according to the light cues.
This should be fun.
"Why don't you two start with the hotel scene. We haven't practiced that scene with the lights, yet," Lewis suggested. I could feel my eyes widening as the lines to the scene came to mind.
I would only say this: the hotel scene, included a heated kissing scene between Henry and Elisa.
"I thought you wanted to do the whole play?" I tried, hoping Lewis would get the memo. I wasn't about to kiss Chase here, on stage, in front of everyone.
"We would, if we had the cast here. Just play along," Lewis smirked.
"Was that a fucking pun?" Someone called from the back of the auditorium. I squinted, unable to depict exactly who it was with how dark it had gotten towards the back of the auditorium. But I could vaguely recognize the voice.
Lewis rolled his eyes and waved the person forward, "yes. It was a pun. Everyone! Say hello to our new assistant director, Shawn Nelson. He's a smart-ass who can't show up on time, but he's pretty good at helping out wherever he can."
Shawn smiled and waved at Chase and I before taking a seat next to Lewis. "We're starting with the hotel scene?"
"Yep. Change the sets! We're acting in one minute."
My heart plummeted into my stomach. There was no way I was getting out of this one.
Chase gave me a weak grin as he sat down on the fake bed that had been set up on the far side of the stage. The lights dimmed immediately afterwards, setting the mood for Elisa and Henry's first real conversation.
"Action!" Lewis yelled, loud enough for the whole auditorium to hear.
I swallowed hard against the lump in my throat as Chase patted the space next to him on the bed. "Come, take a seat," Chase started us off. His demeanor had calmed quite a bit, but I could still hear the nervousness in his voice.
I shook my head and crossed my arms over my chest, "I'm fine, really. I don't even know why I came here with you."
"Sure you do," Chase said, standing from the bed as he did. "You wanted to get to know me. Just as I did you. Like I said back at the bar, Elisa, you intrigue me, more than anyone I've ever met before."
Chase began to make slowly make his way over to me, this, only making me feel more anxious.
"Can I get you something to drink?" Chase asked, motioning towards the small bar that had been set up at the back. I nodded, following him towards the back of the stage.
"Do you do this often?" I asked, hanging my head bashfully as the script depicted. "I mean, how many girls have really been up here with you?"
"No girls," Chase laughed. "But women? Quite a few. I'll be honest, though, there's never been one bold enough to ask."
"I guess I just have-"
"The balls to ask?"
I smiled, allowing Chase to rest his hand on my hip. I could already feel my face heating up at the contact. "You could say that."
Chase pushed the prop bottle aside before taking a small step towards me. "You know what else I could say?" He said.
"No," I practically whispered.
"You're breathtakingly beautiful, in every way possible."
My heart stopped when Chase pulled my body into his. I quickly placed my hands on his shoulders, unable to avoid the intense stare Chase was giving me. We both knew what was next, but I wanted to savor the moment leading up to it.
"Now's when you guys are supposed to kiss," Lewis hushed from below the stage. Chase nodded ever so slightly, the man then began to lean in towards me.
I parted my lips a bit as my eyes fluttered shut. Chase's breath cascaded off my cheeks before his lips gently pressed against my own. My fingers quickly found their way to his hair as Chase's fingers began to dig into my sides. My breath caught in my chest, my lungs longing for air as Chase had quickly taken it out of me. His lips were warm and soft, but the kiss quickly became rough. I could feel myself slipping into a daze as he leaned me back against the make shift bar behind us.
"Cut!" Lewis yelled teasingly. But his words didn't faze Chase. The man kept his lips on mine, his hands now holding me tightly against him. He didn't want this to stop, and neither did I.
"Cut," Shawn tried lamely, garnering a laugh from Lewis.
"Un-action," Lewis laughed. Chase smiled into the kiss before gently pulling back from me. He rested his forehead against mine, a longing look in his eyes as he did.
"Who's up there with Bree?" Alan called from the back of the auditorium.
I could feel my heart stop as I glanced over Chase's shoulder. Alan strode down the isle towards the stage, his facial expression stone-like as he noticed the position Chase and I were in.
I took in a deep breath before untangling myself from my supposed best friend. "Alan," I greeted. "We weren't sure if you were coming."
Alan nodded, tossing his bag into the ground. The man hopped up onto the stage and quickly crossed his arms over his chest. "So Chase filled in for me?" He questioned. "Thank you, Chase. But I think I've got it from here."
Chase held up his hands in defense before awkwardly making his way to the curtain. He gave me a small smile before disappearing, leaving Alan and I alone on stage.
"Where did you two leave off?" Alan whispered.
"I think you know where we left off, Alan," I muttered.
Alan nodded before taking a step forward. Within seconds, Alan had managed to put himself in character, then after 'pouring' himself a drink.
"You're a great kisser, you know," Alan started.
"I guess we're going again," Lewis whispered Shawn's way.
"You're not so bad yourself," I breathed. I could feel the mood shift between us, and when Alan looked down into my eyes, I could see a sort of sparkle in them. This sparkle was one I'd only see a few times before.
Alan was about to do something stupid.
He smiled, taking a large step towards me. Suddenly, he closed the gap that had once been filled by Chase.
Alan was kissing me, for real, and I honestly had no clue what to do.
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Happy New Year everyone!
And what?!! Bree and Chase kissed? Now Alan is kissing Bree?! Where will this story go next? 🤔😜
The next update will be on...
January 19th!
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