Page 49 of Best Supporting Actor

“Good. And now,” Henry said grimly, “I need to give Rafe a little reminder about respecting the sanctity of the rehearsal room and not barging in wearing hobnail boots…”

Tag huffed a laugh as he watched Henry stride over and collar Rafe, escorting him towards the door, but his thoughts were on Jay and what Henry had told him. He’d heard something, he now remembered, about Jay leaving a production. He’d thought the story was that Jay had stormed out in a strop, but he couldn’t really remember the details, only that Jay had supposedly been difficult and divaish. If Henry had got his information from Jay’s brother, though, it was more likely to be true, wasn’t it? It definitely chimed better with what Tag now knew of Jay…

He glanced over to where Jay was still talking to Giles, only to see Giles resting his hand on Jay’s forearm as he chuckled at whatever anecdote Jay was telling. Giles had done that last night, too, lots of unnecessary touching. Not that Jay seemed to mind. And not that it was any of Tag’s business, so why was he staring like a—?

Fuck.

Jay must have felt his gaze because, right then, he glanced over, and their eyes met for a puzzled moment before Tag awkwardly looked away. Shit, that made it worse. Now he looked like he was jealous. Which he wasn’t, obviously. Why would he be jealous? He was just pissed off that Giles had interrupted their rehearsal, that was all, and he wished the bastard would bugger off.

As if on cue, Jay said, “Well, we should get back to work but, yeah, tonight would be great. Looking forward to it.”

Tag’s stomach gave an irritable lurch. A date, then. Whatever.

“Fantastic,” Giles gushed. “I’ll pick you up at your place and we can walk from there. Text me the address?”

Tag tried not to pay attention to the faffing about with phones, or the extended goodbyes after Henry reappeared with a chastened Rafe in tow. It wasn’t like Tagcaredthat Jay was going on a date with Giles, although he couldn’t help noticing that nobody gave Jay any grief for going out on a work night.

But then, as Henry had said, the rules were always different for people like Jay, weren’t they?

CHAPTERTWELVE

Tag

Tag had been half joking when he’d put the frighteners on Rafe about the Black Bear on a Saturday night. Partly, he’d wanted to dissuade him from showing up and making an arse of himself, but mostly, Tag had wanted to avoid Rafe finding out that he pulled the occasional shift at the Bear and grassing to Henry.

Saturday nightscouldbe rowdy, although nothing like the riotous London scene. Like everything else in York, the Bear was a bit more genteel, and on Mondays, it was much like any other pub, albeit catering to a more diverse clientele. It was actually a pretty nice place, and Tag had been more than happy to oblige when Graham called to ask if he could cover a last-minute sickness absence this evening. Mondays were a breeze, and although he wouldn't make half as much in tips as he would at the weekend, he’d probably get away by eleven. The extra money was very welcome after missing out on Sunday’s shift.

The Bear offered good-quality pub food, a decent selection of fancy craft beers, and a relaxed ambience, with scrubbed wooden floors, twinkling fairy lights, and a light dusting of rainbow flags. Tonight, Tag was working with a young crew, mostly students from the two local universities. They seemed like a nice bunch, although he didn’t know them well—lots of earnest opinions, big smiles, and excitement at working in a real-life gay bar. They were kind of cute, in a puppyish way.

Tag’s shift would cover both the bar and food service tonight, supporting the pink-haired young bar manager who went by the name of Zab—short for Elizabeth, apparently. She was in her second year at Uni, studying Maths and Philosophy, and was stressing about her upcoming exams.

“I mean, eight a.m.?” Zab complained as she polished glasses behind the bar. “It’s such a discriminatory time of day to start an exam, right? There are studies that literally prove people under twenty have different circadian rhythms to older adults. Basically, there shouldn’t be any exams until the afternoon.”

Amused, Tag said, “Well, I empathise with being sleep-deprived.” He eyed the door as a group of young women crowded in, laughing as they looked for a table, and called over, “Hi there, sit anywhere you like! Order food at the bar.”

As they settled at a large round table in the corner, there was a call from the kitchen, and Tag went back to pick up a huge sharing plate of nachos for table fifteen—a couple of guys in casual office wear, who might have just been work colleagues if you missed the way they were shyly holding hands across the table. They were sweet, in a quiet, suburban way.

“Here we go, guys,” he said as he set the plate down between them, forcing them to release each other’s hands. “Nachos Grande with extra sour cream, cheese, and guac. You okay for drinks?”

The older of the two said, “I’ll take another Pumphouse Pale. Jamie?”

Jamie ordered the same, and Tag was heading back to the bar to fetch their beers when the pub door opened again, and a blond man entered, holding the door for his companion—a gorgeous, dark-haired man who looked startlingly like Jay Warr—

—whowasJay Warren.

Tag stopped so fast he almost fell over his own feet. For a panicked moment, he considered diving behind the bar and hiding. No time, though, because with the slow unfolding of a nightmare, Jay stepped through the door and looked directly at Tag.

For an instant, he seemed surprised but…pleased? Then he must have noticed Tag’s BlackBear t-shirt and the short apron tied around his hips because Jay’s expression changed. Surprise turned to shock, and then to embarrassment, before he got himself back under control and pasted on a smile.

“Shall we sit by the window?” said Giles, who hadn’t noticed Tag at all. Generally, people overlooked bar staff unless they were trying to order. “Or would you like to sit outside? It’s a bit cool out, but—”

“Just a moment,” Jay said smoothly. Then, to Tag, “I didn’t know you worked here.”

Tag suppressed a ridiculous impulse to beg,Please don’t tell Henry!Nothing he could do about the heat in his face, though, and that pissed him off because why shouldhebe embarrassed? There was nothing embarrassing about earning a living for fuck’s sake. “Yeah,” he said bullishly, “I pick up a couple of shifts here and there.”So what?He met Jay’s eyes with a challenge and held them until Jay looked away, obviously uncomfortable.

With a sudden pang, Tag remembered their rehearsal that morning when they’d been so closely connected, working as one, their past antagonism subsumed in the performance. They’d eventually recovered their groove after Jay’s weird blow-up, but now this.Fuck.

Giles turned towards them, looking alarmed when he recognised Tag but then smiling when he understood the situation. “Oh, hi,” he said, a quick once-over taking in Tag’s uniform. “Good to see you again.”