Page 72 of Best Supporting Actor

Jay’s smile froze. Going out with Giles was the last thing he wanted to do; Tag wasn’t working tonight, and Jay had been looking forward to spending the evening with him. Alone. He began scrambling for an excuse, but his brain felt weirdly sluggish. “Um…”

And then, into the silence, a voice said brightly, “Hey, Jay! Are you ready to go?” Jay looked over at the stage to see Tag hopping down and walking towards them. He already had his jacket on, messenger bag slung across his body, and there was a glint in his eyes that Jay recognised from their earlier, more hostile acquaintance. This time, though, the challenging glitter wasn’t directed his way. “All right, Giles?” Tag said, flashing an insincere smile. “Didn’t realise you were still here.”

Giles’s smile was equally artificial. “Oh, hello. Jay and I were just talking about going for a drink.”

“Yeah? Sounds good, but I’m afraid we can’t.” Tag ran a hand up Jay’s arm and squeezed his bicep—it wasn’t exactly intimate, but it was certainly proprietorial—and despite wanting to keep their intimacy secret, there was a part of Jay that loved that possessive touch. Smiling broadly, Tag added, “Early nights all weekend. Right, Jay?”

Torn between alarm and amusement, Jay struggled to keep a straight face as he gave Giles an apologetic look. “I’m afraid he’s right. Henry’s orders.”

Giles’s gaze shifted to Tag, dipping to his hand still resting on Jay’s arm. “What about your mother’s party?”

“Ah, well, nobody can say no to my mother,” Jay admitted with a laugh. “Not even Henry. But Tag and I will be taking it easy and heading home early. We’ve got a demanding couple of weeks ahead of us, and the production has to come first.”

“I see.” Giles’s obvious displeasure suggested that hedidsee, that he saw more than Jay would have liked.

Smiling, Jay added, “I’ll catch you at the party, yeah? We can get a drink there. I’d love to hear about everything you’ve got going on at the festival.”

“Of course,” Giles agreed coolly. “I’ll look forward to it.”

“Me too,” Jay said, which was a barefaced lie. Or, as his mother would describe it, a ‘necessary social performance’.

Either way, he was relieved, if unsettled, when Giles said his goodbyes and left.

“God, he’s a wanker,” Tag muttered as they watched Giles stroll up the aisle and out of the auditorium.

Jay stifled a laugh. “Why do you say that?”

Tag made a face. “He acts like he has some kind of claim on you. Like you’re a—a perk of the job or something.” He shook his head, as though to dislodge the thought, then offered Jay a rueful smile. “Sorry, I’m not being very subtle here, am I? Do you think he guessed that we’re, you know…” He waved a vague hand, making Jay smile despite his unease.

“Yeah, maybe,” Jay admitted.

Tag made a face. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Jay said. “But, you know, heisthe festival director, and his family’s one of the biggest donors as well. It’s kind of expected that we’ll make abitof an effort with him.”

Tag eyed him for a moment. Then he said, “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you have to agree to go out with him. You’re allowed to have boundaries, Jay. You know that, right?”

Tag was looking at Jay like he was unsure whether Jay did understand that, and Jay realised he wasn’t sure how to respond. The truth was, he’d learned at his mother’s knee that part of an actor’s job was to keep the money guys happy, and at this point, the lesson had become so ingrained he was programmed to be agreeable to people like Giles.

But actually, Tag was right, wasn’t he?

Taking a breath, Jay tried to shake off his disquiet. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

The walk home should have been pleasant. Blue skies and warm spring air hinted at the arrival of summer, and the streets were busy with locals and tourists enjoying the weather, but Jay found himself preoccupied.

His thoughts kept circling back to Giles and the suspicion he’d seen in his eyes when Tag had acted so possessive. It was silly that it bothered him so much. So what if Giles Cox had guessed that he and Tag were… together? Was that even the right word? Involved? Given what they’d agreed, ‘hooking up’ was probably more accurate.

It didn’t feel like hooking up to Jay, though. They might have only been together for a week, but if he was honest, Jay was already emotionally invested. And okay, maybe that was partly down to how Jay was built, but it was also because of Tag, because of the man Tag was. He made Jay want to throw caution to the wind. He made Jay wantmore, emotionally and physically. But, Jay didn’t know how to ask for more. Or whether it would be a mistake to even try.

Jay glanced over at Tag as they walked, and his heart lifted at the sight of his familiar face, caught in profile in the low evening light. He would have liked to take Tag’s hand, but that would be risky for any number of reasons—not least of which was the possibility of them being photographed and ending up on some sleazy gossip site. He didn’t care that much for himself, but Tag had been clear that he didn’t want to be publicly linked with Jay, and Jay respected that.

No doubt picking up on his introspective mood, Tag sent him a questioning smile. Jay smiled back, bewitched by the openness in Tag’s expression, by his curiosity and his concern. Everything about him was real and honest. Yes, sometimes that honesty meant you got his prickles, but more often, it meant you got his warmth and interest, just like Jay was getting now.

He’d just opened his mouth to say as much when something hard and immobile slammed into the side of his face and body, sending him reeling back a step.

He’d been attacked…

By a lamp post.