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I made a zipping motion over my lips and opened the attachment in my email.
Duology was the name of the script. Sounded heavy.
The setting was London in the late nineties.
I read the logline, the hook. This was a love story between a closeted bisexual man and a widower struggling with grief.
Despite my initial surprise, I kept reading. And reading.
Twenty-year old Tate would’ve refused to even glance at this script.
Thirty-year old me said it was about fucking time.
CHAPTER 16
REED
TWO WEEKS LATER
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked Tate as we waited for Dylan and Max’s arrival at my house.
The couple were driving up from San Diego for a celebratory dinner. Jared was backing Duology with Dylan, and Tate and I were taking the lead roles.
“If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have signed the contract,” Tate replied as he stood in the kitchen, preparing a salad.
“Remember how freaked out you were in Jagged Edge? That was only one kiss.”
“That was last year. Things have changed. I’ve changed.”
What did he mean by that?
I watched Tate move between the sink and the fridge, so at home in my house. He’d moved in here six weeks ago and hadn’t left my side since. I was, hopefully, starting to come out of the worst of my grief, but some days were better than others. And now that I was feeling better, I didn’t think I was in any danger of relapsing. I knew it, Tate knew it.
So, I wondered why he hadn’t left.
And why he was so fucking calm about this movie. What had changed?
I paced my living room, a nervous wreck, while our cats watched on with bored interest.
Tate and I had readily agreed that the script for Duology was the most intense, heartfelt work we’d read in ages. It offered two lead roles that were filled with detailed backstories and incredible dialogue. Characters that any actor would fight to play.
But this was a love story that we had to play out.
And pretending to fall in love with the man I pretended not to love, was a mindfuck.
Okay, so I’d be pretending to fall in love with the character he played but still, this was Tate. When I acted with him, it was never just about playing a part. The reality of who we were always seeped in.
“The entire movie is about the intimate relationship that develops between these two men. Do you get what that means?”
Tate rolled his eyes.
“Duh, I read the script, just like you. Fuck me, some of those sex scenes were hot as hell. All I can say is, bravo Max,” Tate snorted. “And lucky Dylan.”
“This isn’t a joke! We have to act out those very scenes. And why are you so calm? Do you realize this is probably only the fifth major movie production in the past two years that centers on queer relationship rep? Do you know how big of a deal this is going to be when it comes out? How much attention we’re going to get?”
“Yes, to all that. And I’m calm because the writing is fucking gorgeous. These characters, their story, it’s painful and beautiful at the same time. Shit, Ree, you felt it too. It’s the most incredible role I’ve ever been offered in my entire career. I’m honored that Dylan and Jared chose me. Chose us.”
He wasn’t getting it.
