“I sense there’s a story I’dloveto hear,” Scott said, raising a questioning eyebrow.
“Do you want to tell it or shall I?” Rhys asked, shouldering Thomas playfully.
Thomas growled and folded his arms across his chest, trying not to pout. Judging from the way Rhys started laughing again, he failed.
“Okay, so if you watch the show, you know Thomas’s character is supposed to be this broody badass,” Rhys said, his blue eyes dancing with mischief as he began recounting the tale. “He doesn’t talk a lot, but he gets a lot of cool fight scenes. One time, Eli was searching a warehouse for medical supplies to save his group from a terrible illness that was killing people with high fever and sepsis. Thomas was getting to play an emotional moment when Eli finds crates of supplies and realizes he can save his friends. Thomas had been gearing himself up for this scene all day because it was supposed to yank the audience’s heartstrings hard.”
Rhys paused to glance at Thomas, and he snickered at Thomas’s sour expression.
“Do you know how hard it can be to cry on command?” Thomas shot Rhys a dire glare. “I was trying to get into the right headspace so I could convey Eli’s emotions plausibly.”
“I do community theater,” Scott said, and his sympathetic expression earned him back a few points. “I get it.”
“See?” Thomas elbowed Rhys, who only laughed again.
“Anyway, the special effects crew thought it would be hilarious to set up a little surprise for Thomas, so they put a prop zombie in one of the supply crates and rigged it to pop out like a Jack in the box as soon as Thomas opened it. Long story short, the season two blooper reel features a clip of Thomas letting out this amazingly loud, high pitched scream, falling on his ass, and scuttling backwards like a crab.”
“Assholes,” Thomas grumbled, but Rhys the betrayer flashed an unrepentant grin, and Scott laughed.
“Did you ever get them back?” Scott asked.
“I’m biding my time until they’re lulled into a false sense of security,” Thomas said, lifting his nose in the air.
“Translation: no.” Rhys managed to dodge Thomas’s elbow, and he laughed as he danced out of range. “We’ve all been victims of a prank at one time or another. The show is so intense, messing with each other is a way of releasing the pressure valve.”
“The show affects you guys that strongly? I’ve been able to relate to characters I’ve played, but it never affected me like that.” Scott seemed genuinely curious rather than like he was making polite conversation, so Thomas nodded.
“We live in thePlague Zworld almost every day for months,” he said. “I’ve been getting in Eli’s head for three years now. I know it’s fiction and zombies aren’t real, but to make him a realistic and sympathetic character, I have to empathize with him. That level of immersion can be tough to shake. It’s not like a faucet you can turn on and off whenever you want.”
“How much do you and Eli have in common?” Scott asked.
Thomas took a sip of beer while he considered the question. “Not a lot,” he said at last. After three years, he understood Eli, and there were elements of himself that he infused his performance with, but he didn’t think they were much alike. “He’s had a harder life than I have, and it’s left emotional scars that I don’t have.”
Although he did draw on the pain of being rejected by his birth family as a way of sympathizing with Eli, but he didn’t know Scott well enough to admit that, and he hoped Viv hadn’t discussed what he’d told her with anyone else.
“You’re as much of a badass as Eli is, though,” Rhys said, his voice filled with pride. “I mean, you’ve been studying marital arts since you were — what, sixteen?” He looked at Scott, growing more animated as he spoke. “He does most of his own stunt work. I’ve never worked with another actor who was so capable. We don’t even need to use a double for the fight scenes because he’s got such strong control over his kicks and punches. The only stunts he can’t do are the more dangerous ones that require a specialist, like a stunt driver or someone who’s used to working with pyrotechnics.”
Thomas basked in the warmth of Rhys’s praise. He knew Rhys thought highly of his abilities, but this was the first time Rhys had expressed his opinion so overtly in Thomas’s presence. For a moment, it seemed like Rhys really was his doting boyfriend who jumped at the chance to brag about him.
If they’d been in a real relationship, Thomas would have shown his appreciation by sliding his arm around Rhys’s waist, snuggling against his side, and giving him a tight squeeze — and so Thomas decided to act like the devoted boyfriend he wished he could be. Rhys looked startled, but he recovered quickly and draped his arm across Thomas’s shoulders. Rhys’s arm was warm and heavy, and Thomas liked feeling the weight of it around him.
“Now we know it was my stunt work, not my pretty face that made Rhys fall for me,” Thomas said, leaning against Rhys and patting his chest.
“Pretty faces are a dime a dozen in this industry,” Rhys said, stroking Thomas’s shoulder absently. “But a well-controlled roundhouse kick? That’s an attention getter.”
Scott laughed, but he was watching the two of them intently. “I’d love to hear more about what goes on behind the scenes on the show. But y’all probably have a full schedule already. I imagine Rhys has got all kinds of plans for showing you the sights.”
“No, we haven’t made any plans.” Thomas looked up at Rhys, who appeared chagrined.
“I was giving Thomas time to get settled in,” Rhys said, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand.
“There’s all kinds of things to do,” Scott said. “Hiking, camping, visiting the Biltmore estate. Not to mention all the music and food options, especially in Asheville. You could have a full schedule if you wanted to.”
Thomas looked sidelong at Rhys, wondering when — or if — Rhys planned to mention any of this or if Rhys’s planning skills had atrophied from disuse. Before he could say anything, however, Scott spoke up again.
“Do you still have your motorcycle, Rhys?” Scott blinked innocently at his cousin, and then he turned to Thomas. “If you’re feeling adventurous, you could get him to take you on the Tail of the Dragon.”
“The what now?” Thomas frowned at Scott in bewilderment.
