I laughed loudly as Wes wagged his middle finger at both of us. “Everyone knows I don’t have anything to compensate for.”
“God, do you ever stop talking about your dick?” Liv rushed by, not pausing as she passed us with her coffee in hand and sunglasses still on.
“Long night, Liv?”
She snorted. “Like you’d know anything about long things, Wes.” Then she disappeared off into hair and makeup.
Wes appeared unfazed by her retort and turned back to the props table, picking up and admiring some modified handguns. “Got anything new for me, Felix?”
“Actually,” Felix said as he pulled out an extra-long slim case that both Wes and I were familiar with. Inside was Wes’ typical weapon, a spear with a series of engraved markings in the shaft. When Felix handed it to Wes, I could see that it had been altered. Most of the surface was blackened, resembling scorch marks, and the tip had been updated with a crude split, giving the whole weapon a raw, archaic look.
It was very fucking cool.
“Fuck. Yes.” Wes tested out the feel of it with a few practiced moves while Felix explained the changes.
“Since the fight with Mars almost destroyed it, we wanted to really play up the wear and tear from that, and I also wanted to represent Ares’ more vulnerable state this season. So you get a sense of that exposed anger in how jaded and rough his spear looks, and you kind of worry that either could break at any moment.”
Wes nodded along, still admiring the spear. “Yeah, that’s awesome. I love it.” He hands it back to Felix, who promptly returns it to the case. “Great work as always.”
I was checking over a few more props when Wes got my attention.
“Hey, J. I’ve got some thoughts on next week’s script. You got some time to run lines with me?”
“Yeah, I’ve got a bit of time.”
“Cool.” He said, and I followed him into our designated rehearsal space.
The studio lot where we filmed wasn’t as big as most, but Wes, Liv, and I did manage to sequester a small space for the three of us to unwind and rehearse between takes. We mostly used it to relax; days on set could be long and sometimes boring, so it was nice to have somewhere we could commiserate together.
Wes dropped into the chair across from me, one hand digging into his curls as he pulled out his script. I knew he could see my confusion when he tossed it aside.
“What’s up, man?” I asked. From the pained look on his face, I already had the sense that this wasn’t going to be about work.
It wasn’t like Wes to brood, despite the villain he played on the show, so my confusion slowly morphed into concern. “Everything ok?”
Wes hunched over, his earlier cocky ambivalence nowhere to be seen. “Not really, J.” He groaned. “It’s been a tough week.”
“Girl problems?” I joked, hoping to lighten the mood and immediately regretting it when he bristled. “Sorry.”
“Let’s just say I can relate to my storyline this year.”
He was referring to the unrequited love angle between Ares and Meira, which surprised me because, as far as I was aware, he wasn’t seeing anyone. “I had no idea.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Yes? No. Honestly, I’ve been over it so many times in my head I’m a little sick of it, you know? I’ve never been here before, wanting someone who doesn’t see me that way. Who only wants me as a friend.”
“Have you talked to them?”
“I don’t need to. I just found out she’s in a pretty serious relationship, so I just need to get the hell over it already.” He slumped back in the chair. “What are you doing later? We could hit a bar, wingman for each other?”
Now it was my turn to squirm. I hadn’t been keeping Audrey a secret; it just hadn’t come up before. Wes and I spent more time talking shop than anything else, although I realized now that I’d unfairly assumed he wasn’t capable of a serious conversation. “Actually, I can’t. I’m seeing someone.”
Wes’ smile appeared genuine, although tinged with sadness. “Bar girl, right? That’s great, man. You deserve it.”
“Thanks, Wes. You do, too. Things will work out.”
