Chapter 24 You stole my first kiss

Chapter 24 You stole my first kiss
The thing about people like Rowan was their unpredictability. That was exactly what left Adrian on edge the entire weekend.

He was going to give Rowan something in return for not confirming their marriage just like his family wanted him to.

The question was…what?

Rowan’s phone had been ringing non-stop that night. 

Adrian had even taken a peep at his screen to see it was his father calling. It made him wonder if it had anything to do with Rowan refusing to confirm their marriage publicly.

Elias called the next day to tell them all posts slandering the pair had been scrubbed off the internet. 

Adrian already knew Rowan was responsible for that. It was one of the many perks of coming from a highly influential family. 

The only thing he was worried about was the practice for their intimate scenes. Daniel had only called in the lead characters in order to give them some privacy as they worked.

“Remember, raise your hand if you become uncomfortable. The purpose of the workshop is for the both of you to feel out each other while still being able to respect your boundaries.” Daniel droned on while the pair listened.

“This is between your characters, and not you. Keep your private feelings aside.” He picked up the script.

“Is all this necessary?” Adrian asked, eyeing Rowan wearily. He was hoping they’d put off the intimate scenes till he was sure what this thing with Rowan was.

“If we don’t want mistakes, yes.” Rowan was back to his usual cold indifferent persona. He hadn’t even given Adrian so much as a glance as they drove to the studio.

“The goal is to film all intimate scenes in one take,” Daniel said from where he sat across from them on the table. “We need to figure out all the angles and such, then make sure the chemistry between you two is perfect.”

“Okay,” Adrian mumbled. He’d never had issues with intimate scenes before. 

In fact, he was better at intimacy when he was playing another character. It was easier to separate the demons that haunted him when he wasn’t being himself.

There was a light knock at the door before a woman walked in. She was slender, with jet black hair, a clipboard in hand and a sweet smile.

Daniel stood up and walked over to her. “Guys, this is your intimacy coordinator. Say hello to Natalie.”

They both stood up and shook her hands with her.

Natalie was all smiles and teeth, she’d dreamt about this moment for weeks. And now that it was happening, it felt like she was riding out a high.

“Lets get started,” she told her, flipping through the papers on the clipboard. “This is to make sure all your physical interactions are safe and within your boundaries. The only thing that’ll happen on set is what we’ll practice here.”

They nodded in agreement.

“We’ll establish your boundaries first,” Natalie continued. “I have a few questions and I need you to answer in all honesty. You don’t need to agree to anything you don’t  like.”

Adrian let out a quiet breath. This was not a big deal, he kissed and touched people all the time. Then why was his palms growing sweaty from the thought of being close to Rowan again?

“Are you attracted to him?” Natalie asked Adrian.

His face fell in shock, but he recovered almost immediately with a scowl. “He’s not exactly hard on the eyes. I guess he’s okay.”

Daniel Kwon tried to stifle his laugh from where he was watching.

“And you, Rowan?”

Rowan slipped his hands into his pockets. “I find him attractive.”

Adrian almost lost his footing. 

Rowan found him attractive? Why did it excite instead of annoy him? Was it before or after they got married? He wanted to know but he couldn’t ask Rowan these questions to his face.

“Good. Next question. Do you like each other?”

Adrian shifted on his feet. “I can’t really say I hate him.”

“I like him.” Rowan kept his gaze trained on Adrian, trapping him. “I guess I’ve crossed the thin line between hate and lo—”

Adrian immediately slammed his palm over Rowan’s mouth, ultimately shutting him up.

“What the hell are you playing at?” Adrian hissed.

“I’m just answering her questions,” Rowan mumbled after Adrian pulled his hand away. “Do you have a problem with that?” He leaned in so there was no more space between the two. “Or you’re disturbed by the fact I might like you?”

Natalie was about to interrupt when Daniel gestured to let them be. 

“I know you’re just trying to fuck with me.” He pushed Rowan’s chest. “Take a step back, you're in my space.”

“Do you not like prolonged physical contact?” Natialie asked Adrian. “Is him being close making you uncomfortable?”

Adrian glared at the man in front of him. It wasn’t that he necessarily hated physical contact…Rowan just made him anxious and he couldn’t explain why.

“It’s fine,” Adrian answered instead. 

“I don’t mind physical contact,” Rowan piped up. “As long as it’s not violent.”

“Oh—I thought you were into that kind of thing.” Adrian pointed at his still bruised lip. “I never would’ve thought that was where you’d draw the line.”

“Well…I don’t mind if it’s the kind of thing you want.” He let a smirk slip through his blank face. “I don’t mind if it’s you.”

Adrian had no comeback. “Just shut up.”

Natalie bit back a smile. “Do you prefer leading the moment or following? I know your positions are set? But we can tweak it to your preference, like have a submissive top—”

“I doubt this guy will ever be submissive, he loves being in control way too much,” Adrian said. “As for me, I like to follow someone’s lead. I’m not really experienced in that department.”

“Tssk. I find that hard to believe.”

Adrian glared at him. “I’ll have you know you stole my first kiss.”

Rowan’s expression morphed into one of pure horror. “I’ve seen you kiss plenty.”

“On screen.”

“Wait…” Rowan struggled to wrap his head around it. “You’ve only ever kissed onscreen?”

Something like dread twisted in Adrian’s stomach but he tried to play it off. “It’s no big deal, forget I said anything.”

Why had he gone and opened his mouth? Especially in front of Rowan of all people. It wasn’t a lie though, he’d been so focused on his career to worry about relationships. Or kissing people in general outside a movie set. 

Natalie could cut through the tension in the air with her clipboard if she slashed at it. She cleared her throat and asked the most important question.

“Will it be alright if your partner initiates physical contact without telling you when you’re in the middle of performing? Let's say they went with the flow and did something you hadn’t practiced or talked about before?”

“You mean touching without any permission?” Adrian asked, immediately tensing up.

Natalie nodded. “Yes.”

Rowan watched Adrian’s guarded movement and the way he kept cleaning his palms on the sides of his pants.

He was nervous.

Did it have anything to do with how he’d broken down that night?

“I’m not okay with it,” Adrian finally answered, his voice dropping to his usual indifferent tone. Then he looked at Adrian, “I’d like you to tell me first before you touch me.”