Chapter 16 Rama
CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Rama
The sun is setting over the river when Pete, Alex, and I sit down in the living room with our glasses of wine.
Eager to see more videos of what I’ve been telling them about, Alex casts my phone to the television screen, and suddenly my face fills the screen.
“This one’s called Practicing Skinship,” Alex says as he starts the video. He looks at me. “Skinship?”
“Intimacy. Touching.” My heart leaps at the sight of Pravat on the screen. “This of one of the first workshops we did.” Dressed casually, Pravat and I sit on the floor exploring each other’s faces with our hands. It seems like it happened a million years ago.
“Why are you doing that?” Pete asks.
“We’re getting accustomed to touching and looking at each other,” I say, remembering how nervous I’d been that day and how Pravat had calmed me just by being himself. We look so serious, staring at each other like that.
“God, I can’t imagine doing that with Bruce,” Alex says. When I look at him, he clarifies, “He’s the guy I play opposite in the production we’re doing now.”
“I’d better not catch you doing that kind of thing off stage,” Pete says to Alex before turning to me. “Is Pravat gay, bi, or what?”
“He’s gay, but most bl actors are straight.”
Alex shakes his head. “Look how you’re gazing at each other. No wonder the fans ship you two so hard.”
A second later, Pravat and I lean in and press our lips together, surprising even me because I’d forgotten about that kiss.
Both Pete and Alex turn wide eyes to me, and I can’t help but laugh.
“I can’t believe I just saw you kiss a man,” Pete says.
“We play lovers in this, you know,” I tease him. “We kiss a lot.”
“I feel like I’m watching some weird parallel universe,” Alex mumbles as we watch Pravat’s thumb stroke my face and our lips softly connect again and again.
“How long had you known him when this took place?” Pete asks.
“About two weeks, I think.”
“Fuck, this skinship stuff must really work. You don’t even look uncomfortable. You. The guy who hates sitting beside someone on the subway.”
“We’re friends.” I glance at Alex for support. “It’s part of acting. You get it.”
“You two have amazing chemistry. I’m starting to ship you,” he says.
“This is rehearsal. Couldn’t you skip the kiss?” Pete asks.
“We’re practicing being intimate in order to look natural in front of the cameras.”
“Oh, it definitely looks natural,” he says.
Alex clicks on a different video. “This one’s called Reaction Video for Episode Three.”
Pravat and I, dressed in matching pajamas with smiley faces on them, sit on a purple couch with a couple of hosts who are dressed similarly. We all hold plushy dolls as we view the beginning credits of a very popular episode containing the bedroom love scene.
Pete laughs. “What the hell? This reminds me of my kid sister’s slumber parties.”
“It’s supposed to look that way,” I murmur, staring at Pravat and I laughing with each other.
“Did they ask you to sit that close?” Alex asks. He still seems fascinated, and I remind myself that all this is very different from how he’s accustomed to working in the theater.
“We aren’t sitting that close,” I say.
“You’re practically in his lap.” Pete dodges my elbow when I jut it at him.
“Look how close the three of us are sitting right now,” I point out.
“Alex and I are boyfriends, and you and I are cousins. And we’re not doing that.
” Pete gestures to the screen where I’m now leaning against Pravat, his arm around my waist as we watch the opening scene where Tait and Aran’s characters literally run into each other coming around a corner and stand nose-to-nose for a long, drawn-out moment.
Although I wave Pete away, inside my heart’s thumping double-time at how comfortable Pravat and I look snuggling together on that couch. I can almost catch the scent of him and feel his arms around me.
“Where can we watch the series?” Alex asks me.
“Do you really want to see it?”
“Of course we do!” Pete nudges me hard.
“Okay.” I pull it up for him.
Pete curls up in Alex’s arms, and I settle back against the couch cushions as the theme music plays and each member of the cast flashes on the screen.
About mid-way through episode one, I drift off.
The next thing I know, it’s the argument scene from the end of episode eight.
Rubbing my eyes, I sit up. Outside the window, the skyline is lit up in the darkness.
I can’t believe they’re still watching the show.
The screen is filled with my anguished face. I had to dive deep into painful memories for that scene, and it left me sobbing even after Maha called for filming to stop. Pravat held me for a long time. Not wanting to watch, I get up from the couch and walk into the kitchen.
“What the hell?” I say, when I return moments later to find both Pete and Alex with tears dripping down their faces.
“Shh!” Alex flaps his hand, eyes not leaving the screen.
“I’m going to bed,” I say.
“Shh!” Both Pete and Alex shoo me away.
Shaking my head, I turn toward the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, I’m showered and stretched out on the bed. My finger twitches over the screen of my phone. It’s early morning in Thailand. Pravat should be up. Without allowing myself to over-think it, I call him.
“Rama?” his voice is rough from sleep.
“I woke you, I’m sorry. I thought you’d be up for class.”
“I would be, but the term’s over,” Pravat says through a yawn.
“Shit! I’m so sorry. I’ll let you go.”
“Don’t you dare hang up. What are you doing?”
“I’ve spent the last few hours being teased by my cousin and his boyfriend about our relationship. Well, that was before I took a nap and woke up to find them in tears over Kusa and Atid’s fight.”
Pravat laughs. “Why were they teasing you about us?”
“They just don’t understand the way it is in the bl industry. Things are different here.”
“You sound so wistful. Don’t tell me you’re homesick already.”
“A little,” I admit. “Maybe I shouldn’t have accepted this internship.”
“You said you wanted to do this for your father,” Pravat reminds me. “It’ll go by fast.”
“Six months?” I ask plaintively before realizing I sound like a child. I sigh. “I’m just tired.”
“I guess you’re getting ready to go to bed there,” Pravat says.
“Mmm. That nap has probably messed up my sleep schedule even more. What are you doing?”
I hear rustling on the other end of the line, and then it sounds like Pravat drops the phone. When he gets back on, he clears his throat.
“I’m about to make some coffee. What are your plans tomorrow?”
“I have to report to the company. First day of many long days to come.”
We chat for a while more, and then hang up. I spend the next half hour putting away my things and then settle on the bed to read.