Chapter 5
NOAH
The cameras were on from the moment we got out of the cars right up until it was time to sleep.
If it wasn’t an actual cameraman, it was the action cameras positioned around the house and production managers freaking everywhere.
Admittedly, after the filming at the soundstage for so long, it was already dark when we got in, so it was only a few hours I needed to endure.
It still sucked having to worry about every word out of my mouth.
“Is it like that all the time?” I asked Skye after changing into my pajamas in our shared bathroom under the excuse of a shower. “With the managers constantly telling you what to do and how to act?” Because as if it wasn’t enough for them to simply film the content, they were actively directing.
Skye yawned, scrubbing his hands through his already messy hair.
His was a darker blond than mine, more on the light brown side, but he spent so much time in the sun it’d lightened.
“Yeah. I mean, not always. It’s just when they’re putting together Mount Olympus content, and right now they’re frothing over having you in it. ”
I sighed because, yeah, that made sense. “How often do you put those episodes out?”
“Every two weeks,” he replied, getting under his blankets and groaning as he got comfy. “But because of the Games, they’ll probably be around more than usual. Just pretend they’re not there. You’ll get used to it.”
I wrinkled my nose because I really didn’t think that was going to happen. How the fuck the guys could be so comfortable sitting around the table eating Chinese takeout while two cameramen and three managers hovered nearby, blew my damn mind.
“Well, I don’t think my presence will do much for ratings,” I muttered, getting into my own bed as exhaustion set in.
I hadn’t managed to call Jared yet to freak out over the shared bedroom situation, and now it was way too late.
I’d try him in the morning. Surely I could survive one night without accidentally revealing my vagina, right?
Skye chuckled, punching his pillow into shape. “Yeah, right. I hope you don’t snore, dude.”
“Likewise,” I shot back with a grin. “Night, Skye.”
“Night, Noah.”
Somehow despite all my reservations around sharing a room, I slept better than I had in months. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d stayed asleep the whole night without waking, which was even more impressive considering I’d just slept in my chest binder.
A sleepy glance over at Skye’s bed told me he was already up, so I took the opportunity to loosen the heavy-duty Velcro of my binder and breathe deeply for a few minutes.
Not that I had any huge amount of boob to hide in the first place, but I also wasn’t so flat-chested I could get away without something to deal with my shape.
“Fuck,” I whispered aloud as I lay there and imagined my ribcage expanding with each deep breath.
Maybe I didn’t need to wear it to bed? It’s not like we were sleeping together, and as long as I was under blankets, maybe I could get away with it.
I sure as hell couldn’t sleep in that torture device night after night on top of wearing it all day.
A soft knock on the door made me flip over onto my stomach and drag the blanket up over my head just a second before Skye entered the room.
“Noah?” he whispered. “Are you awake?”
He’d probably just seen me hide, so there wasn’t a lot of point in faking. “Should I be?” I mumbled from inside my blankets. I needed to get my binder back on, but the fucking Velcro had just stuck to itself.
“Nah, there’s no strict schedule. I just wanted to ask if you had thought about who you’re hanging out with today?”
I groaned, because…no. Ace had mentioned that I’d have a few days of “settling in,” where I could spend time with each of the guys to get to know them all in more intimate settings.
I’d definitely had a knee-jerk reaction to that before remembering that they thought I was a boy and therefore meant absolutely nothing flirty by that turn of phrase.
Simply that it was easier to get to know people when it was one-on-one, rather than in a whole rowdy group.
“You?” I asked, because not only did I feel like I already kinda knew Skye—so it wouldn’t be so awkward—but our interests aligned. The last thing I wanted to be stuck doing on Day One was learning how to work clay with a shirtless Torin or testing out my rusty singing voice with Zeth.
“Cool, I can show you the property then.” He sounded actually enthusiastic about that, and I decided I’d picked well for a chill intro into Mount Olympus. “So…are you getting up?”
Crap. I popped my head out of the blankets just far enough to squint my sleepy eyes his way. “Uh…yeah. Just give me like ten minutes?”
Skye nodded. “Okay, sure.” Then when I made no move to get out of bed, he awkwardly stood up and jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “I’ll just…give you some space. You want any coffee?”
“Yes, please.” I remembered my manners. “Black, no sugar.”
Before he left I took a quick note of what he was wearing so I could match the vibe. Mimicking the guys would be the easiest way to sell my act, for sure.
Alone again, I grabbed my binder, some fresh clothes, and hauled ass into the bathroom to shower.
It was a quick process even with washing my hair, and I grinned at myself in the foggy mirror.
I put on a tinted moisturizer to keep from looking sick on camera, but I could definitely get used to not having to do a full face of makeup every damn day.
My lashes were so short and damaged from recently removing my extensions that I had to admit, I barely looked like myself.
Chest binder back in place, oversized T-shirt, sweatpants, sneakers. Done. If it weren’t for the binder, I’d be living my comfortable clothing dream. It’d be hard to go back to bodycon dresses and stiletto heels after this, and I was barely twenty-four hours in.
Downstairs in the huge kitchen, Skye had my coffee ready in a travel mug, but my focus was entirely derailed by the sight of Minho and Xavier sitting on stools at the island counter…wearing nothing but their boxer shorts.
Fucking hell. I needed to pop my eyes back into their sockets and stop staring, but it was an effort. A big effort.
“Noah, Skye seems to be under the impression you’re hanging out with him today,” Xavier said with a scowl, half-eaten bagel in hand as he gestured to my roommate. “But you guys talked non-stop for the whole drive yesterday, so surely you don’t need more SkyeHigh today?”
I mentally willed my pulse to stop racing as he locked eyes with me over the island. Why weren’t they dressed, for fuck’s sake? Then again, this was Team Olympus. Thirst trap was basically their middle name.
“I thought you were asleep for the whole drive?” I shot back with a wobbly smile.
Fuck, was I sweating? A little. Xavier’s gaze was painfully disarming, though, especially when I had the biggest crush on him as a teenager.
Okay, maybe it wasn’t so far in my past, because there was no denying how my butterflies were reacting to his proximity.
Xavier shrugged, drawing way too much of my attention to his well-toned and tanned shoulder.
He had a tattoo of a thin line running all the way from the back of his neck, wrapping around his arm, and ending in a simple blossom on his wrist. I kinda wanted to inspect it closer… maybe trace it with my finger…
“Noah already said he’s with me today,” Skye said, jerking me out of what was fast turning into a lustful trance as I followed Xavier’s tattoo with my eyes. “I’m showing him around the property.”
“What if I want to do that?” Minho asked. “I give great tours.”
Xavier turned his head to give Minho a confused squint. “Since fucking when?”
The beautiful, former K-pop star just shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe I just need the opportunity. I watched a whole season of Selling Sunset Springs last winter.”
Xavier snorted a laugh, and Skye snickered.
“I don’t know that’s a qualification, bro,” Skye told Minho with a lopsided smile. “Besides, Ace said we all have to spend one-on-one time with my twin, so just play it cool and maybe he’ll pick you next.”
Unlikely. I needed to get my hormones in check before doing anything one on one with either Xavier or Minho. I’d been lusting after the both of them way too hard while “researching,” and it was messing with my head. Skye just felt safer today. Maybe because I did already feel like I knew him?
“We need to be qualified to show the new guy around our own house?” Xavier asked, turning his puzzled squint on Skye. “Where’s your diploma, then?”
Skye just rolled his eyes and gave me a push in the direction of the door that led to the rest of the house. “Come on, Noah. If you entertain them, we’ll be here all damn day.”
“See you later, Noah!” Minho called after us, and my cheeks warmed.
Shit. I severely underestimated how hard it was to maintain this act when I was tied up in knots by their mere presence.
“Don’t worry about them,” Skye told me as we made our way through the enormous house. “They’re just messing around. Everyone is really excited to have you on the team, but I can tell them to tone it down if they’re making you uncomfortable.”
I shook my head. “No, it’s fine. I’m just not used to…all of this.”
Skye nodded, like he understood what I was talking about. “You don’t usually create content alone, though, right? You have a cameraman that does stunts with you?”
“Yeah,” I replied softly, a pang of worry hitting my stomach at the mention of Miles. I’d still not replied to his messages but would have to at some stage. “How do you do it? It’s surely not all GoPro footage?”
Skye shrugged. “A lot is. Some is done with tracking drones, too.”
My interest piqued at that. “Can you show me? I’ve always wanted to try them out but never really needed to.”
“For sure! Come on. I wanna show you the cliff.” He opened a door at the back of the house, leading us out into the expansive yard where a lagoon-style pool was practically taunting me.
Not that I was particularly fond of the water these days, but if I was, I’d be shit out of luck.
Hard to hide my little secret in a swimsuit.
Wait. What did Skye just say? “Cliff? What—” My question broke off when he led the way down a path beside the pool to reveal a drop-off.
The house itself was elevated from the beach, and the guys’ clever landscape designer had used that natural height to create an actual cliff, complete with climbing points and…
“Is that a trampoline at the bottom?” I asked in surprise.
Skye beamed, turning to face me with his back to the “cliff.” “Sure is.” Then he fell backward, over the ledge, and dropped out of sight.
Then a moment later, his face reappeared as the trampoline rebounded him back up once more.
“So cool,” I breathed, eyes wide as I peered over the edge.
Skye laughed, a staggeringly joyful kind of sound. It was disturbingly relatable…that rush of euphoria from doing something dangerous. “Wanna try it out?”
“Fuck yes!” I exclaimed, then took one big step straight off the ledge.
No hesitation, no fear.