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"Oh, so Luke was kissing a football, huh?" Andrew asked Malcolm, a knowing smirk playing on his face. The blush that tinted Luke's cheeks betrayed a different truth.
Luke’s initial attempts to practice before his audition involved a football, but there was certainly no kissing involved during those times. Later on, he sought Andrew's help. Andrew agreed without much hesitation, with the original plan being to practice the lines.
However, when the script called for the characters to kiss, Luke never anticipated Andrew taking it literally. The moment Andrew leaned in and closed the distance, he kissed Luke as if he had been yearning to do so for a long time. Andrew clearly went beyond what the script required.
Luke found himself caught off guard by the unexpected kiss. Surprisingly, he wasn't put off; instead, he discovered that he quite enjoyed it, responding with equal eagerness. The question lingered in his mind – why did kissing Andrew feel like the most natural thing to do?
Attempting to rationalize, Luke, as an aspiring actor, considered impromptu intimacy with fellow actors as part of the practice. However, the notion of kissing Malcolm, his friend, felt strange. Deep down, he knew that if it were anyone other than Andrew, he wouldn’t have taken that step.
As their relationship blurred the lines between practice and genuine emotions, Luke began to question whether he was developing feelings for Andrew. Undeniably, he found himself liking the kisses more than he cared to admit. This sentiment was evident when he didn't mind at all when Andrew kissed him again upon their return to the dorm.
“Want to help me practice?" Luke had asked Andrew so casually as if it were the most ordinary request to make of a friend.
Did Luke even consider him a friend? They had been roommates for a relatively short time. Initially, Luke seemed to be trying to ingratiate himself into Andrew's life by suggesting they eat out together or joining him on evening jogs. Andrew understood that this was likely Luke's attempt to be on good terms with his roommate. However, the more time they spent together outside the dorm, the more Andrew found himself genuinely enjoying Luke's company. He became so accustomed to Luke's presence that the days Luke wasn't around for an extended period made Andrew miss him.
Coming from the world of a prominent politician's son, Andrew hadn't experienced genuine kindness without ulterior motives. Most people approached him to get closer to his father. Luke, however, seemed different. He genuinely wanted to be friends.
Andrew knew he desired more than just friendship with Luke. So when Luke asked for help practicing for an upcoming audition, it felt like the long-awaited opportunity to spend more time together. What Andrew didn't anticipate was kissing Luke. It was as if his body moved on its own accord. They were supposed to kiss according to the script, but Andrew would be lying if he claimed he kissed Luke just to follow the script.
Feeling a bit disappointed when Luke brushed off the kiss as expected for actors, Andrew couldn't help but wonder if the kiss meant anything to Luke. After all, Luke had returned the kiss with equal hunger and eagerness.
Andrew questioned whether Luke would kiss his other friends if he were practicing with them instead. Unlike Luke, the kiss meant everything to Andrew. He genuinely liked Luke and enjoyed kissing him. That's why he kissed him again after they returned to the dorm. He even stole another kiss before Luke went to the audition, thinking to himself, "I want him to be thinking of me when he's kissing whatever actor he'll kiss during the audition."
The kiss held a peculiar weight for both Luke and Andrew. For Luke, it was a blend of surprise, curiosity, and a strange sense of familiarity. He hadn't expected the kiss during their practice session, but the eagerness with which he responded sparked a realization – perhaps kissing Andrew felt more natural than he wanted to admit.
Andrew, on the other hand, felt a rush of excitement and a flicker of something deeper. The kiss wasn't just a scripted moment; it carried an undercurrent of unspoken emotions. It left Andrew contemplating whether there was more to his feelings for Luke than he had initially acknowledged.
As they separated, there lingered an unspoken tension between them – a silent acknowledgment that the kiss had changed something, even if they were both unsure of what that something was.