The profession of acting requires a decent memory. For instance, if an actor could remember the names and faces of fans who came to meet them, it left a lasting impression, making fans even more captivated. It showed attentiveness. On the work side, actors should memorise details about the characters they play to embody the role fully. This included remembering lines for various scenes. If they could recall their lines accurately, they could focus more on facial expressions and emotions, thereby saving time during filming. For a rising star like Third Tharit, who was the epitome of professionalism, even his free time wasn't wasted.

 

The tall figure, dressed in a casual t-shirt and sweatpants, was half-sitting, half-lying on a leather sofa in his luxurious condo in the Langsuan area. His eyes were fixed on an iPad, memorising lines for the next day's shoot.

 

"Wan", he called.

 

"Hmm?" I, who was sitting on the floor with my back against the sofa, turned away from my phone game to look at my boyfriend. "What's up?"

 

"Are you free? Help me run through my lines," he asked.

 

"Sure," I replied, grabbing my iPad from the coffee table and getting up from the floor. I plopped down cross-legged on the sofa next to Third as he sent the script to me via LINE. Besides being his boyfriend, I also served as his practice partner, since I had some acting experience myself (though I never completed a full project). Third always prepared by memorising his lines before filming, being the perfectionist who wanted everything ready. As for me, I had nothing better to do, so helping him rehearse was fun.

 

This time, Third was starring in a romantic-comedy film. The story revolved around the male lead, who'd been friends with the female lead since childhood. They grew up together through elementary school, high school, university, and into adulthood. The male lead secretly loved the female lead but never confessed. Eventually, the female lead got a boyfriend and was about to get married, with the male lead organising her wedding. That was so heartbreaking. 

 

But then, a day before the wedding, the male lead travelled back in time to when he was eighteen, and the female lead hadn't met her current boyfriend yet. The question was whether the male lead would seize this chance to confess his feelings and make her fall for him. Would the groom change, or would history repeat itself with the female lead marrying someone else? I didn't know either because Third refused to let me read the ending, telling me to find out in the theatre.

In this film, Third was paired with Pink, a singer from a famous girl group. Her name sounded familiar, right? Yes, it was the same N' Pink that my friend Jay was obsessed with. When I heard the news, I was excited and even asked Third to get her autograph for me. N’Pink was beautiful, adorable, had a lovely voice, and was incredibly popular. If this movie succeeded, my boyfriend would surely get many more opportunities.

 

Romantic-comedy roles were relatively lighthearted. The challenge was making the character charming and lovable to the audience. But Third was a professional, and I believed he could do it. So, when he asked for help, 1 was always ready to be his practice partner.

 

"Which scene are we doing this time?" I asked

 

"Starting from 22/2," his deep voice replied. I skimmed through the script and raised an eyebrow. "This is the confession scene."

 

"Yes," he nodded as I continued reading. Oh no, there's a kissing scene! Is my boyfriend really going to kiss N' Pink tomorrow?

 

"You start," Third said, snapping me out of my thoughts. Love scenes were part of an actor's job. It was admirable, really, to perform intimate scenes like hugging,

kissing, or even bed scenes in front of dozens of crew members. Besides, it was just a character, not my boyfriend. I told myself that Third was merely lending his body to the character.

 

"Alright, let's start," I cleared my throat and began reading the female lead's lines

 

"Do you have something to tell me, Ton?"

 

"No," he replied

 

"Huh?"

 

"Make your voice softer, like a girl's," he instructed.

 

"Does it have to be that realistic?"

 

"It won't feel authentic otherwise," the professional actor explained. So, I cleared my throat again and adjusted my voice. "Do you have something to tell me, Ton?" But Third didn't continue. I saw a playful glint in his dark eyes when I looked up.

"Are you messing with me? I'm not reading anymore," I narrowed my eyes, pretending to close my iPad. This guy loved teasing me ever since we started dating, enjoying my annoyed reactions.

 

"Sorry, sorry. I'll be serious now," Third laughed, and I sighed before unlocking the iPad and resuming the script.

 

"Do you have something to tell me, Ton?"

 

"I have... something to confess to you, Mook," Third's deep voice carried a hint of nervousness, a tone I wasn't used to. The character 'Ton' was timid and a bit weak, so Third designed his voice to tremble slightly, with a skittish demeanour.

 

"Confess? Why does it sound so serious?" I chuckled, trying to match his energy.

 

"Mook, the truth is..."

.."

 

"I like you, Mook."

 

"Yeah, I know. I also-"

 

"No! Not like that!" he interrupted firmly, his sharp eyes locking onto mine. Even though I was just playing the female lead temporarily, his intensity made my heart race, pulling me into the scene effortlessly.

 

"I've never liked you as just a friend. I like you as a man likes a woman. You must've known that, right? You've just been pretending not to understand all this time."

 

"Every time I try to talk about this, you change the subject. Why? Is it because you don't like me, or because you can't like me?" Third's slightly trembling voice sounded pained. From what I knew of the script, the female lead did like the male lead but held back because her friend also liked him. She'd always tried to suppress her feelings. But love is hard to control, isn't it? knew that from personal experience.

 

"Ton... I... I don't know..." I said, following the dialogue as Third leaned closer and tilted my chin up.

 

"Then, if I were to kiss you, would you hate it?"

 

His voice made my heart flutter. Even though he was playing someone else, I couldn't help but fall for the man in front of me. According to the script, the female lead wouldn't respond, and the male lead would lean in until they kissed. The rehearsal should've ended there. But Third didn't pull away. Instead, he leaned in closer until our noses touched.

 

"Wait," I raised my hand to stop him, feeling a bit flustered. "Do we really need to do this part too?"

 

"Yeah, shouldn't we practice everything?" His sharp eyes gleamed mischievously as he gently removed my hand. With no barriers left, his lips pressed against mine in a passionate kiss.

 

"Mmm..." I let out a soft sound as his warm tongue slipped into my mouth, exploring and intertwining with mine. He alternated between nibbling and sucking on my lips with fervour. Third leaned down, pressing me flat against the sofa. Our bodies were so close that there wasn't any space between us. I could feel his quickened breath against my face as his large hand slid under my shirt, caressing my waist and hips with delight.

 

"Hah..."

 

After a long moment, he finally released my lips. I lay panting on the sofa while Third hovered above me. His eyes sparkled with a mix of love and desire.

 

"Third," I called.

 

"Hmm?"

 

"Tomorrow... are you going to kiss N'Pink like this, too?" I asked hesitantly. Was this really practice, or did he just want to kiss me? I was so confused.

 

"No," he chuckled deeply, his laughter resonating in his chest. Third leaned down to kiss me passionately again, his hands wandering over my waist and stomach, sending shivers through my entire body.

 

"It's just lips touching, nothing more. Don't be jealous, okay?"

 

"Jealous? No way. I was just curious," I quickly defended, glaring at him before he could get too smug. But wait, if the script didn't call for a deep kiss, then what was that just now?

"If it's not in the script, then what was that? That's called going off-script," | pouted, biting my swollen lips to hide my embarrassment.

 

"Just a simple kiss isn't enough with you," he smirked mischievously, his sharp nose nuzzling my cheek before moving to my neck. Third always said I smelled nice, even though I only used baby powder.

 

"Can I?" he whispered, his lips and warm tongue teasing my earlobe, making my whole body shiver.

 

"W-what?"

 

"I want more," he murmured in a husky voice.

 

After dating for several months, our relationship had finally deepened to a level of intimacy that touched the soul. I won't go into details because I was way too shy to talk about it, but my first time with him was warm and tender.

 

Third was incredibly patient, worried that I might get hurt and develop a fear of sex.

As for me, I was nervous at first. Even though I'd prepared myself well, reading up on all the theories, I was still anxious because I'd heard it could be really painful. But when it actually happened, it felt amazing, so much so that I kind of got hooked. Of course, I'd never admit something that embarrassing to Third! And I decided I'd never make the first move either becauseI loved the feeling of him initiating things, the way he'd come over, all affectionate and pleading. It made me feel wanted as he needed me so much.

 

"Please..." His deep voice pleaded persistently, his nose brushing against my cheek.

You know how it was-it was hard to put it out once the fire was lit. I could feel his arousal pressing against my thigh through his sweatpants, hot and firm.

 

"Aren't we... rehearsing lines anymore?" I asked, my face and neck burning with heat. My heart was pounding, but I couldn't deny that, amidst the embarrassment, there was also a sense of anticipation.

 

"We are rehearsing. Skipping to the love scene," Third grinned mischievously as he stood up, scooping me off the couch bridal-style and carrying me straight to the bedroom. I wasn't exactly small, but he carried me effortlessly. Guess all that daily exercise paid off.

 

"Wait, wait! This story doesn't even have a bedroom scene!"

"But our story does," he replied, not giving me a chance to argue further. He lay me down on the bed and leaned over me, silencing me with his lips while his hands swiftly removed our clothes.

 

I think I forgot to mention that Third's favourite scenes to rehearse are the love scenes. Sometimes, he even writes his own scripts, like right now. But honestly, I don't mind. I'm more than happy to help him practice. Heh.