When Leo received the script for The Red Thread, his heart hammered with a competitive frenzy. "It's a two-hander," his manager, Mark, had explained over the phone. "An intense dramatic role, a real test of range. And get this—they've cast your rival, Julian, as the co-star".
Leo's mind instantly replayed the highlights of their lifelong rivalry. Crayons thrown across a kindergarten classroom. The neck-and-neck finish of the middle school relay race, Julian's victory a sting he still remembered. Then college—the school belle, Isabella, had been the focal point of their final, most bitter clash. He won her, but the relationship had been hollow, overshadowed by the contest itself. Now, in the same entertainment industry, their careers ran on parallel tracks, each a mirror to the other's success. This new role was his chance to finally, definitively prove who was the better actor.
"Perfect," Leo had said, a predatory grin spreading across his face. "Tell them I'm in."
His smug satisfaction lasted until the first table read. The cast and crew were assembled in a sterile conference room. He arrived, radiating an air of superiority, and made a point of not looking at Julian, who was already there, cool and collected in a black turtleneck. The air was thick with their familiar, unspoken animosity.
The director, a soft-spoken woman with a sharp eye, began the introductions. "For those of you who don't know, this is a beautiful, intimate story about two men who fall in love under the most difficult of circumstances. Leo, you'll be playing the main character, Elias. And Julian, you're our Liam."
A hush fell over the room. Leo's grin faltered. A cold dread, heavier than any stage fright, began to pool in his stomach. He glanced at Julian, whose composed facade had finally cracked, replaced by a look of bewildered horror.
"A... what?" Leo sputtered, his voice cracking.
Mark, sitting beside him, shot him a panicked, apologetic look. "It's a Boys' Love film," he whispered, as if saying it quietly would make it less real.
Leo's brain short-circuited. Boys' Love. He'd been so blinded by the prospect of beating Julian that he hadn't processed the finer details. All he'd heard was "rival," "role," and "show."
Julian, meanwhile, had recovered his composure, his expression now a blank mask of professionalism. "This will be... interesting," he said, his voice flat.
For the rest of the read-through, the romantic dialogue—the whispered confessions, the tearful reconciliations—felt like sandpaper in Leo's throat. Julian delivered his lines with a detached, almost clinical precision, making their exchanges feel less like acting and more like a cruel joke at Leo's expense.
The first intimate scene was scheduled for the second week. It was a simple scene: Liam (Julian) would comfort a distraught Elias (Leo) in a cramped apartment. The director wanted them to hold each other, a gentle, tender embrace.
"Relax your shoulders, Leo," the director said gently. "You're stiff. Imagine he's the only person you can turn to."
Leo's skin crawled. Julian's arms were around him, and all Leo could feel was the familiar competitive fire mixed with a terrifying, foreign intimacy. He could smell Julian's cologne—a scent he'd subconsciously associated with defeat his whole life.
"I can't," Leo snapped, pulling away. "Let's take a break."
Outside, Julian followed him, a cup of water in his hand. "Listen," Julian said, his voice low. "I get it. This is awkward."
Leo scoffed. "Awkward? We're supposed to be in love. We can't even stand to be in the same room for more than five minutes."
Julian took a slow sip of water. "Then we have to get better at faking it, don't we? Unless you want to lose the Best Actor award to me for the second time in a row."
The jab hit its mark, and Leo felt the old fury rise. "You think you're so good?" he challenged. "Let's see it."
Julian's expression softened almost imperceptibly, his eyes holding a depth Leo had never seen before. "We should start with just talking," he said. "Get to know each other. The characters, not us."
Leo hesitated, then reluctantly agreed. They spent their lunch breaks sitting away from the rest of the crew, trading stories under the guise of character work. Elias's past, they discovered, mirrored Leo's own insecurities. Liam's calm exterior hid a fierce loyalty, a trait Julian possessed that Leo had always dismissed as calculated.