text beneath the video.
"Read here."
"Okay. Openly gay Indian actor Rajan Anatolis has been slated to play Captain Kiran Riyat, A New York City… wait… he is?"
Ali nodded. "Yup. Been out for years—I think since he was a kid. So you can actually ask him out."
Xavier pushed the computer away from him and
closed it. "That's not going to happen. I'm a cop. He's some big shot actor. There is no happily-ever-after there."
"Ugh. Would you listen to yourself? You sound like a bad Reese Whitherspoon movie."
"Ali!"
"What? I've never known you to be shy or cautious when it comes to men. I've seen you date some dogs in your day. So why is it, now when this man could be a good thing for you, you're acting like a pussy?"
Xavier made a face.
"All I'm saying is the way you were fearless with all those other creeps, give this one the same curtsey."
"If this goes wrong, Ali, it will be epic…"
"There you go being negative again. X, if it goes wrong you have your family here. We will have your back, you know that." She sighed. "Why don't you call him? Ask him out for a drink or something. Maybe if the two of you get together and talk, who knows what'll happen?"
"I know what will happen. He and I will say
something to irritate each other and then a fight will ensue.
He'll call me an ass. I'll call him a douche… messy."
"You're being overly dramatic again. If you did meet up you two would have to stay away from volatile conversation topics like douche-bag-ness and asses." She stopped as a thoughtful look spread her features. "Though a conversation on asses could end very well… very well indeed."
Xavier kissed her cheek but said nothing to her
suggestion. He wouldn't do well with the spotlight and he loved his job too much to even try being with an actor just as he was trying to break into the English scene.
"Stop thinking X." Ali's voice cut through his haze.
"You have that look on your face that says your mind is running a mile a minute. Let it go. You're a fun guy—but it all goes downhill when you slip into your head."
He glanced at her to see she had noodles hanging
out of her mouth. He laughed. "I'm a thinker, I know. I can't help myself."
"For once in your life, Xavier Crawford, step out of your head. Tomorrow after work, ask the man out. If you don't want to ask him out, suggest teaching him some self-defense moves that will make him look better in his movie.
You are a second degree black belt after all. Use that as a ploy to get to know him better. You may or may not like what you find but at least you tried."
Xavier thought about it then nodded. "That is a good idea… but what happens if I react the way I just did when he falls on me or something?"
"Then kiss him!"
"Ali!"
"What? What's the worst that could happen? It's not like you're not going to want to! So just, get out of your head and show him what you're workin' with!"
Shaking his head, Xavier stared at his best friend's sister wondering where she came up with those things. "I can't just hold the man down and kiss him. There are laws against that kinda stuff."
"What kinda stuff? And you're no prude. I'm sure you like it rough anyways. So just do it."
He took a deep breath and shook his head. "He
won't want to."
"Impossible."
Xavier made a face and ripped open a pack of
spring rolls. He inspected one carefully, shrugging, he bit a piece off and chewed. "I'll ask if he wants some help with the whole hand to hand bit—I don't know about the kiss."
Chapter Four
Walking into the change room the next morning,
Rajan felt the first day's apprehensions again. His brothers weren't much help with the whole Xavier thing and he'd spent most of the night just laying there, a frown on his face and muttering under his breath. But by the time morning came, Rajan was braced and ready to go. At the station he'd quickly grabbed his gear from the captain's office and sat alone on a bench in the change room just waiting. He read from the script with a
"Read here."
"Okay. Openly gay Indian actor Rajan Anatolis has been slated to play Captain Kiran Riyat, A New York City… wait… he is?"
Ali nodded. "Yup. Been out for years—I think since he was a kid. So you can actually ask him out."
Xavier pushed the computer away from him and
closed it. "That's not going to happen. I'm a cop. He's some big shot actor. There is no happily-ever-after there."
"Ugh. Would you listen to yourself? You sound like a bad Reese Whitherspoon movie."
"Ali!"
"What? I've never known you to be shy or cautious when it comes to men. I've seen you date some dogs in your day. So why is it, now when this man could be a good thing for you, you're acting like a pussy?"
Xavier made a face.
"All I'm saying is the way you were fearless with all those other creeps, give this one the same curtsey."
"If this goes wrong, Ali, it will be epic…"
"There you go being negative again. X, if it goes wrong you have your family here. We will have your back, you know that." She sighed. "Why don't you call him? Ask him out for a drink or something. Maybe if the two of you get together and talk, who knows what'll happen?"
"I know what will happen. He and I will say
something to irritate each other and then a fight will ensue.
He'll call me an ass. I'll call him a douche… messy."
"You're being overly dramatic again. If you did meet up you two would have to stay away from volatile conversation topics like douche-bag-ness and asses." She stopped as a thoughtful look spread her features. "Though a conversation on asses could end very well… very well indeed."
Xavier kissed her cheek but said nothing to her
suggestion. He wouldn't do well with the spotlight and he loved his job too much to even try being with an actor just as he was trying to break into the English scene.
"Stop thinking X." Ali's voice cut through his haze.
"You have that look on your face that says your mind is running a mile a minute. Let it go. You're a fun guy—but it all goes downhill when you slip into your head."
He glanced at her to see she had noodles hanging
out of her mouth. He laughed. "I'm a thinker, I know. I can't help myself."
"For once in your life, Xavier Crawford, step out of your head. Tomorrow after work, ask the man out. If you don't want to ask him out, suggest teaching him some self-defense moves that will make him look better in his movie.
You are a second degree black belt after all. Use that as a ploy to get to know him better. You may or may not like what you find but at least you tried."
Xavier thought about it then nodded. "That is a good idea… but what happens if I react the way I just did when he falls on me or something?"
"Then kiss him!"
"Ali!"
"What? What's the worst that could happen? It's not like you're not going to want to! So just, get out of your head and show him what you're workin' with!"
Shaking his head, Xavier stared at his best friend's sister wondering where she came up with those things. "I can't just hold the man down and kiss him. There are laws against that kinda stuff."
"What kinda stuff? And you're no prude. I'm sure you like it rough anyways. So just do it."
He took a deep breath and shook his head. "He
won't want to."
"Impossible."
Xavier made a face and ripped open a pack of
spring rolls. He inspected one carefully, shrugging, he bit a piece off and chewed. "I'll ask if he wants some help with the whole hand to hand bit—I don't know about the kiss."
Chapter Four
Walking into the change room the next morning,
Rajan felt the first day's apprehensions again. His brothers weren't much help with the whole Xavier thing and he'd spent most of the night just laying there, a frown on his face and muttering under his breath. But by the time morning came, Rajan was braced and ready to go. At the station he'd quickly grabbed his gear from the captain's office and sat alone on a bench in the change room just waiting. He read from the script with a
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