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When Phainon entered the café for his Saturday shift, he expected it to be bustling with their regular customers as usual — ranging from sleep-deprived college students cramming their school thesis last minute using their free wifi while high on caffeine, to internet-influencer-wannabees taking pictures of their most popular menu in perfect angles for some online clout (which they didn't even eat nor drink afterwards), and lastly, average folks who was just there to hang out for some good food.
What he didn't expect, however, was the camera crew setting up equipment in every corner and makeup artists flocking over someone he couldn't see at the moment — probably some supermodel or famous movie star of some kind. Among them, his eyes caught the intimidating sight of a blonde-haired woman in sleek business attire, which made him shrink back.
For a moment, he thought he had come to the wrong building, but the interior perfectly matched his part-time workplace. Did another competitor build an exact copy of their coffee shop?
"Psst!"
His thoughts about business conspiracies and evil corporations were rudely interrupted by a lady with ash-colored hair wearing the same barista uniform as him, a cream short-sleeved polo shirt tucked inside a pair of black pants, albeit precariously. She was motioning for him to come over behind the counter.
Well, there goes his imagination.
When he got there, his co-worker-slash-friend immediately greeted him with a playful punch in the arm, which was a little too forceful to be called like that.
"You're late, Deliverer!" Contrary to her complaint, a wide grin was plastered on her face.
Phainon sighed, wincing slightly while rubbing the sore spot. "I'm only off by a few minutes, Cipher. Also, you're the one to talk. You're late all the time. Anyway, is Mr. Anaxa here?" He glanced around as he looked for their owner.
"Well, I'm not late today." She stuck her tongue out. "And, Boss' not here either. Something about 'not wanting to deal with that deplorable woman' or whatnot. Lucky for you, or else you'll also get a long boring lecture about tardiness and shit — not that I would know."
"I'm going home then," he decided, adjusting the strap of his messenger bag. "I'm not done with programming yet, and I still need to study for midterms. Besides," he cocked his head towards the group of professionals crowding their small café, "I don't think I'm even needed here."
"Oh, you definitely are! It's only me and Little Pink Girl today. Boss said we need to man the shop in case disaster happens, and as you can see, we're both women, so..." She placed her hand on his right shoulder, and gave him a thumbs up. "We need you to man the shop. Get it?"
"Very funny." He rolled his eyes. "What about Mydei and Castorice then?"
She shrugged. "It's not their shift, obviously. Even if it were, I highly doubt they would want to stay. Both of them are kinda allergic to crowds after all." Then she waved her hand dismissively. "If I didn't know better, Golden-Haired Lion and Princess Homebody might rather be out dating or something."
The last throwaway comment suddenly jogged his memory. Mydeimos, who also happened to be his roommate, had mentioned to him in passing that he would accompany Castorice at a book-signing event today. No wonder that guy didn't wait for him. Phainon had assumed that Mydei only went ahead to the café since he was still in the middle of fixing codes early this morning.
However, he also recalled his roommate did threaten bodily harm on him if he ever told a single soul about their meet-up, despite specifically insisting it wasn't a date. Who was he to betray his comrade-in-arms?
He cleared his throat. "Right."
"Ohhh!" Cat-like orbs (which always made him think she was one in another life) gleamed at his fake lackluster reaction. Maybe if she really had feline features, her metaphorical tail would have probably wagged slyly right now. "You do know something, don't you, Deliverer Boy?"
"What? No!"
"Spill it!"
"Like I said, I don't—"
"Oh, Phainon, there you are!"
He turned and saw a short lady peeking from the kitchen. She was also wearing a barista uniform like them. The only differences were the apron tied around her waist and the hair net wrapped around her cotton-candy pink and blue hair in a bun.
"Great timing!" She clasped both of her hands together. "Can you please help me with something?"
He had never been so relieved to have a valid excuse away from the hot seat. An impish grin formed on his lips as he eyed his other now-frowning colleague. "Oh, look. Hyacine needs me. Gotta go. Bye!"
"Hey!"
While Cipher was quick on her feet, he was quick on his reflexes. Before she could grab him, he had already managed to duck and bolt towards the door. He could only hear her frustrated 'hmph' from behind since she still needed to stand by the cash register and couldn't follow him — not that she would last for long, though. He bet she would secretly leave once bored.
For now, he chuckled triumphantly.
The smell of freshly-baked cookies immediately invaded his nose when he got inside. He saw Hyacine was already busy stacking the said goodies on trays, so he quickly went and left his bag in the locker area before approaching her.
"What do you want me to help with, Hyacine?" He asked, a bit confused and hesitant.
Baking wasn't really part of his job description since he didn't have any clue about pastries, and this was Mydei's expertise, not his. Phainon was only in charge of brewing coffee and sometimes deliveries.
She turned and beamed at him. "Can you please take these to the crew? They have been here since early in the morning, even before we opened. I don't think they had any breakfast yet."
"Oh. Okay." At least, the task wasn't too hard as he initially thought.
He paused for a second, debating whether he should ask something that had bothered him ever since he arrived. But eventually, his curiosity won.
"Um, so what's the camera crew for? I thought Mr. Anaxa dislikes it when the café's business hours are disrupted."
"You're right." She giggled as she removed the pair of oven mittens from her hands, then gestured to the people outside. "You saw the blonde woman at the front, right? She's Ms. Aglaea, and Mr. Anaxa kind of owes her a favor. So, when she and her team needed a coffee shop as a location for their next magazine cover photoshoot, he was forced — I mean — he kindly offered this place for a day. That's why they're here."
"I see... But if they're here that early, why haven't they started yet?"
She winced. "I think they're still waiting for the other model. Anyway," she started ushering him towards the door, "you should go and hand them these cookies. I bet they're already hungry."
"Alright." He picked up the tray and headed out of their kitchen.
Some of the staff were thanking him profusely when he offered them the baked goods; they must have been starving.
However, others also politely declined, including the woman Hyacine referred to as Aglaea, whom he still found intimidating. It also didn't help that she was visibly upset while arguing with someone over the phone — something along the lines of 'drunk', 'unprofessional', 'contract', 'talent', etc. He quickly backed away before he got caught in the crossfire.
It was only afterwards that he finally caught a glimpse of the elusive model he was beginning to get curious about.
As cliché as it sounded, for a second, it was like a scene from a romcom movie—
—Everything slows down into a pause.
—Everyone around him turns to a blur.
—The background noise fades into silence.
All he saw was her.
She was wearing a white sleeveless frilly blouse with a blue four-pointed star brooch pinned on the collar, and a short dark purple plaid skirt. Soft pastel-pink locks of hair framed her heart-shaped face as the rest of it cascaded behind her back while being brushed carefully by a stylist. Her bright aquamarine eyes were busy scanning her phone as she sat elegantly on one of the chairs in the café.
There were also tell-tale signs of fatigue over her features, like the pair of small bags under her eyes that were thinly veiled by her makeup, the slight slouch on her shoulders, and a stray yawn escaping from her lips. She looked tired, and yet it still didn't detract from her beauty at all.
He felt his breath hitch at the otherworldly sight. He was so at a loss, he absentmindedly let go of the tray he was carrying, only to grab it quickly thanks to his quick reflex. It made him curse inwardly, though, horrified at the thought that the broken tray could have been a cut on his pay if he hadn't been careful.
When he turned to look at her again, she was now looking back at him. His heart immediately picked up the pace, and when their eyes met, she smiled.
Clank!
He almost let go of the tray for the second time — much louder this time. Now, the rest of the camera crew was watching him.
Instantly, he felt his cheeks and ears burn. He turned about-face and walked straight back to the kitchen.
He should have just gone home when he had the chance.
"BWAHAHAHA!!!" Cipher was cackling nonstop as she was pointing at him while clutching her stomach like some elementary school bully. She was perched on one of the countertops — which is something they were not allowed to do. Actually, she wasn't even allowed to leave the cash register unattended either, but since when did she ever listen to anyone? And more strangely, how did she still have this job with that attitude?
Phainon could only wonder as he sat on a barstool opposite her in the far corner of the kitchen, willing himself to be invisible, but of course, his co-worker chose that moment to continue poking fun at his embarrassing predicament like a good friend that she was.
He rolled his eyes, feeling more and more miserable. "Gee. Thanks, Cipher. Go back behind the counter, will you?" He almost hoped she choked or something.
"No way! Seeing you crash out is far more entertaining, especially that top-notch spectacle you did back there, Little Deliverer Boy." She was now wiping literal tears from her eyes from laughing too much. "Far better than the romcom we watched last time."
"You're the one who recommended that atrocious movie to the group." He buried his face in his hands. Someone might as well bury him, too.
"Oh, don't deny it. You like that shit. You were sobbing at the ending."
"Shut up!"
"It wasn't so bad, Phainon." Even Hyacine was consoling now as he felt her tap on his shoulder. "They didn't think much about it." She was the one who gave out the rest of the cookies when he didn't want to go back anymore after his short blunder.
Phainon peeked between his fingers and saw her give him a sympathetic smile. He also noticed her hair was now back into her signature twintails, and the apron was nowhere in sight.
"Even Cyrene wasn't offended you forgot to give her the cookies," she helpfully added.
He groaned. That didn't make him feel better. But, at least, he now knew what her name was — Cyrene.
"Hmm... Why don't you brew her a coffee to make up for it?" Hyacine suggested.
"And embarrass myself again?"
"No, silly. I'm sure you'll be fine." She put both of her hands on her hips. "You managed to win the Great Debate ten times in a row in front of the whole assembly for our department after all. I'm sure talking to a girl is much easier, no? I mean, you don't have a problem talking with us now, unless...?" She gave him an inquisitive look.
"It isn't like that!" He answered quickly. Too quickly.
That earned him another peal of laughter from Cipher. "Seriously, Deliverer, couldn't you be any more obvious? You're already down bad!"
"It... It isn't like that..." He didn't realize he was just repeating himself, albeit pathetically.
After all, he literally just saw her the first time so it couldn't be possible. Right?
It wasn't like he believed in love at first sight. Not really. He was the type of person who preferred to get to know the other party a few more times before even considering dating. Besides that, being in a relationship was also far from his mind, since maintaining his university scholarship had always been his priority.
And yet...
"Ugh! Come on!" She rolled her cat-like eyes and threw her arms up in the air. "Stop being fucking dramatic, will ya? It's not the end of the world yet, so get your ass out there!"
"Fine." He took a deep breath and stood up from the barstool. "You better delete those video recordings then. Don't even think I didn't see you taking out your phone a while ago."
She only stuck her tongue out. "Make me!"
Hyacine also chimed in. "I think you should listen to him, Cipher. He can delete all of your files if he wants to."
Cipher blinked. He could tell the exact moment something clicked inside her head.
He sniggered.
Her eyes widened as she pointed at him accusingly. "Shit! You're the one who's been hacking my phone!"
"Computer Science major, remember?" He drawled as he started heading to the espresso machine.
"Okay-okay." She conceded reluctantly. "Damn it! I need to change my password."
He smirked. At least, that was one less of his concerns. Now, what coffee should he make?
In the end, he settled for a small cup of caffé macchiato. It was neither too sweet to balance the cookie they just ate, nor too bitter in case she's not fond of it. He remembered she looked exhausted, so he hoped the caffeine would help her stay awake.
The only thing left now was how to approach her.
Phainon let out a deep breath as he stared at the coffee in front of him. He had been muttering and practicing what to say for the past few minutes like some sort of a prayer. He was still chickening out, though, but he knew there was no use dillydallying. The more he waited, the more it would be awkward to talk to her. The drink was also getting lukewarm, which was bad.
Better to get this over with.
Gathering all of the courage he could muster, he started walking towards where she was seated before.
She was still resting in one of the chairs in their café, but no one was attending to her this time. She wasn't even looking at her phone, but instead, was mindlessly staring outside the window. He hesitated. It didn't look like she wanted to be disturbed. He was about to go back when he heard her speak.
"Are you going to run away from me again, Mister?"
He veered his head towards her, and he saw her smiling again. But this time, there was a hint of mischief in her eyes.
"No." He denied, a little defensively, before clearing his throat. "I thought you wanted to be alone."
She pouted. "You don't know how booored I am right now." Then she sighed, letting her gaze fall on her crew. "I wanted to talk to someone, but everyone seems so busy..."
"Y-You can talk to me," he declared before he could even think about it. He mentally berated himself. Smooth, Phainon. Reeaally smooth. Maybe work on your stutter first?
She looked at him again, and her blue eyes lit up. Now that he could see them more clearly, he noticed her irises were a different shade of pink. They were almost shining. "Really?"
"Yeah." He tried to sound casual. "I mean, I'm not doing anything right since we're technically closed anyway. Also, here..." He placed the caffé macchiato on the table in front of her like he had practiced several times in his head. "Um, as an apology."
"Hmm... For what?" A look of confusion graced her face.
He put his hand on his nape awkwardly as he sat down on the chair opposite her. Now, they were both facing each other across the round table. "For running away earlier, I guess."
She began to giggle, and it almost sounded like tiny bells ringing. He couldn't believe a laugh could sound so majestic.
"My, you're really cute, Mister~♪ You sound so honest when you speak."
He could feel his ears burning again. "It's Phainon." He raised his closed fist in front of his lips to fake a cough. However, the truth was, it was actually to hide half of his blushing face. "And, no, I'm not cute at all."
"Heehee! If you say so, Phainon~♪" He could tell she was teasing, but surprisingly, he couldn't find himself getting annoyed. She then gave him a genuine smile. "Thanks also for the coffee. I kinda need it right now."
"I did notice that you look like you haven't slept yet." He observed.
"Because I didn't." She nodded. He watched her tuck a few strands of her hair behind her ear before taking a sip of the drink. "Oh, wow! This is really good. Did you make it?"
"Yeah. It's one of our best-sellers." He didn't want to brag, but it was true.
"Hmm... I might drop by again next time, then~" She declared as she took another sip.
"We appreciate your patronage."
She giggled again. "Spoken like an overworked employee, I see."
"It's a reflex." He joked, then tried to steer the topic back. "So why haven't you slept yet?"
"Right. We had a photoshoot last night, and well, it didn't go smoothly. The photographer wasn't satisfied with the shots, so we had to redo almost all of them. By the time we were done," she paused as she tried to stifle a yawn, "it's already 3 AM."
"That sucks."
"It can't be helped. It's in my line of work, and I did sign up for this. Oh, yeah," she clapped her hands and beamed. He noticed that she couldn't seem to stop smiling, which in turn couldn't stop him from getting mesmerized. "I haven't introduced myself, have I? My name is Cyrene. Just your run-of-the-mill pretty part-time model~"
"I think you're far from average." That was his attempt at flirting.
"Hee... If a handsome guy like you is saying that, it makes me want to believe it's true~♪" She flirted back.
He blushed. Harder. He couldn't compete with an expert. "Are you really this forward to someone you just met?"
"You don't like assertive girls?" She asked innocently.
He faked a cough. "I don't mind if it's you."
"Lucky for me then~" She winked.
He was still red, but he found himself grinning as well. "No, I think I'm the one who's in luck."
"Excuse me."
Both of them turned to Aglaea, who was eyeing both of them curiously. More specifically, her turquoise orbs were observing Phainon's build from head to toe.
He immediately stood up straight. Something caught on his throat, which made him cough for real this time. "S-Sorry to disturb your work, Ma'am."
"Nothing to worry about." A calm and collected smile formed on the older woman's lips. "Actually, I wanted to ask if you're interested in modeling."
"Huh?" was his only intelligent reply.
At the corner of his eyes, Cyrene didn't leave her seat. She appeared curious and mildly amused at the situation currently transpiring while drinking her coffee, but didn't say anything.
Aglaea didn't seem to mind his stupid response either, and instead began explaining directly, "As you can see, we are running behind schedule. The model who was supposed to be Cyrene's partner today backed out last minute, and we needed a substitute."
"I don't know..." He fidgeted on his feet. "I don't have experience in modeling, um, Ma'am. I might only embarrass you. I think you're better off finding elsewhere."
"Just call me Aglaea. Anyway, I'm afraid we don't have other available talents at the moment. If we won't finish today, we will have to reschedule our photoshoot." She crossed her arms while the smile on her lips grew thinner. "I don't think the owner of this café will be too happy lending us this shop for another day."
"I'm still not sure—"
"You will be greatly compensated."
He blinked. That got his attention, and by the looks of it, the woman knew as well.
Money was indeed tight for him right now. While he was fortunate to be on scholarship, the food and lodging in the city were still quite expensive. The allowance he received from his parents back in the countryside wasn't enough to cover his daily expenses either. It was why he started working part-time here in the coffee shop in the first place.
He cleared his throat. "How much exactly?"
Aglaea pulled a piece of paper from her coat and wrote something on it before handing the paper to him.
Reluctantly, he read what was written on it, and his eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. The amount was more than twice his monthly salary!
"We can go higher." She said offhandedly, as if the rate she gave him was nothing more than just petty change. Perhaps it was.
He hesitated. While it was really tempting, he also didn't want to make a fool of himself — anything more than he already did a while ago. "Are you sure you're fine with an amateur like me?"
"I have long been in this industry to know a natural talent when I see one." Aglaea gave him a cunning smile. "And you are one of them." Then she turned to his pink-haired companion, who was listening the whole time. "Will you show him the ropes?"
"Of course~♪" Cyrene answered rather enthusiastically. She finally stood up from the chair as well, then looped her arm around his before beaming at him. "Shall we?"
He was still on the fence about this, but muttered, "S-Sure."
Hopefully, he won't regret this later.
Phainon regretted it thirty minutes later.
After Aglaea, who turned out to be a big-time designer, let him sign a few documents (and he made sure to read everything), one of the staff handed him the clothes he was supposed to wear for the photoshoot. The attire consisted of a long-sleeved white collared shirt with a golden sun embroidery on the right shoulder, a pair of dark brown pinstriped trousers with the matching sun pattern by the hem, and black leather shoes.
There wasn't any problem with them except for the fact that even though it was high-quality, the shirt was made out of sheer fabric. It wasn't downright see-through, but it was still too thin for his liking. It also didn't help that the buttons on it only stopped midway from the bottom, which meant his bare chest would be exposed for the whole world to see. The only comforting thought he had was that he won't have to humiliate himself since he did go to the gym regularly, thanks to the free subscription he got — courtesy of his roommate.
However, he caught sight of the price tag on each item, and almost wanted to return them all at once right there and then. The damn things were more expensive than the rent of their apartment! (Granted, he and Mydei were shouldering half of it each, but still!)
Unfortunately for him, there's no backing out from here now.
He breathed out a long sigh before finally changing into those costly apparel carefully, like his life depended on it — which was, financially speaking — all the while praying he wouldn't accidentally damage them.
A knock on the café's restroom door interrupted his musings while he was just about to finish buttoning the shirt. He opened it to see Cyrene holding what appeared to be a long black tie with another sun design. Although she looked frozen for a minute, just staring at him. He probably looked ridiculous since he wasn't used to wearing something fancy.
He faked a cough to get her attention. "Um, does it look weird on me?"
She blinked, then smiled. "No. You actually look so hot in it~" Then she raised the tie in her hand. "Anyway, the staff forgot to give you this."
"Thanks." Red easily spread on his cheeks. He still couldn't tell if she was just teasing or genuinely complimenting him.
He was about to take the piece of cloth and tie it himself when she stopped him.
"No, let me." She gestured for him to lean down, and her dainty fingers looped the tie around his neck expertly. She was so busy concentrating on her task while he, on the other hand, was barely breathing at their intimate proximity. He was pretty sure he could pass as a tomato at that moment.
It was only during that time that he was able to notice that she had also changed her clothes. She was now wearing a white off-shoulder top with a black neckerchief tied around her neck, a dark brown pinstriped skirt with a golden moon embroidery at the hemline, a black corset belt laced around her waist, and white strap sandals. However, he was then distracted by how dangerously low her neckline had been from his point of view, so he decided to look at the ceiling instead.
He concluded that Cyrene didn't seem to feel flustered in saying or doing all of these things, though. She was probably used to meeting attractive people in their industry — not that he claimed to be one despite her telling him that. Somehow, the thought slightly left him jealous of the guys surrounding her. He knew it was only luck that he was able to meet her at all. If that other model hadn't shown up today, he would never have had the chance to be closer to her like this.
"All done♪" She cheered as she took a step back and admired her work. "Aglaea really knows her stuff." Then she giggled. "Let's go?"
"Y-Yeah."
She led him to their set, which was just the coffee shop's seating area near the tall glass window that showed the walkway outside.
He tried to look around but couldn't spot his two co-workers for some reason. He was so sure Cipher would be the first to make fun of him at that exact moment. However, it was probably better this way. At least, he wouldn't hear her snickering in the background during the shoot.
Speaking of the photoshoot, the theme was 'First Date' to showcase Aglaea's latest fashion line for couples' apparel. This was the reason why he and Cyrene had matching clothes. Each of them will have several individual shots to showcase the attire, and then another with the two of them together.
Phainon began to get nervous. While he was used to the attention after representing his department in their school debate many times, this was still something new to him. Thankfully, his partner (for today, at least) was the first to go in session, so he was able to observe.
As expected, Cyrene was in her element the whole time. Whatever the photographer asked her to pose — like sitting casually while taking a bite of their shop’s chocolate mousse, or standing in the corner with her phone out — she was able to comply immediately and elegantly. She didn't even appear tired despite not having a wink of sleep the night before.
He couldn't help but admire her resilience. She could have easily gotten her way with just her good looks, but she was still working hard with no complaints. Quite the opposite of those haughty internet-influencer-wannabees he was so used to seeing here in the café.
When she was done, he saw her trying to stifle a yawn again, so he pressed a cold bottle of water to her cheeks. The action prompted a soft 'eek' from her, which he found cute. He chuckled.
"I think you shouldn't push yourself too much," he advised, then quickly added while scratching the back of his neck with his other free hand, "Not to sound presumptuous or anything."
She pouted but still accepted the bottle anyway and took a sip. "So, I've been told many times." Then she gave him an exhausted smile. "Don't worry. I'm used to this. You should get ready. As my dear protégé, you better make me proud♪"
"You haven't even taught me anything yet."
"Just act natural." She raised her pointer finger as if to truly prove her point. "Aglaea chose you for a reason after all."
"I still don't see the vision."
"Don't think too much. Honestly, even if you just sit still, it will already be a work of art~" She winked.
He reddened. "You're just saying that."
"Hey, I have been honest the whole time!"
But despite himself, he smiled. It surprised him that despite only knowing her for less than a day, he was able to get comfortable with her effortlessly. Maybe she was really that type of person who befriends others instantly.
"Thanks."
She blinked, then beamed in return. "Of course~♪"
Much to Phainon's initial reservations, his session wasn't bad either. While he had trouble getting the right pose at first, eventually he was able to follow suit without any problems. Maybe because they really didn't ask him any complicated ones and just opted for a more casual look. He was mostly asked to sit on one of the chairs while staring into the distance, or stand while looking directly at the camera without any expression. Perhaps, he really did have a knack for these things. Even Aglaea approved of the pictures. That boosted his confidence for a bit. After a few more shots, he was also done.
Now, the last part and the most nerve-racking of them all were the couple of shots. They needed two — first of which, they were facing each other over the table, and second, walking casually over the counter while holding hands. The first was doable. The second, on the other hand, was a little too intimate, so just thinking about it made his face combust.
But he had no more time to delve into it as the photographer had already called for them to start.
As expected, the shot where they just sat across each other on the round table went off without a hitch.
However, when they started on the second pose, he kept getting criticisms from the cameraman — too far, too stiff, too awkward, etc. The confidence he acquired a while ago quickly deflated with each mistake.
"Is there a problem?" Aglaea approached him after their photographer decided to call for a short break, seeing as they were getting nowhere.
"Sorry. It's my fault."
"Hmm... I thought you were already well-adjusted working with Cyrene. You were talking casually between sessions."
A blush quickly erupted on his face. "I'm just not used to holding hands."
She smiled knowingly. "Well, why don't you try practicing right now?"
"What? Wait—"
But it was already too late, as she had already called the pink-haired lady and explained the situation.
"You could have told me yourself, you know~" she teased, a mischievous glint once again appeared in her eyes as she clasped her hands behind her back.
He raised his closed fist to cover his face. "It's embarrassing."
"Heehee! You're really honest." She started poking his forearm. "Come on. Give me your hands~"
He reluctantly complied, and immediately, she grabbed both then interlocked her fingers between his.
On cue, his face lit up in bright red. "A-Aren't we only supposed to hold on one hand?"
She hummed. "This is better~"
He cleared his throat. "Until when are we going to do this, then?"
"Until our break ends♪"
"I have sweaty palms."
"That's not a problem~♪"
"How come you're not flustered at all?"
She blinked then grinned. "Because you're so cute when you're embarrassed! Even though I also feel nervous, your adorable reactions make it all go away."
"You don't look nervous."
"Heehee! But I really am. I'm just really good at hiding." She winked. "Besides, I'm holding hands with the most handsome guy right now, how could I not feel nervous?"
"Now, you're just flattering me."
"I told you. I've been telling the truth the whole time~"
He could only sigh.
"Are you comfortable with me doing this now?" She asked, still grinning.
That was when he realized he was no longer blushing like crazy despite them still holding hands. Although he could still feel his heart trying to escape his ribcage. He chuckled. "I really couldn't win against you."
"Hee... Try harder then~♪"
Their little banter was then interrupted by the crew calling them back for the shoot. Both of them made their way back to the set without letting go of each other. The smile on his face didn't leave.
Phainon was much more confident this time around. He was so natural in leading Cyrene to the desserts displayed by the counter. He even told her the names of each cake and explained where the puns came from, which in turn made her giggle. For a moment, he almost forgot a camera was pointing towards them. All he ever thought in that instance was how beautiful her laugh was, and how warm her hand was intertwined with his.
Of course, their fake dating scenario eventually ended when the photographer announced to wrap up, much to his disappointment. He didn't want to let go of her hand just yet...
... and good thing, he didn't either.
The fatigue must have finally taken a toll on her because Cyrene didn't notice a random wire near her heels and tripped over it. Thankfully, because of his trusty quick reflex, he was able to pull her immediately before she landed on the cold, hard floor.
Now, his right arm was wrapped around her narrow waist, his other hand was still clasped together with hers, and their faces were inches apart.
Unlike the whole day, where she never got flustered even once, a splash of pink graced her cheeks as her mouth formed into a small 'o'. Her eyes widened, and he could see all the shades of blue, pink, and something in between in them. If this were another time, he would have teased her back in retaliation for her previous teasing, but he was also trying to calm down the rapid beating of his heart.
Snap!
Both of them turned towards the sound and saw their photographer, who hadn't finished disassembling his camera set-up yet. He was grinning. "Who would've thought this last shot would end up turning the best of them all. Don't you think so, too, Lady Aglaea?"
The woman had that knowing look again. "Indeed, you're correct, Mr. Damionis."
Hurriedly, they moved away from each other while avoiding eye contact.
He heard her mumble, "My, I need to remind myself that your face is too dangerous for my maiden heart."
He couldn't help but laugh as he sneaked a glance at her. "I'll take this as a win, then."
She was smiling as well. "You'll have a lot to catch up on to win me over~"
"Does that mean there's a next time?"
She tucked her hair behind her ear, then winked. "If fate allows it, maybe~♪"
"So did you get her number?"
"ACK!" That caused him to jolt from his seat. "Don't scare me like that, Cipher!"
"Wow." His co-worker only rolled her eyes as she stood up from crouching behind his back. "You just found the love of your life, and you already forgot your friends?"
"Of course not. Where were you and Hyacine anyway?"
"We're in the kitchen the entire time, duh! Where else? You have to thank Pink Cupcake for pleading that I didn't ruin your date for you, though." Then she started fake sobbing. "Man, look how our Little Deliverer Boy has grown so much. I still remember you nervously stammering in your first interview like a young puppy that you wanted to apply as a 'deliverer' instead of 'delivery driver', now you're already off dating a pretty lady like a proper man. Ah, the memories."
"That was only two months ago."
"Well, I have been here far longer." She put her left hand to her hip. "Anyway, stop changing the subject! Did you get her number?"
His eyes widened. Instantly, three emotions rolled over his features in quick succession — shock, disbelief, and shame. He groaned as he buried his face into his hands. "I... I forgot." He was still on cloud nine that he didn't remember asking for her contact details before they all left. Heck, he didn't even recall how he changed back to his café uniform either!
"Damn, dude. You already had a date, held hands, and almost kissed, but you forgot to ask for her number? To think, I didn't even need to do anything. How did you fumble that bad?"
"It's not a date... Wait—" Then he eyed her sharply. "—if you were inside the kitchen, how did you even know what was happening?"
She stuck her tongue out. "You're not the only one who knows how to hack." Then she pointed at the security camera scattered in their café, which only their owner had access to. "And before you can fuck around with my phone, I have already backed up everything on multiple external devices. Hah, take that, Nerd!" She looked so smug saying it. "Maybe I could even profit off of your behind-the-scenes photos. Hehehe!"
"Whatever. It didn't matter anyway..." He sulked.
"Welp, I'm gonna leave you to your pity-party now." She stretched her arms as she headed back to the counter. "Gonna go help Hyacine clean up the back, or else Boss will have my neck. You should also clean up the front, too."
Phainon took a deep breath as he stood up from his seat and began gathering the empty trays and cups the crew had used as told.
He couldn't believe he let the opportunity to see her again disappear just like that. While she did say she would come again, she didn't say when. Now, he had no idea how to reach her at all.
Another sigh escaped from his lips.
He reached the table where he and Cyrene had their first conversation and saw that she had completely downed the caffé macchiato he had given her. That made him smile, at least.
But then, he caught sight of a folded paper tucked under the cup she used, and his heart started to race. When he opened it, he saw a phone number written in neat strokes with a familiar name signed below it.
The grin on his face grew wider. Fate, huh?