Chapter 11
859 Words
~FRIDAY~
“So how are the little monsters?” Ash inquired.
He insisted that we go to another fancy place for our brainstorming but I insisted that we meet at the office instead for convenience.
“Well, Forrest’s problem seems to have shifted to his relationship with his brother.” I began.
“Brothers conflict, huh? We’ll need to do some research in that area since you and I don’t have siblings thus we couldn’t really relate well to that.” He sighed.
“Yeah, I’ve already started hitting some books. As for Levin, I’m not a hundred percent sure if he’s actually afraid of women or he’s just faking it…”
“Oh yeah, his phobia is the real deal. I remember my aunt mentioning something about Levin being traumatized at school for some reason.” Ash validated.
“Well, do you remember what specific reason?” I probed.
“The guy wouldn’t exactly say it but I speculate that he was bullied by his classmates, particularly the girls.” Ash shrugged.
“That’s kind of hard to picture considering his attitude now but I guess that’s possible. So how can we set him up with a girl if he’s scared of them?” I fixed my glasses in place.
“Real life simulation of course! I already made a plan about it.”
“Good. Let’s carry it out by next Tuesday then. Next up is Seth. The guy suggested that I go to his university to observe him in his natural environment from afar without him knowing of course so that I can judge if he’s really a sociopath or not.”
“That’s smart but it feels like a trap so I’m going with you for the surprise visit. We’ll disguise ourselves as Thelma and Louise!” Ash grinned from ear to ear.
“I don’t get the reference but whatever you say, boss.” I don’t really have the energy to argue with him on that so I might as well let that slide for now.
“You haven’t seen the movie ‘Thelma & Louise’?! We’re watching it at your place after this.” Ash decided on his own.
“I can watch it alone. Lastly, Maverick. He’s very bratty. The kid refuses to answer most of my questions and just disengages easily from our session. I don’t really know what to do with him.” I sighed heavily.
“About that… I’m actually thinking of a trip to the beach.”
“What for?”
“Team building. This way you can get to know the guys better through games and bond with them.” Ash explained.
“Is that really necessary? I mean, I’m not sure if mere games can help me earn their trust…” Truth is, I hate games.
“But there’s no harm in trying, right?” Ash smiled.
“Will they even go though?”
“It’s a compulsory outing. I’ll talk to their parents. Anyway, you better have your swimsuit ready! I’ll schedule it next weekend.” Ash clapped excitedly.
I don’t even remember when I last went to the beach.
~MONDAY~
“How are you feeling today?” I asked Fort.
“Drowsy like always.” The guy yawned a big one.
“How’s it going with your brother?”
“What? Did I mention I have a brother?” Forrest scratched his head.
“Yes, did you two talk it out?”
“Huh? Okay, enough about the glutton. I have a favor to ask you with regards to my work.” Fort looked down and fiddled with his camera.
“Sure, what is it?”
“I want you to be my model.” The guy briefly made eye contact.
“What’s that?”
“I know that my main subject is usually nature but recently, I realized that I also want to explore human portraits. So can you be my personal model for free?” Fort blushed.
“Oh. Um, if it means that I’ll be able to help you make it big as a photographer then why not? Although I don’t know what you see in me since I’m not really an interesting subject.”
“You’re wrong. I think you’re plenty interesting. Plus you’re photogenic so yeah.” Fort chuckled.
“If you say so.” I awkwardly chuckled.
“You don’t mind if I start taking pictures of you right now, do you?” The guy caught me off-guard with his request.
“Doing what?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Just do what you normally do. Scribble some notes down or something.” Fort got up and started doing his thing at different angles.
Suddenly, I felt self-conscious of being photographed like a model. I don’t even know how to do a decent pose.
“You know what? Maybe we should continue this next time. I have to study how to model first.” I need to watch videos on modeling as soon as possible.
“What do you mean? You’re a natural! Have a look…” Forrest showed me the shots that he just took. There’s this lack of personal space again with our shoulders grazing each other’s.
Wait a minute, I could’ve sworn he was wearing a different perfume from the last time he was here.
“I have a question, does your brother happen to look exactly like you by any chance?” It’s like a light bulb just lighted up in my head.
“Yeah, we’re identical twins. Oh and I forgot to tell you why I couldn’t make it here last session. Truth is, I accidentally fell asleep. Sorry.” Bingo! I couldn’t tell the difference when it comes to their looks but I do have a sensitive nose and some observation skills that makes up for it.
No wonder the guy was way more alert and talkative last week…
- Writer
