CHAPTER 2 — The First Impression
607 Words
The first time Lana saw Kris Lee
he wasn’t alone.
He never was.
The studio buzzed with controlled chaos ....stylists moving between racks, assistants carrying equipment, makeup artists adjusting under harsh lights. Everything moved fast, precise, practiced.
Lana stood at the edge of it all.
Observing.
Learning.
Blending in.
“Stay close and don’t get in the way,” a senior stylist muttered beside her.
Lana nodded. “Yes.”
Her role today was simple:
Assist.
Watch.
Do not be noticed.
Perfect.
“Ten minutes!”
The call echoed across the room.
And then ...
he walked in.
Kris Lee didn’t need an introduction.
The room shifted before anyone said his name.
Subtle.
But undeniable.
Tall. Composed. Effortless in a way that couldn’t be taught.
Forty.....and still sharper than most men ten years younger.
Lana didn’t stare.
Not directly.
She let her gaze pass over him like everything else in the room.
Measured.
Brief.
Unimportant.
But she saw enough.
The way people adjusted around him.
The way attention followed him without being asked.
The way he didn’t acknowledge any of it.
Control.
“Let’s move,” his manager said.
Kris stepped toward the styling area, already unbuttoning his cuff.
Not rushed.
Not careless.
Expected.
“Lana.”
Her name came from the stylist beside her.
“Take this to him.”
A garment bag was handed to her.
There it was.
The opening.
Lana took it without hesitation.
“Yes.”
She walked toward him.
Steady.
Calm.
Not too fast.
Not too slow.
Just enough.
Kris didn’t look at her at first.
Of course he didn’t.
She stopped at the appropriate distance.
Professional.
“Your outfit,” she said.
Her voice was soft.
Clear.
Controlled.
Kris extended his hand slightly...
expecting.
Lana moved to hand him the garment....
And missed.
Just slightly.
The hanger slipped...
tilting at the wrong angle.
The fabric brushing awkwardly against his arm before she corrected it.
A mistake.
Small.
Harmless.
Forgettable.
Except...
Kris looked at her.
Directly.
For the first time.
The room didn’t stop.
No one reacted.
But something...
shifted.
Lana lowered her gaze immediately.
“Sorry.”
Simple.
Appropriate.
But not flustered.
That...
was the first thing he noticed.
Most people rushed to recover.
Apologized twice.
Filled the silence.
She didn’t.
Interesting.
Kris took the garment from her.
Slowly.
“Be careful.”
The words were quiet.
Lana nodded.
“Yes.”
Still calm.
Still controlled.
Too controlled.
Kris’ eyes lingered for a second longer.
Then...
he looked away.
But not before registering:
Her posture....steady.
Her breathing....even.
Her reaction....delayed, but not panicked.
That wasn’t clumsy.
That was measured.
Lana stepped back.
Returning to her position.
Invisible again.
Like nothing had happened.
Like she hadn’t just made him look.
“Focus,” the stylist whispered sharply beside her.
“I am.”
And she was.
Every detail.
Every reaction.
Every second.
Across the room...
Kris adjusted his sleeve.
But his attention...
didn’t fully return to the set.
It lingered.
Just slightly.
On the assistant who made a mistake...
and didn’t feel like one.
“Ready!”
The shoot resumed.
Lights. Camera. Movement.
Kris stepped into position, expression shifting instantly into something sharper.
Professional.
Untouchable.
But somewhere beneath it...
a thought remained.
Brief.
Uninvited.
Not important.
And yet...
He remembered her.
Lana didn’t look at him again.
Not for the rest of the shoot.
She stayed in the background.
Quiet.
Efficient.
Exactly what she was supposed to be.
But inside...
she counted.
One step.
Just one.
And already...
he noticed.
“…Good,” she murmured under her breath.
So soft...
no one heard it.
Except herself.
Because this...
was only the beginning.
- Writer
