His Favorite Masterpiece

Chapter Eight: Professional Disaster

Lily Martis's phone slipped from her hand and landed face-down on the sofa.

She stared at it.

Then she stared at the ceiling.

Then she covered her face with both hands.

“This is a disaster.”

From the other end of the room, her manager looked up from his laptop.

“What happened?”

“My life is over.”

He glanced at the phone lying beside her.

“Did someone die?”

“My dignity.”

He waited.

Lily sighed dramatically and sat upright.

“I posted the wrong video.”

Her manager blinked. “What video?”

“The video I was supposed to send to you.”

“Why is that a problem?”

“Because I sent it to my public account!”

He immediately put down his laptop.

“Lily.”

“I KNOW!”

She snatched up her phone and opened the social media app.

The video was still there.

Of course it was still there.

The internet had apparently developed a personal attachment to her humiliation.

The video showed her attempting to practise a dance routine in her bedroom, getting the steps wrong, stumbling sideways and laughing so hard that she had eventually collapsed onto the floor.

The caption read:

Professional singer. Professional dancer. Please don't ask questions.

Thousands of people had already watched it.

The comments were multiplying by the second.

The way she gives up halfway through. 😭

Girl, just sing. We forgive you.

Somebody please tell her the floor won.

Lily dropped the phone onto the sofa.

“I will never recover.”

Her manager picked it up and watched the video.

Then he started laughing.

Lily slowly turned towards him.

“You're enjoying this?”

“I'm sorry.”

“No, you're not.”

He watched the video again.

She grabbed a cushion and threw it at him.

“Stop laughing!”

He caught it, still smiling.

“Lily, it's funny. People love seeing a different side of you.”

“I don't want them seeing this side of me!”

“Too late.”

She groaned and fell backwards onto the sofa.

Her phone vibrated.

Then again.

Then again.

She ignored it.

Another vibration followed.

With a defeated sigh, she reached for the phone.

Caleb had sent her a message.

Caleb: I've seen the video.

Lily closed her eyes.

Of course he had.

Of all the people in the world, why did Caleb have to be among the first to witness her downfall?

Lily: Don't.

Caleb: I haven't said anything.

Lily: I can hear you laughing through the phone.

Caleb: That's because I am.

She typed furiously.

Lily: I hope you lose your drawing hand.

Caleb: That's unnecessarily cruel.

Lily: You haven't seen anything yet.

Caleb: Can I have the video?

Lily threw her phone onto the sofa.

“I'm changing my identity.”

Her manager shook his head.

“Please don't. We have a meeting next week.”

“I'll attend as someone else.”

“Lily.”

“What? I'll wear glasses.”

“You already wear glasses.”

“Then I'll wear a hat.”

He resumed typing.

“I'll inform security.”

She glared at him.

He smiled without looking up.

Traitor.

---

By early evening, Lily had decided she needed someone who would take her suffering seriously.

Caleb was clearly not that person.

Her manager had laughed at her.

Her fans were enjoying themselves far too much.

And Adrian hadn't sent a single message.

She tried not to read anything into that last part.

He was busy. He had his own responsibilities. He couldn't possibly be expected to monitor her social media disasters.

Still, she found herself looking at his name in her contact list.

Adrian had always been someone she could turn to when she needed reassurance. Even when he teased her, there was something comforting about knowing he was there.

She pressed call.

He answered after several rings.

“Lily?”

She sat up immediately.

“Adrian.”

“What's wrong?”

The concern in his voice made her feel a little better.

“Nothing.”

There was a pause.

“You called me to tell me nothing?”

She frowned.

“Can't I call my own brother?”

“Of course you can. But you sound upset.”

Lily hesitated.

Then she told him about the video.

There was silence on the other end.

She gripped the phone.

“Don't laugh.”

“I haven't laughed.”

“Your silence is suspicious.”

“I was trying to understand how you managed to post it publicly.”

“Adrian!”

He laughed.

Lily stared at the phone in disbelief.

“You too?”

“I'm sorry.”

“No, you're not!”

He continued laughing for another moment before finally calming down.

“All right. I'm done.”

“You had better be.”

“So, what are you going to do about it?”

“Nothing. Apparently, the entire world has decided to enjoy my humiliation.”

“It's not that serious, Lily.”

She knew that.

Of course she knew that.

It was a silly video. People made mistakes online every day, and nobody was going to remember her terrible dancing forever.

But she had wanted someone to listen without making her feel even more ridiculous.

She lowered her voice.

“I know. I just feel stupid.”

Adrian's laughter faded.

“You're not stupid.”

She looked down at her fingers.

“You promise?”

“Lily, you're a talented singer. One embarrassing video doesn't change that.”

She smiled faintly.

“Even if I dance like a broken table?”

He chuckled.

“Even then.”

For a few seconds, Lily said nothing.

She liked hearing him reassure her. She liked that he could make an ordinary problem feel smaller, even when he had laughed at her first.

“Thank you,” she said quietly.

“You're welcome.”

She hesitated.

“Are you busy?”

“A little. Why?”

“Nothing. I just wanted to talk.”

Adrian was quiet for a moment.

Then he said, “I have a meeting in ten minutes. Can we talk later?”

Lily's smile faded slightly.

“Oh. Sure.”

“Don't worry about the video, all right?”

“All right.”

“I'll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay. Bye.”

She ended the call and sat still for a moment.

She had wanted to talk to him longer.

She had wanted him to ask about her day, or tell her something about his, or simply stay on the phone while they discussed absolutely nothing.

But he had a meeting.

And she had no reason to expect him to cancel it.

She placed the phone beside her and took a deep breath.

At least he had reassured her.

That counted for something.

She reached for the remote and turned on the television, hoping to distract herself.

Five minutes later, she was staring at the same paused screen without knowing what was happening.

“Brilliant,” she muttered. “Now I'm suffering and wasting electricity.”

Her phone rang.

Caleb.

She stared at his name.

Absolutely not.

She let it ring until it stopped.

A second later, a message appeared.

Caleb: So we're ignoring calls now?

Lily: Yes.

Caleb: Is this because of the video?

Lily: No. I just don't like you.

Caleb: Understandable. Can I call you anyway?

She frowned at the screen.

Why was he asking permission?

That was suspicious too.

Before she could reply, another message arrived.

Caleb: I promise to be only moderately annoying.

Lily considered blocking him.

Instead, she answered his next call.

“If you're calling about that video, I will block you.”

“Good evening to you too.”

“What do you want?”

“To check on my favourite professional dancer.”

She hung up.

Her phone rang again.

She answered.

“Caleb!”

“Wait! Wait! I have something important to say.”

She folded her arms.

“I'm listening.”

“I have reviewed your performance carefully.”

“Wonderful. I hope you suffered.”

“I did. It was emotionally difficult.”

She bit back a laugh.

He continued.

“After extensive consideration, I have reached a conclusion.”

“And?”

“You should never dance again.”

Lily screamed into the phone.

“YOU ARE SUCH AN i***t!”

Caleb burst out laughing.

She tried to remain angry, but the sound of his laughter was contagious.

Soon, she was laughing too.

“You're horrible,” she managed.

“I know.”

“I actually called you my friend.”

“A questionable decision, in hindsight.”

“I'm never speaking to you again.”

“See you tomorrow, little worm.”

She ended the call, shaking her head.

For a few minutes, she simply sat on the sofa, smiling at the phone.

Then she realised something.

She was no longer thinking about how many people had seen the video.

She wasn't imagining the comments or worrying about what her fans would say next.

She was thinking about Caleb's ridiculous voice when he'd announced his professional assessment.

And the way he'd laughed when she screamed at him.

Lily stared at the phone.

“Annoying human being.”

She wasn't sure why she was smiling again.

She decided not to investigate.

---

A few minutes later, Lily opened the social media app.

The video had gained even more views.

She groaned.

“Fine. If the world wants to laugh, I'll give them something to laugh about.”

Her manager looked up from his laptop.

“Please tell me you're not about to do something else.”

“I'm about to do something brilliant.”

“Those words have never brought me peace.”

She ignored him and propped her phone against a stack of books.

This time, she deliberately attempted the dance and failed in an even more ridiculous fashion. She added an exaggerated gasp, a dramatic stumble and a final pose that looked suspiciously like someone surrendering to an invisible enemy.

She watched the recording.

Then she laughed so hard she nearly dropped her phone again.

Perfect.

She added a caption.

Since you people have refused to let me rest, enjoy part two.

Then she posted it.

Her manager stared at her.

“You're embracing it?”

Lily tossed her phone onto the cushion.

“What else can I do?”

He laughed.

“That's my girl.”

She stood and stretched.

The embarrassment was still there, but it no longer felt quite so terrible.

Adrian had reassured her.

Caleb had made her laugh.

And the people who listened to her music seemed to enjoy seeing her being herself.

Maybe she didn't have to be perfect all the time.

Maybe she could simply be Lily.

She picked up her bag and headed towards the door.

“Where are you going?” her manager asked.

“Home.”

“To rest?”

She smiled.

“To practise dancing.”

He stared at her.

She burst out laughing.

“I'm joking!”

At least, she thought she was.

Because by the time she reached home, she had already searched for another dance tutorial.

And somewhere across the city, Caleb was watching the second video.

He replayed it once.

Then twice.

Then he shook his head, laughing to himself.

His phone buzzed with a message from Lily.

Lily: If you make fun of part two, I'm blocking you permanently.

Caleb smiled as he typed his reply.

Caleb: I would never.

He paused.

Then added:

Caleb: Your left foot appears to be pursuing an independent career, though.

Her response came almost immediately.

Lily: I HATE YOU.

Caleb laughed.

Caleb: See you tomorrow, little worm.

He set his phone down, still smiling.

He could have spent the evening teasing her about the video. He could have sent it to her again, imitated her dance or invented a list of reasons she should retire from performing arts altogether.

But beneath the jokes, he'd noticed something else.

Lily had been genuinely embarrassed earlier.

She'd laughed it off, turned it into another joke and given everyone a second video to enjoy. Most people would never realise how much the first mistake had bothered her.

He did.

And he was glad she'd found a way to laugh again.

---

That night, Lily stood in front of her bedroom mirror, attempting the dance routine for what she insisted would be the final time.

She got the first few steps right.

Then the music changed, her feet tangled, and she stumbled into the edge of her bed.

She froze.

Slowly, she straightened.

Then she burst out laughing.

Her phone was on the bedside table.

For one dangerous second, she considered recording the whole thing.

Absolutely not.

She had already sacrificed enough of her dignity to the internet.

Instead, she picked up her phone and opened Caleb's messages.

She stared at his last reply, shaking her head with an unwilling smile.

Tomorrow, she would make him regret every single insult.

She would find a way to embarrass him in return.

She would—

Her phone buzzed.

Caleb: Don't practise too late. You'll need your energy to defend yourself tomorrow.

Lily stared at the message.

Then she smiled.

Lily: You're assuming you'll survive tomorrow.

Caleb: I like my chances.

She put her phone down.

For the first time that evening, she didn't feel the need to check the video's views or read another comment.

She didn't need to prove she was a perfect singer, a perfect dancer or a perfectly composed public figure.

Tonight, she could simply be the girl who fell over her own feet and laughed about it.

And tomorrow, she would see Caleb.

She wasn't sure why that thought made her smile a little longer than the others.

But she let herself enjoy it anyway.