How I Met your Other Mother

Chapter 2. Hello agan, Rude person

CHAPTER 2: (Hello Again, Rude Person)

"Roderick, can you please tone the light down on her face just a teeny bit? Yes, that's it. Thank you bud."

"Sure thing, Cee," Roderick the light man replied back.

Cameron Connie T. James, Cee-cee for short, zoomed in a little on their model. "Ms. Natasha, can you hold the spatula at an angle? Like this," and then Cee-cee straightened back up and showed Natasha  exactly how she wanted it. "Oh, and don't be scared to smile more naturally at the camera," she said, grinning at the gorgeous woman.

Natasha nodded at her and Cee went back to adjusting her camera and snapped several photos. "You look beautiful, Nat. Can we try a different pose? I just need to showcase all your right angles."

Natasha, being as professional as she can, followed Cee-cee and posed. She smiled, her dimples showing and it made Cee swoon even more.

"Yes, that's it. One more set of shots, people. Alright," Cee cheered happily. She again gazed at the beautiful woman through the lens. She took her time, the artist in herself wanting to give justice to how extremely pleasing to the eyes their model is, and the perverted part of her just wanting to check Natasha out.

Seriously, when you are asked to take a photo of a beautiful goddess like Natasha, a few half-hearted photos just won't do. It'll be a crime, even. Cee wanted the whole world to see Natasha as she sees her through her eyes. And to Cee, Natasha is perfection.

"Aaaaaaand that's it! We're done, people. Good job," Cee happily announced and clapped her eyes. She patted Eric the reflector man's shoulder and gave her camera to Jennifer, her session assistant. Then, with the gleam in her eyes, she went over to Natasha.

"Hello there, rude person," Cee greeted Natasha, slightly looking up because Natasha is two or three inches taller than her. "Good job."

Natasha just looked at her without any expression whatsoever. "Really? Rude person?" she asked. Natasha was definitely surprised --but not pleasantly so --when she saw the woman who stole her baby from her. Happy wouldn't even cuddle with her anymore and she concluded that the fluffy woman had put some spell on her dog and bewitched him.

"Well, you weren't exactly uh, let's just say, 'very polite' when we met," Cee-cee grinned, just enjoying the view in front of her. "I believe you even called me a dognapper. Now that is rude, Ms. De la Cruz."

"Natasha. Call me Natasha," Natasha corrected her. "And if you excuse me, Ms. James, I have a cooking show to guest." And then she gently pushed pass the smaller woman. Truth be told, the photographer just kind of annoys her with her over enthusiastic, optimistic attitude and bright personality.

Cee-cee caught a whiff of Natasha's smell and couldn't help but think that it really suited the gorgeous, raven-haired woman. Natasha smelled heavenly. A split second later, Cee was catching up with her --or at least trying her best to, seeing she has a much shorter legs than Natasha.

"Hey now, Natasha. You look kind of down," Cee chirped beside Natasha.

"No. It's just the way I look," Natasha relied shortly, taking off her apron and hanging it on the nearest chair. She then proceeded on getting a lollipop from her pocket and contentedly sucking on it.

"Really? Well I think I could make you very happy," Cee-cee said, slightly blocking Natasha's way.

"Why, are you leaving?"

The sharp witted comment caught Cee-cee off guard. A second later, she burst out laughing.

"Now that is a comeback that should be written  in gold," still giggling, Cee-cee  shook her head. "Okay, Ms. Natasha. It was nice meeting you. Have a good day!" Cee-cee put her hand on Natasha's arm for a fleeting second before walking away from the beautiful woman.

Cee-cee really liked Natasha. She only hopes that she can work with her again in the future.

And her wish came true when a few more days later, she got called back into the same magazine company to meet with Natasha's manager. Cee-cee was more excited than a kid on Christmas and even came to the appointment 30 minutes early.

"Ms. James, please have a seat,"  Harvey Kington, a heavy-set, handsome man in his late 30's gestured Cee to a seat in front of his table. "I'm very glad that you accepted my offer to meet me. "

"It's no problem, HK. And please, call me Cee-cee," Cee smiled and happily sat down.

"I'll get down to business then, Ms. Cee cee," Mr. Kington said. "I'm sure you already met Natasha. She is a very beautiful young woman. And aside from being a pastry chef, she is also a model. But never have I seen her photos look as beautiful as the ones you took," then Mr. Kington laid out Natasha's photos one by one on the table. Although not personally, Cee cee was graced yet again with Natasha's beautiful face.

"Well, she is beautiful, HK," Cee cee commented, not taking her eyes away from the photos.

"I agree, Ms. Cee, but then, compare your shots to these," and then Mr. Kington laid another set of Natasha's photos just beside ones taken by Cee-cee. These featured the beautiful Natasha donning several clothes from a known clothing company.

Cee-cee frowned. Although Natasha is already extremely beautiful, in the eyes of a seasoned photographer like her, the photos were... lackluster. The lighting was sufficient, but they were highlighting the wrong parts of Natasha. And it was very obvious that whoever took the photos was very careless, with Cee-cee noticing that the photos were touched with Photoshop to make up for the inconsistency.

"These... these are very disrespectful," Cee-cee carefully said. "Whoever took these photos clearly did not connect with their model."

"Yes," Mr. Kington said, nodding his head in agreement. "You, however, did a superb job. You and Natasha clearly have, let's say, chemistry. Your style and technique, as well as understanding of Natasha herself perfectly complements Natasha.  You are able to create something even more beautiful. And that's why I'm hoping that you would consider this," the man said, pushing a piece of paper towards Cee cee.

Cee-cee curiously picked the paper up and began to read. A few seconds more, her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Is this real?"

Mr. Kington nodded. "Of course."

Slowly, Cee-cee began to grin. "And I'm going to do all her photo shoots?"

"That's what a personal photographer does, Ms. Cee-cee," Mr. Kington smiled, seeing the excitement growing in Cee cee's eyes.

"Then it's a deal!" Cee-cee immediately said, signing on the paper. Next she held her hand out towards Mr. Kington.

"Thank you for accepting our offer, Ms. Cee-cee. Ms. Natasha will have her next photo shoot next week. We will send you the details over email. It was nice meeting you," Mr. Kington said, shaking Cee-cee's extended hand.

***********************

"Hey there, rude person," Cee-cee greeted as she entered the studio, trying her best to be cheery despite being stuck in traffic and being late. Natasha did a double take when she saw the same enthusiastic, chubby woman from before.

"You're here again?" she asked, bewildered.

Cee-cee grinned. "I sure am. Guess who will do all your photo shoots from now on?" she grinned.

Natasha shook her head, her luscious curly locks swaying softly. Cee-cee found it to be especially captivating.

"I guess you're the one Harvey was babbling about? Well, I'll do my job, and you'll do yours," the taller woman dismissively said.

"Nope. That's not how I work," Cee-cee said, smiling and pulling up a seat for Natasha. "Please have a seat and we'll chat for five minutes. I need to know you more, since I'll be doing most --well, all --of your photo shoots." Then she sat down directly in front of her.

Natasha sighed and decided to humor the other woman. "Okay, let's do this." Natasha sat down and crossed her legs elegantly and Cee-cee tried her best not to stare at the amount of skin that had just been exposed when the skirt the model was wearing rode higher up her thigh.

"Okay, Nat. Just tell me what you want to tell me. Family, goals, hobbies, what you ate yesterday, anything at all," Cee started, smiling encouragingly.

"Don't call me Nat," Natasha muttered lowly under her breath. "Well, my full name is Natasha Candelaria De la Cruz. I'm  Filipino. I'm 25 years old and a pastry chef by profession. A week ago, my sixth pastry shop opened in LA. I do modelling, but it's mostly for fun. "

Cee-cee nodded, taking in the information like a porifera. "And how about your life goals?" she asked.

"I just want to have my own cookbook and then settle into a suburban neighborhood to have a family by the time I'm 30." she shortly replied.

"Really now? What is your dream man? Or woman, if-"

"Man. I'm into men," Natasha deadpanned and Cee tried to keep her devastation subdued.

"Strictly into men or are you like, open to possibilities?" the photographer couldn't help but ask.

At that, the pastry chef raised a beautifully sculpted eyebrow. "And you're asking this question because?"

Cee grinned. "Just curious, Nat. Anyways, we better get started now."

"Don't call me Nat," Natasha said lowly again, making sure no one else but Cee heard her. But the other woman just pretended not to hear her and continued her merry way.

"So, we are doing Ms. De la Cruz' Gucci shots today," Cee-cee announced. "Let's get this thing started, everyone. Woo!"

Natasha heard all the hype among the staff and couldn't help but admire the stubborn ball-shaped human that was Cameron. Her enthusiasm is as contagious as her smile and if Natasha was asked to define what sunshine meant, she would answer 'Cameron James' without a doubt.

"Miss Natasha, let me retouch your make up before the shoot starts," Alfie her make up artist said, waving Natasha over.

Natasha was about to head over to the make up artist when Cee-cee spoke:

"That won't be necessary, Alfie dear. Nat is perfect as she is," and then the shorter woman winked at her.

Natasha rolled her eyes. There is definitely some light flirting there.

They worked tirelessly for two hours, until Cee-cee suggested a break. The staff looked relieved but also kind of confused from the sudden announcement.

Hurriedly, Cee tried to get to the bathroom with her bag.

Natasha was the only one to notice the bubbly woman clutching her chest and observe that instead of the usual bright smile, Cee had a pained expression on her face.

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"What the f**k is all this?!"

Cee-cee peeked over the mountain of magazines on her floor to greet her best friend. "Oh hey Chels! How was work?"

Chelsea was not fazed, however.

"Cee-cee, why the f**k does your house look like a bookstore? I literally can't see you behind all this shit."

"Oh, these are all my collections. Some the company gave to me, some I bought," Cee explained, flipping through a magazine.

Chelsea bent down to pick one of the magazines up. "'Healthy Living: Find Out The Secrets Behind Natasha's New Diet!'"

"Oh, that's the one where Nat's dimples look the cutest!" Cee-cee commented over from the tall stack of magazines she was behind.

Chelsea looked horrified when she realized all the magazines had one thing in common: the model. "Cameron Connie T. James! What the fu-- Don't tell me... You've become a stalker?"

And with that, the curvaceous blonde burst out in tears. "I k-know it's lonely, Cee *sniff* b-but you didn't have to be like this! You have me! And your mom. A-and *sniffle* Ceeeeee!" Without any other words, Chelsea dove on the magazines and into the arms of the slightly confused brunette. Naturally, the whole weight of Chelsea came toppling down on Cee and they both landed on the carpeted floor with an 'oof'.

"Owww... Chelsea, you t**s-for-brains," Cee groaned, her head hitting another stack of magazines behind her. And before she can recover, her best friend suddenly got up and began to rabidly collect as many magazines as her arms can allow her to carry.

"I won't let you do this!" Chelsea said with a wavering but determined voice. She then headed for the door. "I'm going to throw this all out and hire a hooker for you! A woman who can satisfy you even for a night!"

Cee's eyes widened and she quickly stood up, jumping over the various magazines that were scattered  on the floor.  "You dumb blonde! Give that back!"

Chelsea looked over from her shoulder. "No!" and with that she opened the door and ran out with the magazines.

"Cheseeeeaa!!!" Cee ran as fast as she could and finally, before Chelsea can reach the trash bin on her front lawn, she tackled her.

"Cee! No! I won't let you turn into some low life stalker who will eventually kidnap the woman of their affections and then molest them and then murder them, and th-"

"Chelsea Arizona Briggs, you crazy woman! Snap out of it!" And they continued to roll around on Cee cee's front lawn, fighting over one ripped magazine.

"This is for your own good, Cee!"

"Oh for f**k's sake let go of this and I'll buy you pizza!"

"Pizza?" Suddenly, Chelsea paused and let go of the magazine they were fighting over, sending Cee cee flying to the other side of the lawn. "Okay, but you have to buy me some spicy buffalo wings too."

And then, without even glancing at the groaning Cee-cee or the other, obviously forgotten magazines, Chelsea went back inside the house to get her purse.

An hour later, both of them were inside their favorite little restaurant, devouring a large pizza and some chicken. Chelsea had a satisfied look on her face and reached out for another slice of pizza.

"Jeezus Chels. You know, I keep wondering why from all the junk you eat, you never get fat. And here I am gaining pound after pound just thinking about food!" Cee-cee complained, sipping on her lemonade iced tea.

"Yoo jush haftaa shew iitn mwel... (You just have to chew it well)," replied Chelsea.

"Eww!" Cee exclaimed when a piece of pepperoni flew from Chelsea's mouth and into Cee's forearm.

"Ow, sarreh," Chelsea mumbled, picking up the piece and putting it back in her mouth.

"Chelsea, you pig!" Cee said, but she is used to Chelsea being like this.

The brunette let her friend stuff herself full before trying to have a decent conversation with her. When Chelsea had finished the last slice of the pizza and ate the last of the wings, she leaned back on her chair and let out a loud burp.

Cee's cheeks reddened when an elderly couple from the next table gave them a disapproving look.

"So, Cee. Mind telling me why you have a thousand magazines on your house?" Chelsea asked, finally done eating.

"Like I said, I just wanted to know Natasha more, since I'm her personal photographer now," Cee replied but couldn't look at Chelsea directly in the eyes.

"Are you telling me that you have all these magazines in your house for work purposes and not because you have a huge crush on her?"

Cee nodded, slightly blushing.

"And you expect me to believe you?"

"Uhh... yes?"

"Cee, I've know you for a loooong time now. The last time you were like this, the girl completely f****d you over and you haven't even kissed her yet. So I'm going to stick to my plan and get a hooker for you."

Chelsea's voice was a little too loud and Cee almost died when the elderly couple beside them gave them a shocked look and then proceeded to quickly pack up.

"Chelsea, you puta!" she whisper shouted at the oblivious blonde. "Tone down your voice!"

"Why? What's wrong with a hooker?" Chelsea asked obliviously again, her voice as loud as before. "Oh, silly. I'm not going to give you 30-dollar hooker. Of course this one's-"

And before Chelsea can embarrass her further, Cee cee stuffed a table napkin on Chelsea's mouth.

"Chelsea, Natasha is different!" Cee tried to reason with the blonde. "I really believe that it's destiny this time."

"Mmmph?" Chelsea asked, the table napkin still on her mouth.

"Yes. You know why I think so? Because I've met her before. She was the one I met on the park," Cee-cee grinned, remembering the endearing moment.

"Mmmhgthp! Mmsmmdampahhshgh?" Chelsea asked again.

"You know, the one with the cute dog and the one who accused me of dognapping?"

"Aammsmsmmmpgh. Hmamhhspmgm."

"Yeah. And that rude person sure is cute."

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