UPON reading it, Lauren stood up almost imdiately. The timing couldn't have been worse; the make-up artist was just applying lip tint to his lips. His sudden movent jolted her hand, saring a streak of color from the corner of his mouth down to his chin. She flinched in surprise, nearly letting out a yelp.
"Are… are you alright?" she asked, her voice tinged with concern.
She'd worked with Lauren a few tis before and knew he wouldn't react so suddenly without a reason. When she looked up at him, her suspicions were confird. His face was frozen in shock, eyes wide and unfocused, as if he'd just been hit with earth-shattering news.
Lauren snapped back to reality at the sound of the make-up artist's voice. He let out an awkward laugh and eased himself back into the chair. "Sorry about that," he mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. "I just… thought I forgot to turn off the stove at ho. Guess I panicked for no reason."
The make-up artist simply nodded, though the excuse left her wondering. With advanced AI systems in nearly every ho, even if soone forgot to turn off their stove, the built-in safety asures would handle it automatically. Did Lauren really live sowhere without those basic features? That didn't seem likely. Well, whatever the case, it wasn't her business. Shrugging off her curiosity, she went back to her work, carefully finishing the touch-ups.
Lauren let out a quiet sigh of relief when the make-up artist didn't pry any further. He didn't have another excuse ready if she kept asking. It's not as if he could just say that his boyfriend had blindsided him with shocking news.
It wasn't that he wanted to hide his relationship. In truth, he would love to tell everyone he knew about his boyfriend. But now just wasn't the right ti. Reas was not a part of the industry. He's not only a private person, he's also a student. A future soldier, if he might even add. Then, there's also the fact that he's young. The dia would definitely have a feast if their relationship beca public.
He wanted to shield Reas from all of it, to keep him far from the chaos and potential fallout. That's why he confided in only two people—his agent and, naturally, Astrid. They both needed to be in the loop. Astrid, because he wasn't just a friend, but Reas' brother. And his agent, because if things went sideways with the dia or the public, Lauren knew Chris would handle it. Chris would do whatever it took to smooth things over, to protect them both from any backlash.
That thought brought back the mory of Chris' reaction when he first confided in him about his relationship with Reas.
=====
"Wait… can you say that again? Sorry, I must've misheard you," Chris replied, his expression a mix of disbelief and confusion.
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"No, you heard it right," Lauren said, keeping his voice steady. "Reas and I are dating."
Chris looked as if a bomb had just gone off in front of him. His face gradually turned red, not from embarrassnt but sothing closer to anger. He was like a kettle on the verge of boiling over.
"I knew it!"
"Chris, hold on—you're not blaming this on , are you?" Lauren said, his tone edged with defensiveness. "Just so we're clear, I did not seduce Reas. I—"
"Of course you didn't!" Chris interrupted before Lauren could finish. "It's that… that little gremlin's fault!" He threw his hands up, clearly exasperated. "I should've known he was up to sothing. It's always the quiet ones who turn out to be the freakiest."
Lauren blinked, his mind stumbling to catch up. He opened his mouth, then closed it, staring at Chris like he'd just spoken a different language. This was definitely not the reaction he was expecting. What did he an by calling Reas a little gremlin? And even calling him a freak? What's happening here?
"Wait—what are you even saying, Chris? Are you… are you having a ltdown right now?" he asked worriedly.
Chris shot him a glare, his nostrils flaring, a clear sign of his frustration. But then he started taking slow, deep breaths, exhaling deliberately, over and over, like soone trying to calm themselves down with breathing exercises.
"Sorry for that outburst," Chris said, his tone a bit more controlled now. He paused, folding his arms as he looked directly at Lauren, his gaze steady and serious. "I won't ddle in your romantic relationship, but there's sothing I need to ask first before I can fully get on board with this."
"Sure, what is it?"
Though still confused by Chris' initial reaction, Lauren decided to let it go for now. He could ask about it later, anyway. Right now, he needed Chris's support. If his agent disapproved of his relationship with Reas, Lauren knew he'd still help—but with a sense of reluctance. And Lauren didn't want that.
"Do you genuinely like Reas?" Chris asked while looking straight at his eyes, as if gauging his reaction. "Are you sure you weren't pushed or manipulated into this?"
Lauren's response was imdiate, almost instinctive. "Of course not! Do you really think I'm the type to be manipulated like that?"
Chris only looked at him as if silently saying, 'why do you think I asked if that's not the case?'
"It's not like that, I swear," Lauren insisted. "We're together because we love each other. No one is being manipulated or forced here."
Chris studied his expression carefully, and after a mont, let out a deep sigh, as if he'd finally found the answer he was looking for. "Alright, fine. I'll help keep this under wraps. That's what you want, isn't it? You're not planning to go public with your relationship with Reas just yet, right?"
Lauren nodded, feeling relieved.
And that's how that conversation ended
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Even now, Lauren still couldn't quite understand what Chris ant by calling Reas a 'gremlin.' How could Reas possibly fit that description when he was so quiet and indifferent most of the ti?
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