UPON reading it, Lauren stood up almost immediately. The timing couldn't have been worse; the make-up artist was just applying lip tint to his lips. His sudden movement jolted her hand, smearing 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 times before and knew he wouldn't react so suddenly without a reason. When she looked up at him, her suspicions were confirmed. 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 home. 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 home, even if someone forgot to turn off their stove, the built-in safety measures would handle it automatically. Did Lauren really live somewhere 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 time. 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 media would definitely have a feast if their relationship became 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 media 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 memory of Chris' reaction when he first confided in him about his relationship with Reas.
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"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 immediate, 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 moment, 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 meant by calling Reas a 'gremlin.' How could Reas possibly fit that description when he was so quiet and indifferent most of the time?