Mrs. Edie nodded. "All you need to do is pose, and we'll take the pictures. That's all, I promise we won't stress you."
"Sure, let's do it," Mason nodded. "When are we starting?"
"Give me a minute," Mrs. Edie said as she brought out her phone. She dialled a number and muttered some words into it before hanging up. She then turned back to Mason. "I just spoke to our photographer, he'll be here in a jiffy. Can you wait till he arrives?"
"Of course, we can," Mason replied.
"Please follow me," Mrs. Edie said and led the boys through the counter to a staircase in the room beyond.
Mason and Raymond followed her as she ascended the staircase. When they reached the top, they found a white wooden door. Mrs. Edie opened her small bag, matching her pink blouse, and brought out a bunch of keys. She inserted a key into the door, and it opened. She then stepped inside and gestured to the boys to come in.
Mason and Raymond went in and were bathed in the room's warm glow. The room spanned about ten meters, and its wall was painted white, with different colors of designs painted on them. That was Mason's first time in a studio, and everything felt like paradise to him.
"Please make yourself comfortable," Mrs. Edie's voice jolted him out of his thoughts. "Coffee or tea?"
"Either one is good," both Mike and Raymond responded simultaneously and erupted into a brief chuckle.
Mrs. Edie smiled and disappeared into a door ahead of them. Mason and Raymond made their way to the sofa chairs, forming a semicircle in the room. When they sat down, Mason's eyes caught a raised platform ahead, which was the most decorated part of the room.
"That's where you're going to stay while they shoot you," Raymond said.
"Shoot who?" Mason frowned.
"Who else? You, of course!"
"Am I not here to take pictures?"
Raymond nodded. "Of course."
"So, how's shooting me part of taking pictures?"
"Hahaha! You're taking it literally, aren't you?" Raymond said. "That's the term for taking pictures. It's called 'photoshoot'. You haven't been to a photo studio before, have you?"
Mason shook his head. "Never had the chance," he said.
"It must have been so difficult for you while you grew," Raymond said, his eyes downcast. "With me bullying you. You must have been so–"
"You can't cry here, Raymond!" Mason cut in. "You can cry all you want when we get out of here, you have the whole town to drown in your tears. Right now, let's just maintain our gentlemanship."
Raymond stared at him for a moment with a look of shock and surprise on his face. "Must you crack a joke? You're making me even more miserable," he soon said, wiping off his teary eyes.
"I'm glad you find it funny," Mason said. "Just continue doing as you've always been doing. No need to make things awkward between us."
"You kept saying that, Mason. How could I possibly–"
"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, gentlemen," Mrs. Edie's voice broke through the boys' conversation. She held a coffee tray in her hand and approached Mason and Raymond. "Here you go." She handed over a cup of coffee to each of them, then took the last one for herself.
"Thanks, ma'am," Mason and Raymond chorused, and once again, the trio chuckled.
"I guess both of you got along so well," Mrs. Edie said.
Raymond's laughter slowly faded away. "We are not that–"
"You have a good eye for people, ma'am," Mason said, cutting Raymond off.
Mrs. Edie slightly blushed. "You're flattering me," she said. "I may not look like it, but people call me 'goddess eyes' because I'm quite good at discerning people."
"Goddess eyes, my foot!" Raymond muttered under his breath. "You can't even–"
Mason hit him with his shoulder, suppressing Raymond's mutters with his laughter. Just then, a knock echoed into the room, and the door opened.
A black, good-looking man came in and approached them. His long beard was neatly trimmed, and his bald head glittered under the lighting of the room, and it almost looked like Mason could see his reflection on the man's head.
"I'm sorry it took me some time, I started coming as soon as I received your phone call, hoping to get here as soon as possible," the man said.
But Mrs. Edie merely smiled and rose to her feet. "You're here just in time, Mr. James," she said, and she gestured to Mason and Raymond. "Meet our guests."
As soon as Mr. James's eyes landed on Mason, his bag fell, along with his jaw, of course. "Oh my goodness! This must be why the downstairs is crowded with people," he muttered. "You really are a beauty to behold."
"Nice meeting you, Mr. James," Mason said, and he smiled. "Can we start now?"
The man absently nodded before bending down to pick up his fallen bag.
I guess I'm too pretty to behold after all. Hahaha! Prepare, oh you ladies, your king is in the making! Mason chuckled more within himself.
He was led to the raised platform in front of the room, and the shooting began.
Lights - Flicks!
Camera - Snap! Snap! Snap!
"Next pose!"filled the room as the inexperienced beauty struggled to go with the flow without showing his lack of knowledge. Using the pictures he'd occasionally seen on TV as an anchor, guiding him to make stunning pictures. He tried to look as natural as he could.
Lights flashed in his eyes, but Mason didn't recoil; he endured. Free clothes aren't free after all. Even celebrities need to keep up with a lot of things and situations to earn their pay.
Everything went: Sap! Sap!! Next pose! Sap! Next, Sap! Sap! Sap! Another!... until Mason eventually ran out of poses. But guess what? Even awkward poses are stunning, as long as they're made by the god of beauty.
Finally, everything came to an end, and Mason finally had the chance to sit down beside Raymond, whose eyes were welling up with tears.
No, he was laughing. What's funny?
"Your poses are like those of children," Raymond replied when he asked. "Less pretty celebrities who do such poses would be nearing the end of their careers."
Mason rolled his eyes and snorted. He turned forward and saw Mrs. Edie speaking to Mr. James. Their conversation was indistinct, but Mason managed to make out some words.
"Every photo is a masterpiece. We can't afford to lose anyone; we might not have an opportunity like this again for a while," said Mrs. Edie.
"Do you hear that?" Mason whispered to Raymond. "Even the most awkward photo is a masterpiece! Can you believe that?"
"Yeah, yeah," Raymond whispered back. "Are you happy to hear that you're prettier than ninety percent of men?"
Mason blushed as he buried his face in his hands.
"Of course, I can't be more glad. It's the ladies' turn to run after me now."
Raymond chuckled and rose to his feet. "Can we leave now?" his voice traveled across the room toward the boutique owner and the cameraman.
Mrs. Edie hesitated for a moment. "Yeah, I hope to see you guys again," she said at last, but Raymond knew it was Mason she wished to see again. For a guy like himself, whose face is not as perfect as Mason's, he'd need to work hard before he could achieve things Mason would earn effortlessly.
"I'd suggest you disguise yourself if you want to leave here unscathed," Mr. James said to Mason. "With the magnitude of people waiting for you downstairs, you'd not want to be caught in between them.
Mason nodded and stood up. "Thanks for the advice," he said. "I hope we meet again. Have a nice day." He turned around and followed Raymond out of the room.
Mrs. Edie watched as the boys left, too overwhelmed to utter a word. Whether it's happiness she was feeling or the opposite, her face showed no sign of it.
"I hope to see him again," Mr. James said. "Never have I seen such beauty before. He looked like an anime." He sighed and turned to his employer. "Did you even ask for his name, ma'am?"
Mrs. Edie's eyes snapped back to life, and she cast a glance at Mr. James.
"His name is Mason. What do you take me for?" she said before scurrying toward her bag to pick up her ringing phone.
Meanwhile, as soon as Mason and Raymond got to the bottom of the stairs, Raymond signalled to the female employee behind the counter. When she saw them, she wasted no time and approached them.
"Is there any way out of here apart from the main entrance?" Raymond asked.
"You mean the emergency exit?" she replied, her eyes never leaving Mason's face. "Please follow me."
She turned around, but Mason stopped her. "We can't leave my clothes behind," he said.
The lady's eyes widened as she realized. She spun and headed back to the counter. After grabbing the bag, she rushed back to where Mason and Raymond were waiting. She then led them to the back of the staircases, where the boys hadn't expected a door to lie.
Above the door was 'Staff Only' boldly written. The lady opened the door and entered a room filled with cleaning equipment. In the room stood a sturdy iron door. She opened the door, and Mason was bathed with the warm outside breeze. The lady handed over his bag of clothes to him and watched as the boys left.
She returned to the counter and sat down, laughing within herself at the people roaming around the hall, waiting for Mason. It wasn't long after that when Nathalie, the employee who'd flirted with Mason earlier, arrived.
"Still not done yet?" she said to her colleague behind the counter. "I mean those guys. Haven't they finished whatever they're doing with Mrs. Edie?"
"You're too late, Nathalie. They left about four minutes ago through the emergency exit."
"They left already!?" Nathalie's voice thundered through the hall, startling everyone. "Why didn't you call me when you saw them leaving?"
"They didn't want to arouse everyone's attention," the lady behind the counter replied. "And please keep your voice down. You're too loud, damn!"
Everyone who's been waiting for Mason let out a cacophonous sigh. Their faces fell as they began to vacate the boutique one after the other. However, some occasionally glanced toward the counter in the hope that what the employees claimed was a lie.
"I'm going to find him," Nathalie declared, her face grim.
"Why?"
"You wouldn't understand if I told you."
"Just make sure he's not dead or sick. The boy's too cute for that."
Nathalie's brows arched as she stared intently at the lady.
"Why'd you say so?" she asked.
"Everyone you said you'd find somehow always ends up either dead or sick. And when you find him, Nathalie, make sure to bring him here. You might as well get on Madam's good side."
Nathalie smiled as she broke off the gaze. She tilted her head backward and clutched her eyes as if she were in pain.
"I still have Mason's scent. I want him. And I'll find him. No matter what."
The lady behind the counter sneered, "Are you a dog or what? You'd find him with his scent?"
"Don't worry, I have my way of finding people. It may take a while, but I'll find him."