To Live Again, For the First Time!

Chapter 101 - Dinner Pt I: (Cheap Ass)

Others may not have noticed, but there was no way that Noah didn't, because when he saw Emilin, he was completely spellbound.

Emilin was beautiful. A beauty indescribable with one or two words.

When she first came into the studio, Noah had already paid her some attention. It wasn't every day that someone he didn't know came in, after all, the modeling industry wasn't the vastest, at least not at his level.

Of course, there were many people he didn't know in the industry, but none of them were particularly notable.

But after giving her a good look, he determined that she wasn't anything special. Assuming that she was a model, he wouldn't have expected her anywhere near Mason's studio, well at least not inside it.

That is until she was standing right in front of him.

Besides having his face pinched and contorted, it was also slapped, just not in the literal sense for the latter, as for the former, ouch.

He hadn't reacted properly precisely because he was shocked. Others may have thought that that was due to Emilin's audacious actions, and that was a part of it, but not entirely the case.

It was as if a ghost had come, one second that girl was nothing he hadn't seen before, and the very next he couldn't peel his eyes away.

It was as if in that split second she had taken off a face mask or something.

Instead of the unmemorable female, which had been forgotten among a sea of pretty faces, another one was in front of him right then and there.

That moment would be engraved in his heart, one that he would be able to look back to in the future with a sigh.

The day and the moment he had first met his most precious… friend.

Her dark hair shone among the various lights, enhancing her natural skin color, her eyes seemingly staring into his soul through his very own eyes. Her pupils were slightly distorted, but that was unnotable when Noah peered at the rest of Emilin's features.

When she was young, her features were rather cute and angelic, and even now, that angelic part didn't change.

Yet now, it no longer meant an angelic in a cute innocent way, but more like the representation of an actual angel that had descended to the mortal world.

A chilly, indifferent-looking angel.

Her face told him that she was indifferent on various levels, but her eyes. Her eyes seemed sympathetic.

That left Noah with a sour aftertaste in his mouth.

'Does she sympathize with me? I don't seem to have anything worthy of garnering sympathy...'

As for the rest of the story... well you've already read it so there is really no need to be repetitive. You can simply imagine Noah's POV and thoughts...

Noah: Actually scratch that.

Noah: Forget it. Every moment. Don't remember, don't recall, don't think!

Noah: Just stop and move on.

[Yes Sir!]

***

Noah finished changing out of his clothes with a group of giggly people, males, and females alike.

Noah calmed himself down, but whenever he glanced at one of the people around him, all of whom started smiling meaningfully, he couldn't help but blush a little again.

That is before Mason came along.

Then again, it couldn't be fully blamed on him, it was bound to get quite annoying at one point or another, even if Mason hadn't made his entrance.

"What the fuck! No way, you didn't actually use that did you?"

Noah shouted when Mason told him that the photos were already sent.

"Well, you have to admit though, it was pretty good, and you can't do anything about it anymore anyway," Mason one-sidedly argued.

"Of course I can! Did that girl, what's her name agree to that?"

Mason was slightly puzzled. He thought that Noah would be the first to complain about how it couldn't have been better than all the other photos or something else.

But this was unexpected, he was instead asking about that little lass? And her consent no less.

"Why does that matter?" Mason asked.

"How does it not matter? If you're going to take a picture involving her then shouldn't you ask her first?"

"Well I won't say that she's not involved, I mean she did help a great deal, but consent? I don't think that will be necessary." Mason contemplated.

"Well, if you're taking and publishing a photo of her, then how the hell can you do it without asking her first?"

Mason only got more confused.

"What made you think that she was in the shot?"

"Hm? She's not?" Noah asked, dumbfounded.

The blush that had been dispelled crept back up.

"Of course not. CXC would have definitely complained if she was. But don't avoid the question now. Come on, tell me why you thought she would be in the shot." Mason smirked bemusedly.

"No- no reason. Why would she be in the shot..." Noah muttered that last part, stuttering in the first.

Mason's smirk grew wider.

"No reason huh?"

Noah's big hands reached for his neck, embarrassed.

"Come on then, I won't tell, why don't you come to see the photo then." Mason found the need to strike the iron while it was still hot.

He had a strange feeling, intuition if you may, that Noah would be more receptive at this moment. Well, he wasn't wrong.

"Mm." Noah hummed, this was a god sent considering he wanted to stop talking about it.

Though it wasn't as if he was oblivious to the fact that Mason was using this moment of weakness against him.

Anyways, he didn't mind too much since he wanted to see the photo.

"It's great, isn't it? This is going into my portfolio just so you know. Be proud." Mason added.

Noah's eyes widened. 

He had to admit that it was pretty great, no doubt. He could feel the emotions that Mason had described throughout the photoshoot from that shot, but it was also strange.

The person on the screen was unfamiliar, his face was the one and only, the one he woke up to, the one he saw when he looked at the mirror, yet that expression was not.

That expression was completely new to him. 

Very distant.

"What is there to be proud of? It's not as if I got there on my own," Noah huffed.

"You should be proud just from the fact that your face made its way to my portfolio," Mason retorted.

That much was actually rather true.

Noah had been working with Mason for a long time now, and the truth of the matter at hand was that even now, not counting this piece, he only had 2 other pictures featured in Mason's portfolio, which could already be considered quite good, especially if you took into account just who else was there.

"Fine, I'll forgive you this one time considering I lost the bet." Noah snorted.

"Not like you have a choice," Mason wanted the last word on this one.

"Whatever," Noah turned his back on this matter right then and there. He knew that he wasn't going to be winning anything, especially if he spoke with Mason for any longer.

"Then let get going, everyone else must be waiting for us so that we can get the dinner that you're paying for." Mason teased.

He just had to mention the meal again.

"Why are you so happy eh? You cheap stake."

"Well don't you have your answer right there? From what you've said it's pretty clear right? I'm excited since I'm a cheap stake."

"Fuck you, you and your millionaire cheap ass."

"On the contrary, this ass is pretty damn expensive," Mason said with a serious face.

Well on that note, Noah was speechless.

They started making their way out to the lobby, where everyone else was gathered, getting ready to leave and it was then, right before they got back with the others that Noah asked.

"So what's her name?"

Mason didn't get it at first, but when he did, he replied.

"I don't know either," Mason admitted, not at all embarrassed that he didn't know the name of the person he had invited.

Shamelessness is a quirk.

***

Owen had gotten to the lobby of Mason's studio, a place he had been to before. Just once.

By the time he made his way through the entrance, there were already groups and waves of people gathered there.

"Why are you all gathered here," he asked Lisa, the person he was most familiar with around here. He didn't bother trying to ask the others since they may be uncomfortable talking to someone who was closer in status to their boss.

"Well, we're going for dinner together today," Lisa promptly responded.

"Is that so? Well, that's a shame. I was going to ask you and your boss if you wanted to have a chat, but seeing as you are busy, I won't bother you any longer," Owen got ready to leave.

"Why don't you join us then, if you have the spare time that is."

Owen considered it for a bit before responding.

"I would be honored."

Lisa still found it strange, associating this man in front of him with the same man who had the title of a slag playboy, but she didn't pay it too much mind. 

It wasn't her place to comment either.

"Great, then we'll add two extra seats."

"Oh? Two?" Owen commented on the even number.