—Good job, Lillian. Here’s your pay, —he said, handing over the envelope with the money.
—Thanks, —she replied, starting to count the bills inside. —Give me a call if there’s another movie coming up.
—Of course… —the producer’s assistant responded. —Lillian, why don’t you switch to the Ahlgren agency? You could become a stunt double for big Hollywood actresses. Rowena Agency only specializes in male doubles... you’re their only female asset.
—Thanks for the heads-up, but being a stunt double is just a part-time gig for me. I’m not planning to make a career out of it… —Not for many years, at least.
—Lillian, you’re more striking than a lot of famous actresses. They say a pretty face can outshine talent. If you switch agencies, you might even debut as an actress and make more money, especially after that year you disappeared from the scene...
—Maybe, but I like my life the way it is. I’ve gotta go. —She cut the conversation short.
—Wait! Before you leave, drop off your resume and portfolio at HR. The next project is an adaptation of a work by a popular author who goes by Himmel.
—I don’t do adaptations... they’re often terrible, —she said, waving goodbye as she headed toward HR.
She picked up a form and started filling it out with her updated information. Her full resume and portfolio were in her email, so she’d send them later. Suddenly, she felt a hand trying to pull her into an embrace. She stomped on the person’s foot.
—Babe, don’t do that... —the man said, pulling back but still trying to kiss her.
—Dan, don’t do that... —she echoed, turning her face away and continuing to fill out the form. Sure, it was a good job with decent pay, but it was also risky. It wasn’t just about talent—it took strength and skill too.
—Want me to write down your measurements? —he offered.
—Go ahead... —she replied, handing him the pen.
Dan wrote 38-28-42. He submitted the form to the person in charge, and they left. They held hands until they reached the car and got in. The next day, Lillian would deposit the money into her savings account, keeping just enough to live on for the month or until her next paycheck from her main job. Her biggest dream was to live on a Greek island, though she hadn’t decided which one yet; that’s why she saved, determined to make that wish come true.
—Wanna head to my place?
—Sure, but don’t expect anything. —she warned, just in case he got any ideas.
Dan had been dating her for over a year. He owned a small independent office where Lillian worked as a translator. The office was tied to a well-known publishing house, and she translated all kinds of written material that came her way.
Dan drove until they stopped at a restaurant to grab some food while Lillian went to a convenience store. She walked in and headed straight to the counter.
—A pack of cigarettes, —she requested, showing her ID to the cashier and paying.
As she stepped outside, she saw a woman arm-in-arm with a young man. They suddenly let go of each other, nearly knocking her over. The man stormed off, and the woman chased after him, almost running. It looked like they’d been arguing. Lillian walked to the car, lit a cigarette, and waited for Dan. The couple she’d just seen was still bickering, waving their arms dramatically, even though they’d seemed fine just moments ago.
Dan returned and got back in the car. Lillian had an odd habit, common among passive smokers. She just liked being near the smoke. The cigarette never even touched her lips. He drove in silence, and before they knew it, they were at his place.
—Let’s eat first.
—Fine... I’m starving.
Dan served her some food. Under her usual hoodie, Lillian wore a t-shirt and jeans. When she had to go to shoots, she made sure to avoid any visible injuries or marks that couldn’t be covered with makeup. In fact, a few years ago, she’d had surgery to remove scars all over her body.
—Have you been dieting? You look thinner, —he noted after taking a good look at her.
—Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
—Neither, but those jeans didn’t fit like that before. —He sat next to her and pulled her into a hug.
—Don’t try anything.
—Okay... —He fed her a few bites. They finished dinner and went upstairs to take a shower. Dan always liked the water scalding hot, while Lillian preferred it cold to keep her skin looking good. Though they’d been together for a while, she hadn’t been very talkative lately. Dan suspected they might be heading toward a breakup.
—Is something wrong? —he asked from behind her—. Are you in pain?
—No... Come here, I want to wash your hair. —She led him to the tub.
Lillian, a young woman in her twenties, wasn’t very tall. Her makeup was dominated by black tones with pink or red lipstick. Her cinnamon-colored hair left people wondering if it was dyed or natural, as it always drew attention. She didn’t have a typical body type; she wasn’t skinny or overweight, but athletic, having practiced martial arts since she was young and achieving the highest rank in some disciplines.
Dan, on the other hand, was like the dreamy guy straight out of every teenage girl’s fantasy. Tall, incredibly handsome, popular, affectionate, kind, calm, loving, always saying sweet things or giving compliments for no particular reason. He was also athletic, mainly in swimming. Secretly, he was a bit of a flirt.
Many people wondered why they were still together or how they’d fallen in love, since they seemed so incompatible.
After the shower, she wouldn’t admit it, but their relationship had become completely routine. She worked a lot and didn’t give her boyfriend the time he deserved. Dan, meanwhile, thought he might have overwhelmed her with too much attention. Some people can’t handle it and end up feeling smothered.
—Nothing tonight?
—Nope… —she answered. She was already in pajamas.
—Can I change your mind?
—Give it a shot, —she agreed.
His displays of affection ranged from playful caresses and small kisses to more passionate gestures. Dan loved running his hands over his girlfriend’s body. Though he knew she practiced many sports, her body wasn’t overly muscular, which he appreciated. He often took the lead (sometimes), trying to make her feel good in different ways, but occasionally she’d stop him. There was no clear reason; she just did.
—Sorry.
—It’s fine… —He kissed her forehead. —Let’s just sleep.
Lillian felt bad too. It wasn’t the first time she’d acted this way, and they’d been intimate before, but she’d reached a point where she felt stuck, unable to move forward. That night, she slept in his arms; her dreams took her far away, making her wonder if she was as in love as she claimed to be.
That same night, in a different place, a man and a woman were arguing in the middle of the street, shouting at the top of their lungs. The woman accused him of ogling a prostitute while she was right there; she even claimed he was practically drooling over her. The man defended himself, saying he wasn’t going to put up with her possessive jealousy and random outbursts of violence.
Several passersby stopped to record them or try to break them up. They found it odd that the woman kept her face completely covered, and every time the man tried to walk away, she’d roughly pull him back.
—You looked at her! You had to know, didn’t you? She was flirting with you... With that red lipstick, even you know they’ll play games with you. Why are you doing this to me?
—I’ve told you over and over, —he replied, since she didn’t seem to get it. —She just came out of the convenience store. She walked past you. It’s natural to glance at a stranger who’s just stepped out of a place. Why are you making a mountain out of a molehill?
The woman started hitting him with her purse. This time, people stepped in to forcibly separate them after he made no attempt to defend himself. The woman stormed off, humiliated by being made a laughingstock because of him, and the man went in the opposite direction. He’d said it before: if she caused another scene, they were done for good.
The man reached his hotel, and upon checking his phone, saw hundreds of missed calls. Annoyed, he picked up the hotel phone to book a flight to the Netherlands for the next day. He’d made a long trip just to end things with his girlfriend of the past three years. He never thought she’d turn so obsessive and controlling.
He took a quick shower; as he dried his hair and put on pajamas, a fleeting image from the night stole his thoughts. His gaze had briefly met that of a woman in the parking lot. Her brown eyes. That’s all he could see. That’s all he could recognize.
His sleep was interrupted by relentless calls. Tired of hearing the phone, he turned it off. He slept for what felt like hours, woke up, and turned on the TV.
Some Good Samaritan had recorded and uploaded the video of his fight with that woman from the night before. Now the whole world knew she was a compulsive jealous type. At least his face wasn’t visible. He packed up, left the hotel as quickly as he’d changed, and headed straight to the airport. It was the hot topic of the day.
On the plane, he started jotting down notes related to those events and ideas for his next book. The gossip was the talk of the flight until exhaustion overtook him, and he fell asleep.
Back on the ground, the Ahlgren agency was in chaos. They had no idea about this relationship, and the woman involved refused to speak about it, offended at being dumped and mocked by everyone. She couldn’t communicate and locked herself in the bathroom.
...
—You know, if you stopped wearing such provocative clothes... You shouldn’t tempt me every morning. —Dan pointed out.
—I don’t know... Tell me after I get dressed... —she commented as they started breakfast.
Every channel was buzzing about supporting actress Lala and her argument the previous night with her supposed boyfriend, whose face was still unknown. Whoever recorded it might have done so on purpose just to discredit her, likely an anti-fan. Lillian didn’t pay much attention to what she saw. Dan wasn’t listening much either... he was watching her, trying to decipher her deep thoughts.
—Come on, we’re gonna be late, —Lillian said.
Minutes later, she’d settled on a dress that covered her body and thick tights. Dan chuckled a bit when he saw her, whispering,
—Now I have to imagine what’s underneath.
Dan and Lillian headed to their small office where they did translations. Lillian loved that job and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Books came in various languages, and she got to read them before anyone else, though she never commented on them. She adored fantasy stories, but Dan didn’t let her work on those because she’d get too distracted.
Their relationship wasn’t a secret to anyone, but people often wondered if there was any affection between them, as Lillian wore a poker face every day. Dan would casually mention that only he truly knew her expressions, which sparked the wild, suggestive imaginations of all their employees.
Technically, they didn’t work there; they could take the texts home, but they had to pick them up and deliver them on strict deadlines. Their supervisor, Wendy, was like the villain in any story, annoyed that Lillian did better work than everyone combined and in less time.
—Here… —She handed over several envelopes. —You’re translating these.
—What’s this? —Lillian asked, seeing more envelopes on her desk. She already had a book to translate into Spanish.
—This is called a script, —Wendy began. —You’ve only got one book. You’re going to translate these scripts written in Dutch and some dialects. There’s a deadline.
—But I don’t know Dutch... —she replied, taken aback. She liked taking risks, but she had her limits.
—Here, —Wendy said, handing her several books. —Use these to help. Don’t make me look bad with this job from the Ahlgren agency.
—Yeah, yeah, whatever, —Lillian agreed reluctantly.
She grabbed her pile of work and told Dan she’d head to her place to get started. He waved her off. With her gone, he could plan a dinner for the two of them.
The drive to Lillian’s house was a straight shot to the suburbs. She wondered how she’d offended Wendy to get saddled with extra work. Usually, she let it slide and saved her frustration for action scene shoots, but right now, she couldn’t take it anymore.
She got home and was surprised to see her brother there, in pajamas. The weather was getting too chilly to be lounging around in just boxers.
—Hey, Lillian, what’s with the nun outfit?
—Found it in my closet... Why are you here, Tobias?
—Wanted to see my girlfriend. Where are you coming from? —he asked, watching her set down her work envelopes.
—From my boyfriend’s place and work... —she replied with a smirk.
—I’ve told you a million times not to sleep over at his place. I know what guys like him are up to, and he’s just playing with you.
—Yeah, yeah, yeah... Where’s Lucile?
—She got called into work for an emergency at an event. The head chef didn’t show. Don’t worry, no one’s been upstairs in your place.
—Tobias, you’d better get to work, or Dad’s gonna string you up by your thumbs. —She pointed out after checking the time.
—Dad said, ‘Get out of here, you can’t even put together a financial report.’
—Uh-huh... You’re his golden boy, so I don’t buy it. Get going. —she ordered.
She grabbed her things again and headed upstairs. The house... well, the houses they lived in were an inheritance from their aunt. It was a big two-story place, each floor independent of the other. Her friend Lucile and Tobias lived downstairs, while she had the upstairs. ‘Living’ was a stretch, since none of them spent much time there to call it that. She dragged her feet to her bed.
It had been an exhausting few hours, and she needed some serious rest.