บท 12: Measuring Tape
The Mabel Chantelle buzzed with excitement. The luxurious clothing brand worked exclusively with films and TV shows, creating the dream outfits for their actors.
Today was special, two productions both held fitting and customizations around the same time. The modern department busied themselves with the Featured Film 'Blossoms In Our Hearts,' while the period department dealt with the Featured Film 'Revenge of the Fallen Heroine.'
"You have such great proportions!" Keira's fitting was without a quiet moment. Everyone gathered around, actively trying to match colors to her features.
"Agnes, the Hero, often wore white as a paladin, while she as a part of Leslie, wore darker colors. For the life of me, I can't choose between these whites and silvers, you suit them all!"
To Keira, the whites and silvers all looked to be the same shade. She watched them with curiosity, wondering about the differences in fabric and how they felt.
"Say…the modern department has been gushing about the popular idols that are having their fittings. They can't compare with our Austin, can they?"
At the mention of Austin Pierce, Keira's gaze shifted towards him. He had on a simple sweater and jeans, allowing the stylist to take his measurements.
Dazzling as usual.
Keira was still not used to his current appearance. Austin Pierce in her mind was the youth who played Felix in the box office hit 'Wishing On A Star.'
As if sensing her gaze, Austin turned his head. The corner of his lips raised slightly, turning away after a mere glance. Keira also shifts her gaze elsewhere.
"Director Liam must have magical eyes or something. You two have the same measurements AND height!"
"How funny! I never knew there would be such a person so similar to me!" An energetic voice escaped the delicate lips of a female. Her eyes were large, sparkling like constellations. "I'll be honest. I was super worried when the Director said he wanted two people to play Leslie and Agnes! But seeing Keira now makes a lot of sense."
"Same physique, but totally different feelings. You two were cast perfectly for your roles as Leslie and Agnes." The stylists felt their jobs had become a lot easier. Since the two actresses were a match in terms of size, it would be easy to customize.
"I can hardly wait for our scenes together! EEK!" The actress squealed with excitement. Keira found her expressiveness to be odd. She wasn't sure how to interact with such a person. "Since I'm older, you can call me Sister Marley."
"Sister Marley." Keira nodded.
Marley May was a seasoned child actress, with lots of accumulated accolades under her belt. Her youthful features made her a popular choice amongst casting directors for shows that had teens and young adults as their main cast.
I can't believe she's 26. A year older than Austin but looks younger than me…
"We will move over to the changing rooms to try on a few already-made pieces and armory. If you need to use the bathrooms, please use them now." After getting everyone's measurements, the head stylist ushered everyone to another room nearby.
"I'll use the bathroom."
The Mabel Chantelle had three buildings in total, each connected through a walkway. The middle building was the access point, this included waiting lounges, bathrooms, food and beverages, and lockers if one needed to store stuff.
The building to the left was the modern department, and the building to the right was the period department. They were exclusively for fitting and styling. No outfit tried inside, would be allowed out of those departments, which was why they encouraged people to use the bathroom before the fittings.
Keira made her way down the hallway, entering into the main building for a bathroom break. As she struggled to button her jeans, sounds of chatter filled the empty lady's room.
"I heard Austin Pierce is here for a fitting in the period department, you should go and introduce yourself."
"What if he dislikes me after doing so? You know he hates it when people approach him through acting." The voice of her demons caused her actions to pause. Keira stopped breathing.
"You're so lovely, he wouldn't dare dislike you. Regardless, if you introduce yourself and become acquaintances, he might even recommend you to a director he's worked with. They are all famed individuals, after all."
"Do you think he'll want to act with me as his partner? What if we become co-workers and the fans take our relationship out of context, he would hate me for that wouldn't he?" Her coquettish voice made Keira frown in annoyance.
"Oh…using the fans to push forward a possible relationship, I never thought of that. You two would make a power couple. It would be good for your career. I'll think of a chance to have you two out in public together." A soft gasp escaped the lips of her nemesis.
"N—no, I didn't mean it like that." Her voice held a slight embarrassment in it.
"I know. How can my lovely Selene think of such a deplorable method? Don't worry, it is this big sister's idea. Just a simple mention of you two in a romantic relationship has gotten you so red, how adorable! I'll make sure he falls for you, leave it to this big sister!"
"Sister Lily! You're teasing me again!"
I thought Selene was in love with Eren Adler, how can it suddenly be Austin?
Keira listened for their departure, only leaving after a good five minutes had passed. She was deep in thought, not noticing the presence of another person around the corner.
"Ah…!?" The two bumped into each other, causing her to nearly fall on her bum. If it weren't for the other party grabbing her forearms, she would have suffered a sore rear end.
"Are you okay? It seems you're always falling while I catch you, no?"
"Thank you." It didn't take looking at the other to know who he was. Keira brushed his hands off after steadying herself. She quickly thanked him and attempted to return to her side of the department.
"Wait!" Keira didn't bother responding. Her steps became even faster, only faltering when she was pulled. "Are you upset with me?"
He put himself in front of her, occupying the entirety of her vision. Eren Adler was as handsome as usual. His serious gaze caused her mind to wander for a moment.
"I wasn't thinking right that day, so I said something I shouldn't have. I'm sorry." She didn't understand why he was apologizing.
"Alright."
"I don't think you understand. Let me explain, please." His pleading gaze made her uncomfortable. Keira wanted this interaction to end, so she nodded. "I meant it when I said I wanted to act with you."
Keira remained silent, her gaze urging him to finish what he wanted to say, causing Eren to sigh.
"Selene had come earlier that morning, familiarizing herself with everyone. It would have been awkward if she left the cast after becoming so close with them, that's why I said I preferred Selene. I didn't want the good atmosphere to change abruptly and resentment to build towards you."
Keira could hear footsteps approaching them, her eyes glanced behind Eren, meeting the gaze that often confused her.
"Your expression that day…I…I didn't mean for those words to hurt you. I'm truly sorry…"
Nothing Eren said had entered her ears.
"What is this? A live drama? You sure get yourself into interesting situations, Keira." Austin had an eyebrow raised, exchanging glances between the two of them with curiosity. "The stylist sent me to get you."
"Austin Pierce? Stylist? You're a part of Revenge of the Fallen Heroine's cast?"
"Not coming?" She didn't know what his soft grin meant, but Keira quickly removed herself from Eren's grip. "Obedient as always. That's no good. You shouldn't obey everyone just because they say so."
Austin whispered into her ears once she approached him. The close proximity sent shivers down her spine. Keira frowned slightly and nodded towards Eren as a goodbye.
It wasn't that her interest in Eren Adler had faded, but when she thought of Selene's words in the bathroom, she couldn't help but feel annoyed.
Too bad. I care more about Selene.
Since she's now interested in Austin, I don't need Eren Adler anymore.
"What's with that look?" Austin noticed the glint in her eyes. "You're not thinking of having me right here, are you?" A seductive grin, paired with his breath tickling her cheeks, made her blush with embarrassment.
"Are you crazy?" She walked off, leaving the two men behind. The sound of Austin's chuckles could be heard trailing after her.
The room was empty upon return. Everyone had already moved into the next one, leaving only her and Austin there.
Keira looked around the room, trying to locate the phone she had misplaced. Her eyes caught sight of an unusual item amongst the measuring tapes, capturing her entire attention.
"Do you know how to use that?" Austin watched her examining the item in her hand, grinning at her confused expression.
"What is it?" A cat-like tool was something she had never seen before. She couldn't make out why such a cute item was lying amongst the other tools.
"Come here and I'll show you." He leaned lazily against the table, beckoning her to approach him.
Keira handed him the cat, waiting for him to take it from her.
"It's a measuring tape." His fingers brushed against hers, pulling gently at the bow on its ear, revealing the hidden measuring tape within it. "It's for self-use. You can clip it to the other ear, like this." He wrapped the thing around his wrist, clipping it to the other ear.
"Oh…"
"Why don't you try taking my measurements? Play around with the thing, since you already have your hands on it." He detached the bow, returning it to its usual spot.
He pulled both of her wrists against his waist, pushing them under his sweater. The scorching heat of his skin burned her freezing hands. She could feel him flinch at the sudden coldness.
The blush that had settled quickly returned to her face. Keira had never touched a man's bare chest before.
"It's a self-tightening measuring tool, so you need to do it against bare skin for the most accurate results." Keira didn't like the tone of his voice. It made her stomach feel weird. "Go on. I'm all yours to test."
Austin didn't waste time lifting his sweater. His chiseled muscles attacked her vision, making her dizzy at the sudden nudeness of his upper body.
"I wouldn't mind if we do this all day." Austin found her frowning face to be funny. His teasing continued, pulling her in closer, wrapping her arms around him.
Her breath tickled his chin. The close proximity made the beating of their hearts audible. Keira tried to free her arm. After struggling with no success, she reluctantly mimicked his actions earlier, pulling on the bow and wrapping it around his body.
"A little higher if you want to measure the chest." He gently pushed her hand up, showing her the correct location for measurements.
"Why do I have to know this?" Keira was curious about the use of the cat tool, but she was never curious about learning the correct locations of measuring. She raised her head, feeling his nose brush against her forehead.
"Maybe in the future, you might want to measure me."
But he has money to go get tailored by a professional?
"You're staring at me again. How infatuated can a person be?" The cat measuring tool had been removed from her hand and placed aside. She could feel his hand wrapped around her waist, holding her in place. "Say…why did you choose to become an actress? Is it because of that boy earlier?"
"No…" His expectant gaze caused her to shift uncomfortably. Her hands pushed his shoulders, hoping to create some distance. "Your performance as Felix inspired me to become an actress."
"Because you like me?" She could feel the release of his hands. His eyes squinted sharply, seemingly unhappy with her answer.
"Seeing Felix's dream come true, even without the help of the wishing star, made me want to try and do something. I figured that life would be much more interesting if I experienced it through the lives of different characters…that's all…"
"Hmmm." She could see his eyebrows quirk upward. The loose hands around her waist tightened, pulling her in closer. "How about we practice our scenes? The one where you tie me up and push me down? Or should we do the one where you push me against the tree, stripping me naked with the tip of your sword?"
"Those scenes are…I'm not ready yet."
Although she was capable of separating acting from reality, the man in front of her caused her mind to go blank.
"Are you going to be this shy when we have to kiss also? Aren't you failing at attacking my virtue with such child-like embarrassment?"
"How virtuous can you be? Stop talking nonsense already." The contrast between his acting self and real personality was too much for her heart to handle.
"I'm serious. How can you call it nonsense?" She could feel his chest tremble every time he spoke.
"Sister?" Austin frowned the moment their intimacy was interrupted by the appearance of a stranger. The delicate girl widened her eyes, hand covering her mouth with shock as she stared at them with disbelief.
Selene? Did she come to greet Austin?
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