The Next Day : Elan Beauty Headquarters
Aria stood by the glass wall of the top-floor studio, arms crossed, eyes sharp as she watched the team set up for the campaign's next shoot. The soft sounds of makeup brushes, quiet conversations, and camera clicks filled the air. She should've been focused on the backdrop alignment and lighting tones.
But instead, her eyes kept drifting.
To her.
Malee was perched on a white ottoman, face tilted up as a stylist applied finishing touches to her lips. She was dressed in a blush silk slip dress, minimal yet striking, and her body language calm, poised, comfortable, commanded the room.
Not arrogant. Just... magnetic.
Aria hated that she noticed.
"Looks like your girl knows how to work a camera," Pim muttered beside her, nudging her arm playfully.
"She's not my girl," Aria replied too quickly, too flatly.
Pim gave her a knowing side-eye. "Okay. But she is doing a good job. And she hasn't been difficult. Professional, even. I was expecting a diva."
"She's doing her job," Aria said, voice clipped.
But even she knew... Malee was doing more than just her job.
On Set
"Malee, can we try the turn with more fluidity?" the director called out.
Without missing a beat, Malee smiled. "You got it."
She stood, took her mark, and turned gracefully, letting the dress catch in the air, stopping mid-spin with a soft expression on her face. The photographer caught the moment.
Click.
"Perfect," the director nodded.
From the sidelines, Aria watched, jaw tight. She'd been reviewing footage on her tablet, but her eyes kept returning to the real-life version in front of her.
Why is she so distracting?
Then, Malee looked directly at the camera, but her gaze shifted.
Straight to Aria.
Deliberate.
Smirking.
Aria looked away instantly.
After the Shoot
"Good work today, everyone!" the director called. "Same call time tomorrow."
The crew began to pack up. Malee stepped away from the backdrop and headed toward her dressing room but took a small detour.
Right toward Aria.
She wore an oversized Elan robe over her shoot outfit, her hair slightly tousled, cheeks still glowing faintly from the lights.
"You were staring," she said matter-of-factly, stopping close. Too close.
"I wasn't," Aria replied calmly, powering down her tablet.
"I can tell when I'm being watched," Malee teased, her lips curving. "It's one of my superpowers."
"And modesty clearly isn't."
Malee laughed, low and genuine. "Nope. Not my thing."
Aria moved to step aside.
But Malee shifted subtly, blocking her path, not aggressively, just enough to make Aria pause.
"Why do you always wear that look?" Malee asked, her tone softer now.
"What look?" Aria asked evenly.
"The one that says nothing in the world can touch you."
Aria's gaze flicked up, sharp, controlled. "Because nothing does."
For a heartbeat, Malee simply studied her eyes curious, lips curved like she knew better.
Then she leaned in just slightly, enough for Aria to catch the faint floral trace of her perfume.
"Maybe not," Malee murmured. "But something will."
She brushed past her, robe swaying like punctuation, leaving Aria standing perfectly still her hand tightening just a fraction against the tablet at her side.
Malee's POV
Later That Night
Malee sat on her windowsill, barefoot in an oversized hoodie, holding a mug of warm tea. The Bangkok skyline glowed in the distance, city lights reflecting off the glass. Her legs were tucked up under her, her phone buzzing softly beside her with new campaign notifications.
But she wasn't looking at it.
She was still thinking about Aria.
She tilted her head against the window and smiled to herself.
"Staring at me like I'm a problem she doesn't want to solve," she whispered.
Then she exhaled deeply, remembering the dressing room all over again.
Flashback: The Dressing Room
When the door creaked open, she was fixing her robe.
Malee barely looked up.
Then she turned and her breath caught.
Her.
The girl from the bar. The one who'd vanished before Malee could even ask her name.
She was standing right there just as beautiful, just as cold, just as unreadable.
No. Way.
Malee had played this moment in her head a hundred times what she'd say, how she'd smile, how she'd lean just close enough to tease. But never, not once, had she pictured it happening here. On a job. In this role.
Her palms went cold.
But her face?
Her face smiled.
"Well," she said smoothly, controlling her voice like a blade. "This is better than I expected."
She didn't let the nerves show. She played it cool. Flirty. Controlled.
But the moment Aria left the room, Malee had stood completely still, her heart pounding, her pulse wild.
She hadn't been nervous like that since her first runway show.
Of all the girls in all the bars in all of Bangkok... it had to be her.
And now she had a name.
Now, she had access.
And Malee didn't believe in fate...
But maybe?
Just maybe?
This time, fate believed in her.
The Next Day: Elan Office Hallway
The studio was quiet that week. No photoshoots scheduled, no cameras flashing, just a handful of meetings and prep work for the next phase of the campaign.
Most of the crew welcomed the downtime.
Malee? She didn't.
Every day, without fail, she found her way to Aria's office. Sometimes with coffee, sometimes with an excuse about paperwork, sometimes with no excuse at all.
It wasn't subtle, and she didn't care.
And sure enough, one late afternoon.
Aria turned the corner with a folder in her arms and a list of things to fix for the next phase of the campaign.
She almost bumped into Malee, who was leaning casually against the hallway wall, sipping iced matcha and waiting like she knew Aria would come by.
"You really have a habit of being exactly where I don't need you," Aria muttered.
"I could say the same," Malee said with a grin. "Except... I actually do want you around."
Aria didn't look amused. "You shouldn't."
Malee's voice turned softer. "Why?"
Aria hesitated, then said without looking at her, "Because I don't have time for distractions."
Malee stepped closer. Her voice dropped. "Then why do you keep getting distracted?"
Aria walked away before she had to answer.
But her heart? It was already running far ahead of her steps.
Bonus Scene : Evening Texts
Later that night, Aria sat on her bed, phone buzzing softly on her bedside table.
She glanced at the screen.
A new message from Malee.
Malee:
"If I keep bothering you this much, just say the word. I'm good at taking hints. But I promise... I'm not going anywhere."
Aria smiled, fingers hovering over the keyboard, then typed quickly.
Aria:
"You're a relentless one."
Malee:
"Only when it comes to things I want."
Aria laughed softly to herself and set the phone down.