Kareen got off the plane and inhaled the wind like it might give her strength. The skyline rose all around her with familiarity, all filled glass and ambition, but she wasn't the same girl who had left this city just weeks ago, there was something heavier about her now… not in body, but in memory.
The ride from the airport was quiet, Kareen stared out the window, while she ran her thumb slowly over the leather of her purse, It had been three days since Tokyo, and she still hadn't processed any of what happened, She'd tried to forget, after all, it was supposed to be one night, just a mistake, a blackout of both pain and pleasure, But it wasn't gone, not even close to it,
Especially not when her body remembered everything that happened.
The modeling campaign offer had come suddenly, it was a last minute spot on an international luxury brand's west coast project, She had thought about turning it down, but when Ava said the brand was selective and the exposure could put her name on every billboard in the city, Kareen agreed to the job without any hesitation
She needed something else to think about,
Something that was real,
The next morning, she walked into the agency office wearing a blazer, her heels that clicked too confidently, and she had on a face that said she had something to prove, She didn't owe anyone an explanation for her silence since Tokyo, not even Ava
Mr. Denkins, her handler, sat behind his desk with a sour expression on his face,
"You've got some nerve coming back here like nothing happened," he muttered without even looking up at her
Kareen folded her arms and didn't blink, "I didn't know you were so invested in my schedule, Mr. Denkins"
He looked at her then, eyes narrowed a bit,
"You blew off three castings, skipped an entire week of brand prep, and now you waltz in expecting to be sent to the highest paying campaign we've landed this year?"
"I didn't blow them off," she said simply, "I made a choice, and I'm making another now, I'm ready to work"
He rested back into his chair, his face was twisted up in a way he always wore when she didn't bend to what he wanted
"I should've dropped you," he said, "but no one else fits the look they want, so fine, you'll go, but don't think you're anything special"
Kareen gave him a slow smile,
"I already know I am"
He didn't respond any further,
He just handed her a black folder with the campaign's logo stamped in silver,
She took it and walked out without saying another word.
.
The studio in downtown SF was sleek and tall, it was twenty floors of marbled concrete, art installations, and designer staff with clipped voices and tablet screens
Kareen took the elevator to the twelfth floor, the tall windows greeted her along with moodboards of the campaign's esthetic, it was minimalist, it was full of luxury and heat.
A production assistant met her at the glass doors met her with a clipboard and bright smile
"You're Kareen, right? Great, follow me, we're just about to do some introductions before the orientation and wardrobe preview"
Kareen nodded, smoothing over her expression into something calm and professional. The clicking Her heels echoed behind the assistant as they walked through the wide, open workspaces and into the largest meeting room at the end of the corridor
Inside, the entire team had already gathered, the stylists, the marketing heads, the makeup artists, and…
Her pulse stuttered for a moment,
No,
No… no… no,
At the head of the table stood two men,
One in a sharp gray suit, his arms were folded, and his jaw was looking sharp, his eyes looked even sharper.
The other man leaned casually against the edge of the table, his blazer was open, and his sleeves were rolled, and he had the faintest smile on his face as he flipped through a script.
They looked up at her at the same time,
And everything inside her froze up,
It was Damon and Andrew,
It couldn't be,
But it was.
Damon's locked eyes with hers, it was unreadable, but not surprised, Andrew's lips curved ever so slightly, like he already knew this moment would happen.
She clenched her folder tightly, while forcing her feet to move forward.
The assistant didn't notice anything strange happen, just kept on talking, "Kareen, this is Damon Knight, he's our executive creative director, and Andrew Hale, he is the head of the campaign production, they'll be working closely with you"
Kareen smiled faintly, her chest started to feel tight,
Damon stepped forward, extending his hand, "Miss Kareen," he said smoothly, "Pleasure to finally meet you in daylight"
Andrew snorted shortly behind him,
Kareen took his hand, firm and warm, it was a bit too familiar, and she locked eyes with him,
"Likewise," she said with an even voice, "I don't believe we've met"
Andrew tilted his head, with amusement fleeing his eyes,
"That's funny," he said, "You said something very different a few nights ago"
Kareen didn't flinch,
She just turned back to the assistant with a cool nod, "I'd like to review the wardrobe now, if possible"
Damon didn't stop her,
And Andrew didn't press,
But they both watched her as she walked across the room and took her seat.
Like she was a memory they'd already memorized,
Like they knew her pretending wouldn't last long
And the worst part of it all?
She felt every stare that was coming her way.
.
The fitting room was quiet, Kareen stood in front of the full-length body mirror, she was wrapped in silk, as a stylist adjusted a strap on her shoulder and murmured somethings about the tailoring and the lighting,
She nodded, she was only pretending to listen, but her thoughts drifted elsewhere,
She could feel them, not physically, she could feel them in the way her breath kept catching whenever she remembered the way Damon's voice was in the elevator, Andrew's gentle smirk and the way they were watching her as though nothing had changed at all.
But everything had changed,
She hadn't come back to start something with them, she came back to build something for herself, her career, her independence, and her name, not to relive with happened in Tokyo
She stepped off the fitting stage and politely excused herself from the stylists, she walked into the hallway that led to the break room, she just needed some air, or silence, or maybe just distance.
She wasn't really sure which one mattered more.
Halfway down the corridor, she had heard some footsteps behind her, not rushed, but carefully deliberate
"Kareen," Andrew called softly,
She didn't stop walking,
"I figured you'd at least say thank you," he added, still following
"For what?" she said slowly, but she did not turn around,
"For not pretending I was a stranger when I kissed your shoulder," he said, he was already standing now close enough to touch her,
She turned around, just so slightly, with her arms folded and her lips calm
"You think I should be grateful you remember something that shouldn't have happened?"
His smile didn't fade, "I think you haven't stopped thinking about it"
"Don't flatter yourself," she said, though her voice betrayed her with a little edge
A few seconds passed in silence before he took a step back,
"Fine," Andrew said, his tone was softer now, "Pretend all you want, just know we're not going to pretend too"
He walked away without waiting for her to reply,
And Kareen was left standing in the hallway, with the echo of the memory pulsing louder than the sound of her breath.
.
By the time she had returned to the main workspace, Damon had just finished talking with the head of the marketing team,
He glanced at her once, he didn't say a word, but there was something about the way he looked at her, almost as if he could still feel her breathing against his neck,
She dropped her gaze and focused on the schedule that was pinned to the board,
Rehearsals would start the next day,
Her first full photo shoot was in two days,
And There was no time for distractions.
She spent the next hour reviewing the contracts, setting the appointments with the glam team, and memorizing the product briefing,
Everything else, the ache she felt in her stomach, and the flush that hit her skin every time she passed by one of them, that feeling had to stay buried,
But it didn't,
Not when she caught Andrew watching her from just across the glass divider,
And Not when Damon passed by her and said nothing, but brushed by her just close enough for her arm to remember the feeling of his grip
She didn't understand how one random night could have so much effect on her,
And worse of all, how that effect could feel like a temptation.
.
The workday ended somewhat late, Kareen had stayed behind to finish an intake form, she was waiting just until the sound of footsteps and chatter faded into silence,
She packed her bag slowly, taking her time to savor the calm,
But just as she reached for the door, a voice spoke from the corner of the room,
"You don't have to pretend you're not affected, Kareen"
Her heart skipped a beat,
Damon..
He stood near the window, had hands in his pockets and his jacket slung over one arm
She turned slowly, trying to keep her tone neutral,
"I don't know what you're talking about"
He stepped closer to her, stopping just a breath away
"You came back to forget Tokyo," he said, "But you walked straight into it"
She stared at him, stared at the way his eyes didn't blink when he looked at her, it was like he still remembered every inch of that night
"I didn't know it was you," she said quietly, "Either of you"
"And now that you do?"
Kareen hesitated,
She hated how her body answered before she could use her words,
"I'm here for the job," she said finally, "That's it"
"Then do the job," Damon said with a low voice, "But don't pretend what happened didn't matter"
He stepped back then, he turned towards the door
"I remember everything," he said without even looking back, "And so does Andrew, whatever this is, it's not finished yet, and you know it"
He left her standing there, alone in the dim room, with her fingers trembling against the strap of her bag
For a long time, she couldn't move,
She just closed her eyes, and wished she could forget,
Not just them,
But also forget just how much she didn't want to forget.