Kayden West wasn't used to waiting. Not for food, not for people, and certainly not for women. Yet here he was, seated across from Andrea Wilcox, watching her try to pretend she wasn't unraveling.
He noticed everything, every single detail. That night he saw her brown eyes from across the room, was the first time he had felt intrigued by a woman.
Her eyes held secrets, cracks she didn't want to expose, lies she told everyone, even herself.
"So, how is the industry? Saw you at the gala the other night" He relaxed back into his chair, arms on the table, as his eyes studied, very intently the creature in front of him.
He saw how her eyes widened subtly when he asked about the industry, confirming the page he saw on her laptop.
Andrea nodded, a bit too quickly. "I barely get a full night's sleep these days. Shows, fittings, photo shoots… It's exhausting."
A lie.
Kayden caught it in the slight pause before she spoke, the flicker in her gaze when she looked anywhere but him, her stuttering. He remembered the laptop screen, the job board she'd slammed shut as if her life depended on it.
But he didn't call her out. Not yet. He wanted to see how far she'd go to maintain the mask. But in all this, he wondered the depths of her soul.
"Oh, sounds tough. Your eyes look tired, a very vivid sign of the work demanded" He played along, trying to see how long he'd lead her on. After the other night, where she let some ambiguous words slip through her mouth, she had him hooked.
"I feel everything is slipping away"
He wondered what she meant, but when he pressed on, she stood up, although her steaks weren't steady, she walked away.
"Yeah, I mean. The shoots won't do themselves, right?" Her tight smile just halfway across her face, her chest already beating.
Kayden could notice the discomfort she felt, and he could only imagine the whirlpool of questions that played in her mind–Didn't he see the screen? Maybe I was worried for nothing?
But he did, he saw the screen. And that's why he sat here, he wanted to see how long before she folds.
Both their eyes reached the table where her phone laid as the device began ringing non-stop. Andrea's eyes widen and immediately shot back to her sweaty palm the moment Kayden's eyes met hers.
She hasn't been able to meet his eyes all the while she sat here, she felt like his eyes would make her confess, and that, she wasn't ready for, but the universe figured it should help her out and Andrea nearly passed away.
The TV in the restaurant, low but audible to them, announced the close of her company.
'Evergreen Stars has officially closed down due to financial loss. The company's manager reported to have been struggling with finances for over six months now. But the bigger question is, what happens to all the stars still in contract with them? Stars like Andrea Wilcox?'
Kayden's eyes never leaving her, saw the nearly tan skin of the beautiful model turn pure white, and he worried for her. Eyes began glancing their way, as the whispers increased, but Andrea's eyes never left the TV.
Andrea's eyes darted down. A notification lit up the screen before she could flip it face-down: Evergreen Stars announces immediate closure due to financial loss.
Her breath caught. The color drained from her face, and for the first time since he'd sat down, she looked small. Exposed.
Slowly, she forced the phone away, tried to muster another smile. "So, uh—where were we?" Her voice cracked on the words. She knew there was no need pretending, but part of her couldn't just accept this huge disgrace.
Kayden said nothing. He simply watched her, unblinking, his gaze sharp enough to peel back every flimsy defense she had left. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, steady, and unyielding.
"Should we go somewhere private? I understand if you need a minute, but please don't lie to me, Andrea" She took in deep breaths, the way he said her name felt like she hug she so badly needed.
Her hands froze around her cup. The café noise faded into the background. And for the first time, Andrea Wilcox — the girl made for lights, cameras, and applause — couldn't find a single word to say.
"I…uhm…you.." She stopped trying to speak, as she lowered her head in shame. Now he didn't just see the cracks, he saw her whole world.
Not entirely, but something in her told her it would happen sooner, rather than later.
"Come on. This news should be heavy for you, let's go somewhere private" Just as he rose to his feet, his phone rang, and the immediate scowl that formed on his face, showed his high displeasure.
Kayden loved his cousin. He swears on his grandmother's life that he does, but everyone at some point has had the urge to just mute him, just a second?
He answered the call, raising his finger to Andrea signalling an excuse, as he walked away.
"What do you want, Daxton? I swear to God, call me again, and your balls would follow" Daxton little chuckle at the other end of the line, did nothing but put vinegar into Kayden's mouth.
His cousin was an annoying ass when he wanted to, and he knew Kayden couldn't stand it.
"i can see you with Miss beautiful. Mind if I join? It's just your beautiful cousin trying to have a moment with you, dude. Come on" Without a reponse, he heard the front door of the restaurant open, and there stood, with a smug grin, his cousin, Daxton Fremont.
Kayden ended the call, as he saw Daxton walking over to Andrea, whose eyes widen and cheeks turned red. Kayden couldn't help the scowl on his face when the thought of Andrea crushing on his cousin danced in his head.
"Cousin!" Daxton chirped, the black haired wrapping his arms around Kayden, who did nothing but throw his hands off him.
"What do you want, Fremont?" The little familiar hiccup that ingrained in his head from last night, pulled the guys out of their bubble.
"Fre…Fremont? Like…world highest paid model, Daxton Fremont? He…cousin? Kayden?" Kayden's eyes studied the flushed, but yet happy expression on Andrea's face, as his eyes glared at Daxton who rushed to sit beside the brunette beauty.
"Yes, darling. Nice to meet you, Andrea Wilcox" Daxton stretched his hand out, and Kayden didn't miss the way Andrea glanced up at him before taking his hand.
Although the act, was small and almost missed, it didn't seems to stop the flutter in Kayden's chest, and he blamed it on the fact that he was starved of romantic attention for too long.
"So, you dating him? I haven't heard of his relationship scandal before, you know, and it's driving ne nuts" Daxton expressed, but Andrea was more happy with the fact that he didn't bring up her dead agency and that the topic had long been forgotten.
"Christ. You don't have a rumour, if there's no one to have the rumour with. It takes two to tango, brick brain" Andrea snorted before she could catch herself, but she had already garnered the sharp, narrowed eyes of Kayden.
"What?!"
"Well…Daxton is making sense. Imagine not hearing a rumour about your uptight cousin. I'd be nosey too. He's just checking if you're dating in secret or too rigid to have a relationship. It's simple" Now it was Daxton's turn to snort.
"I see what's going on here" Kayden nodded his head, looking between the two people before squarely facing Daxton. "You see, she was pleasant before you sat here"
"Yeah, I know right. She's so lovable" Kayden groaned, as he ran his fingers through his hair."C'mon, I'll drop you. Let's get you away from crazy, before you catch some crazy pixie dust"
Andrea chuckled, her soft sound filling Kayden's ears. He stared at her, taking in the features that fascinated him from that very night. Who knew one look at someone would make your heart a fluttering chaos?
They both walked away, Daxton wishing them goodbye, as Kayden agreed to meet him later, driving off to Andrea's house.
"It was nice talking with you, Andrea" He flashed her his million dollar smile, causing Andrea to fidget but smile back.
"Yeah, same here" She turned around to leave, but the warm big hand that held her arm, stopped her.
"Uhm, now that, uh…" Kayden doesn't fidget, he never did, but with the brown eyes of Andrea staring intently at him, his brain seemed to have melted.
"Daxton, yes, Daxton has seen you, and he doesn't usually see me with a lady outside business environment, so he'll think you're a special person to me…I just mean that, he'll likely invite you to almost all events we might attend"
Andrea slowly nodded, her tummy going into knots with how calm his voice was, and the warm feeling if his hand still on her arm, as she managed a simple "Okay".
Kayden feeling satisfied with that one word, felt his heart dance, "Okay. Goodnight, Andrea" Flashing a bright smile, Andrea alighted his car, and without another look, walked into her complex till she was out of sight.
Kayden sat there in his car, trying to understand what just happened. The sudden attraction to someone that he had only two meetings with, that was enough to make his heart flutter?
As he drove off, he told himself it was nothing. Just curiosity. But the ache in his chest said otherwise, and although he didn't understand it yet, but he knew one thing—Andrea Wilcox would not be easy to forget.