Mai left the hotel after breakfast on Friday morning. Oliver did not walk her down to her car, which seemed to have been cleaned during its stay at the hotel, but kissed her cheek in farewell before she departed.
Luna meowed indignantly as Mai re-entered her own flat. As much as she liked her place, she could not help but feel it was woefully inadequate in comparison with the grandeur of Oliver's hotel suite.
She sighed. He had earnt his money. He had earnt the nice things. Yet she could not help but feel it was unfair. She worked hard too, but the scale of her job would never allow her to reach anywhere near the same level of luxury.
Mai picked up Luna, grumbled about capitalism and checked her fridge. She would have to do a food shop today.
"No time like the present, hmm?" she told Luna, who thoroughly ignored her in favour of purring at the affection Mai was giving her. She put her cat unwillingly down on the table and looked for reusable shopping bags.
Luna followed her as she potted about the house.
"I'll be back soon enough you needy thing."
Luna meowed indignantly. Mai gave her cat a final pet before leaving for the shops.
When she arrived, Mai idly picked up the usual things. She skipped aisles that she knew contained items of no use to her. Sometimes, very rarely, if she felt like perusing she would go down these useless aisles; just to see what they held.
For example, the magazine aisle. She no longer really saw much point in them. When the information they contained could be found online for free, why would she pay for a printed copy? That four quid could be another meal or two. And she appreciated food a lot more than printed gossip; especially when they never gossiped about anyone she held any interest in.
She picked up a few extra treats for Luna and got some cash out after paying. She drove home, put away her food and headed to the flat below to give Elijah — the teenager she had paid to look after Luna — a little bit of extra cash for keeping Luna alive. He was not in, but she left the money with his mother, who thanked Mai for giving her son an opportunity to be responsible for something.
"He was so good about it," Elijah's mother said with a proud smile. "He even turned down going out with his friends to make sure your cat was looked after. I think he likes her."
"I'm just grateful for the help," Mai replied. "If I go away again, I know who to ask! How is your job search going?"
Her smile dropped a little.
"Not so well. A lot of places don't want to hire a woman of my age. Especially when they find out I have a kid. I even offered to take a pay cut but… I'm sure something will come up."
"Me too, you're too skilled not to get something."
"I hope so."
Two days of hard work later and Mai found herself slumped on her bed, pretending to watch something on Netflix. In reality, she was scrolling down her phone and trying to ignore the guilt in her stomach at the fact she had not written a single word of her story in two weeks.
Her eyes had just started to close when her phone vibrated violently. She startled, then relaxed and opened the text message.
From Keiko: Shopping tomorrow with Mich! No excuses!
To Keiko: What? Why?
From Keiko: Because I haven't seen you in a century and we all have the day off tomorrow!
To Keiko: How do you know I have the day off tomorrow? Are you stalking me?
From Keiko: Lol, maybe! I phoned your store yesterday and asked ;)
To Keiko: Creep. What time?
They hashed out the details. Mai switched off her laptop. She flicked her bedside lamp off and curled up to sleep with Luna perched on her legs.
She woke the next morning to a text from Oliver.
From Oliver: Are you working today?
To Oliver: Nope.
From Oliver: Shame, I have a day trip to Paris. I was hoping to see you.
To: Oliver: Sorry!
Mai dressed, ate her breakfast and drove to the shopping centre that she had agreed to meet Keiko and Michiru at. She found a cafe and set up her laptop to write while she waited for them. They were not due for another few hours and the guilt of the previous evening had prompted her into doing something.
Her two friends arrived just before lunch.
"How long have you been here?" Michiru asked, reading over her shoulder. "And is that smut?"
"What? No! They just kissed, that's all!"
Keiko swooped down to take a look.
"That looks like a very passionate kiss," she teased.
Mai slammed her laptop shut and put it away.
"I thought you said you were going to buy us lunch," Mai prompted Keiko quickly.
"Uh-huh, sure, what do you want?" Keiko asked, still smiling at Mai's embarrassment.
"Ham and cheese panini," Mai replied.
"I'll have the same unless they have any of those bacon and brie ones," Michiru piped up. She saw down next to her friend.
"Great," Keiko said, dumping her bag on the remaining free chair and heading off to join the back of the queue.
"Mai, I have to show you something!" Michiru rummaged through her bag and produced a tatty magazine.
"In one of those rag mags?" Mai asked sceptically. "I doubt anything in there is going to be of interest to—"
"Oh stop being such a snob, I promise you're going to want to see this. It's about the film of that book you love so much."
Mai frowned.
"Disgrace and Deception?"
"Yeah that's the one," Michiru said as she flicked through the pages. "Where was it…? Eugh, basically some reporter managed to sneak on set and got some exclusive photos!"
"Really?" Mai's previous reluctance had vanished. "Photos of what?"
"Well, everyone knows Masako Hara is in it right? So they got some pictures of her in her costumes, and more importantly— Ha! Here it is! They got some pictures of the male lead. They aren't great photos but they've got a couple of suggestions on who the lead might be."
Michiru handed over the magazine at the allotted page and Mai devoured the words.
"The dresses are so pretty, aren't they?"
Mai ignored Michiru's question, she was already examining the picture of Masako Hara and a tall dark-haired man. His face was obscured by the angle and a bit of tree. But that had not stopped the author — a one Madoka Mori — from guessing who he could be.
She turned over the page to see four faces staring back at her. The first was some British actor who Mai vaguely recognised from something. The second was an unknown.
The third and fourth shared a picture that made Mai's blood run cold.
"I wasn't that keen on the book, you know? But if any of these guys are in it I will definitely come and see it with you."
Mai's mouth went dry as she read the names for the final pair. There was no mistake.
Oliver and Eugene Griffiths, well-known supermodels who have worked all over the world for every respectable fashion house. There have been rumours for years that these two hotties would move into acting; is Disgrace and Deception their first jaunt? Although many films use a single actor to play twins, this particular story would allow both young men to try their hand!
She had never asked for his real surname. She shivered.
"Mai? Are you okay?"
"Can I keep this to read?" Mai replied in barely a whisper.
"Sure?"
"I have to go."
"What? But we haven't even eaten yet?"
"I have to go," Mai repeated. "I'm sorry, I'll explain later. I just… I have to go."
Mai picked up her bag and ran from the cafe. She ran all the way to her car, clutching the magazine in one hand. She unlocked the vehicle and climbed inside. The moment the car door shut, she wailed.
She hit the steering wheel in anguish.
"How could I be so stupid? He lied!"
Tears streamed down her face and her body ached with the truth of it all.
Conscious that Michiru and Keiko might have attempted to follow her, Mai started the engine and wiped her face. She had no desire to face them right now.
Despite tear-filled eyes, she drove home. She slammed her front door behind her and threw herself on her bed. Luna joined her and Mai scooped the cat up for a hug. Luna licked Mai's face and permitted the strangely tight contact.
When she ran out of tears, Mai looked at the magazine once more. Never before had she hated her favourite book so much. How could he…
She opened up her laptop and a new tab to search for his name.
There were biographies, fan pages and a Wikipedia article about Oliver and his brother. Mai scrolled through pictures of every photoshoot he had ever done.
He wasn't just a model. He was a famous supermodel. The way he was written about implied that the average person on the street would have heard his name.
And somehow she did not. She had not recognised him. No wonder he had been wearing sunglasses when they first met…
"So this next scene is with your mother," Gene prompted over the low rumble of the private plane. "Would you like me to do a voice for her?"
"No. I do not want to practice any more."
"But you have this scene tomorrow?"
"So do you, why don't you practice your own lines?" Oliver muttered.
Gene frowned.
"What's got your wand in a twist?"
"I need to tell Mai. I want to do it tomorrow. I'm going to go and see her before we film."
"Will you have time?"
"I don't care. They will wait for me. Now we've started filming… There's a chance they'll do promotional work. I don't want her finding out from anyone else than me. I do not want to lose her."
Gene remained silent for a minute.
"You really do like her, don't you? How long have you known her? A month or two?"
"Perhaps. Our first few meetings were quite sparse." Oliver looked out of the window of the plane. "I kissed her. She… She likes me for me. She does not want me because of my job."
"Unless she knows and it's all an act."
Oliver looked around so fast at his brother that he cricked his neck. He rubbed it as he responded.
"You think she's acting?"
"No, I don't."
"Then why would you say that?" Oliver asked, annoyed. "Can you not just be happy for me? You sound like a brat."
Gene looked down in shame.
"I'm sorry. I… This is going to sound ridiculous. I am a bit jealous. It's always been me going off with people and you've always been my constant. But now you're seeing people. You're going off with people."
"A single person."
"You know what I mean," Gene muttered. "On the one hand, I'm happy that you've found someone. But also, I'm scared you'll spend more time with her than me."
"You're a grown man."
"And you're my best friend."
Oliver rolled his eyes.
"I will still spend time with you," Oliver promised. "Besides, there is a good chance she won't want to see me again after I confess."
"I'm sure she will," Gene replied. "She'll be a bit mad, but I think it'll be okay if it comes from you."
"I hope you're right."
Frank checked the screen of his phone. The GPS tracker he had placed on the car had been constant at this address for the best part of the day. He yawned. It was late, but for what he was about to do, it would be too dangerous to do things during the day.
He pulled on gloves, checked his pockets and climbed out of the car. He locked his vehicle and strode up to the apartment block. The front door was broken, the latch never caught. He had noticed this earlier in the day.
Not that that mattered of course. When the valet had shown him to the car, he had been left with the owner's keys. He now had duplicates of the building key, flat key and car key, as well as a few others.
He entered the building and looked to the letterboxes on his right. They were named. He found the one he wanted and checked the flat number. Frank started up the stairs to the second floor.
He pulled out the duplicate key and inserted it into the lock. It was a little stiff, the duplicate was not quite perfect. But it worked.
There was no stirring from inside. He did not expect there to be. It was very late after all.
Not wanting to turn the main light on, Frank pulled out a small torch. Its dim light lit enough of the flat for him to navigate. He opened the bedroom door to see the sleeping woman.
A cat perched on the bed opened its eyes at the light and hissed at him. He ignored it. Putting the torch in his mouth, he opened a bottle and poured something on a handkerchief. Frank tiptoed around the side of the bed and covered the woman's mouth with the cloth.
She woke and tried to move away in confusion. He held her down with a single hand on her chest and the other still pressing the cloth over her mouth and nose. He dropped the torch in the struggle. Her arms flailed and tried to push him away.
It felt like an age, but in reality, it was only a few minutes before she stopped struggling. Frank waited another thirty seconds before pocketing the cloth. He turned on the bedroom light. The cat hissed at him again but ran away as he approached it.
He wrapped the young woman in a blanket and picked her up bridal style. He carried her through the apartment, only remembering as he reached the door to leave the letter his wife had crafted. He placed it clumsily on the table before carrying his charge down to his car.
The cat wailed for a long time after he had driven off, but the occupants of the building were all fast asleep and eventually, the cat slept too.
Author's note: so this is the shittest chapter ever and i am busy and depressed and struggling and changing my medication and you guys probably won't get another chapter for two to three weeks because I'm moving and stuff... Sorry
