The man in front of her reached out and held her chin, gently raising her head. Her face looked pale, terror in her eyes, she was shaken. As her eyes met him, her erratic heartbeat began to normalize.
"Tell me what happened?" he asked concerned.
"There... There was someone... following me. I called out but nobody answered. I got so scared and started running." she calmed down a bit.
"Are you hurt?" Juho asked looking around. He needed to do something; things were getting out of hand now.
Kamou shook her head signaling she wasn't hurt. The man pulled her into his embrace stoking her back a little. "It's okay, you are safe now."
Kamou pulled out of his warm embrace, "Juho, what are you doing here? You had important work to do right?"
"I came here to see you." he placed a gentle peck on her forehead.
"I don't understand. You could have called me, why show up like this unannounced?" "Seems like you were having more fun without me. Do you want me to go?" there was a tinge of jealousy hidden in his voice.
"No... No that's not what I meant. It just surprised me. That's all trust me." she said abruptly almost jumping a little.
"Shh... stand still, let me have a good look at my girlfriend." his eyes traveled all along her body, not sparing any corner.
"How do I look?" Kamou shyly asked as Juho didn't say a word for long.
"I can't express it in words, maybe I would show you once we get back home." he whispered in her ears seductively.
Taken aback by his words, Kamou's eyes grew wide in embarrassment. "I think I should get back; they would be looking around for me."
Hurriedly she started walking towards the hall when Juho pulled her towards him. Kamou almost bumped into her chest. Kamou was too shy to look at his face.
"You have no idea what effect you have on me. I crave for so much more." his fingers travelled from the back of her ear down to her jaw.
Shivers ran down Kamou's body with each word that came out of his mouth. Holding her jaw, he lifted her head, their eyes connected. His eyes were getting deeper and intense as his face came closer to hers.
"You are a dangerous woman; you drive me crazy." he placed a small peck on her cheek and let go. Kamou stood frozen.
"Come let's go in." Juho said holding out his hand, his pleasant smile returned to his face.
Confused Kamou looked at him, 'What just happened? He is the one driving me crazy.'
Fixing herself a little, Kamou held onto his hand and walked towards the hall. Reaching near the hall, Kamou let go of his hand and walked inside to her manager's side. Seeing she was safe now, Juho called his manager to ask for a favor. Whatever happened today, he wasn't going to let that slide so easily.
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Juho got back to the hall, his eyes wandering around to find her. He spotted her, not far away talking to a group of people. For a new actress like Kamou, events like these were important, she could make some good connections here and her manager was milking the opportunity.
Kamou excused herself politely, she wanted to grab something to drink. It was the opening Juho was waiting for, he walked towards her. Their relationship was a secret and only a few knew. They needed to be cautious on how they interacted in front of others. Juho's steps were stopped in between by his group of friends.
Juho talked to them for a while before excusing himself. His eyes couldn't find Kamou, he was just on time before. Nothing happened to her, the incident got him worried. What if he was late, even by a minute? The answers to these questions were making him anxious. He started looking around for her.
****************************
In a corner Kamou stood alone, enjoying her peace. It was a tiring day for her, she needed to catch a break. The event was nearing its end, she would be able to go home soon. Sipping her drink, she closed her eyes, the memory of what happened in that deserted corridor was making her sick.
'Was it just my imagination? I've got a bad feeling about this. Could it be related to him?' she sighed.
"Hi Miss." Someone just approached her. Kamou opened her eyes to see who it was.
"Sorry, I didn't quite recognize you." Kamou replied politely.
She earlier saw this person with the director. The man seemed to be influential and she didn't want to offend him.
"I am a producer. You can call me Mr. Lee. I am impressed to see your work today and would like to present an offer to you." The man in his forties said.
"I am sorry sir but I think you will need to contact my company. You see I don't have much say about my projects." Kamou sensed something was off with him.
"The offer I have for you, I better discuss it with you alone. I would make you the biggest star."
"I apologize but I can't accept such requests." Kamou said a bit harshly and started to walk away.
The man was about to hold her hand when his hand was stopped in mid-air. Kamou turned back confused. Juho who held the producer's hand, turned it into a handshake and started talking to him. Seeing the opportunity, Kamou dashed away to the safety of her manager.
The event came to an end soon, there were some bumps in the way but things turned out well. In the parking, Juho was patiently waiting in his car. The paparazzi were already gone. Kamou's manager helped her slip out like this without people noticing. Not drawing attention, Kamou sat in Juho's car and they left together.
"You saved me so many times today. Thank you." she said turning to him.
"How could I let something bad happen to you?" Juho said getting a hold of her hand. He looked ahead on the road, driving carefully with one hand. Locking his fingers with hers, he brought her hand closer to his lips and gently kissed.
"What are you, my savior?" Kamou mocked.
"Who said it has anything to do with you? I am a very selfish man; I saved my life. Because my life has a lot to do with you, my reason for living."