August's face flushed bright red, the heat radiating off his cheeks and ears. He leaned away from Gia, trying to regain his composure.
"What...what do you mean?" he stuttered nervously, his heart racing.
Gia chuckled and leaned closer to him, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "I mean, I don't mind being watched by you. Do you need me to undress and be your model?" she teased, winking at him.
August's eyes widened, his mind spinning with her request. He grabbed her hands to stop her from undressing, feeling his own fingers trembling in hers.
"No...no need," he murmured softly, his voice barely above a whisper.
Gia pulled his hands closer to her, her touch sending shivers down his spine. She placed his fingers on the button of her blouse, and he gasped, his heart thumping in his chest.
"What if I insist?" Gia pretended to be angry, her tone playful yet stern. "My figure is much nicer than the one you drew. I think you need to examine closer to give justice to my figure."
August's face turned even redder as Gia's teasing became more intense. He bit his lip, trying to find the right words to say, but he couldn't manage anything.
Gia relented, feeling guilty for putting him on the spot. She let go of his hands and apologized, "I'm sorry. I shan't tease you anymore. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. By the way, I'm Gia."
" You're August, right? I heard about you from your brother."
August rubbed his fingers, feeling the lingering warmth from her.
He nodded his head to her question.
Eager to learn more about August, Gia pressed on with her questions.
" Did you draw all these? They are awesome!"
He nodded with a smile on his face.
" I see that you drew a lot of sunsets. Do you like sunsets?"
He hesitated but continued to nod.
She pointed to the painting he had drawn and tried to coax his response.
"And now, you're interested in drawing humans?" she asked with a smile.
August looked up at her shyly and shook his head.
"Then what?" she probed, curious.
"I can't get it out of my head..." he murmured softly.
Gia leaned in closer, unable to hear what he said, and asked him to repeat himself.
Before August could muster the courage to repeat himself, the doorbell rang.
" Oh, it must be your brother's secretary. He's probably here to drop off my clothes," Gia explained.
" Hey, close your eyes for a while.", Gia said mischievously.
August hesitated but closed his eyes obediently.
" Don't open until I tell you to!", she said.
August nodded with his eyes closed. He was unsure what Gia was up to but could hear a ruffling sound. He felt her leaning closer to him. His heart races when he feels a peek on his cheeks.
" Okay, you can open your eyes now~", Gia said as she left the room.
" That's a gift for you~ Hope it inspires you~", Gia's voice echoed in the hallway.
August opened his eyes and saw a pair of g-string hanging on his painter's brush.
August's face turned bright red as he realized what had just happened. He couldn't believe Gia had just done that. He felt shy and awkward as he looked at the g-string, not knowing what to do.
He wanted to say something, to express how he felt, but he couldn't find the words. He just sat there, his heart racing and his cheeks burning with embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Gia walked to the door.
When she opened the door, she was greeted by a professional-looking man with a warm smile.
"Good morning, Ms. Gia. I'm Frank, Mr. Forrest's secretary. I'm here to pass you your purse and clothes."
As she took the clothes from him, she couldn't help but feel like Frank knew more about her than he was letting on. But she pushed the thought aside and thanked him politely.
Little did she know that Allan had been secretly keeping tabs (stalking) on her after he returned to the country and that Frank knew everything about her. The fate of the entire company depended on Gia's weekly reports, and any changes in Gia's personal life could have disastrous consequences for the employees.
If Eva had a new boyfriend or lover, the whole company would be forced to work overtime and be under tremendous stress from their boss, Allan.
As a result, Allan's memory of Eva was etched deeply in his mind. He even prays to her photo for a smooth running week, knowing that any addition to her love life could have disastrous consequences for the company.
"Thank you for coming all the way here, Frank. Is there anything else?" Gia asked, interrupting Frank's thoughts.
"You're welcome. No, nothing else," Frank replied and left.
----
Allan arrived home early, disappointed to find that Eva had already left.
Surprisingly, August walked out of his room. It was a rare sight to see him outside of his room, and Allan was pleasantly surprised. He wondered what could have made his brother venture out of his comfort zone.
Before he could ask August about his sudden emergence from his reclusive room, he found himself under scrutiny. August looked at him with a serious expression and asked, "Who is she?"
Allan felt his heart skip a beat at the direct question. "You mean Gia? You saw her today?" he replied, trying to buy time to formulate an answer.
August nodded and looked at him attentively, waiting for an explanation.
"She's my ex-girlfriend," Allan finally confessed. "We met when I was studying overseas."
August didn't seem satisfied with his response and prodded further. "She dumped you?"
Wanting to maintain his formidable image in front of his younger brother, Allan hesitated and said, " Of course not! I was the one who initiated the breakup!"
August raised an eyebrow in disbelief, clearly not buying Allan's explanation.
Allan's expression turned guarded as he continued, "She wanted to reconcile, but I need more time to consider. I can't just run back to her like a lovesick puppy."
But August didn't seem to let up. "You look like a sad puppy," he deadpanned.
Allan was taken aback by his brother's bluntness. He chanted to himself to stay calm and not lash out. "He's my brother. He hasn't been interacting with people for years. I bet he didn't mean what he was saying. Chill, don't get angry," Allan tried to rationalize in his mind.
However, August seemed oblivious to his brother's anger and continued to elaborate on his point. "Like one that realized his owner was not home when he returned."
Allan gritted his teeth, trying to hold back his frustration. "You're talking a lot more today. I think you're ready for the next treatment stage. Shall I inform Dr. Lennon for you?" he replied, his smile dangerously forced.
After a moment of silence, August continued to question, "Sex when you're not lovers?"
Allan let out a cough of surprise at his younger brother's bold question.
Bashfully, Allan replied, hoping to change the subject, "It's an adult thing, August. You shouldn't be so curious about it."
Fearing that August would continue his line of inquiry, Allan made his way back to his room.
Unbeknownst to Allan, August muttered under his breath as he returned to his own room, "I'm an adult too..."
If only Allan had responded differently in that moment, things might have taken a different turn.