My Soul Will Find Yours : The Fulfillment of the Promise

Born To Be A Model

For the next couple days, Kaname and I met with Sabrina and the stout man from the elevator whose name was Alfred. We discussed the details of their project down to the smallest details. Their company was going to launch a campaign that would promote positive masculinity through a series of commercials and print ads called The True Man. The ads will highlight "a side of men that society forgot: he can be masculine while being kind."

"Mr. Kirishima is perfect for the role. His recent heroic deed and disregard for the attention of the media as well as the masses are his biggest selling point, so to speak," Alfred said enthusiastically after taking a sip of his espresso.

"I personally do not care about what people will say about me but I'm afraid they will implicate my wife," Kaname said while holding my hand. "What I'm trying to say is, I am interested to work with you but this selling point you are talking about may have an adverse effect. My so-called fame has already died down, the public might accuse me of wanting to reignite it through this campaign. Many people already know me as Hinata's husband. I do not wish for her to be attacked because of me."

"That is quite an advanced yet pessimistic view, don't you think?" Alfred said. "Although I do get your point. Do not worry, we have prepared for that possibility."

"How?" I couldn't help but ask.

"We will announce that it wasn't easy to make him sign with us," Sabrina announced as she swirled the coffee in her cup. "Which is true anyway."

"That's it?" I looked at her in disbelief.

"Yes, " she nodded confidently while handing over a folder. "We will tell people that 'courting' Kaname wasn't easy, that you both value your privacy but we managed to convince him by ensuring that aside from his name, face, age, and civil status we won't publicize any other information about him. This is also stated in the contract. You may ask Atty. Arroyo to double check it."

I skimmed through the contract and recognized some clauses. This type of contract was only good for a single booking. As soon as the project is complete, the contract ends. All the details—such as the amount Kaname will be paid, how his photos are going to be used, how long they'll be used, and restrictions for working with competing companies—were clearly explained in the contract.

"We'll discuss this with Charles and let you know if we have any concerns," I told the man and woman opposite us.

"Thank you for your time," Alfred said before standing up to shake hands with me and Kaname.

Sabrina touched cheeks with me before giving Kaname a quick hug.

The café we met at was situated in a popular hotel. As we were exiting the building, a face I recognize was on his way to entering the same establishment. Our eyes met and I swear I saw pain flash in his before they dulled and looked away.

"Brandon..." I whispered, guilt evident in my tone.

Unbeknownst to me, my legs have halted and my eyes were still following his retreating figure.

"Mahal," Kaname's voice woke me from my distraction. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," I forced a smile and tightened my grip on his hand. "Let's go."

~~~

In the end, Kaname and I decided to accept the modeling contract. Charles made a couple of revisions on the agreement which Sabrina's company immediately agreed to. The first wave of the campaign involves a three-part video showing Kaname as a college student, a young professional, and lastly, a father. A series of photos reenacting parts of the videos will then be released in support of each facet he will be showcasing.

"The shoot will start exactly a week from now," Sabrina said as soon as the contract signing was done. "Each part will run for a month so this means that in three months, the campaign promotion will be over."

"Which special preparation mentioned in the agreement do you need me to do prior to the shoot?" Kaname asked.

"Well, you're already in good shape but your skin needs a bit of TLC," she replied before motioning for her female assistant to give him an envelope of gift certificates to a popular aesthetic clinic. "The clinic is one of our campaign sponsors and they have a team waiting to service you like a king there. This is just one of the perks our contract mentioned, if you don't have the time today then you may start your skin pampering sessions tomorrow."

"Understood."

"When I mentioned that you're already married, the proprietress decided to give Hinata the same set of treatments," Sabrina grinned at me. "You will love every minute of it. Trust me."

"Thank you," I replied sincerely. The clinic caters to celebrities, socialites, and basically anyone who's got money so this was a pleasant surprise. I know they didn't have to but I am touched by this gesture nonetheless.

"Well, that's that. I'm looking forward to our shoot next week!"

~~~

"Are you excited for your upcoming modeling debut?" I asked Kaname as I braided his long and lustrous hair.

"I'm more nervous, to be honest," he replied. Seeing that I was done, he pulled me close and made me sit on his lap. "Do you really think I can do this?"

"Yes, I do." I tucked a couple of stray hairs that were too short to be in the braid behind his left ear. "Are you having self-doubts?"

"Hai," he confessed. "I have always been the one behind the lens and not the other way around."

I wiggled out of his embrace and jumped out of his lap to get my camera equipment. After setting it up, we went through a some of the magazines I had lying around for some modeling inspiration and did a couple of test shoots in the bedroom.

"Anata, you're too stiff." I showed him a couple of his photos.

"Indeed I do." He frowned when he saw that his smiles appeared forced, his poses looked awkward, and his eyes were lifeless.

"Hmm..." I tapped my chin with a forefinger as I thought of something. "Why not take advantage of the beauty of your peepers and let it be the center of attraction in the coming shoot?"

"The center of attraction?" he repeated. "How do I do that?"

"Your heterochromia already makes them unique but if you learn to communicate with your eyes, then I'm sure you'll make the campaign even more impactful. They say that the eyes are windows to one's soul, the general idea is that looking into someone's eyes can give you an idea of who and what they truly are. Like this girl over here," I pointed at a photo in the magazine. "She's only sitting down but doesn't the intensity of her stare pull you in? Doesn't it kind of make you want to know more about her?"

Kaname studied the photo for awhile, walked towards the windows, and motioned for me to grab my camera. He turned his back to me when he saw that I was ready to shoot. His shoulders rose and fell as he took one deep breath. Then, as if in slow motion, he turned and gave me such a disarming stare. My hands tightened on the camera as my fingers furiously took photo after photo. I got closer and closer to him as well as played with the angles while he changed poses. The lighting in my room wasn't the best but the message his face and body communicated made it seem like it was supposed to be that way.

"That was amazing, anata," I mumbled as soon as the photo frenzy within me died down. "You were born to model."