"So you're telling me, that handsome hunk from the exhibition wants you to be his model and you still didn't call him?" Caroline raises her eyebrows as she makes coffee for her and Bella.
It's been two weeks since Alexander Hart gave Bella his number and offered her to work for him. She honestly doesn't know what to do, that's why she still didn't call him. It's not like it's an easy decision for her to make. They did seem similar in their works, she could agree on that, but she also noticed at the exhibition and at that one class he held that he likes capturing naked, bare, and raw pictures of female bodies.
It is for the art of course, but if that's what he focuses on the most then she does have to expect that he will ask the same from her and she doesn't know if she would be able to do that if she says yes.
"Caroline, you saw his pictures, what if he asks to take naked photos of me?" Bella whined as Caroline handed her a cup of coffee and sat down next to her on the couch.
"Umm... say yes?"
Bella could see a small smile forming on Caroline's face as she hid behind her cup, taking a few sips. "C, I'm serious." Bella tilts her head to the side while trying to show that she really means it but Caroline copies her moves and makes her giggle. "I'm serious too."
"Come on look at you." Caroline waves her hand towards Bella. "You are so beautiful and sexy and I would love to see those nakey pictures of you." She winks and makes Bella laugh again. If anyone can bring her confidence back when she doesn't feel it, it's her.
Bella wouldn't say that she's not pretty but she thinks there is definitely some work she could do to be more confident. For example, She has bigger thighs, and she doesn't like them. There are only a few clothes that she feels confident in and likes the way her thighs look in them.
She would say her thighs are fat but Caroline always tells her that they are thick and sexy. Bella believes her more and more but there are still some insecurities hiding within her.
She still remembers how she gained weight when her puberty started and how she was made fun of because of that, and it took her a lot of time to work on herself and her body to come to a point where she can actually look herself in the mirror and doesn't want to look away.
But she still feels there is room for work in loving herself as a whole but at the same time, she knows she's on a right track. It just takes time and support from the right people but she knows she'll get there one day. Caroline is already helping her a lot, she always hypes her up and she loves her for that.
Maybe that's why this idea of working with Mr. Hart is scary to her. She knows it will be hard to see her insecurities through his photos but at the same time, maybe it will help her see what Caroline sees.
"Alright..." Bella puts a hand over her face and looks down while Caroline squeals and does little jumps on the couch. Bella never saw her like this. Caroline is usually a calm and reserved person, not acting like a girl almost never and this is the most excited Bella saw her since she can remember.
"Oh my god, yes. I can't wait to see the final product." Caroline calms down and Bella tries to firmly hold her cup of coffee in one hand to not spill anything while the couch is still shaking a bit.
Caroline still has a big gleam on her face and Bella shakes her head as she takes a sip of her coffee. But Caroline just keeps looking at her as if she's expecting something.
"What?"
"Well, what are you waiting for!?" Bella furrows her brows. "Call him!" She almost yells and Bella giggles at her.
"I'll do it tomorrow. I have a lot of work to do and projects to finish." Bella stands up to go over towards the kitchen so she can put her empty cup into the sink. As she goes back into the living room she sees Caroline shaking her head while having a smug look on.
"Excuses, excuses."
Bella just ignores her smirk and goes to her room but can't help the small smile that covers her face as she hears Caroline laughing. She ignores that too and closes the door of her room so she can do her college work before she goes to sleep.
...
"Here you guys go, you can just put them on the table and I'll finish the rest." Mrs. Willson gives Nate and Bella a stack of books they need to carry to the college library. The two of them were ready to head home but Mrs. Willson was quick to stop them so they can help her with the new books that arrived for their college.
"Why did it have to be us?" Nate huffs as he tries to steadily move up the stairs. Bella giggles as her best friend keeps whining about it but immediately stops so the tower of the books she is holding doesn't fall. You can barely see the top of their heads from the books they are holding.
"Hey, wait for me!" Bella almost yells at Nate. His long legs are giving him the advantage of quick steps making Bella stay behind. She is now alone in the hallway as Nate is probably already in the library.
She stops for a second to rest, the heavy books making her arms hurt. After a moment she starts walking again and as she rounds the corner her body hits something or rather someone, making her and the books fall to the ground.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I didn't see you, I'm sorry." She says quickly as she gets on her knees and starts picking up the books, still not looking at the person in front of her because she is embarrassed.
"It's fine love. But are you okay?" Her head snaps so hard at the sound of a familiar voice that she is sure she could've broken her neck. Her eyes widen when she looks at the man in front of her. Alexander Hart.
"M-Mr. Hart. What are you doing here?" Bella asks completely shocked to see him at her college. Maybe he's here to teach another class? She thinks but gets even more shocked as he says the next words.
"I came to see you." He smiles a little at her surprised expression. But his eyebrows furrow and a frown covers his face as he looks down at her. "Come here." He extends his hand so he can help her get up from the ground.
Bella shyly puts her hand in his and he gently tugs her up before he crouches down to pick the remaining books off the ground as well. "Lead the way." He says as he looks at the books in her arms, indicating that he wants to help her with carrying them to wherever she needs to take them.
"So...you wanted to see me?" Bella breaks the silence as they make their way towards the library. He nods and looks down at her before answering. "You didn't call me." He states and she looks at him, making quick eye contact before looking down again.
"I...didn't make my decision yet..." Bella quietly says.
"You didn't make your decision or you're not sure about your decision?" He could read her.
"I'm not sure about my decision." She confirmes and tries to look anywhere but him. He noticed her slightly nervous behavior and his lips twitch into a small smile. "Is there anything, in particular, that is making your decision hard for you to make?"
He guesses right again and she thinks this man can read her mind. She heaves a sigh as she sees the library door and answers him. "Yeah."
"Okay, we will discuss about it."
Bella was about to say something but the library door opens and reveals her best friend. "There you are shortcake! Give me those." Bella scrunches her nose at the nickname, cursing Nate in her mind for calling her that in front of Alexander. But the said man found the little action cute, and his lips stretch in a smile again.
"Oh, Mr. Hart. H-Hello." Nate finally noticed the man standing next to his best friend as he walks closer and takes the heavy books from her. Alexander just nods in acknowledgment, remembering Nate from his class before he follows the two into the library.
Alexander and Nate put the books on the table as Mrs. Willson said and then Alexander turns to face Bella again. "Will you have lunch with me? We can talk about my proposition and everything you want to know while having a delicious meal. I'm sure you're hungry."
Bella was surprised by his question but her stomach liked the idea as she really was hungry. But she didn't want to ditch Nate as she already promised to eat with him after their classes.
She looked behind Alexander and as if Nate could read her thoughts he nodded and gave her a smile as a confirmation that it's okay to go with Mr. Hart.
"Okay." She looks back at Alexander and he smiles before he bids goodbye to Nate and starts walking out of the library. Bella quickly hugs Nate, saying bye as well before she follows the handsome man that just offered her lunch.
Alexander waits for her to catch up with his steps and continues walking when she appears next to him. They walk in silence towards his car and when they reach it he opens the door of his Bugatti for her before he walks towards the driver's side.
Bella can't help but be stunned by his car. The interior shows cream-colored leather with black details. Her body works on its own as it slumps down and relaxes in the nice warm leather seat. She loves it so much, she is afraid she won't be able to leave this car.
Alexander notices she is in a daze and smiles before he starts the car. "Put your seatbelt on, love."
Bella snaps herself to reality when she hears his voice and with a soft blush that nickname caused, she listens and puts her seatbelt on. They both stay silent the whole drive and Bella can't help the little frown that covers her face when they stop in front of a restaurant, meaning she has to leave his car.
"I hope this is fine. I sometimes dine here and I know their food is great, that's why I brought you here." Alexander says as they get out of his car and Bella finally looks at the two-floor glass building. It looks fancy and just by the exterior of it, she can only guess that the prices are not low at all.
"Even Mc Donald's would be good for me. This looks expensive."
Alexander chuckles but comes closer to her and puts his hand on her lower back, urging her to go inside. "Don't worry about that. I invited you, I'm paying."
That's the problem. Bella thought as they walked towards a table for two. For some reason, she is not comfortable with people paying for her food except if they are her friends and they are used to paying for each other. But when it comes to someone new and plus when it's something expensive, she feels bad about it.
She smiles a little when he pulls out a chair for her, thanking him quietly as she makes herself as comfortable as she can.
"Good afternoon Mr. Hart, it's nice to see you again." A man in his mid-forties stands in front of their table. He is dressed in a white dress shirt that is tucked in his black slacks, with a bowtie around his neck. He gives a nice welcoming aura as he smiles at Alexander.
"Hello, George. It's nice to see you too. How are you?" Alexander looks at the man.
"I'm doing fine Mr. Hart, hope you are too. I see you brought company with you this time." George finally looks at Bella and smiles sweetly at her. She smiles back shyly as she looks at him before her gaze falls on the man in front of her. Alexander gives her a warm smile before he speaks to Geroge again.
"Yes, we are here to talk about business while having a nice meal." George's eyes widen and a small gasp escapes him, making Bella feel confused by his reaction.
"Oh my, is she the girl y-" Alexander clears his throat loudly making George understand that he needs to keep quiet. Bella's eyebrows furrow as she watches the two exchanging looks between them as if they are communicating through a mind link.
"I-I'll get you the menus now. But before that, would you like to order something for drinks?" George looks nervously at Bella, hoping that he didn't blow his cover of already knowing her. Or it's better to say, knowing about her.
George couldn't help but wonder if something is wrong with Mr. Hart one day when he was at this restaurant. He looked troubled and lost in thought as he kept looking at his phone, expecting Bella to call him and accept his offer.
That day, just a week ago Alexander told him how a beautiful girl caught his attention at his exhibition, how she piqued his interest and then impressed him even more at that class he was holding at her college. He told him how he asked her to be his model but he wasn't sure if she would say yes.
George had to admit he was surprised to see Alexander like this. He was never bothered by a woman in that way, actually, he never heard him or even saw him with a woman before. At one point George thought he might be gay, he wouldn't mind if he was as he considered him like he is his son even though the age difference isn't that big.
Alexander is 30 years old and George had yet to see him with a woman. The only person he saw him with here was his best friend Jake, that time was what made Geroge think he might be gay until Alexander explain everything to him.
"I'll have a lemonade." Bella answers quietly, still feeling fidgety about this place and the weird exchange between the men in front of her.
"Okay, and for yo-"
"No don't write that down. We'll have Cabernet Sauvignon." Alexander interrupts George and instead orders the most famous red wine. Bella's eyes bulge at his order while George seems unphased.
"But I can't drink. I'm only 20." She says but Alexander only shakes his head before he speaks. "No one knows that here, and a glass of wine won't hurt. But if you don't want to drink I won't push you." He gives Bella an assuring smile and she nods agreeing to it.
One glass won't hurt as he said, and plus she doesn't know if she will ever be able to try this wine so she will take this opportunity while she is being offered.
George goes away to bring them their wine after he gave them menus so they can choose their meal. Bella couldn't help but feel pressured as she saw from the corner of her eye that Alexander closed his menu, probably already knowing what he wants to order while she is having a hard time even reading the names of the foods this restaurant is offering.
Bella bites her lip nervously before she speaks. "Do you have any suggestions as to what I could order?"
Alexanders looks at her furrowed eyebrows and pouty lips, noticing how her eyes move slowly from the left side to the right side of the menu, guessing that she is trying to read the foreign language this menu is written in.
He finds her cute and tries to hide his smile as he speaks. "I do. I'll just order two portions of what I usually order here. I think you'll like it and it goes with the wine just perfectly."
Bella nods in relief and closes her menu to put it on the side. Just then George comes back with the bottle of their wine and he pours it in two glasses before he takes their order and leaves them again.
Just as Alexander wanted to speak and ask her about her doubts concerning his offer, someone passes their table but stops in front of it and speaks.
"Bella?"
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Hey guys!
So here's the 4th chapter
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