FAY
"Well... Well... Well."
I knew Elroy was about to say something to upset me, but I wasn't up for another argument. All I wanted to do was rest, and maybe after that, we could argue till he was sated.
"So you're still seeing Lucas?" He asked.
My brows came together as I studied him "Excuse me?"
"Oh please, don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about... I saw how close the both of you were just now." He said.
"That was not what you think it looked like... Lucas is my friend." I said, defending myself.
"Yeah- if there's one thing I know about models like you, then it would be the fact that you all were designed to sleep with each and every photographer that you work with... It's just like a normal thing for you guys right?" He asked.
I clenched my jaw, feeling the intense anger building up inside me. "I can't believe you're calling me a cheap slut."
"Call it whatever." He muttered.
"You can't just come in here and insult me, Elroy, I don't sleep around with my photographers... I'm not a cheating girlfriend."
"Did I call you one?" Elroy asked.
I let a out a strained breath, turning away from him to go get my clothes.
But his hand encircled around my arm, turning me to face him forcefully.
"Listen here Fay, cause I'm not gonna repeat myself... Next time you think of having a round with any of my photographers, make sure you lock the door, we wouldn't want anyone publishing crazy stuffs that'd get my grandma into an hospital bed, cause I swear to God, if you do anything to harm my grandma, I'll strangle you with my bare hands."
I fought back the tears about to pull down my eyes.
I wasn't one to stay strong.
At the slightest bit of insult or raised voice, I'd go into a crying spree.
"Fine, I'll make sure to lock the doors when I'm getting it on with one of your photographers." I muttered, looking up at him... He was taller than me, but I was proud to say, as a model, my head was up to his chest neck level.
His eyes widened a bit at my remark as he let go of my arm.
"So you're indeed sleeping around, aren't you?" He asked.
"You can think whatever you wanna think Elroy, it's not like you would believe me if I told you the truth." I muttered. "Why are you here anyway?"
"I heard you modeled for the bikini shoot."
"So?"
"What do you mean so? It's my company, I can go wherever I like."
"Did I tell you otherwise, Elroy?" I asked him.
"I don't like the way you're speaking to me Fay. Mind your tone with me." He frowned.
"Or what? You're gonna hit me? Go on.. have your go... I'm not complaining."
"Why would I want to touch you?"
"You didn't seem to have a problem with that when you were busy planting bruises on my arm, few minutes ago." I retorted.
He only scoffed in annoyance. "You know, I was actually willing to let you go through with your stupid contract with Yvonne Deere's industry... But now, now I am more than ever, determined to make you end your contract with them." He seethed.
I paused.
"I came here looking for a reason to let you go through with that stupid contract... But now you've ruined everything for yourself."
My body was screaming for me to apologise and beg him to reconsider. But Lucas's words resounded in my head.
"I'm not gonna beg." I blurted out. "You can do whatever you wanna do... I'm not going to quit that contract, no matter what you say or do."
"I know... That's why I'm going to leave that job for someone else." Elroy placed an evil smirk on his lips. "I'm pretty sure you'd cooperate when you see your mom at the brunch."
"Do what you want to do, Elroy... I'm not going to quit."
______
"I am going to quit." I mumbled, flopping down on the soft couch in Karen's office. "My big mouth ruined everything! I should have just apologized to him, I shouldn't have gotten him angry... What am I gonna do Karen?"
Karen smiled. "Maybe you should start by telling me what happened?" She asked.
I sighed. "Elroy saw Lucas and I in the changing room together and he thought that we were you know- seeing each other? Isn't that crazy? How could he just jump into conclusions? I mean? It doesn't make any sense."
Karen sat up. "Why do you say that?"
I shrugged. "Well, because I would never do anything to make Melissa sad, I would never cheat on him."
"Why do you think you won't cheat on him?"
"That's obviously because he's my boyfriend and I-" I stopped myself from completing that statement. "Look it doesn't matter, all I know is that I'd never cheat on him cause I'm not that kind of girl."
"So, you and Lucas are just friends?"
"Yes, that's all we are... Although we had this thing going on few years back before Elroy and I became a thing, but that was before, now- we're really good friends."
"Does Elroy know about this thing you had with Lucas before?" Karen asked.
"Yes... He does."
"Have you considered the fact that Elroy jumped into conclusions because he was just mad about the fact that you were with Lucas."
I exhaled. "What do you mean?"
"Listen Fay, my theory's that, Elroy was jealous of what he saw, he knows that you look at Lucas in a different way and you look at him in a completely different way, maybe he was jealous because you don't look at him the way you look at Lucas." Karen said.
"So you're practically saying that Elroy was just jealous?" I asked.
"Yes." Karen nodded.
"Well you're wrong Karen... I mean, he doesn't have feelings for me like that."
"I know, it's not about the feelings, Fay... It's about the title. You're his girlfriend- he's just jealous cause you have a connection with some other guy."
"Elroy wasn't jealous... He was just being his usual narcissistic self. He is now more than ever determined to make me quit the contract with Yvonne Deere's industry... He hates seeing me comfortable."
"Are you comfortable with the contract?"
"Yes... What kind of a question is that? Yvonne has really amazing talents, and I'd take pleasure from helping her showcase that talent. She's coming up and Elroy hates that he is starting to have a serious competition. He isn't jealous, he is just being selfish."
Karen sighed. "I have studied Elroy, he is a complicated person. You can't tell when he's happy or when he's sad or really angry."
I rolled my eyes. "I wonder how you survived college with the three of them."
"I know right? But the fact is that, I survived. Once you get to understand him, you'll know what his true intentions are." Karen said, clearing her throat. "Listen Fay, Elroy doesn't do things without two to three reasons why he should do it."
"Okay, I'm listening."
"Okay, for example: your case. Elroy might be trying to stop you from working with them because he knows that deep down you'd rather be doing something much more stress free... You both have been together for over what? Two to three years? You moved in together January last year, am I correct?"
"Yes."
"Good. Elroy is a very intelligent man, he has studied you, but you don't know that cause he doesn't want you to. He knows that you really don't want to work with them. That's why I asked you that question, Are you really happy, working for Yvonne?"
I sighed. "No, I'm not- but I want to." I laid my head on the soft couch. "Yvonne begged me to help her, I couldn't just say no to her. She really needed my help."
Karen smiled. "Now I see why Elroy doesn't like you working with them."
"What do you mean?"
"He thinks Yvonne is just using you, he knows how naive you are so- my biggest bet is that he thinks he's helping you and at the same time, helping himself." Karen cleared.
"Elroy hates me." I muttered. "He's not helping me or anything of that sort." I sighed. "His character today was just- not nice."
"He was just jealous Fay." Karen said. "You know, people have their different ways of expressing their feelings. In Elroy's case, he believes that hurting you is the only way to suppress the unwanted feelings from surfacing. But what he doesn't know is that he is only hurting himself the more. And he's not gonna see that, unless you make him see it."
I sighed. "I don't know why you think Elroy got jealous but, I'm telling you Karen, he isn't capable of feelings."
Karen smiled, "Well, we'll have to see about that, won't we?"