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1 new message from:

Zach Boss

"UM called. Done shooting S2's last episode. They need u guys on set 4am this Wed. Promo shoot"

Today 1:27PM

Jessi had to do a double-take before the last text message from her boss finally sank in.

Her phone had been buzzing while she was cleaning her makeup brushes, and now that she was done drying them, she had a minute to spare before the models needed another retouch.

Season two? Last episode? Was he talking about "Road to Valhalla"? The same TV show Zach was working for as the key makeup artist? Daniella from HR had told her about the Hollywood series, and about the steadily growing fanbase it was gaining after the successful pilot season.

But Jessi hadn't had the time to do an in-depth research over the weekend. She just didn't expect that someone as rookie as her would get picked out from the roster for a job that big.

When she just kept staring at her phone screen, it buzzed again and showed another text from her boss.

1 new message from:

Zach Boss

"S3 shooting to start before Sept. Hoping show gets picked up by more. For now you Mae and Nik focus on promo shoot with leads"

Today 1:29PM

Holy mackerel! Was he serious? She was going to be part of the promo shoot makeup team? With the leads...meaning: she would be working with big Hollywood stars this week. Okay! Now she really had to do the research.

Nice! What an exciting first week on the job.

"Thank you, God, and my angels," she muttered as a short prayer of thanks. At the thought of her career getting a head start, Jessi couldn't stop smiling and giggling to herself.

Wait. She wasn't done yet. She was still on the clock for today's job. She stood up and glanced at the creative team preparing the first scene for the commercial shoot. She still had to focus on the task at hand. She should postpone the celebratory dance in solitude once the shoot was over.

"Shucks. He's here."

Jessi turned to her side and saw the model approaching her.

Kel kept her head down and wore a different outfit now: an all-white lab gown with a blue company logo on the breast pocket. The wrinkle-free coat hung just above the knee. Also, Kel had on a plain beige dress underneath the lab coat. The styling team did a great job making her look like a convincing medical professional. Even though in reality she really was one.

Jessi supposed the client, Enzo, personally persuaded Kel to be the face of his company's marketing materials. "You okay?" Jessi gave the model a quick smile as she tried not to mind Kel's nervous glances and obvious fidgeting.

"No. He just— Ugh. I told him not to come in here, 'cause it's just gonna distract me," Kel mumbled while a scowl made her brows and cute lips wrinkle. "He even brought a bouquet. Jeez..."

"You don't like flowers?" Jessi asked while trying not to chuckle. She glanced behind as she waited for Kel to sit back in the makeup chair so they could prep her hair.

The creative director had instructed her to curl some of the model's dark and shoulder-length hair for the commercial shoot. Same makeup, slightly different hairstyle. Piece of cake. The other model had a shaved head and he looked camera-ready all the time, so, her job would be much easier this afternoon.

When her peripheral vision caught sight of a tall, wavy-haired guy in a knitted sweater and dark jeans, Jessi couldn't help but stare at him and the bouquet of white and red roses he was clutching.

"Don't look. Don't stare," Kel muttered frantically before grabbing her forearm to steal her attention. "Darn it. He just saw me."

"Relax..." Jessi snickered and started combing the model's straight hair with her fingers.

"A bouquet? Really? How cheesy could you get, man..."

"He prolly just missed you."

"He likes to torture me, is what it is," Kel murmured with another pout while checking something on her phone.

The comment was most likely just an exaggeration, so Jessi opted to laugh it off. She grabbed the curling iron and leaned over the model reclining in the makeup chair. "Didn't expect he'd be here today?"

"He asked me to do this last year. Date kept getting postponed 'cause of schedules and..."

"Your schedule?"

"And his," Kel mumbled. She was trying her best not to glance in the direction of the photographer's chair where Enzo was sitting behind. "Been busy with his businesses, and court hearings...and family issues."

"Court hearing?" Jessi repeated, wondering why the client had to go to court hearings.

"His brother and uncle's hearings."

"Oh."

"He's staring. Dang it. Yep—staring again." Kel murmured a mild swearword and gripped the chair's arm rest, no longer busy texting.

"It's fine. Chill..." Jessi continued curling some sections of the model's soft and shiny hair. "He probably just...wants to talk and thank you for showing up today. Despite your busy schedule and training."

"Just doing this as a favor, actually." Kel sighed and kept her eyes closed. A moment of silence passed as they kept up the styling with some setting spray. "Too broke to pay him back, so..."

"Pay him back?" Jessi pulled a face at her reply, then resumed twirling and heating the model's hair using the curling iron. "If you don't mind my asking."

"Um...'cause I...owe him lots of money. Tuition money, and all that," Kel muttered.

"Ah. I see."

"Really hope we don't do a dozen retakes. Ugh."

"Take deep breaths. Pretend he's not here. You'll do fine."

"Hi."

Jessi paused from styling the model's hair and turned to see the owner of the unfamiliar voice; it sounded deep and quite...unsure. "Hi," she greeted back at the tall, tan guy standing behind her with a thick posy of roses.

"Jessi? Right?" The client held out his hand for her. "Enzo." He looked even more good-looking up-close. Stunning, light-colored eyes like Kel's. Actually, he looked much more attractive than Ian Somerhalder.

"Nice to meet you." Jessi shook hands with him, her other hand now holding the curling iron. She put on a big smile for him while Kel kept her head down, obviously pretending to be busy with her phone.

"Likewise," Enzo muttered with a slight smile as he placed the bouquet on the small table beside the makeup chair, right beside Kel. "Zach said you'll be coming with us tonight? To LA?"

"Yeah. He just texted me half an hour ago," Jessi replied. "I mean, if it's no hassle..."

"No. All good," Enzo said with a slight nod. His accent didn't sound American at all, but it wasn't a thick Italian accent, either. It sounded quite British. "Ready to go after this? Or do you have to pick up some things before we head to the airport?"

"No. I didn't check into a hotel or anything."

"Cool. Alright. Erm...thanks for being here, by the way. On such short notice especially." Enzo gave her another polite smile. He was glancing at Kel from time to time, obviously just waiting for the latter to acknowledge his presence.

Jessi found it rather entertaining to watch up-close. "No problem, really. Glad to help out."

"We're gonna start shooting in a minute." It was Kel talking now. Well, more like, mumbling and deliberately avoiding the guy's stare to seem unfazed by his sudden arrival.

To give the two some privacy, Jessi turned and backed away from the makeup chair. She checked her kits and acted casual. She heard Enzo muttering something in Italian while he stood in front of Kel now.

"Could you just...wait in the car?"

Enzo scoffed. "Perché?"

"I don't want you watching the whole thing," the model replied with a pout, keeping her voice down.

Enzo sighed out loud. "What, I can't even look or talk to you?"

"Just...later. Okay? Jessi's not done with my hair yet, and, they're all waiting. Need to finish shooting today."

"Alright."

"Later."

"Fine. Alright," Enzo said in response, his voice almost a whisper. "But...what d'you want for dinner?"

"I dunno. You pick." Kel sounded fairly irritated now. "Hey, Jess? Nigel's staring now. Can we finish this up?"

"Yeah. Sure." Jessi picked up the curling iron again and tried to act like she didn't hear the awkward exchange. "Let's."

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The commercial shoot lasted another three hours or so. The laboratory-inspired scenes and closeups featuring Kel and the male model took a while to complete.

Although there was a bit of awkwardness at first in front of the camera—mainly because Enzo was around—Kel breezed through the shoot like a seasoned pro.

Jessi couldn't help but admire the model's professionalism, despite the messy personal drama going on behind the scenes.

The creative team were packing up now, wrapping up after an entire day of shooting.

"Whew. So relieved." Kel sat back in the makeup chair and started wiping off her foundation.

"Clearly. I would be, too." Jessi snickered and handed the model a few wet wipes. "Not one retake in the second and third scene. Ah-mazing..."

"Haven't done this in a while; I thought I would just bomb it."

"He didn't even need to walk out of the set," Jessi reminded, now tidying up her makeup kits and hair styling accessories.

Kel muffled a giggle while her other hand got busy rubbing foundation off of her pale skin. "Told him to stop staring."

"You two make me laugh."

"You need to go to work first thing?"

"Early promo shoot this Wednesday." Jessi glanced behind and saw some suit-clad men approaching them.

"Hi, guys," Kel greeted with a pleasant smile. She stared at the two men wearing a black, wired headset stuck in their ears. "Could you please take care of Jessi's stuff? She's coming with us."

"Oh, no thanks," Jessi replied as she zipped her tote bag full of professional brushes. "It's no bother. Not that heavy."

"We insist. It's protocol, Ma'am." One of the older-looking guys gave her a curt smile before he glanced over the makeup kits and her bag of hair styling accessories. His accent sounded Italian.

Protocol? Were they Enzo's bodyguards?

Wow. So he's got a personal detail? Must be a big-time businessman.

Along with the other models, Kel and Enzo, Jessi bid the creative team goodbye before the clock struck five. Enzo and Kel sat beside her in the backseat of an SUV as they made their way to the airport.

When she saw the brand new-looking private jet parked on the runway, Jessi nearly gawked at the thing. It wasn't huge but the shiny, high-security private plane sure looked way more expensive than everything her family owned over the years. Not that they owned a lot.

She'd never seen one in person, right before her eyes. She initially thought Zach meant she would be sitting in first class on a commercial flight with Enzo and his girlfriend. This wasn't what she expected at all.

"First time?" Kel grinned at her fleetingly while they stood in front of the plane with Enzo sounding busy taking a phone call.

"Yeah. Definitely not...what I expected." Jessi could only watch by the sidelines as the well-dressed bodyguards carried their luggage into the jet. She stepped closer to Kel when Enzo let go of Kel's hand to talk to one of his security staff.

"You can sleep on the plane. The seats are comfy," Kel said matter-of-factly before checking her phone.

"Does he have...bodyguards all the time?"

"Yeah," Kel sighed with a faint grin. "You get used to it."

"I probably won't but...you obviously are."

"Last year two of his guys were even following me all over campus." Kel snickered while texting. "Not a pleasant feeling being stalked like that, but...it is what it is," she murmured.

"Yikes."

"Give me your mobile," Kel said after stepping closer to her. "I'm friends with a couple agents and casting directors in LA. In case you wanna do some print jobs or commercials on your off days."

"Oh. Wow. Thank you," Jessi replied with a smile. She gave her contact details before they had to board the plane.

"Just text me if ever you'll be back here in New York, or you need some help finding good agents or something." Kel pocketed her phone and waited for her to get settled in her seat in the second row. "Or if you need some medical advice."

"Gee. You're too nice." Jessi smiled and glanced down at the seat belts. They didn't look like the typical seat belts on commercial flights. "Thanks."

"Seriously. Just text." Kel was about to leave her side when Enzo stood in front of them to kiss Kel on the lips. A quick one.

"Hungry?" he murmured while their noses almost touched.

"Not yet. You?" Kel tried not to smile when he put his arm around her back to give her a quick hug.

"No. You comfortable, Jess?" Enzo asked with a mild grin. "You can tilt the seat back if you want to nap or..."

"Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Really." Jessi gave the guy a big smile and tried not to stare at the adorable PDA going on in front of her.

"No biggie. Zach and I go way back. Just call the stewardess if you need anything."

"Thanks." Jessi put on another smile for him and Kel, pretending she wasn't getting intimidated by the fact that it was her very first time on a private plane. Just another perk of the job, apparently.

The couple sat beside each other in the front row seats. The jet took off shortly after.

Jessi reclined and checked her phone for any new messages from her boss, relieved that the couple seemed to be making up now. No need to worry about Kel crying again.

While the plane ascended, Jessi started her research. She looked up the main cast of Road to Valhalla. The hit show piloted two years ago, and it probably had millions of fans online, judging by the show's four to five-star ratings.

She wasn't the type to watch supernatural or horror shows, so she definitely had a lot of catching up to do.

Her eyes and brain froze at the photos that appeared after she tapped on the Search button. She stared at the first headshot on her phone screen. It was an HD photo of one of the male leads. The stars of the show.

Holy cow. It was him!

"Jenson Ross — actor, director, producer"

It was none other than Tall Guy with the baseball cap, the guy she met the other day in LA.

Huh. Small world.

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