37. Theo
Theo had never hated a situation more than this one. He really was on the verge of quitting his entire career because of this crap with Yu-jin. Not to mention Dan. The guy was supposed to be on his side, but he was acting like he was part of the other team right now.
During the shoot, Takeshi had been encouraging Theo and Yu-jin to get closer and closer—to the point where, if they’d done what was asked, they’d practically be having sex.
Since when did selling whiskey require a scene with two people rolling around on a bed? He wondered if Yu-jin and her manager had asked Takeshi to take it further than they normally would have. Yu-jin was certainly taking advantage of their proximity. She’d been rubbing her hands all over him—more than when they’d actually dated.
As soon as Takeshi called cut, Theo stalked over to Sarah, just needing to be near her to calm down. But he’d felt so helpless about the entire situation that he’d inadvertently taken out his frustration on her.
And now he was outside in the stifling heat, and his makeup was probably getting ruined. He strode across the street and yanked open the door to the first building he saw.
And paused.
It was a café.
Full of cats.
Of course he’d end up in a café full of cats.
A woman approached him, smiling. ‘Would you like to buy a drink and some food for the cats?’
‘Uh, I’m not sure…’
She held up a laminated price list. ‘Choose from here, and then you can take a seat.’
Theo checked the time. He was seriously contemplating it. Feeling adrift and not even sure if he wanted to continue on his current career trajectory made spending half an hour with a cat tempting.
Handing over a few bills, he said, ‘I’ll have a black coffee and whatever the cats like to eat.’
‘Perfect.’ She accepted the money. ‘I’ll be back in a moment.’
He made his way down the back of the café. It had timber floors and shelving and several posts with small platforms that extended to the ceiling. The place looked like some sort of contemporary playground for tiny children.
He picked up a fluffy white cat and sat on a curved bench at the back. The creature was clearly used to people and was much friendlier than his mother’s.
It purred in his lap, and Theo finally started to calm down. It was strange that this was exactly what he’d needed.
The woman returned, holding a coffee cup and a small dish containing some sort of beige paste with a spoon.
She placed them beside him on the bench. ‘Enjoy.’
He took a sip of his drink and then tried to spoon some of the paste into the cat’s mouth. It didn’t seem particularly interested and closed its eyes.
Theo didn’t know what to do about his current predicament. The logical side of his brain knew he should just suck it up and play the game, but that would mean potentially ruining his relationship with Sarah. She was trying to be professional and encouraging, but he knew if the situation was reversed, he wouldn’t be happy.
He sighed. The money wasn’t important, but Sarah had been right. Acting had been his goal for a long time. If he didn’t behave appropriately now, he knew Yu-jin and her manager would spread rumours of his difficult nature, and they could destroy any future opportunities that might come his way.
He looked up and saw Sarah entering the café. She peered around and saw him sitting at the back.
He smiled at her, but her expression was angry. She walked over and planted herself in front of him.
‘Are you having fun?’
‘What?’
‘You do realise you’re not the only one who will suffer if you keep acting like a toddler, right?’
‘Excuse me?’
‘Stop running away and start acting like a grownup. You need to be back at the studio in five minutes. And FYI, I’m there to do your makeup. I’m not paying attention to the shoot. I am not your girlfriend in there. Also, as soon as we’re done, I’m going out for the evening. I think we need a little space from each other.’
Theo’s mouth fell open. ‘Why are you being like this?’
‘Because I’m trying to do my job, and you’re making it freaking hard for me! Dan is blaming me for everything.’
‘That bastard…’
‘Look, as much as I dislike the guy, I see where he’s coming from. If I wasn’t here, you’d probably be doing everything asked without question. So from this moment on, I want you to pretend I’m not there. In fact, I think we should take this further. For the rest of the trip, forget I exist. I’ll stay in another hotel tonight. We’ll talk back in Brisbane afterwards.’
Theo’s throat closed up. ‘What if I refuse?’
‘Then we’re breaking up right now permanently.’
He stared at her. ‘Seriously?’
‘Yes. Now get back in the studio.’
He shook his head. ‘You’re cold.’
‘I’m just trying to save both our jobs.’
She turned and walked out of the café.
Theo sat for a moment longer. The cat was still purring, but it no longer calmed him.
His world was falling apart, and he didn’t know what to do about it.
The restof the day dragged. Theo could barely concentrate, but he’d done enough of these jobs in the past that his body could operate on autopilot, even responding when Takeshi encouraged Yu-jin to lie on top of him for one photo. He shut off his brain, not wanting to let in any thoughts of Sarah or his career.
He almost wasn’t paying attention when the shoot ended, and Yu-jin took it as an encouraging sign. She nudged him with her shoulder. ‘You loosened up a lot this afternoon.’
Theo snorted. ‘If you say so.’
‘I’m glad you finally came to your senses. I was talking with Jin-kyung, and we’d like to do another article. I was thinking we go to Ueno Park first thing tomorrow and get some candid shots…’
‘What world are you living in?’ Theo hissed. ‘Stop trying to make us a thing. I don’t care if it’s fake or you want it to be real, but I am not doing this. If you push it further, I won’t consider the drama.’
Theo was already pretty sure he wouldn’t do it anyway, but if he could use it as leverage, he would.
‘Fine. But you at least need to come out for dinner. Since I fly out tomorrow night, this will be the last chance to talk in person for a while.’
Sarah said she was going out for the evening. Did she really mean it? Either way, he didn’t want to socialise with Yu-jin two nights in a row.
‘I’m not agreeing to anything right now. I’m heading back to my room to shower and talk to Dan. If we have dinner, it will be for professional reasons only.’
‘No problem. I’ll see you soon, then.’
Ugh. Theo wished she wouldn’t look so smug.
He looked around for Sarah, but she’d already left. He wasn’t sure whether to call or text her, but he figured he should give her an hour to cool down.
Dan came over. ‘I’ll meet you in the lobby at the hotel in an hour.’
‘Can it just be the two of us tonight?’
‘That’s not up to me. Yu-jin’s manager has bent over backwards to accommodate us this trip, and you should be grateful. You know Yu-jin has the bigger profile. I really don’t understand why you’re not taking advantage.’
‘Because I don’t work that way. I want to succeed because of my own reputation.’
‘You’re na?ve if you think that doesn’t involve collaborating with others. But I’ll talk to Jin-kyung. Maybe she’ll let us off the hook tonight.’
‘Tell her I have a work call or something.’
Dan raised his eyes to the ceiling. ‘I don’t know what I did to deserve this.’
Theo walked away. He wasn’t going to argue with Dan anymore.
But when he got back to Australia, they’d be having a serious discussion about their future together.