Chapter 19: Chapter 19

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1 new message from:

Zach Boss

"Hi Jessi. Hope u r doing ok just wanna let u know u will take on Mae's tasks and will be handling Jenson's makeup and hair plus extras. Nik will do D's and rest of the cast. Fam emergency. Can't come to work this week. See u soon"

Today 07:07AM

It was her supervisor's text. She expected to hear from him early in the morning, but the message slightly disappointed her.

Zach didn't even explain why Mae had to go, or why she got "transferred" to another show. Did someone from top management fire her? For what?

Jessi sighed and shut the bathroom door. She kind of lost sleep over the whole thing.

Nikki, the other makeup artist, hadn't heard much, either. Maybe it's just how production companies worked?

After sending a reply to Zach, Jessi picked out her outfit for work. Her phone went off before she could hang her bathrobe to dry. Zach's name stayed on the screen, prompting her to take the call. "Hi, Zach. Morning."

"Hey, Jess. G'morning."

"You doin' okay?"

"Mm-hmm. Yeah. I'm fine." He cleared his throat, his husky voice making him sound like he just woke up. "You? How's work?"

"I'm good," she replied in a more chipper tone. "We were thinking we'd see you on set today."

"Yeah. Had to file an LOA. Sorry. But I'll see you guys soon as I can. So, um...about the new assignments."

"Yes?"

"Upper management talked to us the other day. I had to give them Mae since she's the most experienced on the team. You okay with taking on her tasks? I mean, just for this season, I think."

"Yeah. I was just kinda taken aback."

"Which I understand. But Jenson is easy to manage, like Darren. Ply them with their favorite snacks, let them nap when they're tired, and you won't have any issues."

She grinned. "Noted."

Then Zach muttered something about the new showrunners and the director. He sounded a bit distracted.

"I'm sorry?" Jessi put the call on speaker mode and got ready. She should arrive on set before nine to talk to Nikki and the stylist, then recheck for any other changes on the call sheets.

"Never mind. You'll do a great job anyway. Just have fun with it. Mm-kay? Despite the pressure you may be experiencing right now."

"Okay. Yeah. Thanks, Zach," she replied. "You sure you're fine?"

"Yeah. I'm managing."

"Sure? Anything else I can help you with?"

"No. All good. Just dealing with a little family emergency." Zach chuckled, but he sounded like he was faking cheerfulness.

"See you soon. We miss you on set. Oh, by the way, if I'm gonna be doing Jenson's makeup all season, do I have to do all of the SFX? For his character?"

"Yeah. But Nikki will help you out with that until they find a replacement for Mae. I mean, we."

"Oh. Okay." Jessi smiled. She sighed, relieved. "Thanks. I thought I was gonna..."

Thank God. She wasn't the best at special makeup effects. Her trainings weren't really professional-grade, and she lacked experience in this industry. But Zach and his bosses apparently didn't care.

"Don't overthink it," he muttered. "You're good. You get the job done and on time. You're eager to learn and you work hard. I'm sure you won't disappoint."

Jessi smiled. The pep talk almost made her giggle as she put on her blouse.

He was such a supportive boss. The total opposite of her previous employer who didn't care for politeness. Only thinking of himself and his whims. That corporate douche. They looked alike, but their personalities had such stark contrast. "I'll see you guys next week?"

"Sure."

"Gotta go. Thanks, Jess."

"Okay. Thank you, Zach."

"Bye." He hung up.

What family emergency did he need to deal with?

Combing her dark and damp hair in front of the mirror, she imagined what it would be like to do Jenson's makeup every shooting day.

Doing the SFX stuff for the show's main star might get nerve-wracking for a bit. Jenson being one of her bosses just added to the anxiety. But it shouldn't feel like pure torture.

Like Zach said, everything should be fine. Perhaps Mae's sudden transfer had something to do with that girl.

Ramona...the mystery girl "gone missing". The woman her colleagues had been gossiping about.

Jessi put on socks. The rumors definitely piqued her curiosity, but no time to dwell on such things. An important job waited for her.

Work. Work. Work. Save up. Buy a car. A proper house.

For her plans to work, she had to maintain a satisfactory performance the rest of the year. Ergo, no time for other things.

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Jessi walked into the busy set by herself, her eyes staying alert for a petite goth girl in dark clothing.

Nikki must be looking for her, too.

Time to go over the call sheets and jot down any changes, then discuss Darren's new extensions and the division of labor.

Imagining her workload all season, Jessi halted in her steps when a motorcycle drove past her.

The loud noise didn't annoy her. What she frowned at: she didn't even notice that she wasn't walking on the safer side. She turned to her right.

Jenson turned off the engine. A gray beanie hid his brown hair, and his shirt looked as plain as his black pants.

If she had to guess, she'd say the guy didn't own many clothes that weren't black. His big closet must be filled with monochromes. Well, not that he looked like a guy who liked to collect clothing.

The sunlight hurt her eyes as he strolled away from his big bike whose body was painted matte black and silver. It looked pricey. Probably imported. Was it his personal vehicle?

"Hey." Jenson grinned faintly, his gait relaxed as he approached her. In his right hand was a fresh-looking sandwich. Lettuce. A thick piece of red meat. Some dark-colored sauce.

"Hi." She put on a smile. Her heart lightly jumped when he stopped in front of her. Her nose loved his perfume. Mint and vanilla. A quite addicting mix. "Morning, boss."

"Good morning, Miss Jessiah Marionne Kinley." Jenson snickered. Puffy eye bags and his hoarse voice said he didn't get much rest last night, but his demeanor seemed more amicable than yesterday. "You don't have to call me that. 'Jenson' or 'Joss' is fine."

"Sure. You're still my boss, though."

"Yeah. But I don't call you 'employee'. So, no need for stating ranks."

"Alright. Noted." Jessi smiled and glanced at his sandwich. She wasn't a vegan anymore but it just reeked of greasy, bloody meat.

Maybe it was his favorite breakfast meal. Jenson grinned at her again. "Want a bite?"

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Was the guy serious? Did he really want her to taste his food?

No. Maybe he was just trying to seem nice and approachable.

"Thanks, but no thanks." Jessi chuckled and backed away when he put the sandwich near her mouth. It smelled raw. The red sauce and spices stuck in between the lettuce and thick meat warned her, too. She wasn't great with spicy food.

"It's good. Taste it."

"I'm okay," she mumbled with a dismissive hand gesture, even though her gut made noises when she got a good whiff of his sandwich. Her body was no stranger to intermittent fasting, but she just felt particularly hungry today. Hormones, probably.

"Your stomach doesn't agree."

"I just need something warm to drink."

"Just give it a bite." Jenson stared at her mouth and kept his sandwich near her face.

They stood about 20 feet away from his trailer now. Not a lot of people around. She glanced elsewhere. Actually there was no one else around in this part of the set. Perhaps she came in earlier than half of the production staff.

"Thanks, but I don't really like spicy food."

"It's just onions. Not much hot sauce either." Jenson grinned at her again, a smile that didn't show his teeth. His pale green eyes just gripped her attention while he stared.

Was he seriously waiting for her to taste his meal? Why keep insisting? Bit weird.

Awkward seconds passed until she gave in. "If it's too spicy, you're getting me something sweet and cold like ASAP," she joked. Jessi bit off a bite-sized chunk while he leaned closer, ignoring the raw-looking meat. It tasted good. Fresh. Savory. The pungent smell didn't quite match the taste. She caught him smiling again while she chewed with her palm over her mouth.

"Sure. But milk would be best," the guy murmured as he led her to his trailer. Well, he wasn't wrong. "Want some more? Got a bread knife in there."

"No thanks. Enjoy your breakfast."

"It's big enough for two." Jenson unlocked the door to his trailer and left it open for her. He smelled good despite the greasy, overly meaty spicy thing he was eating for breakfast. He probably just got out of the shower. "Right. Just remembered you eat like a bird."

"No." She walked into his trailer while trying not to giggle at his comment. It sounded judgmental but friendly, in equal measure. "I eat the right portions for my body type."

"Portions, huh?" The guy tutted and almost rolled his eyes. "Okay..."

"What?"

"Huh?"

She waited for him to switch the lights on.

The smell of fresh coffee filled his personal space. It looked neat for the most part. Single bed behind a partition. Plus a bathroom in the left corner. Small kitchen slash dining area in the middle. Makeup dresser in the other corner.

"You say it like it's a weird thing." Jessi feigned another laugh, glad that they were off to a good start this morning. They hadn't even discussed the new task allocations yet, but they were already bantering, exchanging jokes as if the incident with Darren didn't happen.

"Are you still modeling?"

Still? Oh. He must've read through her résumé. Of course. He was also one of the producers; he must've reviewed the new production staff's background sheets.

Or did he come across her profile on social media? "Relax. Not gonna tell on you," Jenson chuckled. He took off the beanie that made him look like a guy in his 20s.

"Yeah. I still take modeling jobs. But only on my off days."

"Cool."

"Yeah. Helps pay the bills."

"Sure. I mean, do what you gotta do." He settled in the makeup chair.

Time to work. She washed her hands in the small sink with soap while he ate his sandwich that looked bigger than his hands.

"I heard you're gonna be doing me from now on. 'Cause Mae got transferred to the news show."

Doing him. Jessi almost laughed. She dried her hands with a clean cloth she brought along with her purse. "Yeah. Zach just told me. Nikki would be doing Darren, Niko, Margaux and Kara's makeup, and hair."

"And you would be busy with mine and everyone else's." Jenson took another bite of his breakfast.

"For now. Zach said they'll find someone to replace Mae." She stood behind the makeup chair to assess the actor's hair.

It didn't look like bed head, but it definitely needed some styling. The top was inches longer than the sides. A quick blow-dry would make it look better. She grabbed the blow-dryer and plugged it in while he sat still in the makeup chair.

"Alright." Jenson nodded and stared at her. His shapely lips looked somewhat greasy with his quick-disappearing sandwich still in his hand. "Just say so if the workload's too much. I'll do somethin' about it."

"Thanks."

"Just tell me if you need help with something."

Like what? "Yeah. Thanks." As she worked on his hair, she gave him another polite smile. Although she couldn't tell for sure whether it was genuine, his concern was kind of sweet.

They were only days past the formal introductions, but he actually seemed like a good person, despite the rocky start with Darren. She and Jenson might get along just fine. But only if he didn't go all apeshit again, as in physically hurting people whenever he lost his temper.

"I got it. For now," she said, feigning another smile. "Let's put some cold eye patches on you. That okay?"

"All yours."

"Okay." She couldn't help grinning at his close-lipped smirk while she looked for gel patches.

Combs, various hair products, tissues and other makeup items littered the drawers next to his chair. Jessi pulled a face. It took her a minute or two before finding the cold patches for eye bags.

With Jenson sitting still, his full attention on his phone, Jessi leaned in to carefully place the gel patches under his eyes.

He looked like he held his breath.

"Forgot to put on my face mask. Sorry." She glanced at her purse sitting on the counter. "I'm just gonna..."

"Excuse my onion breath," he mumbled when she pulled away.

"Not a problem."

"You have incredibly soft hands, but they're freakin' cold."

"Sorry." Jessi snickered and grabbed the face mask from her purse. "I'm not putting it on because of your onion breath. I don't mind." She put on the cloth mask as she stood beside the makeup chair again.

"Ah. You got allergies or something?"

"Yeah. It comes and goes."

While she styled his hair, they proceeded to his makeup after she read through the call sheet he gave her.

No SFX makeup needed yet. Thank goodness!

"Thanks, by the way."

"Hmm?" She stared at his tan face and wiped his face with toner-drenched cotton pads.

"For keepin' quiet about the, uh, incident."

"Oh."

"Wasn't thinkin' straight."

Definitely.

"Yeah. Just really, erm...stressed right now." The guy sighed, almost mumbling his words. He stared at her face. "Not that it justifies the shit I did."

"Nope," she muttered. She bit on her lip and used another cotton pad on his cheeks. Although she wasn't a hundred percent sure of his sincerity, the fact that he thanked her for keeping quiet about the incident assured her that Jenson realized how unprofessional his behavior was.

If it was just stress, then he must've been dealing with a lot. And not just from work. Perhaps some relationship troubles with his fiancée added to his stress?

"Not your problem so mind your own business..." Jessi mentally scolded herself. In any case, giving him the benefit of the doubt would be best. Hopefully he wouldn't do something that violent to anyone ever again. It could seriously damage his career, particularly his wholesome image.

"Thanks. Again." He smiled while she prepped the foundation she would use on him.

"No problem."

"Okay."

"Just promise not to lose your shit like that again. Seriously. You scared me," she murmured with a half-meant grin, loving how his hair smelled like menthol and green apples.

"I know. Sorry."

"Couldn't focus all day, honestly."

"Sorry." Jenson sighed and caressed her arm. He didn't touch the bare skin past the sleeve of her blouse, though.

Her breath caught, but she tried not to react. Was it merely a friendly, comforting gesture?

Maybe Zach wasn't just being nice when he said Jenson was easy to get along with, like Darren.

"Won't happen again." With his finger, Jenson drew a small cross on his chest.

Jessi nodded and chuckled at his gesture. "Good."

"Sorry it freaked you out."

"I'm fine." She put some foundation on his smooth forehead. "I'm just glad you and Darren are cool now."

"Yeah. Same."

"Good to know." She fought off another smile when he kept staring at her with a squint that narrowed his striking, deep-set eyes.

"If you don't like sandwiches, what do you usually eat for breakfast?"

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