Chapter 7 – Is it... too short?
Celeste stepped into the small dressing room, closing the door behind her.
The uniform sat neatly on the chair—crisp white blouse, pleated navy skirt, and a bright red ribbon.
It looked cute at first glance… until she unfolded it.
This is definitely XS, she thought, holding the skirt up against her hips.
It looked like it barely covered anything.
Her eyes widened slightly. Did he seriously think this would fit?
Changing was slow. She hesitated with every step—removing her hoodie, kicking off her shorts, tugging the tiny skirt on gently like it might rip. It stopped high—very high. One wrong move and it’d flash everything.
The blouse was worse. The fabric was soft and light, and once buttoned, it clung tightly to her chest, outlining her lavender bra almost too clearly.
She frowned, trying to adjust it, then gave up. There wasn’t much to adjust.
She glanced at herself in the full-length mirror—blouse a little too tight, skirt far too short, and the ribbon bouncing slightly with her breath.
Okay. This is… a look.
With a deep breath, she stepped out.
He was fiddling with his tripod, back turned. “All good?”
When he turned to face her, his words caught in his throat.
His eyes widened, and for a moment, he just stared. “Whoa.”
She shifted awkwardly, tugging at the hem of the skirt. “Too much?”
He blinked, his mouth working silently for a second. “Uh—no. I mean—yes. I mean… it’s perfect. For the shoot.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Wow.”
Celeste narrowed her eyes slightly. “You’re bad at hiding things, you know.”
“I’m trying,” he muttered, still clearly trying not to stare. “You just look… very in-character.”
“Character from what? A fever dream?” she shot back, deadpan.
He chuckled, embarrassed. “Something like that.”
Still, she walked over and took her spot on the plain white backdrop. She could feel the skirt shift with every step—dangerously high, as if the wrong breeze would expose her panties. And when she moved her arms too much, the blouse pulled up just enough to remind her how thin the fabric really was.
He clicked the first photo. Then another. He seemed to have found some rhythm, though his eyes kept flicking back to her outfit. He couldn’t seem to focus, a hint of something else in his gaze as he adjusted the settings on the camera.
Celeste tried to ignore the strange tension growing between them. She’d never worn something so revealing before, but the shoot itself felt almost too easy. It wasn’t like the conventions. There, people gawked, some even took photos without asking. But here, it was just her and him—and money that she needed. And the privacy, strangely, gave her a sense of security.
He clicked again. She shifted slightly, but the skirt crept up again, and she tugged it back into place, a little flustered.
“Is everything okay?” he asked, voice tinged with something she couldn’t quite place.
“Yeah. Just trying to not flash you,” she muttered, her voice a little tight.
He chuckled, but his face remained unreadable, still caught up in the delicate balance of trying not to act too interested. The fact that this was a shoot, and not a… well, whatever else it could be, was slipping further away with each photo.
The atmosphere had shifted. Even though everything about the shoot was still professional, the tension between them was undeniable. His interest in her was too obvious to ignore, even if he pretended otherwise.
Then the shoot ended. Just 30 minutes, as promised. She stepped out of the spotlight and grabbed her hoodie from the chair.
"All good?" he asked, trying to maintain a calm demeanor, but there was a certain twitch in his expression that gave him away.
“Yeah. That was actually… easier than I thought.”
He nodded. “You were great. Like, really. I’ll send the payment now.”
She nodded but didn’t speak, her eyes darting to the phone on the table. She hadn’t expected it to be so simple, but the payment came through instantly, confirming $250.
“Thanks,” she said, slipping her phone back into her pocket. She quickly changed back into her hoodie, tugging it over her head to hide the lingering tightness of the blouse and the shortness of the skirt.
Just as she was about to leave, the sky outside darkened, and the sound of rain hitting the windows grew loud and sudden.
“Oh, damn,” he muttered. “Heavy rain.”
Celeste glanced out the window. “Great. And my Grab ride is probably going to cost double now.”
“I can imagine,” he replied with a slight frown. "Look, if you want, you can wait here until it stops. I’ve got drinks and snacks."
She glanced at the surge pricing on her phone again. “Yeah, I think I’ll stick around for a bit.”
“I can make you something to drink if you like. I have green tea or Coke… maybe some snacks? Hello Panda?”
She raised an eyebrow, half-laughing at the offer. “Bribing me with snacks?”
“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” he said, laughing nervously.
She sighed, glancing back out at the pouring rain. "Alright, fine, but only because I don’t want to pay double just to get home."
He grinned, gesturing for her to sit down on the couch. "I’ll grab the drinks. You can wait here until the rain dies down."
The two of them sat in the quiet living room, the storm outside still going strong, washing the world in grey.
Celeste wrapped her fingers around the cold can he’d handed her, watching the rain blur the windows. Her bag was by the door, her phone still buzzing with notifications from the Grab app.
She exhaled, not quite a sigh. “Guess I’m stuck here a bit longer.”
He nodded. “Yeah… sorry. Didn’t think it’d pour like this.”
She glanced at him, then back at the storm. “It’s fine,” she said quietly. “Honestly… it’s kinda nice.”
No pressure. No awkward small talk. Just the rain, and a quiet place to sit.
And for now, that was enough.
[To be continued.]