31: The Romantic and the Realist part 3

“Is that appropriate for the audition?” she probed. Her intuition says there’s something inappropriate about it. Not that she doesn’t like Ritch, but there must be something to it that she did that.

“Oh, the agency didn’t require us to do it. Ritch offered to do it with me before entering the audition room. She said if I can handle a kissing scene, then I can face everything in the romantic acting world. She’s a pro, so I took that advice.”

“And you’re naïve for that.”

“How come?”

“You consented immediately to it. But maybe she’s taking advantage of you, and you weren’t aware of it.”

“I don’t think she’s taking advantage of me. This is pure work, Ashmille. I might be uncomfortable doing it at first, but I can be flexible.”

“Too flexible, you let other people command you what to do. It might not cause you trouble, but it can disturb other people.”

“Tell me straight,” he squinted. “Did that scene disturb you?”

She couldn’t look into his eyes. “What are you talking about? Why would I be?”

She didn’t answer and left to get more food. She went back when she saw someone with Drino.

“Ritch, done with your meal? We just started ours.”

Ashmille took a seat and smiled to greet her.

“Apparently, yes. I didn’t eat much because I’m prone to bloating and, of course, I can’t afford to gain weight for the role.” She glanced at Ashmille and her food. “I’d rather stay in shape.”

“Their food is good. Good for you, you managed to resist the temptation.”

“After all, resisting temptation is part of our job as actors.”

“Another piece of advice from you. I suppose I have to control myself starting now, too,” he chuckled.

He’s thinking that now that he’s an actor, he should be more watchful of what and how much he’s eating.

Ashmille then remembered how this woman made Drino practice kissing her.

“Take note of that. See you again, Drino. Have a great night. Adios.”

“Bye,”

Ashmille becomes conscious of the food she’s eating. She just refilled more, but she lost her appetite.

“Eat up. Stop glaring at your food.”

She didn’t answer.

“You’re not eating, huh?” Drino pierced a marbled potato on her plate with his fork and ate it. “Yum”

“Food doesn’t appeal to me right now.”

“Impossible. You were munching your food happily earlier,” he joked. But she remains behaved. “Are you full? Feeling sick? You might have eaten a lot in one go, which can cause indigestion.”

“I don’t want to get fat…”

Drino laughed.

“Is it because of what Ritch said?”

“Don’t involve her.”

“Listen up. You’re not an actress, so eat all you want. You’ll feel better eating what you want than not. Trust me, I can foresee myself feeling bad for restraining myself from eating whatever I want. Use your privilege.”

She pouted. “But I don’t intend to overeat and be unhealthy.”

“I know you won’t. Silly you,” he jested. “We should have no leftovers. We will be charged for it.” He pointed with his spoon to the reminder signage on their table that says: To discourage food waste, excess leftovers will be charged. Please take only what you can finish.

She gulped, grabbed her spoon and fork, and ate again.

“Try this,” he offered a mixed vegetable fritter to her. “It’s good.”

She took a bite and was impressed. “I didn’t see this.”

“It was cooked and served minutes ago. You can have it.”

“You look romantic in that scene. You carried the role you play. It suits you,” she praised him because she thinks he deserves it.

He stared at her. “I am also romantic off-screen.”

Drino blinked his eyes fast, grabbed a glass of fruit juice, and drank it. She just continued eating.

“You were right about what you said with the termination and recording cameras,” he changed the topic.

“What about it?”

“I spoke with my manager. He said they kept it a secret that the director wanted to challenge me to my wits' end, so he trained me to work under pressure. I know he sounds dreadful, but that’s his way of shaping newbie actors. He threatened to terminate me if I didn’t do well in the first scene, but the truth is, he won’t. He has seen me as a potential, but for me to release that hidden gem, he scared me. And the reason why the cameras were rolling during the practice take was that it was an actual recording to be included in the film.”

“I told you.”

“You tend to know everything before everyone does.”

“I’m no fortune teller.”

Drino chuckled. “This would be my last cheat day. Great decision to take you here.”

“There are quite a lot of people. I hope nobody has noticed us except that girl,” she whispered. She was referring to Ritch.

“I know you’re doing it not only for yourself. You also want to protect my career. I’ve got things handled.”

“D-Don’t assume. I don’t want to stir up controversies and provoke your fans. I don’t wish to read the news tomorrow with a headline: Influencer Alejandrino Montezales was seen in a spa buffet with a mysterious girl in a hoodie,” she shook her head, imagining if it would happen.

***

After their spa and buffet date night, they won’t be meeting for a while. Drino will continue working on the short film. He would only contact her if their schedules met for the seventh date.

Ashmille woke up early to get ready for her regular work. She checked her social media account and the messages waiting for her response. Since she followed Drino’s page, she’s now updated on his whereabouts like his fans. His page posts his routine shooting the film. Because of the social media’s algorithm, her feed shows more content about Drino.

She stopped scrolling when a caption captured her attention the most.

Woman in Red Hoodie Spotted on an Intimate Dinner Date with Drino Montezales