Broken Inside

20 - The Unexpected Visitor

That night, Alex stepped into Zack's studio for the first time. She brought along two boxes of pizza and two bottles of cold beer. The door was ajar so she let herself in.

In terms of size, Zack's studio was identical to Raj's loft. He only had the one floor and every few feet, there was a sculpture. Alex could see that he worked a lot with metals and glasses. In the middle of the room, hanging from a metal cage, was an installation of coloured glasses hanging on clear threads. The way it was moving and reflecting the lights were mesmerising. 

Alex found Zack at the back of the studio. Once again, he had no shirt on. He had his back turned to her. He was working on a thick piece of metal, trying to bend it to shape. He was grunting and Alex could see his back muscles pulling and contracting from the effort.

Alex cleared her throat and Zack turned around with a deep frown on his face. He straightened up to face her. He was panting and red in the face. Beads of sweat were rolling down his chiseled body. 

"Is this a bad time?" Alex asked.

Zack exhaled deeply and took off his thick work gloves. He tossed it aside and turned to Alex. "No, not at all. I was just about to take a break."

Later, they were sitting outside Zack's studio, sipping their beers and resting their belly full of pizzas. Zack had put on a shirt. Alex was stargazing when Zack asked her, "So is this just pizza or is there more to it?"

She sighed at the sky and replied, "It's just pizza."

Zack took a sip of his beer and said, "Admit it, you like me now."

Alex gave him an incredulous look and he flashed her a lopsided grin. Alex shrugged and said, "I find you less annoying."

Zack chuckled and drank some more beer.

"So, I didn't see a bedroom in there," Alex commented.

Zack licked his lips and grinned flirtatiously. "We don't need a bed, sweetheart."

Alex groaned loudly in frustration and turned fully towards him. "Is it possible for you to be real for 10 minutes? If you can, I think we can be friends."

Zack laughed heartily, with his hand on his chest. He grinned at her and said, "I have a futon at the back if I need to sleep here."

"But you don't live here?"

He drank his beer and shook his head. "I have an apartment uptown." Alex nodded and she leaned back in her chair. Zack clicked his tongue and asked her, "What do you do for a living?"

Alex glanced at him and sighed deeply. "I put on nice clothes and pose for pictures."

Zack grinned wider. "You're a model?"

"Yup," Alex said and took a long swig of her beer.

"You don't like your job?" he asked curiously.

"It's okay, I guess," Alex replied. "It pays the bill and I get to travel. I'll be doing overseas jobs soon."

"So if you're not a model, what would you be doing?"

Alex pondered his question. "Honestly, I don't know. I've never planned my life. I didn't plan to be a model. I didn't think I was pretty enough."

"That's crazy!" Zack exclaimed, "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

Alex chuckled and rolled her eyes at him. "Sure."

"Alex, you are."

Alex looked at him and from his expression, she could see that he was being deadly serious. "Thanks," she said and looked away.