CROSSING THE WILD WAVES (Familiá Altamirano #2)

CHAPTER 22 🔞

Bon Appetite

    MODELS call time is three in the afternoon. Kahit 6PM sharp pa magsisimula ang show, kailangan nandoon na ang mga modelo dahil aayusan pa sila. It was two in the afternoon when I arrived at the Bench Tower in BGC.

Mabuti na lang, pagdating ko sa backstage ng event hall ay may naabutan na akong modelo. Karamihan sa mga rarampa ay mga sikat na artista. May iilan naman na totoong modelo katulad ko. Ilan sa mga celebrity na makakasama ko ay nakatrabaho ko na dati— print ads, commercials, at local events. I was civil with them, so they were to me.

The make up artist started doing my make-up. Apat kaming modelo na nasa loob ng isang make up room, habang ang ibang modelo— mostly mga celebrities ay nasa mas malaking room.

One of the make-up artists complimented my skin because of its soft texture. Nagpasalamat naman ako saka sinabi sa kanya ang mga ginagamit kong produkto dahil nagtatanong siya. Pagkatapos noon, nagbihis na ako.

I'm now wearing a two-piece black bikini that paired with a rhinestone black micro mini skirt mesh. They straightened my hair even more, then sprayed it with some wet spray to make it look wet. My makeup was bold and sultry which matched my outfit.

Since Croisx has school, I'm not sure if he can watch the show. Dustin wanted to be here, but Ashiro has a fever, so he can't come. Dwight was in Spain for a business trip. Sina Hazel at Duke naman ay parehong abala sa school. My parents can't also come dahil parehong may trabaho.

Hindi nagtagal at nagsimula na ang fashion show. Naunang lumabas ang mga nakababatang modelo bago sumunod ang mga modelong nasa hustong gulang.

I could see the ocean of people on the outside from the backstage where I stood.

When it was my turn, my hands abruptly sweating bullets. This is my first time in a runway fashion show. Walking for a fashion show is every model's dream, which is also my dream.

Despite being nervous, I still walked with confidence and power as I looked at the crowd. Everyone was holding phones, taking videos and pictures of the models.

But in the middle of my walk, my heart went frenzied when I spotted a familiar person in the crowd. He was sitting on the long block alongside the other audience. He is surrounded by different personalities— fans, content creators and many more. May iilang babae ang napapatingin sa gawi niya kahit napakasimple lamang ng suot niya.

All the anxiety I felt earlier disappeared when I saw him.

Croisx face brightened when our eyes met. He frantically raised his phone in my direction, so I assumed that he was taking videos. Nakasunod ang mga mata niya sa bawat hakbang ko. Kahit nalagpasan ko na ang pwesto niya, ramdam ko pa rin ang kanyang tingin.

At least someone is here to support me.

We have a final walk, but this time, the designer will also walk with us. Everyone gave a round of applause when we went out of the backstage. All of the big artist was standing in front of the stage with the designer.

Croisx was watching me with a smile on his face while holding his phone, taking a video. I winked at him, but of course, the audience thought the wink was intentional for a sexy shot for the photos.

"Pretty girl," Croisx mouthed, and the smile I was suppressing finally uncaged.

I bit the inside of my cheeks and looked away. Just like the other models, I waved at the audience with a smile on my face.

Finally, the show was done. Nang makabalik kami sa backstage, everyone wad so hyped up. Even though I wasn't close with some of them, we all became close because of the event. Dumiretso na ako sa wardrobe area para magpalit ng damit.