A book signing with his mother. How boring. Leon sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day, then forced himself to smile. Keeping up appearances was important, after all; right now, he had to be the handsome and young model Leon, and Leon the helpful and kind son. Not the Leon who laughed at memes and taught his best friend Chinese swear words. Those were his different personas. And right now, he had to greet people while his mother signed books.
It was a great method to draw people in. Some people just wanted to see the world-famous chef Chun-Yan, while others were there to see her model son. It was boring and exhausting, talking to strangers for hours, but at least he got money and fame. He would have loved a little rest after finishing the earlier photoshoot, but celebrityhood didn't wait for anyone.
~♡~
After getting their suitcases and everything to the hotel room, it was time to explore. Emil wanted to go around alone, but his parents would not let him, as they wanted him to be safe. So, of course, they sent Lovise to go with him.
It was the worst. He had to follow her around inside was felt like a thousand clothing stores. As they were walking down the streets, Emil's sister spotted a poster. Well, it wasn't really a poster, more like a billboard. A book signing was happening. Chun-Yan, the celebrity chef known everywhere, and her son, a model named Leon. Emil held back a laugh as he imagined the Leon he knew as a model.
Lovise looked over at Emil. She seemed excited, even if she didn't show it a lot.
"Emil, vi må gå inn dit", she told him, a spark of energy glistening in her dark blue eyes. "Jeg er en stor fan av Leon. Jeg må møte ham og få autografen hans." ("Emil, we have to go in there. I am a big fan of Leon. I have to meet him and get his autograph.")
Emil sighed, but agreed. After all, he kind of wanted to see Chun-Yan. He didn't know much about the chef, but at least he could tell people he had met a famous person. And Lovise looked so happy, even he couldn't bring his bitter self to take that joy away from her.
The place was crowded. They could barely make their way through the people and the chaos. And they were all talking.
"I'm definitely going to get a headache", Emil thought bitterly. Lovise didn't really seem to care about the sound. Well, Lovise didn't really seem to care about anything at all. Except her fashion magazines, maybe.
After about an hour of waiting, they were almost by the model guy. Emil checked his phone for the tenth time. Still no answer from Leon. He noticed his sister step forward and start talking, asking for an autograph and a photo. A weirdly familiar voice answered her. Emil looked up from his phone, at the model. The guy turned to him and their eyes met.
And time stopped.
