LOVE TO HATE YOU

(NEW) A SILENCE BEFORE THE STORM...

I rushed over to one of the SUV's, climbed in and closed the door. I peered out the window and watched as a loud, lively debate looked like it had broken out. Everyone seemed to have an opinion, arms flapping, heads being held, fingers pointed and every now and again everyone would stop talking and look over at me in the car.

Then suddenly stillness and silence. A silence before the storm? The crowd dispersed slowly, and like Mosses and the red sea, Ben strode out of the middle of it and started walking towards the car. My stomach plunged. I was getting a very bad feeling about this. Very.

"No! NO! No!" I mouthed through the window locking the door as Ben got closer and closer. I sat back in the chair and folded my arms defiantly.

"Sera." Ben was trying to open the car door. "Please open the door."

"No." I turned to him, arms still folded tightly over my body. "You people are all mad. I told you I didn't want to come on this shoot."

"Please. Just open the door." He pushed his face all the way up to the window and looked at me with a pair of sad eyes... God those eyes were dangerous. They caused sensible women to do very stupid things... like unlocking the car door. Ben pulled it open and climbed in. I shuffled away from him quickly.

"So it seems that Giovanni will not do the shoot unless you are his "stick", Ben gestured air commas.

"Mm-hmm." I mumbled.

" And the thing is, that we have to do this shoot and we have to finish it now, we can't come back and re shoot it, we can't get another model and we need to use Giovanni."

I turned and looked at Ben. "So what are you saying? That you want me to be his fucking stick?"

"We need you to be his stick. Even the client agrees. And you looked so, so, incredibly beautiful in that shot he took. Everyone thinks so, not just me."

My face flushed red and I touched my hot cheeks. "This has got to be some sort of joke."

"No joke." Ben reached out a hand and placed it on my knee, I flinched at his touch. "Please. I know I probably have no right to ask you this, but I really, really need you to do this. You would be saving me. You'd be saving everyone on this shoot."

I looked up at Ben and he had a quiet desperation in his eyes, I almost felt sorry for him. His eyes pleaded with me. I hung my head and shook it.

"But I'm not a bloody model. I have no idea how to pose and look into the camera and pretend that I am in no way self conscious about a whole bunch of people staring at me and—"

"That's the point. He doesn't want a model. He wants someone natural. He wants you. Besides, he's already sent Cindy home in a flood of tears so we basically have no one. It's only a few shots, the rest are just close ups of the car."

"That sounds so embarrassing. Everyone will be looking at me." I glanced out the window and the entire crew were now standing in a line looking towards the car, as if they were trying to read our lips.

"It's a paying gig." Ben said. At that I perked up.

"Yeah?"

"We have to pay a cancellation fee for Cindy, and then we would have needed to hire another model for the rest of the day, so you'll get those fees."

"How much?" I looked up at Ben thinking about textbooks and groceries and getting a few nights off in the next month. Suddenly that seemed like something that would go a long way in quelling any anxiety I might have.

"Well, Cindy was being paid $450 an hour. And we'd probably need you for another 3 hours or so."

"What?" I shot up out my seat. $1, 300 would certainly go a long way.

"Fine. I'll do it." I said sliding towards Ben and the door.

"Thanks." Ben looked me in the eye and I felt his hand gently squeeze my leg, "This means a lot to me. I owe you, big time."