Free Fall (boyxboy)

Chapter Five

Bowl in hand and hair damp from my shower, I collapsed on the sofa in my living room later that night. It was eight o'clock and my dinner had been delivered just as I was coming out of the bathroom.

The change in routine had thrown me for a loop. This was my first time using the amenities in my new house and I'd almost been nervous to do so, wanting to preserve the purity of this new chapter of my life for as long as I could.

In London, my apartment had been an upscale bachelor pad that I was in and out of, only sleeping there on a good day. Now that I was back in the States, that apartment was nothing compared to the luxury of my first real home. I'd never needed fancy things, just comfort.

Now, showered and make-up free with my hair freshly tousled, I was ready to kick back and allow myself to explore the space. The TV was already on and playing some French romance film. I flipped channels, sifting through an assortment of game shows before settling on Chicago P.D.

Five mouthfuls into my stir fry, my phone buzzed beside my knee. Glancing at it briefly, I ignored the device when I saw it was another text message. They'd been coming in all day from people who were excited I was back in town and wanted to catch up. Work had kept me from replying but I realised now that I wasn't quite ready to jump in all at once.

It sounded selfish but the constant stream of people contacting me was overwhelming. My plan had been to ease back into my life in California. Leaving London was hard enough. The tumultuous lifestyle of the past four years had taught me that I needed to keep my health a top priority, even if it meant delayed responses to messages sometimes.

I'd been seeing a therapist twice a week for the past few years. Now that I was back in Los Angeles, my file had been sent over from London to a new office I was yet to book an appointment for. The meetings had been useful in teaching me not to let myself get overwhelmed but I was still only scratching the surface when it came to self-healing.

That being said, I wasn't completely heartless. I sent a quick message out on a chain announcing I would respond in more detail tomorrow. Just before I could turn my phone off, it chimed with an email notification.

My time spent in therapy had taught me to block out the outside world when I needed a moment to ground myself. Normally I would've followed my own rules but this one was from Claire and the subject line intrigued me.

KENDALL ROSE. NEW RECRUIT. READ THIS!!!

I laughed softly out loud. It was typical Claire to be up at this hour and demanding I respond immediately to whatever she'd sent me. For a company Director, she still got excited over the small details of the job. It was wholesome and refreshing.

Opening my inbox, I tapped on the email and skimmed over its contents. The subject line had only been the beginning.

Inside the body of the email was a model profile. It wasn't my job to scout talent - that was already taken care of by the time they reached me - but Claire clearly wanted me to see this man's portfolio. For good reason too.