Work Text:
“Excuse me? Hello?” I looked up to see all six feet three inches of Brazilian model Mateo Rios standing in front of me. I almost had a heart attack. He was hotter in person than I expected him to be. He had just been hired with Calvin Klein for their new spring line and he was already my role model. We both came from poverty and broken homes. I saw his success and I hoped that it could be me one day. Being a male model for them had been my dream since I knew what fashion was.
“H-hi.” I mentally punched myself for stumbling over my words.
“I will like to buy these.” He said in broken English. I had never heard him speak before but instantly fell in love with his perfect accent.
“Yeah sure.” I looked at the pile of clothes he put on the counter. There were a lot of clothes that I would buy for my own wardrobe. I started scanning everything taking deep breaths to calm my nerves and shaking hands. “This is my favorite shirt in the whole store.” I held up the white and red baseball t-shirt with the logo for Topman on it. It was vintage and modern looking at the same time and I loved it.
“Me too.” He grinned. “I had to get it.”
“You have a good eye.”
“You as well.”
“So your total is $365.54.”
“Yes here is my card.” He handed me the card and I scanned it for him. I could feel him watching my every move.
“Receipt in the bag okay?” I asked once the transaction went through.
“Yes that is fine.”
“You have a nice day.” I handed him the two bags.
“Thank you. You have a nice day too.” I watched him walk out of the store. He turned to look back at me after a few steps and our eyes met. He gave me a lopsided smile and left the store. I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding. I was starstruck.
Working at The Grove in Los Angeles had to be the best job in my life. The pay was nice, it was close to my tiny apartment, and all of the famous people shopped there. Especially at TopShop and TopMan where I worked. I had met Tyler Oakley, half of One Direction, Emma Stone, Taylor Swift, all of the Kardashians and countless other celebrities in the two years I have worked here. Even after meeting all of those celebrities nothing compared to meeting Mateo. I knew I would remember this day forever.
The next day I went on a coffee run for my coworkers and I. My hands were full with drink carriers so opening the door was a challenge for me. I finally got the door open and turned only to be immediately covered in all the coffee drinks I just bought. I got ready to yell at whoever spilled everything on me but froze when I saw Mateo standing in front of me.
“I am so sorry! Are you okay? It has not burned you?” He looked genuinely concerned.
“No I'm okay.” All of my anger faded.
“I am so sorry. I have stained your white shirt.” He gestured to the coffee all down the front.
“It's okay really. I picked the wrong day to wear white."
“You are the one from the Topman?”
“Yeah that's me we met yesterday.”
“Yes Cory.” My name sounded beautiful in his accent. “I will buy a new shirt for you. The one you like that I bought yesterday.”
“No no don't worry about it.”
“I insist, please or you will look like coffee all day at work.” He laughed.
“Okay.” I agreed. He said something in Portuguese to the woman he was with. They kissed cheeks and she strutted off to do more shopping. “I have to replace these drinks first. If I come back to work empty handed I swear they’ll fire me.” I joked. He nodded. We waited while the barista remade the drinks that spilled. Once all the drinks were ready we each grabbed a drink tray and walked back to Topshop together.
“I am sorry I have never introduced myself. My name is Mateo.” He reached out a hand to me. We shook hands and I almost melted.
“Yeah I know you. You're the new Calvin Klein model.”
“Yes I am.” He smiled shyly.
“That's my dream. Although I'm not tall or handsome or anything like that. I don’t know if I will be able to.”
“You are tall enough and very handsome. That will get you a long way.” He smiled and I blushed. “Although modeling is tough. You have to give your life to it.”
“I’m more than willing to give my life to modeling.” I insisted.
“You will do fine then.”
“You think so?”
“Most definitely. If you want I can talk to my manager about getting you an audition.”
“No way I could never ask for that. No one would take me seriously.”
“These days it isn’t about how good you are but who you know and-”
“I know I know. It’s just a moral thing for me.” I shrugged. “If it isn’t meant to be for me it won’t happen.” He stopped dead in his tracks.
“You would rather not be a model than use my insight to help you get a career?” He asked.
“Oh yeah, any day.”
“Wow...”
“You’re judging me.” I rolled my eyes and started walking again.
“ Not at all.” He caught up to me. “I am impressed. Since I became a Calvin Klein model so many people in my life have used me for the money or the fame. I offered to help and you don’t want this. I respect you for it.”
“Thank you. And I’m sorry people use you.”
“It’s okay.” He shrugged. “This comes with the job. I wanted it so i can deal with what it comes with.”
“Good point.” We were quiet the rest of the walk back to Topshop. Mateo helped me deliver the drinks to our staff room and then he bought me a new shirt.
“Well I should get back to Amélia she will be wondering where I am.” He told me. I assumed that was the woman he was at Starbucks with.
“Okay yeah. Thank you for the shirt.”
“No problem I did ruin your other one.” He chuckled.
“Good point. But anyways it was good to see you again, even under the circumstances. Thanks for the words of advice about modeling.”
“My pleasure. I will be front row at your first show.”
“I’ll reserve you a seat.” I told him. He nodded and left the store.
After seeing Mateo two days in a row I was pretty disappointed when I didn’t see him again for three weeks. I followed his Instagram and saw that he was still in Los Angeles which kept my hope alive. I figured that I would see him again eventually.
“Cory.” I looked up as I finished folding a pair of pants to see that Mateo was walking towards me. My heart raced as I thought about seeing him again for the first time in weeks I tried to play it cool.
“Hey you're back! Can I help you find something?”
“No no I'm just shopping for my friend I wanted to stop by to see if you were working.” His English was getting better but thankfully his accent stayed.
“Yeah i’m pretty much always here.”
“That’s good at least I know I have a friendly face here.”
“Of course it’s good to see you.” We stood awkwardly for a few seconds, unsure of what to say. “I can give you my number if you want? You can text me if you ever want to do something.”
“Yeah!” His face lit up. “I would like that.” He took out his phone and I gave him my number.
“You can text me or call whenever.”
“Okay I will. I should go i have to catch up with my friends. I'll let you get back to work.”
“Okay.”
“I am sure that we will see each other soon.” He joked.
“Looking forward to it.” I mentally punched myself for sounding so eager.
“Me too.” He beamed at me and then turned to leave the store.
On my off days my favorite past time was to go to the beach. Even if none of my friends came with me I still had fun laying on the sand and listening to music. I was relaxing watching the waves when a soccer ball rolled over to me. I looked around for who it belonged to and saw Mateo walking towards me.
“Cory?”
“Hey! It’s good to see you.” I got up to hug him. He kissed both of my cheeks. I tried to hide the way it made me blush.
“Good to see you too. You look well!”
“Thanks yeah I feel really good you know.”
“Do you play ball? We need another player for my friend’s team.”
“I'm okay at it.”
“Well come on then.” His friends only spoke Portuguese but we managed to communicate perfectly through body language. I got the ball and was headed for the goal when Mateo swiped the ball from me. I tripped and somehow took him down with me. He landed right on top of me.
“Are you alright?” He looked down at me.
“Y-yeah…”
“Good.” I saw his eyes look at my lips before he got to his feet and pulled me up with him. His friends catcalled and said things in Portuguese. He yelled back and gave one of them the finger. “Let's get back to the game shall we?” He grinned at me.
The next day the photo of him on top of me was all over the internet. I was getting phone calls and text messages from people asking me if I was dating Mateo and how cute of a couple we were. I got tired of responding to the messages so I turned my phone on airplane mode and went to the gym to blow off steam. As was leaving I was suddenly ambushed by paparazzi.
“Cory Cory! Over here!”
“Cory! What can you tell us about Mateo?”
“Where did you two meet?”
“How long have you been dating?”
“Are you using him for a contract?” They cornered me and I could feel my claustrophobia creeping up on me.
“Leave me alone I don’t want to talk.” I tried pushing past them but they wouldn’t let him.
“Is it true you broke up his relationship with Amélia?”
“Move.” I could see a guy in a suit making his way through the group of paparazzi. “Cory come with me.”
“Who are you?”
“Just come with me.” I grabbed his arm and he pulled me through the crowd. “Cory won't be answering questions back off.” He parted the sea of paparazzi easily and lead me to a Cadillac Escalade. The door opened and I saw Mateo.
“Get in we will take you home.”
“It's not far from here I can walk.”
“Yes but they will follow you.” He motioned to the paparazzi still snapping pictures of us.
“Fine.” I got in the Cadillac. I told his driver where my apartment was and he pulled out of the parking space.
“How did you find me?” I asked Mateo.
“I saw you on my way out. I go to this gym too. The apartment I’m staying at is a few blocks away. I come here for the weight training they have-”
“Multiple Smith machines.” We said at the same time.
“Yes exactly!” He beamed at me.
“That's why I go there too.”
“Great minds think alike.” He laughed.
“Why didn't you come say hi if you saw me?”
“My manager doesn't want me to be seen with you anymore.” He told me.
“Why not? It's not like we try to meet up it just happens.”
“The media believes we are dating.”
“Because we run into each other every now and then and end up talking?”
“Yes talking is marriage for the media. I think after that picture of us on the beach blew up everyone is convinced. I'm supposed to be with Amélia for publicity.”
“So what do we do?”
“My manager suggests we stay away from each other.”
“Oh… yeah that seems for the best.”
“But this isn't what I want.”
“What do you want?”
“I believe us meeting constantly is more than a coincidence. Fate brings us together every time so I do not want to fight it. I would love to take you on a date.”
“I would love to go.”
“Tomorrow night? We can run into each other at Mixt about 8:00?”
“That's my favorite place how did you know?”
“I may have seen you there before.”
“Right the whole having the same mind thing.”
“Exactly.” We pulled up in front of my apartment complex.
“Well… I'll see you later thanks for the ride.” I grinned at him.
“Anytime. I will see you tomorrow at 8?”
“Yes of course.”
“Great.” Now the media will have reasons to take pictures of us.