Chapter 5: A Game of Shadows

The next day, Laura arrived at the rehearsal space with renewed purpose. She was determined to convince Clyde to join them. Not because she was obsessed with him, but because there was something about him she couldn’t ignore—a sense of importance that tugged at her gut like an invisible thread.

Inside, the group was already bustling with energy. Colorful swatches of fabric lay strewn across tables, and the air was thick with the sweet scent of freshly brewed coffee.

Samantha, the show’s lead designer, looked up as Laura entered. “Laura! You’re just in time. We’re finalizing the list of models today. We need someone who can close the show with impact.”

Laura nodded, her thoughts already elsewhere. “I know exactly who we need,” she said, her voice calm and confident.

Samantha raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Who?”

“Clyde,” Laura said simply.

A murmur rippled through the group. Samantha exchanged a skeptical glance with Jin, the group’s stylist.

“Clyde?” Jin said, frowning. “Isn’t he that quiet kid from middle school? Are you sure he’d even agree to it?”

Laura nodded, unwavering. “I’ll convince him. Trust me.”

She found Clyde again, seated at the edge of the rehearsal hall, leafing through a sketchbook with an air of disinterest. His dark eyes flicked up as she approached, but he didn’t move.

“Clyde,” she said softly. “I know you said no before, but I really think you’d be perfect for the final walk. Will you at least hear me out?”

He didn’t speak, simply watching her with a calm intensity that made her shiver. Then he closed the sketchbook and leaned back, his posture deceptively casual.

“Why do you want me to join so badly?” he asked, his tone low and almost lazy. But Laura could sense the sharpness beneath it—a blade hidden in silk.

She swallowed. “Because you’re… different. You have a presence that no one else here has. And I think that’s exactly what our show needs.”

A small, almost imperceptible smile curved his lips. “So you’re saying I’m… special.”

Laura hesitated, caught off-guard by his choice of words. “I… I suppose so,” she said quietly. “But it’s not just that. I want to be friends with you.”

Clyde tilted his head slightly, regarding her with cool amusement. “You want to be friends with me?” His voice was soft, but there was something in it—a mocking curiosity.

She nodded. “Yes. You’re interesting, and I think we’d get along.”

He studied her for a moment longer, then slowly rose to his feet. His movements were fluid, deliberate—almost too controlled for a boy his age.

“Alright,” he said finally. “I’ll join your show. But on one condition.”

Laura blinked. “Condition?”

His gaze held hers, unblinking. “I want to know why you’re so interested in being my friend, Laura.”

The way he said her name sent a chill down her spine. It was calm and measured, but there was an undercurrent of something else—a quiet possessiveness that Laura couldn’t quite place.

Later that day, as the group gathered to review the final line-up, Laura announced his decision.

“Clyde agreed,” she said, and her calm tone masked the flutter in her chest. “He’ll be our closing model.”

Samantha’s eyes widened in surprise. “You actually got him to agree? Wow. What did you say to him?”

Laura hesitated. “I just… told him the truth.”

Jin gave her a curious look. “You’re full of surprises, Laura. But if he’s willing to walk for us, that’s all that matters.”

As rehearsals began, Laura couldn’t help but watch Clyde carefully. He moved with a quiet grace, his posture always relaxed—yet his eyes never stopped moving, observing everything. It was as if he were reading every person in the room, weighing their worth in silence.

And though he seemed disinterested, Laura could feel it—he was watching her most of all.

Deep down, Laura knew this was just the beginning. Clyde had agreed to participate, but not out of any genuine interest in the fashion show. He was testing her, peeling back the layers of her intentions like a cat playing with a mouse.

She could sense it in every glance, every faint smile he directed her way.

But Laura wasn’t afraid. She wasn’t obsessed with Clyde—she was determined to find out more about him and see how he fit into the story she had once read. A story that was now unfolding in front of her eyes, full of unexpected twists. Maybe she could even steer it in a better direction, if she tried.

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