Panic Attacks // Ruel // English

Chapter 59

We took a break and I see Joel capture the moment where Ruel starts throwing food in the air and catches it in his mouth again and then starts dancing clumsy on the music. It puts a big smile on my face.

I stare at Ruel for a while and look at his white blouse that is half open.

Yasmine: "Is there a shower here?"  I ask out of the blue.
Coco: "Yes, there was one in the room where Ruel went to change." Coco answers to my question.

I get a grin on my face and walk towards the dressing room.
Yasmine: "Ruel come with me."
Ruel: "What do I need to do?" He asks in surprise.

I push the door open with my side and look into the room. It is a shower, without doors or walls around it, just a back wall. It is a perfect setting. The tiles are white and the sun shines through the small industrial window, exactly where the water will fall. It's cleaner here than I expected.

Yasmine: "You are going to take a shower."
Ruel: "I am not going to take a shower." Ruel says quickly.
Yasmine: "With clothes on, I mean."
He looks over his shoulder to see if someone had followed us but no one is in the room yet.
Ruel: "Only if you also come in the shower with me." He teases me.
I playfully roll my eyes with a grin.
Yasmine: "Maybe some other time, because now if I step into this shower wearing clothes, we will both come out without clothes."
The grin on his face grows even bigger, but then the door opens.  There is Coco.

Yasmine: "Trust me. You're not going to regret it." I try to persuade him. If he really doesn't want to, we won't do this.
Ruel: "Okay, fine." He agrees.

I ask if Coco has an eye pencil for me and when she leaves the room Nate comes in. Ruel takes off his shoes so that they don't get wet later.

Coco comes in jogging and hands me the eye pencil.

I walk up to Ruel and I see his pupils grow.
Yasmine: "Do you want to look at the ceiling?"
Ruel: "Are you going to put that on my eyes?"
Yasmine: "Just do it." I say laughing.
I put my hands on his soft face and send his head so I can reach it. With my palm gently resting on his cheek, I draw a clean line under his eyes. When it's done, Ruel walks to the square mirror on the wall and takes a closer look.

Ruel: "Okay, it's not that bad." He admits.
Yasmine: "You see. I hardly have to wear make-up, but I do know what I am doing."
Ruel looks at me with a smile.

When Ruel has talked to Nate for a moment, he comes back into the room, along with Joel. Coco has sat down on the steel bench that stands along the wall.

Yasmine: "Oh Ruel. By the way, you are gonna take a shower with cold water." I'll tell Ruel as seriously as possible.
Ruel: "You didn't tell me that."
Yasmine: "It makes sense. The steam from the hot water would cover the lens." I tease him and he wants to get me back. But he can't because of the situation we are in. That just makes it better to tease him a bit.

Ruel turns on the tap and waits for a while. He looks at me one more time to make sure and I nod convincingly yes.

Ruel: "If I catch a cold for nothing, then I know where to find you."
Yasmine: "Don't worry. No need for anything. I'm sure the photos will look great. You are one of the best models I have ever worked with." I compliment him.
Ruel: "That's how I get warm. Keep going." He says flirtatiously.
I hear Coco getting very softly enthusiastic behind me. But my cheeks just turn a little redder and I can feel my heart skipping a pulse.

The cold water from the shower seeps into Ruel's white blouse when he stands with his back under it for a moment. But the water doesn't have much time, because Ruel runs out of the shower again. Sissy.