The SOCO Files: Beyond the Truth

Bye Love

Maine decided to post her latest SnapChat video. She snickered. Loudly.

Only hours before, around midnight, she briefly passed Chard in the hallway and waved "See ya"  as he left the studio after his photo shoot. She saw his hunched shoulders and the fatigue clouding his usually sparkling eyes. Maine had often looked straight into those eyes -- his intense stare locking her in place, her breathe escaping her, her heart beating a touch faster.  Chard looked so tired, she thought. Really tired.

His eyes instantly flashed alive when he saw her.  She had that overwhelming effect on him -- he had told Maine before but she was not convinced.  In that moment, she no longer doubted.

"Focus girl, focus," she told herself quietly.  "You still have your shoot and you're late," Chard whispered, lightly squeezing her arm.  He pivoted, grasping and re-grasping the door handle and finally shuffling out the door.  "He's so tired," she thought, looking over her shoulder.  She'll catch up with him tomorrow, she decided, and hurried to the dressing room where her glam team waited anxiously for her.  They were setting up and had a long night ahead of them.  Sleep was far from their thoughts but their bodies reminded them, often.

Maine enjoyed these shoots.  She was now living her dream and wouldn't complain, even if she wanted to.  Tonight, technically it was morning already, was different. She worried about Chard.  The shoot felt tedious and although she wasn't into it tonight, she was the consummate professional.  Nobody noticed.

"Pack up na," shouted Liz and they methodically cleaned up.  The team could not help but stare, admire, and laugh as Maine energetically stepped into her recently perfected 'pack up' dance bit.  They were all tired but somehow, Maine always had this infectious attitude, lifting the spirits of those around her.  Shortly, they shuffled out to the parking lot.

They walked Maine to her ride, making sure she was safely inside, where she immediately launched SnapChat as she slumped into the seat. Soon, they said their goodbyes.  

"Bye, Maine," said Chard. He had walked with them to Maine's car, after Maine knocked on his window to wake him.  He  had waited in his van but promptly fell asleep. "You should have driven straight to your place and crashed properly there," she playfully scolded him.  Cupping his cheek with her hand, she had coaxed him to walk with them to her ride.

After taking a few steps away, Chard stopped.  He slowly turned.  Maine watched as he moved toward her, a devilish smile painted on his glistening dimpled face.  The light of the moon reflected off his slightly perspiring forehead and upper lip, and off those dark, sparkling, heart-melting eyes.  Maine's heart skipped then quickened.  She smiled widely as she toggled the down button, sliding the window open. He leaned in just as she raised her face towards him, her lips now slightly parted, anticipating. "Move closer, Chard," she thought.  He heard that, saw it, in her eyes and complied.  He moved even closer, their lips a hair's breadth apart, their breathing momentarily suspended.

She woke up with a jolt as the car went over a speed bump. She had fallen asleep as soon as Chard said good bye and turned away.  Already awake, she reviewed her saved Snaps from earlier.  She always saves them to her phone before posting it to the wild. "They'll get a kick out of that," she thought, snickering loudly as she posted her Snap.

Maine started to login to her SmashDiv Twitter account for another #AskDivina session and changed her mind thinking, "Not now, I'm tired."