Beautiful Boy V
The time had finally arrived that Phil could leave his shitty job at the pizzeria and start doing what he had all along come to do in New York. He checked himself into the agency on Monday morning, they apologized to him for the whole job matter taking so long, and soon he had his own desk by a nice big window and a wad of papers to be looked at. They had also thankfully assigned him with a mentor so that Phil had someone who he could ask help from when he began entering the stranger tides of PR-managing.
The first day was rough to put it short. As it always is with new jobs but this was a career choice that Phil had been looking forward to beginning for such a long time that nothing could dampen his mood today as he could finally start at it. Also the work atmosphere was just fine, people were being nice to him, letting him know how things worked around the place and where he could get really good, inexpensive lunch and âthe greatest dark coffee you will ever taste, none of that Starbucksâ shitâ during lunch break.
Even though it was raining when he got home back from work, he was smiling as he entered the door.
Dan was already home through it was just four pm and he had said he wouldnât be home until six. He seemed to be fixing dinner already though and Phil was starving so definitely didnât mind the change of events. Besides, he had much to tell Dan about his new job. Sometimes gushing just came very natural to him.
âEvening, mâlady! Howâs the dinner going?â Phil joked as he sat himself on the barstool to watch as Dan fried some vegetables on the pan. He turned around to look at him and smiled.
âWell evening, sir. The dinnerâs coming along just fine. You just sit tight and wait, Iâve got a nice big juicy tofu stake waiting for on the panâ, Dan retorted and laughed as he leaned on the counter to face him properly.
âHow did your first day at work go?â he asked now more seriously and Phil straightened up a bit and took off his coat.
âWell, as they usually do. There was a lot of messing about and figuring things out but I did eventually get the hang of a few things. I called even one model agency who had been looking to get a PR-guy to work for them specifically. Even though Iâm new, Iâm also pretty much the only available one there who isnât already drowned in management workloads, so they didnât seem all that bothered by the fact that I had just got there. I mean, Iâve done PR-work before too anyway, so it isnât like Iâve never done it before. I know how these things go. Itâs just the new work place that can be pretty confusing at first to get a grip ofâ, Phil told Dan.
âWell, thatâs to be expected. But by the sounds of it, it seems like youâre getting along very well already. What model agency was it then? Maybe Iâll know themâ, Dan asked while getting back to the food frying on the pan and started stirring it before it burned.
âUh, a company named Avalanche Models if I remember correctlyâ, Phil mused rubbing his chin between his fingers in thought.
Dan halted.
âWhat is it?â Phil asked confused and a bit worried since Dan looked kind of startled.
âUh, um, itâs just that, thatâs the company I work forâ, Dan said with a slightly strained voice. âOh. Whatâs wrong with that?â Phil still didnât quite understand.
âWhy did they want to contact you today?â Dan asked instead continuing to stand rather still which unnerved Phil quite some.
âThey just said that they had a model they thought could use some PR helping. Like that the model wasnât all that social and because they made big bucks out of him, they needed him to keep up his social status but he didnât seem to be able to do that on his own.â
Dan stayed silent for a while before eventually starting to stir the vegetables on the pan again and focused his gaze on that.
âRightâ, he just mumbled and then just went to the fridge to get the tofu. Phil wasnât all that sure on how to react to the previous discussion but it didnât seem like Dan really wanted to continue so Phil just decided to drop it in favour of a nicer evening.
âWell, how did your day go? Werenât you supposed to be at home by six actually?â Phil asked is pure curiousness.
âOh, it was fine. The shooting just ended a lot sooner than I had expected. The rest of the afternoon had actually been planned as some kind of a social event at an art gallery but Iâm just not into that sort of thing so I just opted to leave instead. It wasnât like they actually needed me there or anything so it was cool. I had done my job and that was it! Besides, itâs not like I would had anything to do there. Iâm really socially awkward and talking to strangers just doesnât come very easily to me.â
Dan huffed out with a shiver clearly running through his spine.
âJust thinking of having to still be at that place, having to walk around alone and try to talk to some weirdos who wear small, round glasses and dress like itâs the 1900th hundreds and give out roses if they really like your work and then to hipsters who wear beanies and sunglasses even inside and belittle you if you donât know a new, indie designer who has only just cut a few dresses out of some metallic-but-not-metal fabric and put them on display at some downtown alleyway, it just makes me want to puke. I hate those sort of places where I donât know anyone but everyone seems to know me and look so expectantly at me like Iâm supposed to know them, too. Then when I donât, they just frown and act offended behind my back and talk shit about me being some stuck-up âbitchâ. Iâm the one who looks down my nose at everyone in their opinion when itâs them who do that to me. I hate the expectations that are put on me just for being a fucking model. Itâs just a job like anything else. It pays the rent. It doesnât mean that I know everything thatâs âinâ right now or whoever the fuck they talk to me about so animatedly. Itâs all sheer nonsense in my ears. All I want to do is stay home all day where no one can judge me constantly, at least not face to face, just by the look of me or by the sound of me. Never do they care for what I actually have to say.â
Phil just watched in bewilderment and then pity as Dan went on about how shitty it all sounded like. Phil didnât really know how to emphasize with that since he has never gone through the same thing but he did know how these events were like. He had been in numerous ones. And even the small gatherings could be a pain in the ass if you werenât into socializing and sipping champagne out of tiny glasses.
But then he realized something.
âDan⊠You wouldnât happen to be the model Avalanche talked to me about earlier today on the phone?â
Dan halted once again but when he moved again, his head just dropped and eyes closed.
âHow did you guessâŠâ
Phil smiled at him sadly. âHey, donât worry. I get it. Youâre on top of the world and everyone wants to see you and meet you but youâre an introvert. I understand that it can be hard and it must be from what I just heard from you now. But you do realize that Iâve just been asked to be your PR-agent?â
Dan turned around to meet Philâs eyes. The brown ones were filled with childlike hopefulness.
âI will never make you do anything you donât want to but when we have to do something, attend a stupid social party or whatever, you will have someone you know right by your side. He might even crack a few lousy puns and jokes about PokĂ©mon while everyone else is gushing about fashionâ, Phil said with grin.
Dan couldnât help but laugh and all of the stress and tension seemed to leave from his shoulder the second he did that.
âGood God, Phil⊠Youâre a lifesaver. Truly. You came to me as an angel disguised in a pizza boyâs attire. I couldnât be happierâ, Dan said and smiled happily.
This took long for me to write it seems. Sorry!
