Feeling Bloated

It was a horror movie. To Prudence, it was like a prelude to a horror movie. June's grip was not strong, so much that she could easily escape him. However, despite the noon-time sun, she felt like she would be running through a dark alley if ever she dared. She would even back into a dead end and watch the killer's gait as June sauntered to butcher her upon contact.

Snap! Her trance broke when she heard June loudly slurping on the cup. The sudden stimulus woke her up to the real scene of them walking cozily along the streets under the sun. Right, it was supposed to be loud and hot, unlike the cold and dark alleys at night.

Prudence brought her drink to her lips and sipped on the half-water, half-soda. She had long left her drink to be diluted by the ice, so it tasted nothing good at the moment. However, it still served its purpose of hydration. It was not like Prudence was paying attention to its taste as well.

"…?" The girl saw her condominium, but they just walked right past it. She felt like June knew where she lived, but he didn't have the initiative to let her know. That was nothing sick; even her fans knew that she lived in that high-end residential building.

"June, we just missed a turn." She chuckled, moving out of his grip and walking right in front of him to make him stop. The man did, but he didn't chase after her movement. He just spun to face the direction she was taking. "Have you forgotten that I live here?"

"It would be strange if I remembered right off the bat." June kept his mouth on the straw of the empty cup. He just followed her until she got on the steps. "You should get going. A simple burger is not a healthy lunch."

The actress remembered that she hadn't even eaten yet. She only smiled and nodded before jogging up the steps to get to the revolving glass doors of the condominium. The roundness of her buttocks was so easy to map in those jogger pants, but she didn't choose to play with June this time. She was more concerned with making it out of their meeting alive.

When she reached the elevator, she retreated to the back wall and leaned on it. A hand pressed on her chest, and she took successive breaths. "Why did I feel like I was walking next to a murderer?"

…

The sound of squeaking traction shoes and huffing came from all over the place. Working out was a must for those who needed to retain a good shape, despite the bad lifestyle brought by tight schedules during taping hours and endorsement tours. As for promotional tours, June didn't even remember having some of those—well ones that were initiated by Drawn Wings.

Since he had to burn a lot that he was getting from all the eating he had been doing, June chose to engage the elliptical trainer. With music in his ears and Lantis's anti-recognition spell, the actor was pretty much getting his sets done. Moreover, he needed to stave off a few inches off of his waist if he didn't want Lantis to tease him again.

Thinking about that stunt made June remember the kind of electricity Lantis's hands brought him. He couldn't say that it was the first time that he froze, but it was the first time that he felt hot from the movement of that demon's hands. Lantis even deliberately clawed at his love handles just like how…

"Fuck… why am I thinking of that right now…? I'm not even…" June lowered his head and slowed down as he lost focus. He felt his cheeks reddening from the thoughts in his head. "If this is part of your game, you have to stop right now, Lucirien…"

"June? Is that you?"

June closed his eyes. Another one came to recognize him, so it was another acquaintance. He brought his eyes up, trying to rein in the embarrassment and anger that was building up in his chest. It's just that… he was faced with another B-list celebrity. He didn't even instantly recognize her if only her voice didn't match the one in his memory.

Rainy Diaz was even his partner in the last movie he did.

"Hey, Rain. You sure know how to shapeshift to not attract people when you want to." The actor only had to break the ice awkwardly when he noticed that the woman could still see his frustrated gaze. "Don't mind me. I'm just… I feel so bloated…"

"Really? Hee-hee…" She placed her bag down and also set the neighboring elliptical trainer. "You should take it easy if you're new to it. I know a lot of people that drowned for the first few days, but when they started feeling nothing but pain, they would start pushing the other person away. After all, you are supposed to enjoy things like that."

"Excuse me, what are we talking about?" For some reason, June could home into what Rainy was saying, but he didn't know why she would say things like that. After all, he didn't mention anything about what he did that made him feel bloated.

The girl's lips pursed as she readied to put her earphones on as well. A faint blush covered her cheeks as she babbled in her spot to make an excuse. In the end, she just glanced shyly at June. "Sorry, I just… it just feels like you're… oh, my God, how should I say it?"

A long strange noise later—like she was stretching a vowel for as long as she could, she finally cast her embarrassed gaze at his frowning face. "I… I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have assumed that you're in that kind of relationship with him. A lot of people are seeing you with Mr. Castelli, and you're so close that… I believed the rumors."

June slowly blinked. "A lot of people are seeing us?"

He knew for sure that no one was recognizing him whenever he roamed the city with Lantis. Was Lantis's magic not working on everyone else? Well, those who were acquainted with June could recognize him, but the paparazzi shouldn't put him next to Lantis. Was someone spreading truths about them?

"June?" Rainy called him out. "Are you okay? You're freezing."

"Where did you see it? The things…?" June decided to stop moving to accommodate their conversation. "Lantis and I are just friends. No need to connect us that way. Besides, he hadn't been in the city for so long. It's my duty as a friend to tour him around, everywhere he wanted. Don't read into it wrongly."

"Okay…" However, Rainy giggled. When June frowned at her deeper, she patted her cheeks. "Don't think about it too much, either. You're getting really red. Also…"

Rainy leaned closer and whisper in June's direction since she couldn't instantly get next to him. "You should do something about that mister down there. It's not obvious, but girls can notice."

With a wink and an open-mouth smile, Rainy attended to her own set.

'Lucirien, I will kill you…' June lowered his head in shame again, a hand trying to press down whatever was trying to rise.