08

Chapter 08

We exited France's room. Fabian revealed that France was secretly seeing a psychiatrist and undergoing treatment.

I wanted to ask why France was behaving like that, but I found myself gripping my arm and quietly descending the stairs. I followed Fabian.

I didn't feel it was my place to ask further. I was just France's nanny, and I was sure if I needed to know the reason, Fabian wouldn't hesitate to tell me.

"France will be okay, right?" I asked. Fabian sat on the sofa and assured me that France would be fine after waking up.

"He mostly forgets what's happening."

From Fabian's reaction, it didn't seem like the first time. I didn't know if he didn't care, was comfortable, or simply had no choice but to stay calm.

Fabian asked if they could proceed with their scene again.

I paused and asked Fabian if I should still put a barrier. He seemed uncomfortable earlier when we got close.

"No need. Let's try again," Fabian said, approaching me.

"Florencio, we don't need to talk. I don't want to see you again."

I turned away as scripted, but Fabian pulled me back.

"I said let's talk—"

When our bodies touched, Fabian's line was cut off. He held my shoulder and gently pushed me away.

He seemed to be on the verge of passing out. I stepped back and lowered the script.

"Sir, are you okay?"

Fabian stepped back, annoyed, and ran his hand through his hair. I heard him curse and then suddenly slump onto the sofa.

"This is why I dislike these genres."

I had no idea what Fabian was talking about, but I didn't leave and just looked at him, currently hunched over and pulling at his hair.

I glanced at the script and its title. This movie seemed familiar. It looked like an adaptation of a popular Korean drama, and Fabian was cast as the male lead.

I paused because that drama was more on romance. I looked at Fabian. He usually starred in action, mystery, and horror movies.

"Can I know what the problem is?" I asked. I couldn't help him if I didn't know what the problem was, and he was struggling with his lines.

"I blank out, panic when I have physical contact with a woman. We've taken multiple takes for this part."

"My manager hasn't found anyone who can double for me."

I was taken aback after hearing that. Was Fabian serious about that? I coughed to catch Fabian's attention.

"How about we start with holding hands?"

I was curious how someone who was afraid of physical touch ended up in this situation. It seemed unlikely that it was just acting since I couldn't see a reason for it. If that was true and that was the reason he avoided drama movies, it was indeed a big problem.

I reached out my hand, but as soon as he was about to take it, I quickly withdrew, having an idea that—

"Wait? You're not gay, right? Like, maybe you dislike women because—"

"Absolutely not."

He took my hand, and because of the force, I lost balance. I leaned against the sofa's armrest, and we ended up very close. We locked eyes, and after a moment, I saw Fabian grimace. He covered his mouth and pressed against the sofa's armrest.

I maintained a poker face. How did Fabian become an actor like this? Take note, he had won the best actor awards every 5 years.

Now we were in the kitchen, and I handed Fabian a glass of water. He seemed surprised by what happened, as if I suddenly pulled him.

"From now on, eat more nutritious food. I feel like you'll fly away with just a gust of wind," Fabian said after setting down the glass. I maintained a poker face. Was he blaming me for what happened earlier?

I was thrown off balance because he suddenly pulled me.

"Sir Fabian, how do you feel when you touch or are touched by a woman?" I asked. Fabian let out a sigh. I thought he wouldn't answer since he seemed uncomfortable.

"I feel like there's something crawling in my body—from the area they're touching to the end of my fingertips."

I suggested that maybe Fabian wasn't used to a woman's touch and was too nervous.

I reached out my hand to Fabian again. We looked at each other, and within a minute, he released it, almost falling back into his seat.

I was really curious how this could be Fabian Martinez, who I saw on stage yearly and on billboards. How did he survive in the industry if he was afraid of being touched by a woman?

"When is your next shooting?" I asked. Fabian kept his head down while running his hand through his hair.

"Tomorrow's my day off, and we'll resume the day after," Fabian said. I heard Fabian whisper that he needed to finish that movie and maintain his character.

"Help me, Sonia. I have no one else to ask for help. Just you," Fabian pleaded, looking at me. What the heck! How could I refuse that? It was like I suddenly saw France asking for candy.

I touched my forehead. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes tightly.

"Then follow my lead, Sir Fabian. We'll find a way," I said. Fabian's face brightened immediately, and he thanked me.

Now we were in the living room. The coffee table was in the middle, and we were both sitting on the carpet.

Our hands were on the table, and Fabian's phone was on the side.

Fabian's hands started to get cold even before a minute passed. I let go of his hand, and Fabian slumped onto the table. I heard him curse and massage his arm.

"1 minute and 25 seconds," I said after stopping the timer.

"I thought it had been an hour," Fabian whispered, now leaning on the coffee table and staring at my hand on his phone.

I maintained a poker face. How could he think it had been an hour when only a minute had passed, and he seemed about to pass out?

I remembered something and stopped. "When I first acted, I often forgot my lines because all eyes were on me. I felt like my stomach was turning every time the camera rolled."

"What's your favorite subject, Sir Fabian?" I asked. Fabian quickly answered lunch. It seemed like his mind was still flying, and he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

I adjusted my posture and cleared my throat. Fabian seemed embarrassed, scratching his cheek, and answered geometry.

"Then while we're holding hands, think of problems, formulas, and solutions," I said. Fabian looked at me, puzzled.

"I like physics, so when the camera rolls, I go through structures, fundamentals, and composition in my head. Let's try again," I said, reaching for Fabian's hand. He straightened up and hesitantly took my hand.

I handed him the script and started my line. Fabian immediately responded.

It felt like we were just reading the script, and we reached five minutes.

It was interrupted when someone shouted outside. It seemed to be the kid giving out newspapers every morning, and Fabian got distracted.

"Where was I in Euclidean geometry?" Fabian asked, looking at me. He sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Wrong, what's my next line?" Fabian corrected himself. I subtly glanced in the other direction, slightly covering my mouth and suppressing a laugh.

When I felt Fabian's gaze, I innocently looked at him, and he suddenly frowned.

"I'm not laughing at you."