Flirting With Marco

"We've been waiting for an hour! Where is the model?" The director huffed impatiently, glancing at his team. The set had been carefully decorated to match the theme, yet the key figure was nowhere to be seen.

"She'll be here any minute. Please wait a little longer," Lisa's assistant tried to ease the growing tension. Just then, the sharp click of high heels against the floor echoed through the room, drawing everyone's attention.

Lisa walked in—accompanied by someone unexpected. Aryan.

Dressed flawlessly in a stunning ensemble, Aryan carried himself with such confidence and poise that, for a moment, no one doubted his disguise woman. Every movement, every subtle gesture was executed so naturally that it left no room for suspicion.

The crew members stood frozen, jaws practically hitting the floor.

"Apologies for the delay! The traffic was terrible, and I couldn't make it on time." Aryan's voice rang out, smooth and charming. "I'm Arya Chris. I hope we can work together harmoniously." Flashing an endearing smile, he effortlessly won over the entire crew within seconds.

Lisa, too, was caught off guard. She had expected Aryan to struggle a bit, but instead, he was dazzling everyone with his act.

"Give me a moment, I'll change into my costume right away. Madam, could you lead the way?" Aryan's voice broke through Lisa's astonishment.

"Y-yes… Of course…" Lisa stammered, quickly leading him to the dressing room. Once inside, she couldn't contain her curiosity. Clutching his hands, she blurted out, "Aryan, tell me the truth! Have you been secretly taking acting classes?"

A mischievous glint flashed in Aryan's eyes. "When it comes to acting, your son is a professional, mom... You just need to worry about convincing dad for our vacation trip," he said, brimming with confidence.

Moments later, Aryan emerged, draped in an elegant red dress. As soon as the shoot began, he slipped effortlessly into character. Every pose, every expression was spot on, capturing exactly what the director envisioned. His performance was flawless.

By the end of the shoot, after countless costume changes and hours of work, the crew finally called it a wrap. As they prepared to leave, the director himself handed Aryan his card.

"If you ever want to pursue this line of work, give me a call."

Lisa collapsed onto the sofa, utterly exhausted, and glanced at Aryan. "It's a good thing you weren't born a girl. If you were, men would be swarming around you like flies."

Aryan chuckled, leaning back. "What can I say? People just love my face, my body, my cute dimples…" In a confident way, he continues. "If I had been born a woman, I would've had the world at my feet." He smirked, earning a playful smack on the shoulder.

"I'm starving. It's way past lunchtime," Lisa sighed.

Before she could say another word, Aryan grabbed her hand. "Then let's eat!" Without even bothering to change, he dragged her to the nearest restaurant, his confidence as radiant as ever.

Lisa felt awkward, as if all eyes in the restaurant were on them. Meanwhile, Aryan walked confidently, completely unbothered by the attention.

"Quickly, sit here," Aryan said, pulling out a chair for her.

Lisa hesitated, fidgeting as she glanced around. "Mom, relax… Take a deep breath," Aryan instructed. She did as he said. "Better now? Good."

She sighed. "Don't you feel embarrassed walking around in public like this?"

"A little," Aryan admitted with a sly smile, "but it's fun… so I want to keep it up a little longer."

Something about his carefree attitude made Lisa drop her resistance. She shook her head but let it go.

Just as they were about to finish eating, Aryan's eyes landed on a familiar face sitting a few tables ahead. "Marco?" His brows arched in curiosity. Dressed neatly, Marco was deep in conversation with a woman. Aryan smirked. A date, huh?

A mischievous glint flashed in his eyes. Time for some fun.

"I'll be right back," he said, dabbing at his lips before heading to the washroom. When he returned, he had reapplied his makeup flawlessly—ready for the act.

Suddenly, Aryan marched up to Marco and shouted dramatically, "MARCO!"

Heads turned. Marco looked up, startled.

"You… cheater! How can you be so shameless? After everything we had, you're already seeing someone else?!" Aryan's voice trembled with feigned heartbreak.

Marco blinked, stunned. "Are you… talking to me?" He pointed at himself, looking utterly dumbfounded.

"Who else would I be talking to?!" Aryan shrieked, swinging his purse at him. Then, turning to the girl beside Marco, he scoffed, "And you! No shame at all, huh? Flirting with someone else's boyfriend?"

The girl gasped, her expression turning from confusion to fury.

"You scumbag!" she snapped, slapping Marco across the face before storming out.

"Hey, Nia—uh, Sia? Samaria?! Listen, wait—!" Marco scrambled for the right name, but his guessing only seemed to enrage her more.

Lisa, watching the scene unfold, nearly buried herself behind the menu card. What the hell is he doing? Poor Marco…

Marco rubbed his cheek, still processing what had just happened. "Excuse me, miss… I think you've got the wrong person. I don't even know you. There's no way I'd forget a face as beautiful as yours." His voice softened at the last part.

Aryan gasped theatrically. "How dare you forget our time together?! We even shared a room! When you were starving, I gave you food! When you had no clothes, I gave you mine!"

Marco squinted at him, brain working overtime to recall anything remotely close to this.

"And when you stole my cake," Aryan added, voice dropping into a deadly whisper, "I smashed your right eye and gave you a black eye."

"Huh!" Marco's eyes widened. He leaned in, staring hard. Then it clicked. "Aryan?!"

A wide smile spread across Aryan's face the moment Marco uttered his name.

"You bas—" Marco caught himself just in time, swallowing the curse as he noticed Lisa watching them. Clearing his throat, he quickly switched gears. "Hi, Aunt Lisa…" he greeted politely.

Lisa sighed, casting Marco an apologetic glance as if silently saying I'm sorry for my son's antics. But before she could dwell on it, her phone rang. She answered the call, then handed Aryan a black card before leaving for her shop.

Aryan grabbed the ice cream Marco had ordered and strolled outside, Marco trailing behind.

"What the hell is with this makeover?" Marco asked, rubbing his cheek where he had been slapped earlier.

Aryan smirked, licking his ice cream before explaining the situation. Marco listened, then sighed. "So, aren't you going to change back now?"

"You know how much this makeover cost?" Aryan raised a brow.

Marco scoffed. "So, what? You're just gonna walk around like that all day?"

"Yep. And I'm planning to do something I've never done before." Aryan's eyes gleamed mischievously.

Marco narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"Dating."

"Really? You think you can make anyone's heart race just by cross-dressing?" Marco challenged, crossing his arms with a smirk.

Before he could react, Aryan suddenly slammed him against the wall—smooth, confident, dangerously close. Their faces were inches apart, their breaths mingling.

Aryan's fingers brushed against Marco's lips, tracing them slowly, teasingly. His touch was light, yet it sent a jolt through Marco's entire body.

Marco's smirk vanished. His heart pounded violently against his ribs, betraying him.

Aryan leaned in even closer, his voice a sultry whisper. "If I come any closer… your heart might just explode. Try calming it down."

Marco swallowed hard. Shit.