Chapter 3

I wake up to sunlight pouring into my room. It shines right onto my bed and makes it so warm and cozy.

I don't understand people who like black out blinds. I love it when a space feels light and airy. Waking up before my alarm to sunshine is so simple and yet it has to be up there with my favorite feelings.

I turn over and grab my phone, snuggling up in my lavender colored sheets to bask in the warmth while I scroll. The algorithm isn't cutting it this morning though. So I get up, slipping on a pair of cozy wool thigh highs. I also grab an over sized cardigan to throw on over my silky sleep set.

I softly pad into my little kitchen, flicking on the switch to the pastel green coffee machine. I grab my favorite daisy print mug and set it under the spout. The beautiful snapdragons I bought two days ago are blooming nicely and I bend over to smell them.

This coffee machine was one of my first big purchases when I started to make a little money. It's still by far one of my best. It's a high tech bean to cup that cleans itself when it's done. What more could a girl ask for?

I open my pantry cupboard, realizing that I need to buy groceries. After I root around for a bit, I find a questionable peanut butter breakfast bar. I guess that will have to do.

A vinyl could be nice. I look through my collection, picking out the soothing sounds of Clarissa Raye. Only my hardcore fans would understand the influence that she has on my music. I have a beautiful special edition of her first album, and that's what I decide to put on.

I pour the last drops of my creamer into my mug, grab that and my bar, and make my way out to my balcony. Leaving the door to the balcony open so I can hear Clarissa, I curl up on my little love seat.

Once I am still for a moment though, the previous day replays in my mind. I can't ignore the stream of thoughts pouring through me.

Sebastian Orville is a prime, grade A asshole.

My skin crawls just thinking about his behavior yesterday. Whether or not he wanted to be there, he could have at least tried to be polite!

And what was with the weird growling? I could have let that slide as a weird cultural difference if it weren't for everything else.

Now that I think of it, I don't even think I heard any of the three Monsters speak. What? Was I too beneath them for my ears to be blessed the great sounds of their voices? Fuck that. Who the fuck does a full photo shoot without even speaking?

I rip open the wrapper to my breakfast bar and take a bite, my teeth grinding furiously on the poor peanuts. My mug is trembling under my tight grip.

OK, take a deep breath, Flora. Life is good. You have cozy knits, dreamy music, and comforting coffee. All is good with the world.

It's not long before my thoughts stray back to Sebastian though. I've never felt so small before in my life. That was kind of nice at least.

I feel like I didn't get a good look at his hands, but I bet they were huge. He could probably circle my neck with one of those hands… It didn't matter. I was never going to see him again anyway.

Thankfully, my thoughts are saved by the buzzing of my phone on the kitchen counter. I go back inside, stopping my vinyl and grabbing the offending device.

"Frank? I thought you promised me a day off after yesterday?" I whine, answering the phone.

"I did, I know. Normally I would stick to that, but things have been…" I plop onto my couch, waiting for him to continue. "How did things go at the photo shoot yesterday? Were the other side's team agreeable?"

That was a switch in tactic if I ever heard one. The thing with Frank is, I do know that he has my best interests at heart, for the most part. The best thing is to humor him.

"It was weird, to be honest." Stroking the fur on the throw draped over my couch, I continue, "They didn't do anything bad, I guess. But they also didn't do anything good either. There were three of them and not a single one spoke a word while I was in the room."

"I don't get it then," he says. "The artist's manager said he was blown away by your chemistry… The label is in an uproar as we speak. Karl, the manager, has been telling everyone he can that you and the artist…"

Karl must have been the gray-skinned man then.

"Sebastian," I fill in for him, unable to keep the disdain from my voice.

"Yes, Sebastian… Well, Karl says that you two hit it off."

What? What room was Karl even standing in? Did his super secret Monster powers allow him to travel to a different dimension or something?

"The label have been looking to follow in Noma's footsteps. To do a big crossover between Monsters and Humans as well, but they haven't had a good idea on how to do it."

"I'm not sure what that's got to do with us," I quip, a warning in my voice.

"Well… Look, Flora. This Karl guy has been going at it, and the label believes that they have found their golden ticket, as it were."

I'm glad I'm sitting, the pastel hues of my living space blurring together as the room spins.

"No." I tell him, brokering no argument. That doesn't stop him though.

"All it would be is a few dates. A publicity stunt. Something the label can control without actively looking like they're contributing to it. We'll find a way to break it off at that point and then we can move on with our lives."

I sigh. "What do you know about him? Sebastian, I mean."

"He's apparently a very big name in the Monster music industry. He's on his fifth album, got a few platinum records." Well that explains his attitude then.

"What about him, though?" I push on. "What kind of Monster is he?"

"Oh, um, I didn't think to ask."

"What? So I'm just supposed to publicly associate myself with him, and you didn't think to ask?!" I am struggling to calm my breathing now, my foot tapping on the rug.

"I'll find out, don't worry. We'll get through this together."

"You won't have to do anything," I counter. "I'm the one who will have to be near him, Frank. This isn't what I signed up for when we met. I just want to make my music and perform, that's all."

"Don't be naive, Flora. Sometimes record labels will have their artists do stunts like this for PR. It happens all the time, it's part of the job." I can hear his exasperation in his voice.

"But not with Monsters!" I had expected something like this to happen at some point, but with an actor or something. A Human actor.

"I know, you're right. I'm being insensitive. This is a big ask." At least he was finally seeing reason. "Think about it, OK? I won't rush you on this one like the photo shoot."

"Lucky me," I say, hanging up.

I toss my phone on the couch, heading back out to the balcony to finish my coffee. Now I needed to come up with a good plan to get out of this.