Raymond's eyes widened as he couldn't believe the sight in front of him. Mason, on the other hand, glanced at his reflection in the mirror once more, rubbing his eyes vigorously to verify if he was seeing an illusion or if he was truly the one in the mirror.
To clarify the situation, the ladies who had been staring at him stood up and rushed to Mason's side.
"Are you new in town?" one of them inquired.
"What's your name?" the other said.
"Sorry to ask, but did you have face surgery?" the third asked.
"Are you Asian?"
"Or a mixed-race?"
"Are you even a human? How can someone be this cute?"
Mason ignored them and rushed toward Raymond, who was still standing transfixed at the scene unfolding before him. The ladies didn't back down; they followed him, prompting Mason to hide behind Raymond.
"What's wrong with them? Are they possessed or what?"
"You're lucky this is all you're getting, you might've been roasted alive if you're caught on the street," one of the barbers chuckled.
Mason knew he was exaggerating.
He slapped Raymond gently on the shoulder. "What the hell are you doing?" he shouted, jolting him out of his reverie.
Raymond's eyes regained life, and he repelled the ladies from advancing further. Mason quickly withdrew a note from his pocket and stretched it toward the barber, who gave him a haircut. However, one of the ladies grabbed his hand, rubbing it passionately with her palms.
"Aren't you going to do anything? Your customers are being harassed!" Raymond shouted at the employees, but they shook their heads, none of them making any attempt to intervene. Their reason is clear and ridiculous at the same time: they don't want to do anything that might annoy their customers. Even their fellow hairdressers were drooling around Mason, so they could do nothing but watch.
Mason and Raymond were forced to flee without paying, they ran as fast as they could from the shop. When they finally stopped, they bent down to catch a breather.
"What was that earlier? Why were they doing that?" Mason said amidst gasping.
"You're seriously asking me that? Didn't you see yourself in the mirror earlier?" Raymond responded. "I can't believe you had this handsome face hidden under your long hair all these years. This is my first time seeing your eyes. You're a god of beauty, Mason! You could've become a model, or won 'the cutest man alive' award."
Mason couldn't say a word. He could've sworn Raymond was exaggerating had he not seen his own reflection in the mirror earlier. He, too, couldn't believe what he saw. He was now a completely different person.
"I can't believe I cut my hair to look good only to avoid people," Mason said, and he chuckled.
Raymond joined in, their laughter echoing and drawing the attention of the passersby. While some couldn't help but smile, others simply frowned and avoided them.
"So, should we just go back home now?" Mason asked after their laughter had subsided. "We can't continue having people drooling over me."
"Go home? What do you mean by that?" Raymond twisted his face. "This is just getting started, let's go get you some fashionable clothes. I know of a place filled with luxurious brands. Follow me!"
They both navigated their way to a large boutique at the end of the street. As they entered, they were attended to by one of the employees.
"Welcome to our boutique, how can we help you gentlemen?" she asked, her gaze entrapped by Mason's perfect face.
"I need some high-quality designer clothes for my…" Raymond stared at Mason, smiling, perhaps seeking approval. "Designer for my brother"
Mason, who nodded, smiling larger.
"Please follow me," the lady gestured as she headed in the direction where a series of clothes were being hung and folded. "Please, make yourself comfortable." She stepped back and stood beside Mason, grinning from ear to ear.
Raymond stepped toward the hangers in front of him and went shopping. The employee turned to Mason, smiling charmingly at him.
"Are you new in this town?" she said.
"No, I've been in this town for almost my entire life," Mason replied, not giving her the attention she was obviously seeking.
"I'm sorry if I'm being rude, but… do you… Perhaps have a girlfriend?" the employee stammered, her eyes widening in anticipation.
Whoa! She's going for it without hesitation, grabbing the bull by the horns. Raymond, meanwhile, muttered to himself, pretending to be oblivious to the employee's flirting.
Mason turned to her, his eyes narrowing slightly. "No, I don't. May I know why you asked?"
By her look, Mason could argue she'd be at least five or six years older than him, as she looked a bit older than Raymond. What's wrong with her? he mumbled.
The employee turned away, covering her mouth as she blushed.
"You're very handsome, may I have the pleasure of knowing your name?" she asked.
"I'm Mason Robinson."
"And I am Nat–"
"Nathalie! Stop flirting with the customer!" A female voice came from behind. Mason and Nathalie turned around and saw another employee approaching. "You might really get in trouble if you do this in front of our…" Her words trailed off as she caught sight of Mason. Her mouth drooped, her saliva pouring onto the ground.
"Here you go, Mason," Raymond said as he finally arrived, seizing the moment to interrupt the conversation. He placed a cloth on Mason's body to see if it suited him. "Take this and go wear it." He turned to the ladies and continued. "Can you take him to where he can change?"
"It would be my pleasure," Nathalie quickly responded and led the way, Mason following closely as he grabbed the clothes.
Nathalie led him into a small room behind the shelves of clothes and gestured to him to enter. When they got in, Mason began to unbutton his current wear. His attention suddenly drifted to the door, and there stood Nathalie, staring lustfully at him.
Mason was startled; he advanced toward Nathalie and swung the door open. "Can you give me some privacy, please?" he asked, but more of a command.
Nathalie nodded reluctantly and slowly stepped out of the room, allowing Mason to shut the door.
"Oh my God! I can't believe I was so lost in him. This can't be happening," Nathalie muttered to herself as she returned to the large hall.
Several people have been flooding in already since it's morning, and all the employees were occupied in a matter of minutes. Raymond sat on the waiting chair in the boutique, observing the room. A few moments later, Mason emerged.
"Hey Raymond!" he called out. "How do I look?"
Mason's words were accompanied by a deafening silence that engulfed the room, as everyone neglected every activity and focused on the breathtaking beauty in front of them. Mason, unaware of the attention he was receiving, ambled toward Raymond, who was back into his momentarily dumb state.
"I'm talking to you, can't you say a word at least?" Mason frowned.
Raymond cleared his throat and stood up from the chair. "I made a mistake earlier," he whispered. "I shouldn't have told you to wear those clothes here. Slowly take a look around, I doubt there's a single person in this room not looking at you right now."
He clapped Mason on both shoulders and leaned closer. "Just maintain your composure for now and react like everything is normal. Can you do that?"
Mason slowly nodded. His eyes scanned the room, and he gasped as he saw the sea of people staring at him.
Just like Raymond had told him to, Mason pretended everything was fine and he acted normally.
"Please help us pack the rest of the clothes, we're ready to pay," he said confidently to the employee a few meters away from him.
Hearing him, the chubby lady rushed to his side and began to fold the clothes into a nylon bag. "The clothes suit you, sir," she complimented and led Mason to the counter, where he would pay.
"Am I seeing an angel now?"
"He's so cute, oh my goodness!"
"He must be a celebrity, but I haven't seen him before."
"Dammit! I'm having goosebumps."
"Shut up! You're old enough to be his mother."
"What do you mean? I'm younger than you think, just because I've been married for a few years doesn't make me older than him."
"You're delusional! Don't let people hear that from you. You may be sued for child abuse and harassment."
Several whispers followed Mason like a swarm of locusts as he advanced toward the counter. Raymond followed him, grabbing all the clothes he thought might suit him perfectly.
As the chubby lady scanned the clothes for prices, she couldn't help but steal several glances at Mason and admire his perfection. Her gaze suddenly darted beyond Mason, and her eyes widened.
"Good morning, ma'am!" she greeted in reverence.
Mason and Raymond glanced over their shoulders and saw an elegant woman, probably in her late 30s, approaching the counter with a calm demeanour, her short, smooth hair dancing to and fro as she emerged.
"Good morning, dear," she replied, and as her gaze met with Mason's,, her jaw dropped slightly. "Hi, young man."
"Good morning, ma'am," Mason responded with almost the same reverence the employee had shown.
The woman, Mrs. Edie, appeared to be the owner of the boutique, and seeing Mason, she couldn't help but marvel at the kind of beauty the young boy had embodied. "I assumed you're the owner of these"— she pointed at the clothes on the counter— "right?"
Mason nodded.
"Is something wrong, ma'am?" Raymond intervened.
"Nothing's wrong, would you mind being our model?" Mrs. Edie asked, her gaze locking on Mason's. "And of course, everything you bought here will be free."
Mason's eyes widened.
"Are you for real?"