stuporous

adjective

1. stunned or confused and slow to react (as from blows or drunkenness or exhaustion)

Murrieta Murr, my Tea House manager met us at the door to my new cafe. Grant ran up to meet us just as we were welcomed in.

"Sorry, I'm not late, am I?" He asked as he popped through the door after us.

"Hey, babes!" I called out and gave him a kiss on the cheek by way of greeting.

"Lills, did you get the biz management notes from class today?" He asked quietly.

"Yes, already emailed them to you. How was your appointment?" I asked. His mum had taken him and his father to a family counselling session to help them all work out his being gay and how it affected the family. I was a little worried it wouldn't go down so well with his dad, but apparently I might be wrong, judging by the happy expression on my friend's handsome face.

"It went about as well as you'd expect, but we're getting there." His smile turned a little sardonic and I could see a little bit of sadness peeking out between the clouds on his face.

"Need a beer?" I asked and pulled him over the group of guests who were being given a group tour of the new renovations by Ms Murrieta.

"This place was really popular as it was before, but I absolutely love what the new owner has done with it now." Liam and a pretty Asian girl were viewing the whole venue as Jackson in his ever present grumpy face was leaning on the serving bar with his arms crossed. When I watched him looking all closed off and moody, I wondered if I'd chosen the right male model for my show. Hmmm, maybe if I put him in the black silk robe, the one I'd dubbed 'Emperor in Moonlight'. Grant elbowed me in the ribs to get me focussing on the reason why I'd called them all over.

"Hi Liam and Jackson, and Jackson's girlfriend. Sorry, I didn't get your name?" I held out a hand to give them each a welcome shake.

"Hi Lily. Thanks for inviting us. This is Sunny Ishida, an expat, hailing from Japan. She's Jackson's girlfriend." Sunny waved a shy greeting with a small smile on her face. Standing between the brothers, she was shorter than them by far, almost shorter than I was. She had a petite face, lush lips and a beauty spot on her lower left chin. She had a beauty about her that would fit into any stereotype or subculture depending on her choice of fashion. I couldn't pick where to place her. I was like finding a favourite old novel that didn't fit into any mainstream genre but was one that you would read over and over again.

She had long, dark brown hair with young but expressive facial features. Her eyes were so deep that I felt like I could get sucked into them. When Liam snickered, she elbowed him in the ribs, really hard. It was enough to knock me out of that dazed-off feeling that I was under and I realised at that moment why she was with Jackson, the quiet mature brother, instead of the outgoing sports jock, Liam. I bet those two would just kill each other if they were locked up in a room alone together for any length of time. When she smacked him over the back of his head, it just confirmed my hypothesis.

"Hi Sunny, wow, you're gorgeous." I gushed then felt my face grow hot in embarrassment. I looked at Jackson as he smirked at me and I poked my tongue out at him.

"Um, this is Grant, everyone. Oh, did Freddie turn up?" I realised I'd forgotten one of my male invitees.

"Here!" a voice called out behind me. We all turned to find Dunstin Freddricks arriving through the door. "Sorry I'm late. I had an after school meeting."

"No worries. So, now that we're all here, would anyone like a beer?" I asked as I walked towards the kitchen side eating area where the staff members would normally take their meal breaks.

The snacks and beers went down a treat with everyone, especially Sunny who drank more than Jackson did, which surprised me. After an hour or so of catching up and telling stupid jokes – Grant started that one when he asked me for the answer to my stupid 'what do you call' joke I text him last night. Yeah, I was mean and didn't tell him the answer. Anyway, I finally decided to get down to business, now that I'd already plied them with alcohol.

"So, my friend is running a fashion show for her new range of lounge wear and it is coming up next Saturday night and she needs a few extra male models for the show. I'd like to ask you all if you can please work for her. I will... Ah, She will..."

The boys all sniggered at my stupid attempt to hide my identity as the owner of the lounge ware and fashion show. When I noticed them all rolling their eyes at my blatant lies, I gave up and went with it.

"I'll pay eight hundred for the night, including expenses and I'll throw in the lounge wear and a swag bag for free. There may also be a bottle or two of wine as well. Um..." My voice tailed off. All four guys were looking at me like I'd just grown horns out the top of my head.

"What?" I turned to Grant, touching my face. "Do I have something on my face?" I asked him.

"Nope, Honey Puff." He replied as he leaned in closer to me. "We're just wondering when the punch line will arrive."

"No punch line, and no choice. You're my assistant so you have to do the show anyway." I smirked at him as his eyes widened a smidgen, then he asked using his loud whisper voice.

"You're kidding, right? I thought Ms Godfrey had it all..."

"Sorted? Nope, she forgot the male models and only managed to find a few available with late notice." I explained, in the same loud whisper he was using.

"Are you guys together?" The question came out of the blue. Both Grant and I turned to Sunny, our faces still really close together. Sunny had the face of an inquisitive gossip as she crossed her legs and leaned her elbows on her knees. "I mean, you're so close and cutesy together. You're even finishing each other's..."

"Sandwiches." "Sandwiches." We both call it together, then look at each other with a grin.

"She's too short." Grant calls out.

"Hey! That's rude. Well, Grant's our house keeper's son." I reply with a smirk.

"Oooh!" Liam chuckled at our antics.

"She snores." Grant shot out.

"He sleep talks. Ask him who he's crushing on and he'll spill in his sleep!" I'm giggling now.

"How do you know that?" Freddie asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Afternoon nap in the entertainment room." I poked my tongue out at Grant.

"Well, she picks her..."

"I do not! He wears socks with holes in them." I slapped his arm, laughing.

"She's a bossy boss." He replies as the competition heats up while the others look on. Thank goodness it was just us, and no other staff members.

"He sucks his teeth after eating sweetcorn." I complain right back.

"Who doesn't! She's vindictive and crazy smart." He replies, pointing at my face now.

"He leaves the toilet seat up." I smirk and turn to Sunny looking for feminine support. She scrunches her brows in amongst the giggling. Both Liam and Jackson are laughing at us now - well, as much as Jackson would laugh in all his grumpiness.

"She, ah... She jumps into other people's business without thinking about the consequences." He mimes using his fingers someone jumping off a high place landing and falling on their arse.

"We'll he gets himself roofied at social functions and sings himself all the way home!" I can't help giggling at him now.

"Hey, that's... She cheats on World 0f Warcraft!" He exclaimed.

"I do not cheat. I don't even know how to cheat." I groused out. I turn to Freddie and raise an eyebrow, as if asking for backup.

"Hey, don't look at me. I've hacked the local server too many times to count." He smiled and took another swig of his beer.

"Damn. Well, he's gay." I said that out loud, remembering why we'd been having this argument in the first place. I turned to Sunny and smiled. "And he's my best friend. So, yeah. We're close, but kissing him would be like kissing a frog." I screw up my face for effect.

"And she's my boss. So, I gotta do this modelling for the show even if I gain all the stanning."

"Stanning?" Liam asks.

"Yes, its when everyone is obsessed over someone, like actors at an airport." Then Grant mimes a crazy love sick fan, fingers over screaming mouth, hysterical crying, then fainting over onto my shoulder. I just barely caught him before he pushed us both off our chairs.

"For eight hundred, I'm in." Freddie commits to the modelling job.

"I'm available Sat night. I can help." Liam follows suit. Then we all look at Jackson, wondering what his verdict will be. Is he going to become a lounge wear model or nix it here and now? I pull out my phone and flip through photos in my photo album. Finding the image I'm after, I slowly present it to Jackson and let him mull on that for a bit. He looks at me, then his girlfriend.

"Hey, don't look at me. It's your arse hanging out in public." She snorts and I am already in love. With. Her. Hahaha.

"I'm in." Jackson surprises us all with his firm decision.

"What?" Even his girlfriend was surprised and Liam raised an eyebrow at him.

"What did you show him?" Freddie asked as I took back my phone from Jackson. They all wanted to know. I didn't show them, but explained in five words.

"Ducati Superleggera. Wallace owns it." And I smirked as both Liam and Grant groan at Jackson's good luck.

"Thanks everyone. I really appreciate it. Rehearsal is Friday afternoon, after school, and you will need to be at the Overmeyer Estate at 4pm."

"No problems." They all echo the same helpful sentiments.

"Group photo!" I declare, huddled around the middle of the group of handsome soon-to-be male models as Sunny takes the pic on my phone. I quickly send it off to Claire Godfrey with a line saying...

[Look, I found me some male models. What do ya think?]