108 Chapter four, 2016, beach party: 5 (1/2)
Despite what he had said earlier Ulf didn't like watching Shoji-kun flirting like mad with Christina. Especially as she didn't look like she minded in the least.
To his left some of the modelling crew set up grills, and the rest rigged for some kind of a late evening shoot. Or it would have been a late evening shoot in Sweden. The sun set earlier here, and dusk was a less than half an hour long joke when daylight was replaced by darkness in what felt like moments rather than the endless hours he was used to from his earlier life.
Around him club members milled around in astonished apprehension.
”They want us as models?”
”We're going to be in a magazine?”
”He's so cute!”
”I saw him look at me!”
'Kids!' Ulf thought. Then he smiled and mellowed a bit. 'Who am I to talk? I'd been shitting myself by now if I was sixteen.' He looked at the grills and frowned. 'Morons, that's no way to rig a barbecue.' Ulf walked over to the men loading the grills full with charcoal.
”Excuse me, do you mind if I handle the barbecue?”
”What about it, kid?” The man, in his mid-forties if Ulf guessed right, looked back at him. ”You think you know better?”
'I don't think, I know.' ”I'm from Sweden. I've spent most summers doing garden barbecues the last...” 'careful now' ”… since I grew up.” Ulf fought an impulse to cover his mouth with his hand.
”Sweden you say. She's your girlfriend?”
”She?”
”Yeah, our Princess of Scandinavia.” the man said and pointed at where Christina sat beleaguered by Shoji-kun and most of the other models.
Ulf blushed. He had said he wouldn't interfere, and he did feel confident in her love for him, but right now he only saw his beautiful Christina surrounded by men so glaringly good looking he knew he could never compete. ”Yeah,” he answered, more self-conscious than he was used to. ”But she's not called that any...” 'Bloody hell!'
”But she was, wasn't she?”
'What's going on here?' ”She told you?” Ulf blurted out. He stared at the stubbled face studying him.
”No, I reminded her,” the man answered. ”I arrived here 86.”
'How many of us are there here?' Ulf took another long stare at the man. ”You know her? Knew her?”
He received a grin in response. ”Jealous boyfriend. Priceless! You look like a teen for sure right now.” And the grin subsided back into a smile again. ”No, but I knew of her. She made her breakthrough in Japan around that time.”
Lacking a proper response Ulf started shifting the coals in the grill. He stared at his hands and looked around. ”Jirou, got a towel?”
”Sure, Urufu-kun.” Jirou left Sango who glared at Ulf.
'Sorry to take him from you. You make a good pair.' ”My apologies. I didn't mean to interrupt, but I really need that towel now.” Ulf bowed to her, and the glare turned somewhat less hostile. He really did need one. Daylight was fading rapidly and he didn't plan to run the grills in the dark clad in a business suit.