Chapter Fourteen: Photoshoot à la Paris

OVER 2000 words!! :)

By now I had already stumbled five times. And still they weren’t ready for the shoot. The lightings weren’t just right, the camera stand wasn’t in the exact right place, etc. I got tired of standing around so I walked around the set, trying to find something interesting. Not a good idea. I tripped over a couple of light cables, stumbled when my heel got caught in a crack in the floor, and got a cameraman really angry when I stepped right in front of the flash. I didn’t do it on purpose, but the poor man didn’t know that. I apologized, of course, but I was crossing my fingers, hoping he wouldn’t be taking the pictures. He probably thought I was a spoiled brat.

Finally, I had enough of tripping around the set and with a determined look, I pulled off my heels. Going barefoot had never felt so good, even if the floor was rough and a little uncomfortable. Feeling much better already, I set off to find Tanner. Maybe he knew when we would start.

I found Tanner quickly, speaking to one of the photographers. Glad he was getting along better with them than I was.

‘’Tanner?’’ I asked, hating the way my voice sounded timid and shy. When he didn’t hear me, I tried again, stronger and clearer this time. ‘’Tanner.’’

He looked up, smiling. ‘’Hey Emily. I was just asking Ron when we were going to start. It’s taking longer than usual. Apparently there’s something wrong with the lights.’’

His eyes flicked to my heels, which I was holding in my hand. I blushed. I’d forgotten to put them back on! Quickly, I slipped them back on, sighing inwardly at the ache returning to my feet.

‘’Not a high heels person?’’ he asked, smirking.

‘’Nope,’’ I grinned, reaching up to fix my hair. Tanner reached up to push my hands away, a soft look in his eyes. I froze at the contact, staring at him with wide eyes.

‘’Don’t,’’ he said softly. ‘’You’re  perfect.’’

I felt the familiar burn in my cheeks, and bit my lip to stop blushing. What did he mean? Perfect? I was far from perfect. In fact, I was the most clumsy, inexperienced model in the building! I quickly dropped my hands, looking down.

‘’I’m not perfect,’’ I said, struggling to keep my voice calm. ‘’I’m clumsy, inexperienced and I can’t even walk on heels. I don’t even know how to pose on pictures, and I don’t have any gracefulness that’s probably needed on the catwalk or whatever. I’m so bad at this-’’

‘’Stop it,’’ Tanner scolded, but his voice was gentle.  ‘’You’re not bad at this. In fact, Nancy said she’d never seen any girl of sixteen so good at the job. You don’t try to put yourself out there as anyone else, you’re just yourself on set and that’s what most models struggle with. You’re real, and that’s the only thing you need to keep on doing. You can’t get any better than that.’’

I was staring at him, open-mouthed, wondering how the hell he’d gotten so wise. I blinked, as he finished his speech.

‘’Wow,’’ I breathed. ‘’That was quite a speech.’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Tanner said, cracking a smile. ‘’But I meant every word of it.’’

‘’Thank-’’ I started saying, but Nancy’s voice cut me off. She called for us to come stand in front of the decor, since we’d be starting with the photoshoot. I hurried over, thankful for Tanner’s arm holding me up.

‘’Quick, we need to hurry. We’re already behind schedule and these french people are starting to freak out because some girl called Lassie Laston or some other is coming for an interview later and they need to get this room done.’’

I was ordered to stand behind the balustrade, my palms lightly resting against the make-believe stone, staring off into the distance dreamily. Taking a deep breath, I stepped behind the (rather ugly) thing and pressed my hands to the railing. Before I even realized what had happened, I was falling, the paper-maché railing crumbling under my hands. I screamed, partly from fright, partly from embarrassment. I couldn’t believe I had just broken a piece of decor. Then again, I should have expected it. It was such a typical Emily thing to do.

As I sat up, dazed, I was faintly aware of a lot of voices chattering in rapid French. I clutched my head, blinking to make sure I was still alive.

‘’Oh my gosh, Emily. Are you okay?’’ asked Nancy, frantically. She started moving my arms and legs, making sure I hadn’t broken anything. I nodded my head, then looked up to meet her concerned gaze.

‘’I’m fine,’’ I replied truthfully. My ankle hurt a little bit, but it wasn’t serious. I knew that because I had already tested it for broken bones. It would have hurt a whole lot more if it was sprained, and it would have been totally numb if broken. I looked up and caught Tanner gaze, who looked like he was torn trying to decide whether to laugh or be concerned. A tiny smile hovered above his lips, but his eyes looked worried.

I stared at him, trying to stay serious. A twinkle appeared in his eye. I was sure he was laughing. Before I could stop myself, I burst out laughing. I wished someone had just filmed that episode, so I could post it on YouTube and call it The Great Fall of Emily Ricketts. It would be the best act I’d ever have to do. Tanner was laughing along with me, shaking his head at my antics.

‘’Tanner!’’ Nancy said, indignantly. ‘’How can you laugh! What if she was injured, huh?’’

Nancy’s indignant look made me laugh all the more, to the point where my sides were aching. I tried to tell her it was okay, I wasn’t hurt, and it had been pretty funny, but I couldn’t. Finally, I managed to calm down, only to erupt into laughter again at the bewildered faces of the french people around me.

When I calmed down for good, Tanner helped me to my feet, and I wobbled a little before steadying myself. ‘’I’m okay!’’ I protested, upon Nancy’s fussing. When she shot me a disbelieving glance, I sighed. I took a few steps, showed her I could walk and walked back to her.

‘’Look, I’m okay. I’m not so sure the decor is though. I’m really sorry. I didn’t realize it was made out of something so-’’ I struggled for the right word, ‘’-collapsible.’’  

A smile broke out on Nancy’s face, as she looked relieved. She called out a few orders in (rather american) french, and two men started carrying another almost identical stone balustrade out. This one was apparently made out of somewhat sturdier material, and I was relieved I wouldn’t be able to break anything else.

I walked back to behind the balustrade, cautiously placing my hands on the (fake) stone. Then I proceeded to stare into the distance as if I were dreaming. I thought about my dad. I hoped he was enjoying his tour around La Belle Paris. I needed to convince him to get some macaroons with me in a real French bakery later. That would be something I’d always wanted to do.

‘’Okay, Emily. Perfect. Now, Tanner, get up there. I want you to stand half behind, half beside her, with your arms around her waist. Emily, when he does that, tilt your face and look towards the side. Tanner, I want you to look down at Emily. Alright? Okay, let’s go!’’ Nancy sounded a bit impatient, and to be honest, I couldn’t blame her. This had already taken long enough. I did, however, curse her for (again!) putting me in such close proximity with Tanner.

Tanner walked up to me, encircling his arms around me waist. I stiffened, but relaxed when he whispered, ‘’Keep it real, remember? Don’t worry- you’re doing good.’’

I tilted my head, looking the way Nancy wanted me to. I was aware of Tanner’s cool breath on my cheek and forehead, but ignored it. So what. It would soon be over. He was just a colleague and possibly a friend. Nothing more.

When they had finally stopped taking pictures of that pose, the rest of the shoot went pretty fast. Tanner had a couple of shots alone, then I had a couple of shots alone, and then it was over. I asked Nancy if this was the only dress I’d be wearing, or if I had to change into something else for the next shoot. Nancy just laughed.

‘’That’s it for the day, love. Tomorrow we’ll be doing the Eiffel Tower shoot and after that it’s one day of rest and relaxation before flying back to the USA.’’

I was so relieved, I felt like hugging her. I felt I wouldn’t be able to stand on those dratted heels one more second. I was bone-tired, and all I wanted to do was have a two hour nap before eating something and going out to have fun. Not that the photoshoot hadn’t been fun, because it had been. It was fun to dress up, look pretty and do poses for a while. But there was something called rest that was necessary in between.

‘’I’ll see you tomorrow, then?’’ I inquired. Nancy nodded. ‘’Yes. The shoot starts at eight. The limo will pick you up at seven. Make sure you’re ready, alright?’’

‘’Okay,’’ I nodded and shot her a thumbs-up to show her I got it, before walking out of the room. Once I was in the hall, the cool air washed over me like a fresh breeze. I had gotten used to the hot air in the room, but now I noticed I was sweating. Gross. I yanked off my heels, before looking around for Andrea, who would be bringing me back. She appeared around the corner, just as I was wondering if I had misheard Nancy.

‘’Hey! Sorry- I lost track of the time. Had a couple of files to sort. Ready to go back? You look just about all in.’’

Her friendly tone made me feel at ease. ‘’Yeah, I’m tired. But that’s okay. I mean, I expected to be tired, and I really enjoyed myself back there. Although I did manage to break the first thing I touched.’’

Andrea smiled. ‘’And what would that be?’’

I told her about my fall episode, she couldn’t help but laugh. She assured me it was okay, they had hundreds of those decor pieces. If it had been something valuable, they would have told me to be careful. I was sorry to say goodbye when we arrived at the dressing room. She gave me directions to the front door, and a friendly hug, before leaving.

I pushed open the door, surprised at finding the dressing room empty. I hastily rushed through to the little room I had dressed in and got out of the fancy dress into my own comfy dress. After getting changed, I folded the outfit I had worn on set and put it back into the bags. When I walked into the dressing room, a young girl was cleaning up the make-up table.

‘’Oh, ‘ello!’’ she smiled. I smiled back, and she gestured for me to sit down. I presumed she would be taking off my make-up. She did exactly that, with great vigor, like only french people can, chattering away the whole time. She told me what pretty american features I had, and how she aspired to be a model someday. I couldn’t help but think she’d make a very good one. She was certainly pretty enough, with her glossy chestnut hair and dark eyes.

‘’There. ‘ou are all fineeshed,’’ she grinned, hugging me. I was taken aback by the hug, but hugged her back, thanking her for her work. She had taken off all my make-up, and reapplied a little mascara, lipgloss and light eyeshadow. It looked very natural, just how I liked it.

As cool and interesting as it had been, I was happy to get back outside into the warm summer air. The sun was shining, everywhere people were walking, laughing, joking, new sights and smells were everywhere. I was in France.

Author's Note

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!! Please leave some feedback... would be very grateful!