Unsettling - ONC 2023

Chapter 7 - Nikki

"Well, someone had a fun weekend." Claire laughed as she burst into the studio on Monday morning.

After spending my weekend essentially hibernating and doing my very best to avoid the outside world, I winced at her overly bright and bubbly chatter. "So you heard about me and Drew breaking up?" I asked, not entirely surprised.

Drew was the type who let his life play out across social media and I was positive he would have changed his status to single before I even left the car park. It was the main reason I had avoided anything to do with social media. I couldn't face seeing the rebound girl or girls he would no doubt be showing off. All I would be thinking about was wondering if they were the girls he had cheated on me with.

Too fragile to face it all, I decided instead that Haagen Dazs was just what the doctor ordered and drowned my feelings in dairy and wine.

"Heard about it? I saw it splashed across social media and the national press. You couldn't have picked a more interesting guy to make headlines with!" She snorted, kicking off her shoes at the door before making her way over to me.

"Headlines? What are you talking about?" my head was pounding, and I was already regretting that fourth wine last night.

Claire dropped a newspaper onto the desk in front of me. It immediately fell open to reveal a blown-up picture of me across page five, receiving the heart-stopping kiss that changed my life.

"Fuck." I breathed as my eyes scanned over the copy detailing the dating history of mister mystery.

Claire said something, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from the article. Boy, I sure knew how to pick them. It seemed like this guy was just as bad, if not worse, than Drew. Perhaps that explained why he had been so willing to kiss a total stranger in a crowd at a football match? I mean, it wasn't like I said no or tried to poke him off with a broom or anything, so maybe I was awful too?

Claire dropped into the other chair and wheeled it close to me, leaning into my view. "I'm proud of you, babe. So, did you get his number?"

"Of course not, we didn't really have a chance to talk exactly-"

"Oh, I know, babe. We all saw. You let your tongues do the talking."

"No, it wasn't... I mean it didn't... it doesn't mean anything, he just... pitied me."

Her eyebrows shot up. "That is a hell of a lot more than a pity kiss, and you know it."

"Even if it was. And even if I am attracted to red flags, as you so tactfully put it, even I'm not stupid enough to be burned by starting something with the 'playboy player'." I replied, pointing to the box listing the names of just some of his conquests.

"It doesn't have to mean anything. You just got out of a relationship with Drew the dickhead. The last thing you need is to rush into a relationship. Why not just mess around and have fun for a bit?" Claire suggested, with a waggle of her eyebrows as she said fun.

"He's probably just another pretty boy who leaves a trail of broken hearts like Drew." I replied wistfully, my eyes resting on the photo of us again.

It's strange seeing myself in print like that. I'm much more comfortable behind the camera than I am in front of it. But this photo is strange. I'm all flushed cheeks and putty in his hands as he is strong and sure of himself in that moment. It feels like such an invasion of privacy that anyone else is able to witness that moment between us, but the kiss cam ensured it was well documented.

"Look, Drew was a dick. A good-looking dick, but still a dick. He wore those red flags so well angel, I'm not surprised it took you a while to come to your senses. And what a way to do it!" she snorted before gathering herself and continuing. "Even if it isn't with Evan kissed-your-face-off Griffin, you deserve to have fun with someone. Just promise to be open to it." She implored.

I groaned and let my head fall forward to rest on the desk. It was too early, and I was too hungover to think about how incredibly single I was right now. "Is this your way of saying the only way to get over someone is to get under someone, because that was terrible advice after my last break up and still is now?" I asked, tilting my head to look at her.

She rolled her eyes. "It's good advice. You just have to be willing to take a risk occasionally!"

"I take risks." I protested, "just over the weekend I kissed an apparently famous footballer on a kiss cam."

"And before that?"

"Not relevant."

"I'm not saying sleep around. I'm saying dating can be fun and you're well within your rights to enjoy yourself a little."

The phone ringing interrupted my pity party and what I was sure would have been a very rousing motivational speech from Claire.

We both jumped. People hardly ever called the phone, and I sometimes forgot we had it. Boudoir photography was the sort of thing most people were too nervous to call and discuss.

"Saved by the bell." I joked, diving for it before she could. "Good morning, Veronica Valentine photography, Nikki speaking." I chirped.

Fake it till you make it right?

"Hello, I'm looking to speak to the owner, please?" a deep male voice asked.

"That would be me, Veronica Valentine. I go by Nikki though." I said, grabbing a pen from the pot and trying to hunt down a piece of paper so I was semi-prepared to take notes if needed.

"Nikki." the voice said slowly, "My name is Jarred and I am calling you from the promotional team at Brite Directions."

'Who is it?' Claire mouthed with a frown.

"Nice to meet you, Jarred." I replied, shrugging my shoulders at Claire.

"Nice to meet you, too. I can see from your portfolio on your website, you typically work with boudoir photography, but I'm wondering if you do any other types?" He asked.

"I spent years in portrait and family photography before specialising in boudoir. Was there a particular project you had in mind that you were looking for me to work on?" I asked, "If you give me some more details, I can let you know if I would be a good fit."

"Of course. I am working with a local sports team who are looking to get photos taken of the team to use for a charity calendar. Think those topless firefighters ones, that's what they asked me for." He laughed.

I nodded. "I know the photo style. It's definitely something I could work with. Did you have a timeframe for this and would it be location shooting or at my studio?"

There was a sigh of relief. "We would prefer onsite. I can organise the transport for any equipment you need. The timeframe is really as soon as possible. The season ends in May and we need it finalised before then, ideally."

I glanced at the calendar and bit my bottom lip between my teeth. "It's definitely a tight turnaround."

"We are willing to pay well for the added pressure that puts on you." Jarred said quickly, clearly worried I was about to say no.

Still, it wasn't like I exactly had anything else to do with my time. "That would be great. If you could send full details of what's required by email, I can get my assistant to come back to you with a quote and potential shoot dates. If we go ahead, I'd say we need to get that in sooner rather than later, so the quicker the deposit is paid, the quicker I can make that happen."

"Absolutely. I've got the email ready to send. I just thought I'd speak to you first to make sure you'd be up for it."

I nodded, reading through the notes I jotted down. "Oh, one last question before you go! What sort of team is it?"

"Oh, didn't I say," He said, his voice squeaking a bit, "Manchester City Football Club."