🇬🇧 Once Upon a Time #Herophine 🇬🇧 (English version)

Chapter 11 - Photoshoot

"I... Here..." She clears her throat again and quickly flips through her notes.

"Annie, breathe!" I smile at her, taking her by surprise.

She looks at me fearfully before letting out a nervous laugh. She stops and takes a breath, closing her eyes.
"It's my first day, I can't concentrate!" She says almost in a whisper and then looks around to make sure no one has heard.

"Okay, no problem. It's normal to be nervous, I am too!" We giggle together and I see her relax slightly. "You just tell me what the next dresses are and we can do it!" I whisper too.
She nods and really smiles at me for the first time. Check the folder again "There's dress number 10, this one here!" She leans into the sea of clothing they brought me, grabs one from the line and hands it to me. "Let me know how it looks on you!"
She seems to have regained control a bit and I'm really happy about that.

"Perfect!" I wink at her,
"I can finally take off this horrible dress!" I whisper to myself looking at the dress in my hand.

"I think you're really cute!" Hero whispers surprising me
behind me, before I can enter the dressing room.
I gasp. I turn to him with a hand on my chest in fear.
"You want me dead!"

"That's not true! Exaggerated!" He smiles and then looks me up and down carefully.
I do a turn to get a better look while my skirt inflates slightly like a balloon. Terrible.
My attempt at being casual enough hopefully masks my sudden agitation.

"Look at this abomination!" I whisper so as not to be heard by the rest of the crew, while I look around to see if anyone is watching us.
Hero chuckles, handsome as usual, dressed all in black with a biker-style leather jacket.
It's breathtakingly hot.
He could probably look good even if he wore a garbage bag!
Pfff... Models!

"The dress itself is quite disgusting, I agree with you" he whispers looking into my eyes "But on you, I like it!"
I remain speechless.
I can't say a word.
What did he just say?
And above all: why?
I look at him as if he had just confessed to a terrible crime. He smiles and his look is decidedly amused. Two dimples appear on the sides of his mouth, hypnotizing me.
I swallow and try to catch my breath.
He wants me dead, seriously.

"Jo, go change!" Anna shouts from behind a camera. "You still have so many dresses to try on! We need to start filming the two of you together!"
I wake up from my thoughts and nod, quickly leaving towards the dressing rooms.
The two of us together.
Sounds good, right? No, it shouldn't have this effect on me.
Hero just paid me a compliment!
No, right? He was joking! I mean, he could have just been nice because I was wearing this horrible thing, there wouldn't be anything wrong with that. Just a kind gesture. He is a kind boy.
Is nice.
And thoughtful.
And cool. Beautiful. Stupendous. Hot.
Okay, stop. It's nothing!
So why is my heart pounding in my chest at 220mph?
"Breathe Jo, breathe!" I repeat myself in a low, mantra-like voice.
It was a simple, innocent comment.
Nothing more.

After trying on three more dresses, with Annie's precious help, I change for the umpteenth time.
Hanging in the dressing room there is a very simple outfit with a pair of jeans and a white tank top.
Finally something really simple.
We went from floral dresses to those with unlikely colors, ending up with... this?
I sigh as I change clothes.
When I return to the set, Hero is only wearing a black t-shirt and a pair of black trousers. He probably just took off the jacket he had on before.
How fun it is to be a man!
He is serious, focused. He looks around with a model's gaze, perfectly in the role, as if he were already acting.
They are taking some photos of him, from various angles and I keep to the side, observing carefully.
He has a magnetic gaze that captures attention and I can't help but look at him. I would like to be more discreet and I hope that the fact of being in a more secluded position is enough so that no one realizes that I am so interested in him.