Secret Diaries (Heartlake Cliche #1)

Chapter Six

May 11, 2007

Opposites may or may not totally attract. It depends on the strength of the pull of attraction—and other external factors.

     “That’s a good one, Rach. Now turn your face a bit to the left,” came the photographer’s instruction. Rachelle did as told—twisting her neck a little until her cheek and eye makeup caught on the light. She tilted her chin and opened her lips slightly, seductively. “There.” The photographer nodded his approval and the camera flashed. She changed the angle of her face slightly, then another flash. And so on.

     “That’s it. Just a few more shots and we’re done.” The photog went on to take more headshots before he gave the signal that the photo shoot had ended. Today’s client was a make-up brand which meant that Rachelle did not have to go through more than a few costume changes. This was her favorite kind of pictorials. It was the least exhausting and she didn’t have to worry about the weather. She frowned, recalling her recent swimsuit pictorial which had been rather harsh. It had been unusually cold and her agent had agreed to do the photo shoot in Chateau d’Isabelle’s rooftop pool. She could only imagine what it was like for models in a country like Japan or the U.S. where they still had to do outdoor pictorials during winter. Worse, some were done in preparation for the summer season so they had to do a swimsuit pictorial out in the cold.

     “I’m still going to discuss your next gig with the agency so just wait for my call, okay?” Bettina, her booker, told her after pack-up.

     “Sure. You’re still aware of my schedule, right?” Rachelle said, on her way out of the venue.

     “Yeah,” the agent said with a distracted nod. She was texting (probably for the other models that she handled) but raised her head to tell Rach, “Be careful on your way home.”

     “You too,” she replied, flashing her model’s smile.

     They waved goodbye to each other then Rachelle set off to Nick’s address. Quarter To Five would have their practice in Nick’s studio and they invited her over to listen and give her opinion—which meant, she also had to make sure that they had snacks and drinks available. Not only that, she was also expected to cook dinner. She scoffed at herself. Really, she could have been their personal assistant. Well except, she enjoyed every minute she spent with those guys.

      She had been friends with the four of them for the longest time and she treated them all like her big brothers. For someone who didn’t know the members’ history, the friendship would come as a surprise. She and Matt were the natural party-like-it’s-the-end-of-the-world type of people; Nick was cold on the outside but warm and caring on the inside; Lance, the bassist, was a guy who loved all sorts of music and musical instruments; while Kane, the drummer, was the oldest among them and enjoyed sports and the outdoors. Their personalities had very few similarities yet the group was as loyal to each other as the Three Musketeers. She smiled as the famous adage by Dumas entered her mind. Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno—One for all, all for one.

     Their friendship, however, had not always been rock-solid. Nick was not the original keyboardist of Quarter-To-Five. It was a guy named Ted Reyes. Last year, he was “illegally” recruited by Keith Hartman, creating a series of events that would have ultimately ended the boys’ friendship and the existence of the band. Nick and Rachelle had stepped in at that time which led to Nick becoming the new keyboardist and the youngest member. The guys no longer talked about the incident but Rachelle knew just how much it bothered them. Nick especially. He had always admired the friendship those four had shared. For years, they had treated him like their little brother: guiding him through his teenage years, teaching him about being a “man”; and he had seen them as his second family—people who were there when his parents were busy with business. Ted’s departure from the band was a betrayal in Nick’s eyes. And being his replacement had made Nick feel pressured to make sure that his big brothers would never again feel any form of disloyalty from a friend who played the keyboards.