A/N: Delayed update because life got in the way. :/
You're in the tent, tinkering with your laptop and making some last-minute preparations before the shoot when someone clears their throat behind you. You turn around and come face-to-face with Jade, who is looking drop-dead gorgeous in a low ponytail, light make-up, and a white bikini bra, paired with a green,high-waisted bottom. Your eyes almost pop out of their sockets and you have to remind yourself again that Jade is the model, you are the photographer, and there is a line that separates the two of you. And besides, she's probably straight.
"Hi," she greets you, her nerves evident in her tone, and uncertainty showing in her warm, brown eyes. "Do I look alright?"
"Are you kidding? Have you seen yourself?" you almost wanna ask her. You have photographed many of the country's most beautiful faces, but there's something about Jade that just... stands out. Maybe it's her irresistible humble, aw-shucks charm, despite her being the granddaughter of one of the country's wealthiest men?
"You look good," you tell her instead. "Like, really good."
"Thank you," she tells you with ashy smile. Her voice is a little less nervous and her posture a little more relaxed, but you know that her heart is probably beating a thousand times a minute right now. "Um, did you put on some sunblock? Look at that sun, that can't be good for your skin. I have an SPF 100 inside if you want some."
You almost want to laugh because Jade is so random. Endearingly random. And thoughtful. "Yeah, I put some on. SPF 100 too, so don't worry. Relax, okay? Don't be nervous. You'll be fine." You give her your most reassuring smile before slinging your camera around your neck. "Are you ready?"
"I... yeah. I'm ready. I'm just really nervous. I mean, I've modelled before, but nothing this big." She gestures to the air to make her point and exhibit the magnitude of the photoshoot. " I don't even know why I accepted this cover. They're going to use my face to sell magazines, Althea. That's a lot of pressure."
"Well, it's a very nice face," you tell her. Goddamit, you did not mean to say that out loud. Your mouth is too fast for your brain sometimes. But it does get you a genuine,relaxed smile from her so it's probably worth it. Definitely worth it.
"Bola," she tells you with a little laugh. You think that if you look hard enough you can see a little blush on her cheeks, but before you can get the chance to do just that, she turns around and makes her way out of the tent. "Tara na nga, let's start the shoot."
You follow her to the seashore, where the first shots will be taken. The staff, both yours and the magazine's, are already there, waiting for you and Jade. Some of the resort's caretakers are also there. You're right behind her and you see her stiffen a little bit when she sees the amount of people waiting to watch the shoot. And honestly, what are they all doing here? Jade stops a few meters away from the crowd, looking like she's ready to bolt any second.
You want to giver her a hug for comfort or maybe a little shoulder squeeze, but you're not exactly sure how welcoming she is of unsolicited physical contact, so you settle for giving her a little pep talk.
"You know you're gonna totally slay this, right?" you tell her. You know it's lame, but you have no clue how else to start. She looks at you,the uncertainty in her eyes now stronger than ever. That is so not gonna benefit the shoot. At all.
"Hey, hey. You can do this." You grab both her hands without thinking, which surprises both of you. You don't drop them though, but instead you hold on tighter. Her hands are cold, but also soft and nice, and in another time you could probably appreciate them properly, but comforting Jade is your number one priority right now. "You'll be okay. The magazine chose you for a reason, okay? The editors chose you because they think you can represent the magazine well. They trust you. I trust you. And I know you trust yourself. We'll be here. I'll be here."
"I'm sorry. I'm just really overwhelmed." She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. You loosen your hold on her hand, but she's the one to tighten her hold this time. "No, no. I need a few seconds. Is this okay?"
"Of course," you tell her. You don't know where to look. You can't look at the crowd and you refuse to look up. So you look at her instead. With her eyes closed, she looks like a sleeping angel- perfect lips,perfect nose, a small, faded barely-noticeable scar on the right side of her forehead, her eyebrows slightly scrunched. For a brief millisecond, you think about waking up everyday next to that, a thought that you quickly stomp out: "No need to be creepy, Althea."
You can feel your hands getting sweaty - from the heat, or your nerves, you're not sure. But she doesn't seem to mind. For a few seconds, it feels like it's just the two of you. No pressure from the photoshoot, no staff probably gawking at you. Just you and Jade. And the beach. You cancel out the crowd's noise and focus instead on the sound of the waves crashing, one of your favorite sounds in the world, and feel your heartbeat steadying. Maybe it wasn't just Jade who needed to relax.
This goes on for what seems like an eternity but what is most probably just a few seconds. Finally, she opens her eyes and gives you this little smile. Your hands are still clasped together. "Thank you. I'm still nervous," she tells you."But you're right, I trust myself. And I trust you. We can do this together, right?"
You refuse to admit that your heart melted a little with her words. "Of course. Together."
"Girls, are you ready? Is everything okay?" Jeremy interrupts the moment. You finally (regretfully) drop Jade's hands and face Jeremy. "We need to start."
"We're good. I was just a little bit nervous," Jade answers him. "Rookie nerves and all that. I'm okay now, though. I'm sorry."
"No, it's fine. I understand,"Jeremy says. "Thank you for calming her down, Althea. Let's go?"
You start the shoot off with some test shots. Jade looks amazing, which is expected, but some of her nerves return when you start the actual photoshoot. She keeps looking at the crew gathered behind you. You honestly don't mind them – you've handled countless photoshoots in your career and you've already mastered the art of ignoring curious, boisterous crowds.They don't really bother you anymore. But they obviously bother Jade and make her more nervous than she already is.
"Jade, just look at me, okay?" you say to her. You're trying to get a shot of her while she's lying on the sand. The camera obviously loves her, but there's an uneasiness in her eyes that translates in the camera. An uneasiness that you have to get rid of. "Focus on the camera, not the crowd."
"Yeah, I'm sorry."
"It's okay. Move your head a little bit to the right please." She follows you. Click, click, click. "Yeah, that's good. So. Jeremy tells me you just got home from the States? Did you like it there?" you ask her. Hopefully by talking to her, you can distract her from the crowd and make her feel more at ease.
"Uh, I did. I liked it there a lot, actually. I liked living independently the most," she answers. Click, click, click. "But nothing compares here though. Philippines is home."
"Your family's here?" Click,click, click. "Yeah, stretch your neck out a little. Like that, yes."
Click,click. "Yep. I just studied there, but my parents and brothers are all here. New York University. Is this pose okay?"
"Yep, it is. Wow, NYU? Impressive." Click, click. "What did you major in?"
She's already beginning to feel and look more relaxed. Click,click. "I have a business degree," she answers. "Can I prop my head up on my hands?"
Click, click, click. "Yes, that's good. Wow, beauty and brains? Color me surprised, Miss Tanchingco."
She laughs, if a little hollowly. "What's that supposed to mean? I'm not a total spoiled, airhead heiress you know," she says, and you can detect a little bit of bitterness creeping into her voice.
"Way to blow it, Althea," you berate yourself. What a stupid, insensitive thing to say to someone who has been nothing but nice to you.
"Never said you were." Click, click, click."I'm sorry if you thought I was insinuating that. I just thought...you know what? Nothing. I was being insensitive and judgmental and my preconceived notions got the best of me. I'm sorry."
"It's fine. Wouldn't be the first time someone thought of me that way," she tells you. Click, click, click. You want to explain yourself and apologize, but she probably wouldn't listen right now and you'll just end up distracting her. You work in silence for around five minutes, with some instructions thrown in here and there. She's not even looking at the crowd anymore. You take a few more shots of her lying on the beach, playing in the water, and by the coconut tree. She looks absolutely stunning. You definitely have your shot. Lots of them, actually.
"Jade, Althea, the pictures are really great," you hear Jeremy call from his place beside your laptop, where the shots are automatically saved.
"Okay, Jade. Good job. We're done with the first outfit," you tell her. She stands up and immediately makes her way to the villa to change without even talking to you or checking the pictures.
"Jade, hey. Wait up." She ignores you. You half-jog, half-run to catch up to her and gently take her wrist to stop her. "Hey. I'm sorry if I said that. I was wrong and I'm sorry. Can we start over?"
"Okay, I forgive you," she tells you with a sigh. She looks frustrated, but also determined. Defiant. "And I'm sorry too for overreacting. It's just I'm sensitive about those kinds of things, you know. I've worked so hard to prove to people that I'm not just a Tanchingco heiress getting by on my looks and my family name, so it's frustrating when people immediately think of me as someone just coasting through life. It's frustrating when people just dismiss all my achievements as luck or as a benefit of my family name."
You blink, caught off guard by her rant. "Um... I... okay. I'm sorry.Again. For what I said and for what people think about you. For the record, I think you're a lot more than your face or your family name, okay? Everything about this day proves that."
"I'm sorry for ranting," she tells you. She looks down for a second,slightly embarrassed. "It just came out, I guess. And... thank you."
"No, it's fine," you chuckle lightly. "I'm glad you can tell me that. And I am sorry again, okay? I actually admire you more now. Not only are you beautiful and smart, you also know when to fight for yourself and put people in their place. Fierce."
That gets a genuine laugh out of her. "Admire me more? So you've admired me even before?" she asks you in a teasing tone, a cheshire-like grin on her face. You blush a little. Is she... is she kinda, maybe flirting with you?
"Well, you're obviously beautiful, and you're very nice. And now I learn that you're a bad ass business degree holder too? What's not to like?" you tell her seriously. She doesn't answer and her teasing, playful grin is replaced by the shy smile she gave you earlier. You smile at her too, feeling giddy all of a sudden. Uh-oh.
"Um, anyway, I have to check the pictures and you have to get changed." You break eye contact, self-consciously tucking a lock of hair behind your ears. These staring-at-each-other-like-we're-the-only-two-people-in-the-world moments can't keep happening. Really, they're not good for your sanity. Or your heart. "I'll see you later, okay?"
She squints her eyes and you feel like she wants to ask or tell you something, but she doesn't. "I... okay," she tells you finally. "I'll see you later."
The rest of the day goes by smoothly. So smoothly in fact, that you beat your schedule by one hour. By 4:30 in the afternoon, the staff is already packing up and you're e-mailing the raw pictures to editor while Jade is at the villa, changing back into her regular clothes.
"Good job today, Althea," Jeremy says from behind you. You turn around and smile at him. He's already wearing his Ray Bans and carrying his bag, obviously ready to leave. "Thank you so much. I am so unbelievably happy with the results."
"No problem, Jeremy. I had fun today." And really, you did. This was one of the easiest shoots you've had in a long time. Mainly because of how effortless and fun it was to work with Jade. Speaking of Jade...
"Hey,"she greets the two of you. She's already wearing her regular clothes. And by regular, you mean a pink, knee-length dress with a collar. On the beach. At 4:30 in the afternoon. Girl doesn't mess around. "Are you leaving already, Jeremy?"
"Yes dear, unfortunately," he answers Jade. "I have a dinner meeting to attend later tonight. But thank you so much for today Jade. You did exceptional work. I especially like the shots on the yacht. I can't wait to see the final product."
"Aw, thank you, Jeremy. But that wouldn't have happened without Althea here." She's looking and smiling at you while saying that. The full magnitude of her toothpaste-commercial smile is directed at you. You hope to God you're not blushing.
"Hey, I just capture the images. It's all up to the model."
She scoffs playfully at your statement. "Pfft. Tignan mo 'to. Pa-humble. You know you're lying. A model wouldn't be anything without a brilliant photographer."
"Girls, you both did very good, okay? And I would love to take you both out to dinner but I really need to attend this dinner meeting," Jeremy tells you both. He gives you and Jade a beso on the cheeks. "I'll see you two in the city. Have a safe trip back."
"Yeah, you too," you and Jade say in unison, which makes you both laugh.Jeremy shakes his head and makes his way out of the tent.
"Bye girls," he says as he walks towards the entrance of the resort.
"So,"Jade starts after Jeremy leaves. "I probably have to get going too. Family dinner and all that." But even if she says that, she makes no move to leave. Maybe she's expecting you to be the one to make a move?
"Uh yeah, of course." You offer her your hand. You're a professional after all. "It was really nice working with you, Jade."
She looks at your hand and raises a perfectly arched eyebrow. "No hug for me? Or even a beso? Tampo na ako."
You actually don't know what to say or what to do. Do you hug her? Or give her a cheek-to-cheek? This girl will be the death of you. She even pouts for dramatic effect. "What?" you say dumbly.
Jade giggles, like actually freaking giggles, at your deer-caught-in-the-headlights expression. "Hey, if you don't want to, that's okay. I was just teasing you. But I just... you know.You're my first major photographer and you're really good and really nice and it'd be nice if we became friends. Di ba?"
It's your turn to giggle like a school girl with a crush. Well, it's pretty accurate – you may not be a school girl anymore but you maybe developing a crush. Just a slight one. Harmless, really. Something you'll get over with in a week, tops.
"Of course, I'd love to be friends," you tell her. "I was just, um,keeping things professional? And, you know, I didn't want to assume that you'd be okay with me just hugging you or giving you a cheek kiss like a creep."
She gives you another one of her adorable laughs and opens up her arms,motioning for you to step in them. Um...
"Come on," she tells you. "I'll be the one to hug you like a creep. Take one for the team."
Do you go for it? Is it a trap? You don't know if it is, but you make up your mind and step into the hug. She wraps her arms around your neck while yours hang limply on your sides. The first thing you notice is that she's very warm. And she's very soft. And she smells so good –like the ocean, and sunblock, and her perfume, and you don't know what else, but something uniquely Jade.
"You're funny, you know," she tells you while you're deciding where to put your limp arms. On her hips? Yeah, that's probably the best place,you think to yourself. "Thank you so much for today. For making me feel... I don't know. Safe? For being so nice and patient and giving. Even if you did insinuate that I was a bimbo."
You chuckle. "I thought you forgave me for that already?" you ask her. She releases you from the hug and the moment she does, you find yourself searching for her particular brand of warmth. "You're a real idiot, Althea," you tell yourself.
"I really haven't." She says that with a serious face, but you can see the humor in her eyes. She cracks up a millisecond later and you find yourself laughing with her.
"You're an ass," you tell her.
"I got that from you," she answers back with a huge smile. "Anyway, Kuya Jojo, my driver, is probably bored out of his wits. And I wouldn't want to be stuck in rush hour traffic, so... I guess I really have to go. Uh, see you back in Manila?"
"Yeah, of course. I had a great time today. You did an excellent job, Jade. Take care."
"Me too. And I couldn't have done it without you. You know that." She bites her lip, her eyebrows creased once again, before giving you a beso. You almost have a heart attack because the way her head was going made you think that she was going for a kiss. Hopia much?
"Have a safe trip back, too. I'll see you soon, Althea."
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Next chapter will be in Jade's POV.