Rachel puffed out her cheeks, blowing away a rush of air that signalled she didn’t believe him.
‘Trust me,’ he said. ‘Now, come on, I need you to smile properly. Think joyful thoughts … No, no, not like you’re straining to go to the loo.’
‘Fuckoff, I’m trying!’
‘That’s better.’Snap.
‘Right. Now think about something properly hilarious. I dunno … Laurence being rugby-tackled by Will. Or having the crap kicked out of him by Anna … I’m not sure which would be scarier, to be honest.’
Rachel laughed, imagining her two friends tag-teaming: Will knocking Laurence over and Anna whacking him around the face with her leopard-print beret.Snap.
‘Beautiful,’ Tom said, then shook his head as she rolled her eyes at him. ‘Rach, listen. I—’
Brrrrrrrring. BRRRRRRRRRINNNNNG.
‘Ah. Zack must be here.’
Tom turned and made for the door as Rachel slid off the stool.
She shook her head and pressed her hands against her cheeks to quell the sudden, intense warmth in them. Then she pulled her hair back up into a high, messy ponytail before following him.
Zack Lanson was shorter than Rachel had expected, but he was every inch the influencer. He was wearing a Belstaff leather jacket that probably cost as much as her monthly rent, plus a long fine-knit scarf so soft and luxurious she’d happily curl up and sleep in it.
Rachel found herself transfixed by Zack’s eyebrows. They were a rich dark brown and more perfectly arched than any she’d ever seen – except perhaps Jessica’s in those stupid Angeljuice ads. He must have them threaded, she concluded. Perhaps she should ask him where.
‘Hi, thanks for being here,’ Tom said, shaking hands with Zack and the younger man he’d brought with him. ‘I’m Tom and this is Rachel, the copywriter for the exhibition. She’ll chat with you about your thoughts on the theme and I’ll be taking your photo.’
‘Lovely. Nice to meet you both,’ Zack said in his trademark cockney wide-boy accent. ‘This is Nate, my assistant.’
From where Rachel was standing it looked as though Nate, a solidly built black guy barely out of his teens, chiefly assisted with carrying Zack’s stuff. He was weighed down with garment bags, a large glass bottle of what Rachel hoped was water and a massive metallic vanity case.
Rachel took the water out of Nate’s hand before the bottle could fall and smash, then helped him to drape Zack’s clothes over the arm of the small mustard sofa that sat in the kitchen area.
‘Thanks,’ Nate said, flashing Rachel a smile.
‘No problem.’
‘So, what do you want me in first, Tommy?’ Zack asked. ‘A suit, perhaps? I’ve brought my YSL skinny tuxedo, I look thedog’sin that.’
‘It’s just Tom. And actually, what you’re wearing is probably perfect – the famous white tee plus your jacket. We’ll mainly be doing just head-and-shoulders shots anyway, and we’re after a kind of “off-duty” look … I’m sure you’re all clued up on the exhibition concept after speaking with Dev.’
‘Oh yeah, absolutely,’ Zack said, not sounding clued up at all. ‘I remember now – we’re keeping it real for this one. Seriously, though … Are we talking no hair and make-upwhatsoever? Not even a bit of CC cream, no highlighter? I don’t wanna look all pale and tired, my followers expect me to be fresh. And what about contouring?’
Tom looked alarmed, as though he wasn’t sure what most of these words even meant.
‘Think about the kind of shot you’d see on a 1960s album cover,’ Rachel interjected. ‘Or imagine a really gorgeous, natural photo of a good-looking artist – say, Springsteen. That’s what we’re aiming for.’
Tom closed his eyes in relief, nodding and giving her a thumbs up behind Zack’s back. He motioned for her to carry on talking.
‘The idea is we want to show a different side to you,’ Rachel continued, ‘create an image that’s artistic, a little raw, kind of vintage in style. Less polished than usual, but beautifully lit and composed, so stillreallyflattering.’
‘Got you,’ Zack said, brightening. ‘Shame I didn’t bring my guitar, now I think about it – would have been the perfect prop. Nate, mate – could you take all this stuff back to the flat? Maybe pick up the Hummingbird?’
Nate’s face crumpled at the prospect of more fetching and carrying. Rachel didn’t blame him.
‘Honestly, there’s no need,’ Tom said. ‘I promise we can get the vibe we’re after without it.’
‘We want to capture the music inyou,’ Rachel said, trying not to cringe or catch Tom’s eye in case she laughed. ‘I don’t blame you for wanting to show off the Gibson, though. Is it the cherry-coloured one you have?’