I was about to keep scolding him, not caring that people were looking at us, when another voice interrupted us. I turned sharply toward the speaker.
"Hello, Aylin. I'm Jamie."
When my eyes met the photographer speaking with a strange accent, I swallowed hard. The man I'd seen from behind couldn't really be this person, could he? Messy brown hair, honey-colored eyes, and an incredibly attractive face. On top of that, broad shoulders that suited his height and a solid build noticeable even under loose clothes.
In short, if one of us was going to model, it definitely wasn't me.
Great. First a cop, now a fashion photographer. Would I ever have a day where it wasn't rubbed in my face that I'd chosen the one profession completely devoid of ridiculously handsome men?
When I realized I was staring at him like a stunned idiot as his smile widened, I quickly looked away, shook his extended hand, and muttered a quiet hello.
At the same time, Demir wrapped an arm around my shoulders and extended his hand to Jamie. I tried discreetly to shake his arm off, but couldn't move it even a millimeter. Giving up, I turned to Demir and stared at him questioningly. He replied with an innocent smile.
Meanwhile, the pathetic foreigner called out to someone and then said something to Demir, who nodded and turned to me.
"They want to do your hair and makeup first." He pointed to a young woman approaching us. "She'll help you with that."
The girl extended her hand and introduced herself with a sweet smile.
"Hello, Ms. Aylin. My name is Derya. I'll be taking care of you today."
I smiled warmly and shook her hand.
"Nice to meet you, Derya. It's great to finally meet someone I can communicate with without a translator. And please, just call me Aylin. Formality isn't really my thing."
She smiled back warmly.
"Alright, Aylin. If you follow me, we can go to the makeup room and start getting ready."
I nodded and followed her toward one of the doors on the other side of the hall.
By the time my hair and makeup were done—during which Duru had called at least three times to ask how things were going—we moved to a small booth-like area where I changed into the provided clothes and then returned to the hall.
The pathetic foreigner was near the entrance, talking on the phone, but Demir was nowhere in sight. The sweet photographer, busy at his computer, smiled and immediately came over when he saw me.
"Ready?"
I nodded.
"Let's start then."
At least my English was good enough to understand that.
When we stepped into the shooting area together, he was about to say something but stopped. Probably worried I wouldn't understand, he called out to Derya. She came over, listened to what he said, and translated it for me.
"He says he knows this is your first time, but he wants you not to feel tense, because the most important thing is for you to be comfortable. He'll guide you through the poses. And if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask."
Easy for him to say. My heart was pounding even before we started.
Jamie turned to me with a smile and made an "okay" sign with his thumb and index finger.
When I said "Okay," they both went back to their positions, while I stood helplessly in front of the white backdrop, like a child who'd lost their mother in the middle of a marketplace.
Jamie got the camera ready and said something. Derya translated his instructions and explained what I needed to do. But I couldn't shake my nervousness.
Looking close to giving up, Jamie straightened up and scratched his head in frustration, trying to figure out how to fix the situation. Just then, Demir walked out of one of the doors behind him with a satisfied smile on his face. I stopped paying attention to Jamie and fixed Demir with a suspicious stare.
He was rubbing the corner of his mouth as if wiping away a trace of something. When, shortly after, a dark-skinned girl emerged from the same door with an equally satisfied smile, it became clear what had been going on. As I glared at Demir angrily, he noticed my look and shrugged innocently, as if it weren't his fault.
Was it really that impossible for this guy to stay away from women for even a few hours?
I bit my lip hard to keep myself from causing a scene by saying things I'd regret in front of so many people.
At that moment, Jamie shouted "Okay," and I turned to him to understand what he meant. Smiling happily, he beckoned me over. When he showed me the photos on his computer one by one, I stared at the screen in disbelief.
Without me even realizing it, he had photographed the entire time I'd been watching Demir, and according to him, he'd captured "amazing" shots. To my untrained eye, they weren't particularly amazing in terms of attractiveness, but they were definitely natural.
Demir came over to look at the photos as well, nodding with a grin.
"I'm glad I helped you get over your stage fright, Jigglypuff."
I raised an eyebrow and snapped back angrily.
"Keep talking and maybe I'll get over my fear of becoming a murderer too. What do you say, Demir?"
He grinned and walked away. When he sat down on the two-seater couch and started reading a magazine he found, I sighed and turned back to Jamie. When he said we could move on to the second outfit, I nodded and went to the changing room.