60 - The Romeo Undone

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Alex approached the set feeling somewhat foolish. She had just come out from makeup and costume, and was currently wearing a large and heavy purple and gold renaissance style dress. She was wearing a really tall wig to complete the look.

Alex practically had to drag herself to the set due to all the weight she was under

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Alex practically had to drag herself to the set due to all the weight she was under. But when she saw the set, she was transfixed. They had set up a beautiful garden within the studio, complete with a working fountain in the middle and fresh colourful flowers all around. Alex tried to ignore the green screen in the background, it was ruining the aesthetic.

"Where are my models?" the photographer shouted. He was taking test photos of the scene.

"Here," Alex replied, approaching him.

"Keep your pants on," a familiar sounding male voice said sarcastically from behind Alex. She turned around and they both gaped with surprise. It was Jesse. He was dressed like a renaissance King, clad in red and black velvet. His arms were suspended in front of him as he paused in the middle of buttoning his cuffs. Then a wide smile appeared on his face. "Alex."

Alex felt her heart beat faster. "Jesse."

"Hey, what is this? You don't get paid to chatter," the photographer said in annoyance.

Jesse rolled his eyes and replied, "We get it, Tony." He grinned at Alex and said, "Let's get to work. This is going to be fun."

Somehow Alex doubted that but she reminded herself over and over to be professional.

The first set was easy enough. Tony wanted to depict a lover's first time meeting each other. Most of the shot, Alex and Jesse were standing away from one another.

In the next set, after a change of costume, Tony wanted to depict a lover's first dance. The set changed to a ballroom background. Alex took a deep breath and told herself to be strong. Following Tony's barking orders, Jesse wrapped his left hand around her waist and held her hand with the other. Alex rested her right hand on his shoulder and kept her eyes averted from his face. She could feel his piercing green eyes on her.

"I didn't know you were in London," Jesse said softly, trying to start a conversation.

"Yeah," Alex said simply. She kept her poker face on. You can do this. You make a living like this!

They posed for Tony, changing stances every few shots. Alex could tell that Jesse was suspecting something amiss, but he kept his profiles picture-ready effortlessly.

Alex was glad when Tony directed them to change again, until she saw the costume. It was just a thin, white cotton nightdress, typical of renaissance times. She changed without complaining. Underneath the dress, she wore nude underwear to make it look like she was wearing nothing. They took off her wig and removed her makeup, starting again for a nude makeup style. When they were done, she went back to the set.

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