Dating a YouTuber?!

Chapter 2: The photo-shoot

I was really nervous. It was two weeks after the day that I posted the photos of Nate on my website and after that my base of visitors had tripled. Some just wanted to see more photos of YouTube celebrities but the majority was just enjoying my photos like all of my old visitors and had just found me through the Nate-photos.

I was in Brighton since I had decided to try and hold the photo-shoot by the water and I had only decided on the date one day in advance since I needed to be sure that the sun would make an appearance through the clouds.

“I am so excited!” said my sister as she jumped in her seat besides me. She had even gotten the day off to come with me and luckily I had only had one morning class that I had attended before we left London. I had made the agreement with Emma that she got to tag along but we had dinner with our parents later after the photo-shoot. She hadn’t been really that happy about it but hearing my mother’s joy on the phone when I told her was worth it.

We got off at the train station and walked down to a rather isolated length of the beach that was more untouched by human touch and we were less likely to run into anyone. I had asked Nate and the representative from YouTube to meet us there.

“It’s still quite chilly today,” Emma mumbled while she shivered slightly in her long beautiful dress that was made from a rather thin material.

“I told you to put more clothes on,” I lectured her as only an older sister could. I was in my favourite hoodie and my soft skin-tight old jeans, my go-to outfit. I had my long hair pulled into a tightened low bun to keep it out of my eyes with the wind on the beach. Emma had as usual her long wavy hair loose and it was flowing all over the place.

My inner photographer was as always ready to jump out and in a matter of seconds I had snapped a photo of my beautiful sister. She spotted me and started laughing wildly with closed eyes, giving me another great opportunity to get a great shot.

“And here I thought I was going to be the model,” a voice said behind us and we turned instantly.

Nate was standing behind us with woman behind him. I introduced myself with a firm handshake, as the professional I was and recognised the voice of the woman. Her name was Hannah and I had talking to her on the phone to arrange the location and time of the photo-shoot. She was absolutely lovely in real life too.

“Nice to finally meet you, Abigail. I really appreciate your time,” Hannah said and smiled heartedly.

“Oh my pleasure. But may I ask, what are you wearing?” I asked Nate.

He looked down himself, clearly confused. It was not that he did not look good, cause he looked extremely good this close up but he seemed rather awkward in those clothes that were obviously new; black jeans and a brand T-shirt with a coloured shirt over it and a stiff snapback.

“I asked him to change into some new clothes to look good,” Hannah said.

I furrowed my brows. “I would rather photograph him in his ordinary clothes. If I gathered one things from his videos it is that he is rather laid back and not that focused on fashion.”

I confess. After arranging the photo-shoot I had checked out a few of his videos, he was really funny and very sensible. I had especially focused on a video of him reaching to old profile photos, which was absolutely hilarious but also displayed that indeed he did not photograph that well.

 “Do you still have any of the old clothes with you?” I asked Nate directly.

Emma poked me in the side and got my attention.

“Abbey, I think those clothes are sponsored.”

I felt the embarrassment rise in my cheeks, of course he was wearing sponsored clothes I mean which other 22-year old doesn’t? I kid, I kid.

“Fine, lets just get on with it. But could you just excuse me?”

I walked around a big bush and did my breathing exercises. Nate had still to say anything to me. He probably thought I was a moron. This was why I did not interact with other humans beside my family, I always say the wrong thing and care way too much what people think of me. Emma, Hannah and Nate was probably having a good laugh about it now, my sister was always quick to make friends.

I slowly emerged from the shadows to find no sign of Hannah but seeing Nate and Emma chatting along like they had known each other for ages.

I pulled out my camera and got a few snaps of them chatting. Emma asked Nate something to which he nodded and I then saw them embrace happily. I quickly captured it, knowing Emma would want me too and likely knew I was at a distance taking pictures.

Nate spotted me and waved, and I thought it would ruin the photo but when I looked back on it, I found that it was still a perfect photo. His eyes focused right into the lens but his smile still genuine.

“You remind me of my shy stalkers when you lurk around in bushes like that,” he said smiling as I approached them.

“Did you get it?” Emma asked and I nodded. Nate looked confused.

“Abbey likes to photograph people when they are not looking. It is more natural that way and she believes that it makes the photos better, pure and simple,” Emma laughed as she added the name for my website.

“Huh, maybe that’s why all of the photos on your website are that good.”

I froze. “Have you seen my photos? I mean other that the ones I took of you?”

“Yeah, I made your website my start page and it always seem to get me in a good move, although I am surprised to see that you never once have posted a photo of yourself.”

“I don’t like selfies and I only post photos I have taken myself,” I explained.

Hannah returned with a bag from the car that was parked down the beach.

“Here is the clothes he wore before,” she said and handed me the bag. I contained a stained jumper, a pair of sweatpants and an old beanie.

I couldn’t hold back a laugh. I swapped out the snapback for the beanie and pulled it on his head. I didn’t realise how close I was to him until I felt his breath on my face. I immediately retracted but slowly so he wouldn’t think anything of it. Why had my heart rate sped up?

“Lets start with warm up exercises,” I said and Emma smiled but the other two looked utterly confused.

I explained that I wanted him to jump around and the only way I got him to do it was by jumping alongside him myself. Every time he got really into it and focused I snapped a shot. Then I asked him to roll up his jeans, which proved very difficult and hilarious caught on film, to go test out the water. His face as his toes touched the water was priceless.

I kept ordering him around, even going so far as having him hung upside down a tree like a sloth. At this point he had changed the jeans to the sweatpants and was wearing the snapback, which fell of his head.

From time to time he would look straight into the camera and I would get a photo of him with a very intense look in his eyes. I also tried to shout bad puns at him until he would burst out laughing and I would get a photo of him outright laughing out loud.

Time had flown by and I realised I had kept him and Hannah much longer than I had arranged with them and when I turned to say that we were stopping to Hannah, I only found my sister behind me. Nate ran up from the beach to join us.

“Hannah had to go back to London but she didn’t want to interrupt,” Emma said.

“Sh*t, it’s really late. I need to get going. I have dinner plans with my friends in town,” Nate said and grabbed the bag with his stuff.

“Yeah, and thanks to miss good-daughter over here, we have to have dinner with our parents here too,” Emma said.

“Wait, you live here?”

“No, we used to and our parents still do. I’m dying to have my mom’s homemade food!” I said. I can get rather passionate about food.

“Cool, can you follow me into town to this address?” Nate asked and to my surprise the question was aimed at me rather than my sister.

“Sure,” I said nervously.

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The photo is of Nate.