I went to the photoshoot area by three in the afternoon. Hindi ko na hinintay si Devlin na tawagin ako dahil gusto ko sana s'yang iwasan muna. But being the bodyguard, he was just right outside my room as soon as I opened the door. Inaasahan ko na rin naman s'ya pero nagulat pa rin ako. I just couldn't get any time away from him.
The team got busy doing my hair and makeup. I entertained myself by reading one of the books that Rio gave me. To relax myself din sana but I ended up getting frustrated when I encountered Tagalog words that were new to me. Mas malalalim kasi ang Tagalog noon. Kahit na anong basa ang gawin ko, hindi ko maintindihan ang kwento even though I already searched the meaning of the word on the internet.
I wished I could call Rio. He'd patiently explain it to me.
"You're all set, Yeliz..." the hairstylist said. She smiled at me through our reflection in the mirror. "You're really beautiful."
I stared at my own reflection. I was wearing more natural makeup this time. My lipstick was nude, and my eye makeup was a light-brown shade. Nakalugay lang ang hanggang dibdib kong buhok but they added more waves and volume to my hair. It kinda looked messy, but since we were at the beach and the wind would blow my hair, it fit our theme for today.
I was wearing a white off-shoulder top. Mababa ang three-fourth sleeves na umabot hanggang half ng upper arm ko so my upper back and whole shoulders were exposed. They even put makeup on them, highlighting my collarbone and shoulder blades so they would get emphasized more and would look good on camera.
The top has a tied and cropped style. It was tied together on my chest, and it was a little dangerous dahil maling galaw ko lang ay mahuhubaran ako. The skirt was a white tiered maxi skirt with a high slit, exposing my right thigh. The overall look was actually amazing, and I fell in love with the style.
"Do I look gaunt?" I asked, still staring at my reflection. Kaya kitang-kita ko sa salamin ang paglingon ng makeup artist at hair stylist ko.
"What?" Nagkatinginan pa sila. "Of course not. You're gorgeous! I sometimes think that you're really an angel that went down from heaven to at least make our days better with your beauty."
"What's that about?" natatawa kong sabi. "I'm no angel."
"To be honest... you are my favorite model to do makeup on. You have a perfect face."
Napatingin ulit ako sa salamin. I do look beautiful. I believed that. After all, a lot of people have been saying that to me. You know, when people often tell you things, you start believing them. You'd think that it was the truth.
But now, I was starting to doubt that. Nakakainis dahil isang sabi lang ni Devlin ng hindi magandang salita tungkol sa 'kin, pinaniwalaan ko na agad 'yon. It was just Devlin, yet why was I getting so affected like this?
"Someone told me that I look like a skeleton," I mumbled. I wasn't even trying to say that out loud, but, I guess, I didn't really feel okay.
"Whoever said that is either blind or doesn't have eyes."
Irina walked inside the tent. Lumapit s'ya sa 'kin at nginitian ako.
"You look perfect."
I smiled at her. "Thank you... I love the dress."
"Are you all set?" Napatingin s'ya sa librong hawak ko. "Is that a Filipino novel?"
My forehead was lightly creased. The book was open in my hand, so the title wasn't visible. But Irina could tell that the words were Filipino with just a glance.
"You've read this book?" I asked, confused.
Mabilis s'yang umiling. Nag-iwas pa s'ya ng tingin.
"No... Anyway, the photographer is still setting up his gear. I'll call you once it's your cue, okay?"
