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Chapter Eight

The photo shoot was really great to watch. I took no pictures of my own during it though, because Rhys was doing it for another magazine. I figured it was professional courtesy to do so. Instead, I watched Mr Mega Famous looking cute, gorgeous and sophisticated in many different outfits and poses. He's confident in front of a camera, and looks sexy from behind it. Rhys Ryan has most definitely grown on me. His music has wowed me. His singing has moved me. His personality intrigues me. He is an annoyingly sweet amalgamation of talent, wit, vulnerability, honesty, cockiness and charm. I've enjoyed spending time with him and think that he's fast becoming a friend.

"Where to now?" Just as we are leaving the fun photo shoot, I am wondering where we are off to next.

Rhys ruffles up the front of his hair, like it somehow helps him to think better. "To the recording studio to just lay down some vocals and I'll also do the vlog from there." He happily tells me.

His mood has been getting higher as the morning has gone on. Whenever he has a moment, he wants me to ask him some of my interview questions. The one thing that has really struck me about Rhys Ryan so far today, it's his thoughtfulness. He keeps making sure that I am included in everything that is happening. That no matter what is going on around him, that my interview is actually progressing. At no time has he made me feel like I am an inconvenience or just another thing for him to have to think about.

I like that. And his high mood has obviously been rubbing off on me, too. I'm no longer feeling as tired as I was earlier this morning. I think the two cans of Red Bull may also have something to do with it as well, but at least I am managing to keep up with the Rhys Ryan crazy schedule.

When we arrive at the recording studio, I won't lie...I am excited.

To be able to hear Rhys Ryan sing again is something that I really am looking forward to. He is truly amazing up on stage, but with his voice alone, he is utterly breathtaking.

There is something thrilling about being in a studio. Being in a place where a simple song is made into a musical masterpiece. It is here that I intend to get lots of shots of Rhys. From beginning to end, I want to capture every moment that he is here. After all the warm introductions with the engineers and producers, I happily start snapping away. Having fun with the whole experience, I even take some fun shots of Will, Cameron and Jules as they kick back and relax whilst Rhys records his vocals. Between shots, I snatch moments of just watching Rhys Ryan. Just watching him sing effortlessly into the mic with his eyes closed tight as he immerses himself into only his music. When he sings, I feel like I am in the very same place that he is in a song. I have no idea where that place is, but I feel like we are there together. His voice has become one that affects me so deeply. A voice that makes my heart race along with every harmonious chord that is expelled from his mouth. During the crescendo of the last chorus of his deliciously slow tempo'd song, his eyes suddenly opened. It was like he knew I was watching and knew when to open his eyes at just the right time—at the very moment that I was mesmerised.

As his vocals came to a pleasing end, our intense gaze didn't. Our eyes seemed transfixed as the instrumental music in the background slowly faded away. It was only then that Rhys blinked away the way in which he had been staring at me and replaced it with a naturally full smile. That smile illuminated me from the inside out. Moments like that are what I call 'foundation moments'—they cement the connection between two people. It may sound a little crazy, but myself and Rhys really had 'cemented' our fledgling friendship. A raw and untouched admiration now existed between us. No words are needed to know that it is there; a simple look at one another during his beautifully sung song told us that it was there.

"How did it sound from where you were?" Rhys is carrying a bottle of water in his hand, twisting the lid off as he casually strides towards me.