behind the camera - zm

1

cara
it was another shoot day, early start as always. glam and makeup had always gave me time to recover from the early mornings.
i was told that the shoot would be done in studio, even though the morning sky was very clear and the sun was almost fully arisen.

"i hear your photographer is one of the best." gloria, my head makeup lady, gawked.
"i've never worked with him, malik was it?"
i said, looking at myself in the mirror.
"zayn malik." gloria touched my shoulder, playfully hitting me.

"i already told you, no-"
"no relationships until you're settled down with work. oh c'mon love, i've heard you say that a million times."

i scoffed, getting up from the chair and took the outfit she had in her hands.
"plus he's a photographer, isn't that unprofessional." i giggled.
gloria glared at me, pushing me into the dressing room as i continued to retaliate at her marks to get me a boyfriend.
i changed into a very short crop top and jeans, throwing on a black blazer.

"you look beautiful, last touches." gloria mumbled, as we walked towards the shoot room. i was nervous, i tend to always get nerves before a shoot.

we walled up and gloria knocked on the door, hearing a man say come in. she opened the door for me then i walked right in with a smile on my face.
"hi, i'm cara." i said a few seconds after walking in.

the man was blonde, covering in tattoos wearing a white top and grey jeans. he didn't really say anything, just nodding his head towards me. i felt intimidated just by his gaze, but always felt like that whenever i was working with a new photographer.

his eyes scanned me, then held out his hand.
"zayn." he said, his voice giving me goosebumps.

i took his hand and he guided me to this pretty backdrop, motioning for me to sit down.
i had posed and he shook his head, "more natural cara. i want to see the real cara through the camera."
he looked up from his camera, "you're very beautiful cara."

i blushed but couldn't contain my smile, he caught onto that and had taken multiple pictures. zayn's focus was me, but i didn't know what mine was. it'd be fair if i focused on him, but he was very intimidating.
he walked over, but before he reaching out and fixed my position, muttering a 'can i?'
i nodded my head, "no i need to hear the words cara. i don't think nodding is a consensual thing because a shake of the head no can be mistaken for a yes."
"yes." i choked, he is a good man.
always wanting consent, but also making sure things were natural and not reciprocated to look natural.

he turned my body, angling it just a bit and then brushing my hair from my shoulders then tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. taking the blazer off and placing it to the side, not wanting to throw it.
"okay, just stay like that. remember loose, relaxed and natural."
i would tune out and change my pose from time to time, scared that zayn was going to speak to me again.

don't do that when working with zayn, noted.

"i've been saying your name for the past two minutes, cara." he sighed.
"what is it?"
"i said that we finished, you can go now."
he softly smiled at me, that's the first time he smiled since i got here.