Love Journal – As Told By An Emotionally Constipated Half-Genius - Chapter 249

“There are many different kinds of beauty. You don’t have to be the same kind of beauty that all the other girls have, you are your own kind of beauty, remember that.”

Lucy made Scarlet move things around for her on the deck and snapped the camera away, telling Scarlet to forget about the snapping sounds as they were all test shots made to get her accustomed to the lens.

“Alright,” the journalist declared. “Shall we start the informal interview? Think of this as just a friendly chat. I heard from Orita that I get to ask about your love lives today. How about telling me a thing or two about the person you’re seeing. Is he good looking?”

Scarlet was seated on the sun chair and crossed an arm over her stomach bashfully with her legs crossed when Lucy brought up the topic of her dating life. Immediately, her cheeks were flushed when she thought about Edward. Was he good looking? Of course, he was!

Not wanting to miss the opportunity to catch Scarlet’s natural expression, Lucy snapped away and smiled. Scarlet looked slightly awkward but that pouting blush and her eyes lowered in embarrassment made her look very adorable. Her shy posture only added to the charm and the highlight of this look was how the sunlight created a soft lighting effect like a halo with the actress’ hair that was blowing in the sea breeze making it look like an angel had descended on earth. The look was a mix of s.e.xy, cute and innocent, something that was almost ethereal with a little editing.

Knowing what she wanted to capture from this promising young lady before her, Lucy decided to work on that natural air of innocence and child-like charms that Scarlet had. It made people naturally want to protect her when they saw such a defenceless lady and Lucy wanted to project that in the photographs. Scarlet was an angel, nobody could change her mind.

“Alright, how about we enjoy some drinks with the breeze at the edge of the deck?” Lucy suggested and handed Scarlet a glass of tropical fruit juice prepared by the chef on board.

Scarlet accepted the drink with thanks and played with the ice for a little while Lucy ushered her into a position that best captured the scenery behind her in a distance. Scarlet was told to face her back to the railing and look at the camera while taking a sip of her drink. Lucy tested a few shots but felt that her model was still too stiff. She wondered what would make Scarlet act more natural and waited for a while.

As if heaven heard her prayers, a sudden gust of strong wind came and messed up Scarlet’s hair, prompting the girl to close one eye while reaching up with another hand to push her long flowing strands back. The action was so graceful that Lucy set the camera to a burst shot, trying not to miss any frames until the squall died down.

Scarlet was startled by the sudden wind and didn’t have much time to pay attention to the wind until Lucy started checking through the photograph. Curious, Scarlet walked over to peek at the burst shots.

They reviewed the photos together until Lucy was satisfied with one. The photo captured Scarlet’s cat-like charms with her fingers tangled in her own hair, an eye shut from the wind that made her look playful and a glass of juice in her hand with the straw in her mouth. The photojournalist decided to crop out the bottom half of this photo and deemed that the second picture was selected.

“So easily?” Scarlet couldn’t believe how easy the modelling process was. That shot was taken by accident while she wasn’t prepared but somehow, it turned out great.

“Sometimes, all a model needs to look the prettiest is to be in the moment. Not all models work well under the pressure of a lens. Alex is a very different kind of model and a rare kind who thrives naturally under attention. The more attention she is given, the brighter she shines. On the other hand, you’re a natural beauty when you’re not trying to be. Just like you, your charms are a little shy and won’t show well under the pressure of the lens. It’s when you’re at your most relaxed that they start appearing.”

Understanding it a little better, Scarlet decided to ease up and stop thinking about good poses. She just went with the flow and did what Lucy suggested. The next pose Lucy wanted was a pose of Scarlet having fun. The writer found it a little difficult to smile so Lucy gave her a reason to smile. She called Alex out and told the girls to have fun at the jacuzzi.

Not one to refuse a dip in the jacuzzi, the girls raced to the small pool and tried to shove each other into it, dodging each other like lithe kittens as they skimmed the edges. Scarlet decided to bend down and splash some water at her unsuspecting sister who yelled with a huge grin on her face. It didn’t take long for them to completely forget about the camera as they kicked water at each other until Scarlet tackled Alex into the pool, creating a huge splash as they both fell into it.

Lucy grinned and turned to Orita who was waiting at the side. She gave the mother a thumbs up and it was now Orita’s turn to pose for a few pictures that the experienced socialite competed in ten minutes. Lucy was very satisfied with the photos she managed to capture, especially the smiles of the two beautiful teens. Oita was blessed to have such wonderful children and Lucy requested for one last photo of the family together.

This picture wasn’t difficult to take now that Alex and Scarlet worked the tension out of their systems with the playing earlier. Orita decided to enjoy the jacuzzi with her daughters and invited Lucy to soak with them. The journalist didn’t refuse and joined them but kept her camera close, capturing some moments she thought was good when she saw it.

The final picture selected was one where Scarlet was pointing into the distance talking about the cliff she would most likely be jumping off with Claire while Alex raised a hand over her eyes to have a better look. Orita was relaxing in the tub and craned her neck behind to get a glance of the cliff when Lucy snapped the shutter. With that, the photoshoot was finally finished.

“All done?” Orita asked after they decided to shower and prepare for lunch.

“All done,” Lucy confirmed and thanked the girls for their cooperation.

Lunch was prepared swiftly and the photojournalist couldn’t help but salivate at the fresh smoked salmon with lemon drizzle. Scarlet was the first to finish her shower and joined Lucy in the living room while they waited for Orita and Alex.

“How was that photoshoot? Not nearly as bad as you thought it would be, right?”

Scarlet laughed, feeling more comfortable with Lucy now that the worst was over. “Indeed. Back in China I hated modelling for the poster of the movies the most because I was often told to correct the angle of my poses and hold it there for an insane amount of time until all my muscles were aching.”

Lucy winced, feeling sorry for Scarlet. “Do you regret becoming an actress?”

Scarlet smiled and shook her head, towelling dry her hair while they spoke. “Not at all. I actually learned a lot but I do enjoy the training behind the scenes more than the shooting on set. The gymnastic and martial art classes they made all actors attend was by far the most interesting part about the entire filming process in my opinion. Stunts are always fun for me although not all takes were done right. The risk of getting hurt is rather high but I trust the safety team behind me whenever I have to make a jump or hang from the third floor from a crane for certain scenes.”

Lucy became more interested and wrote that down. “Were there any scenes that you didn’t really like or were afraid to do?”

Scarlet thought about it. “Mm, I didn’t like the scene where they put me in a small cell. I think I’m slightly claustrophobic and I don’t like scenes that use a lot of guns or fireworks. Other than that, I think the rest of the scenes were manageable.”

“Even the water scene?”

Scarlet was slightly surprised. “Oh? You watched my movies?”

Lucy grinned. “I’m a diligent reporter, I do my homework. I know there was a scene where you had to wear heavy clothes and remain underwater for a long time. Was that difficult for you? The wig must have weighed so much I don’t know how you could lift your head.”

Scarlet laughed and she remembered the scene that Lucy was referring to. “That scene was actually not as difficult as people thought it would be. I was actually being held up by wires underneath my costume and given a plastic tube where I can inhale oxygen when needed. The more challenging part was getting my hair and costume into perfect position for that scenic shot so I think I spent a good thirty minutes underwater like that. Of course, throughout that thirty minutes, I had been raised up and moved around quite a bit by those wires but thanks to them, I didn’t have to drag myself up and carry the horrible weight of soaked wigs and costumes.”

The two chatted more in detail about some of Scarlet’s work in China until Orita and Alex were ready. Hearing her stomach growl, Scarlet blushed and Lucy suggested that they ate first before continuing the interview. Scarlet couldn’t think of a better idea and they dug into their meals eagerly.