“Quarter to ten,” Lu says.
“I said you needed to get up and showered,” Cam says as he heads into our bathroom and turns on the shower.
I chug the rest of my coffee down, grab a chocolate biscuit out of the packet, then climb out of bed.
“Jesus, Mother. Naked, much?” Lu says with a head shake.
“They’re just tits, Lu. We’ve both got them. Besides, I’ve got my knickers on.”
“Yeah, but mine ain’t as good as yours, and that little scrap of fabric doesn’t even coveryourskinny arse.”
I flip her both my middle fingers as I head to my bathroom.
Still shaking her head, she turns and walks away.
“I’ll tell your entourage you’ll be ten minutes,” she calls out.
“Twenty,” I reply.
An hour later, wearing my Boomtown Rats “I Don’t Like Mondays” tee, I’m in the chair as Chastity puts the finishing touches to my face while Oasis’s “Champagne Supernova” plays quietly in the background. It’s not coming through our speakers, so one of the crew must be playing it from their phone.
After blasting me with setting spray, Chastity takes a step back.
“There, perfection. All you needed was a bit of a glow and some colour on your cheeks.”
“What about the bags under my eyes?”
“No bags,” she says. “They were a bit puffy when you first came down, but the gel patches have sorted them out. Honestly, George, you have amazing skin. It means I don’t have to go heavy on the foundation or concealer. Just a light base, a swipe of bronzer, a nude lip, and you’re done without looking done.”
“Thank you,” I tell her before taking a swig from my bottle of water.
I’d never met this woman before this project, but I really like her. I think it’s because she comes across as one of us. She’s a no bullshit East Ender, a bit like Cam.
“Still got a headache?” she asks.
“Yep.”
“Drink this.” She pulls a bottle of coconut water from her bag and hands it to me. “Full of electrolytes, trust me. Knock it back, and you’ll be fine in ten.”
I take the cardboard bottle from her, crack the cap, and swig about half the contents.
“Thanks, love. Someone needs to remindmeI’m too old to mix my drinks and remind myhusbandnot to let me drink shots.”
“Would you have listened? Girl, I get the feeling that man lets you get away with far too much.”
Her words cause a strange sensation in my belly.
“You think I take the piss?” I ask her.
She takes a step back from where I’m sitting in my makeup chair, and her hand goes to her hip as she studies me for a minute.
“You can be honest,” I tell her. “I know I can be a lot, and I’m not everyone’s cup of tea.”
“I… I don’t really know you, but, yeah, from what I’m seeing and what I heard last week, you can be a lot. I also get why you wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea. But do you know what that man does?”
“Tell me.”
“He lets you be you, but he’s not afraid to tell you when being you is wrong, and that’s why you two work.”