Page 26 of Bad Influence
‘They are suggesting you might be required to make appearances. How do you feel about that?’ asked Rob.
‘I’m there to do the styling job, and my life is infinitely less exciting than Mandy’s so, let’s face it, I don’t think I have much to be worried about,’ I replied.
There was also a clause about travel and the strong possibility I was required to accompany Mandy on a transatlantic trip during the coming months. It all sounded very exciting.
By mid-afternoon, I was glued to Instagram as paparazzi images of Mandy arriving and departing from the lunch emerged. There was a video of her walking up some steps to the venue – Annabel’s private members club on Berkeley Square – shimmering in the flashbulbs like an aquatic goddess. Yes, she looked classy instead of brassy – less Florida and more Mayfair.
Mission one: accomplished.
I couldn’t resist uploading a photo of her onto my own Instagram page with the caption:Did some styling today. Meet mermaid Mandy. Thank you, Pronovias!
And a blue heart and mermaid emoji.
Rob and I watched the filmBefore Sunrisethat evening, after I was flabbergasted to discover he had never seen it. We curled up on the sofa together and I thought howmuch I would miss him during the weeks when I would be away.
‘Does this mean I’ll be your Girl Friday when I get back?’ I teased, as we both put the date I would be returning home into our calendars. I nuzzled my nose into his neck and peppered it with kisses.
‘You’re my GirlEvery Day,’ he replied, pulling me in close for a proper kiss.
I felt content and thought about how some of the best moments between the two of us were the most simple; the inconsequential cuddles on the sofa, or when he came through the door after work, or the lazy Saturdays pottering around. His fry-ups. The slow snogs. Those were the things I was going to miss the most.
The next morning, an enormous box of flowers arrived at the front door from Pronovias. The publicity team had clearly seen the benefit of the gown being worn by Mandy, rather than my sister. They even said they were happy for Mandy to keep it if she wanted and would honour the cost so Lucy could come back and choose something else for her wedding day. I told them both the good news over WhatsApp. Mandy replied with a page of mermaid and fish emojis. And Lucy simply with the words,Great. You’re the best MOH. Will look online when I get a chance.
I took this as a win from them both.
As the column inches on news websites and social media likes for Mandy’s mermaid look stacked up, I witnessed first-hand the power that being a stylist to a superstar like Mandy could command. Some of my fashion contacts reconnected,commenting under the image that it was great to see me styling again; DMs from friends popped up on Instagram. Even my model-stroke-actress friend Poppy Dunn got back in touch, and I hadn’t heard a thing from her since New York.I’m so glad you’re styling Mandy!!! Isn’t she Ah-Mazing??? We must meet up when I’m next in London!!
Vicky sent a voice note to tell me I was the bomb and that Mandy’s look had made the Star Tracks spot onPeoplemagazine’s home page in the US. I was buzzing.
Back on Planet Normal, Rob and I spent Sunday morning doing laundry, cleaning, and tidying our flat. With the Pronovias flowers arranged into three vases and dispersed around the rooms, it looked and smelt lovely. It restored a sense of calm to both of us and we were able to have a very adult conversation about how he would try to retain this sense of order at home going forward. Fortunately, this conversation was weighted in my favour, as I wouldn’t be there for most of the time. Then I started to do some packing, but we didn’t want to waste the whole of our last day together, so we decided to go for a walk around Portobello Road and have a beer at the Gold.
‘Let’s talk about our first impressions of each other,’ I said when we were comfortably seated. ‘You know, just like I asked you what your first impression of Girl Friday was, I’m wondering how you might have described me.’
He looked at me thoughtfully, his watchful green eyes scanning my face affectionately.
I took a sip from my bottle of Corona and waited a few seconds, as he considered what to say.
‘You’re taking too long!’ I declared. ‘Okay, I’ll go first. I thought you really fancied yourself.’
Rob laughed so hard he spat out some of his beer.
‘Fancied myself!Really?’ He snorted in disbelief, still laughing as he mopped up the spillage from his chin with a napkin.
‘Really.’ I cast him a sideways look.
‘Was that because you fancied me?’
‘Of course not!’ I giggled mischievously. ‘But I do now. I mean the way you dribbled just then, it wassooosexy.’
‘Now you’re being rude.’ He laughed. ‘You told me you gave me the nickname Handsome Rob – where did that come from then, hey?’ He dug his index finger into my ribs. ‘You fancied me straight away. Admit it.’
We both knew he was right. Rob’s boyish good looks, dark denim and white T-shirt combos had caught my eye immediately, leading to the cheeky moniker I had given him when we first started working together.
‘It wasn’t just superficial though. I thought you were going places.’ I smiled. ‘I was impressed by your drive. You knew so clearly that you wanted to be a director, and you were going to achieve that. You had no doubts. It was attractive.’ I paused. ‘And I fancied your arms.’
He grinned. ‘Just my arms?’ A muscle on his forearm twitched beneath his jumper.
His eyes glistened, just like they had done when I first laid my eyes on him in Smith’s boutique, where I honestly thought it was love at first sight for me. ‘You do have great arms,’ I said. ‘And when I first saw you, I thoughtI fancy him. I still do.’
