He looked up and for a moment the easy-going manner dropped from his face but was almost instantly replaced with a smile. ‘Not so much. He’s a white-collar worker. Likes his office and dealing with facts and figures.’ He held the camera up. ‘This time, look off to your left. I’m gonna come in close from an angle.’ Matt snapped away for a few more minutes, giving instructions, which Darcie dutifully complied with. ‘These are great. Take a look.’ Matt sat beside her on the step and, tilting the camera so she could see, began going through the shots.
‘Well, they’re a lot better than my selfies,’ said Darcie.
‘I’ll take that as a compliment,’ said Matt. There was a touch of humour in his voice, and Darcie liked the fact he wasn’t too uptight about himself or his art.
‘No, seriously, they’re really good. Almost doesn’t look like me.’
‘Now, see here. They automatically sync to my phone and I can make a few adjustments with the settings.’ He fiddled around for a minute before showing Darcie the final result.
‘Wow! That’s brilliant!’ she said. ‘You’ve changed the whole look of the photo.’
‘Yeah, I like to make the sky more dramatic and the colours richer, introducing more light and shade.’
‘I know it’s all digital, but I love how things can be transformed and made into a different version of themselves.’
Matt looked at her with interest. ‘You do? A lot of people don’t like digital manipulation.’
‘I think it’s great. I do something similar but with clothes,’ she found herself saying. ‘I upcycle clothing, repair stuff, restore it or bring it up to date with a new twist. I have a shop where I sell vintage clothing and accessories.’
‘Ah, it’s all beginning to make sense now,’ said Matt. ‘Your vibe.’ He made a sweeping movement with his hand towards her clothing. ‘You’ve got an individual style. That’s what drew me to you.’
‘Very perceptive. And this is me dressing down to fit in.’
‘Are you on social media?’
‘Yep– Vintaged and Loved. My name’s Darcie by the way.’
Matt held out his hand. ‘Pleased to meet you, Darcie Bytheway.’
Darcie laughed out loud as she shook his hand. ‘Marchant. Darcie Marchant.’
‘Look, would you like to grab a coffee? If you’re not in any rush.’
‘I … err …’ Her automatic response was to decline but, for some reason, she hesitated. What would the harm be in going for a coffee with him? He seemed normal enough and in a public place with people all around, it was a pretty safe bet.
Matt held up his hand. ‘Hey, don’t sweat it. It’s no big deal if you don’t want to.’ He started packing his camera back into his rucksack. ‘The pictures will be up on my Instagram and TikTok account later this evening. You can just grab a screenshot or if you want a high-resolution copy, just message me on one of the apps and I’ll send it over to you.’ He got to his feet.
Darcie stood too. ‘I tell you what, why don’t we get a takeaway coffee from the stall down by the carousel?’ She gestured towards the bottom of the hill where the double-decker merry-go-round was situated and where she’d spotted the crêpe and coffee stall on her way up.
‘Sure. That would be nice.’
It wasn’t so busy down by the carousel and after ordering a hot chocolate for herself and a black coffee for Matt, which she insisted on paying for seeing as she’d made the invite, they sat down on one of the nearby benches to people-watch. The old-time music from the carousel filled the air as the horses glided up and down as they went around. French voices, old and young, mingled in the background, together with the smell of coffee and the sweet sugary smell of the crêpes being served.
‘How long are you in Paris for?’ asked Darcie. ‘I know you said it was a mix of work and holiday.’
‘I’m here for a month, but I may stay longer.’
‘Sounds like you have a flexible working contract.’ She wasn’t sure he was completely telling her the truth, but maybe he just didn’t like talking about his work.
‘I’m here to cover a fashion shoot, actually,’ he replied.
She wasn’t surprised at this. It made sense that he’d be here for that sort of thing. ‘That sounds very glamorous,’ said Darcie, taking a sip of her drink. ‘You know it’s Chanel’s haute couture fashion show this week.’
‘I know.’
Darcie looked at him. He had that cheeky grin again. He raised his eyebrows, and the grin broadened. Darcie slowly brought the hot chocolate down from her mouth. ‘Wait, don’t tell me …’
He nodded. ‘A-ha.’
