Page 26 of Would You Rather
“And we were supposed to be at the studio at ten thirty,” I remind him.
He shakes his head with a laugh, holding two cups of coffee in his hands. “Well, excuse me, your highness. I was doing something.”
“What were you doing?” I ask.
He smiles at me, but it’s laced with the complete opposite of kindness. “None of your business.”
I place my hand on my hips. “Must have been really important to show up late to the photoshoot you hounded me about.”
He lifts his shoulder in a shrug. “Yeah, it was.” He leans closer, a smirk on his lips. “Was that all, or do you want to interrogate me some more?”
I lift my head to meet his gaze, and a nervous gulp escapes me. “That’s all.”
His smirk widens briefly, but then his brows furrow as he inhales deeply. “What’s that smell?” he asks, his voice deepening as his eyes lock with mine.
My eyes narrow in confusion. “My perfume?”
He lets out a deep groan, his eyes falling closed as he pulls back and walks away, heading into the dressing rooms.
Figures. He doesn’t like my perfume. Good thing I didn’t wear it for him. I let out a sigh, glancing around. The room is crowded, with clusters of people, deep in conversation, cameras and lights everywhere, and a sudden rush of nerves washes over me.
I feel so out of place. I hardly know anyone, and I’m not entirely sure what I’m supposed to be doing. Leila did her best to walk me through some things when I asked for her help, but the reality of being here is completely different.
“Hey,” I turn my head to see Ana approaching with a cup of coffee in her hands. “You look like you need this.”
I gratefully take the coffee from her, offering a smile. “Yes, thank you.” I take a sip, and it’s perfect – not too sweet, but still strong. I hum in satisfaction, savoring the coffee. “Wow. You nailed it.”
She chuckles, lifting a shoulder in a shrug. When she looks down at my outfit, her eyes widen. “You look amazing. Did you get into hair and makeup already?” she asks.
“No, I actually wasn’t sure if I should come dressed up.”
She nods. “I get it, you’re new to this, but you didn’t. We have people for that,” she says, pointing at a blonde woman currently putting makeup on Lucas. “That’s Lexi. She’s our makeup artist around here.” She gestures to the older lady currently sorting a rack of clothes. “And that’s Cynthia. Shetakes care of the outfits,” she says before she glances down at my clothes again. “But you clearly don’t need it.”
I let out a laugh. “Thank you.” I pride myself on my outfits. Not only is one of my best friends an amazing designer, but my older sister, Nia, used to be obsessed with clothes. My heart aches at the thought of her, thinking of what she’d say if she saw me here. It’s been four years since the accident, and I still miss her. So much.
“So,” I say, trying to move on before I start crying. “Where do I go?”
“We need to wait for Lucas to finish up, but I’m sure he’ll help you out.”
I groan, shaking my head. “I’d rather not ask for his help.” I take a sip of my coffee, glancing back to where Lucas is, smiling and laughing with his makeup artist.
She laughs. “You guys didn’t get along at the park?” she asks. “Those pictures seemed to say the opposite.”
I shrug, smirking at her. “I’m a good actress.” But I don’t want to admit that most of that was because of Lucas. If not for him, I’m sure we would have been called out on our fake relationship by now.
“Well, in that case, I’ll help you,” she says. “You see that guy?” She points to who I assume is the photographer since he’s behind the camera. I nod. “That’s Jack. He’s our photographer. He’s been in this business for years, you’re in good hands, I promise.”
“Good to know.”
“You’ll both stand over there,” she points to the backdrop. “And Jack will take it from there,” she says, giving me a smile. “You’re gorgeous. He’ll have no issues with you. You guys will look perfect together.”
Her words make my stomach cramp a little, but when Lucas shows up and gestures to the backdrop, I stop thinking of what Ana said and square my shoulders. I will not let him see me weak. Not again.
“You ready to do this?” he asks.
“Of course.”
Lucas walks in front of me, and I follow his lead. My nerves start to kick in, but I tell myself this is what I wanted. Sure, none of this is real, but I can pretend I’m playing a part, which I technically am.
