Page 9 of One More Shot
‘You were great!’ My voice rises an octave and I’m not entirely sure why I’m suddenly so desperate to spare his ego. ‘Sogood. I wasn’t faking. Come back and finish.’
He shakes his head and, to my relief, his expression seems to settle on amused. ‘No, you’re not feeling it.’
‘Iam.’
He exhales a deep breath. ‘Then let’s just say thatI’mnot feeling it anymore.’
I watch, stunned, as he pushes himself off my bed and starts reaching for his clothes.
‘Dane—’
A small grin tugs at his lips. ‘It’s fine, Eliott. You changed your mind, no big deal.’ He says it like he really means it, like he’s not at all bothered by the strange turn this night has taken. ‘I had fun and I hope you did, too. Up until…’ He trails off and gestures awkwardly in my direction. ‘Whatever that was.’
My blood feels like fire under my skin, and I can feel it rushing to my face. ‘Yeah. I did.’
He nods, seemingly satisfied with what has to be an incredibly unsatisfying response, and then turns for the door.
‘Wait.’
He glances over his shoulder, a brow raised in question. I fidget with the blanket pooled around me. I should tell him that this has nothing to do with him – that this is definitely amething – but the words won’t come. Instead, I give him a sad little smile and he returns it with one of his own.
‘Maybe I’ll see you around, Eliott.’
‘Yeah,’ I say as he steps out of my bedroom and lets the door swing shut behind him. ‘Maybe.’
Chapter ThreeELIOTT
TWO YEARS LATER
The bride-to-be accosts me as soon as I walk through the door. She’s wearing a short, feathery white dress and even the six-inch heels she’s wearing can’t stop her from launching herself across the space between us and into my arms.
‘Eliott!’ Bailey cheers my name and wraps her arms around me in a tight hug like we’re lifelong friends and she didn’t just find me on Instagram a week ago. ‘I’m so glad you could make it. You’re a lifesaver, you know that?’
‘I don’t know about lifesaver.’ I force a laugh as she unravels herself from me and takes a step back. ‘But I’ll do what I can.’
Her fiancé – Caspian, if I’m remembering the details of the frantic messages Bailey sent me correctly – comes up behind her and rests a gentle hand on her waist. Her smilesoftens into something sweeter, something just for him, and she melts into his touch.
I bring my camera up to my face and snap a quick candid shot of the two of them. They don’t even notice. That’s how lost they are in each other’s gaze. It’s cute –nauseatinglycute – but I’m used to it. Between being a wedding photographer and living with Sasha and Wes, navigating loved-up couples has quickly become my new normal.
I barely even feel the slight pang of longing in my chest as I watch Caspian tilt his head and whisper something in Bailey’s ear that makes her giggle.
Barely.
I turn away from them, feeling like I’m intruding on something private, and glance around the room. They’ve hired out this restaurant to celebrate their recent engagement and the large space is already starting to fill with friends and family.
I always enjoy engagement party jobs. They practically guarantee the couple will book me for their big day, and it’s a slightly more relaxed way of getting to know them, understanding how they operate, and seeing how comfortable they are in front of the camera. If any red flags pop up tonight, we’ve got the chance to iron them out before the big day.
‘Thanks so much for fitting us in,’ Bailey says, pulling my attention back to the happy couple. ‘I know it was late notice, but our first photographer bailed on us.’
‘We thought it was a sign that maybe we shouldn’t bother with one for tonight,’ Caspian says.
‘But then we saw your portfolio online and fell in love!’ Bailey finishes with a bright grin.
Pride blooms in me, and I bite back a pleased smile. I’d known that Bailey was a fan of my work, given the fact that she liked and reshared almost my entire feed within a span of five minutes one evening, butstill. I’ve put a lot of effort into working on my craft over the years, and it always feels good to hear that recognised. ‘Have you guys settled on a date for the big day yet?’
They exchange a look and both break out into identical, slightly weary grins. I get the distinct impression that I’m watching a silent conversation play out in front of me. It’s the kind of thing Sasha and Wes do all the time. Like one of the side-effects of being so ridiculously in love with someone is developing the power of mind-reading.
Annoying, but also cute. So goddamn cute.
