Page 38 of Hail Marry
Jasper chuckles. “Should we head to our first spot? It’s just on the rooftop of that building right there.” He points to one about ten stories tall.
“We’ll follow you,” I say.
“So,” Jasper says as we walk in that direction, “Zach tells me you two are recently married?”
I glance at Luca. Recently is an understatement. It’s been three days. “Yep.”
“Congratulations,” Jasper says. “I love newlyweds! They’ll take any excuse to cozy up.” He winks at us as he pulls open the doors to the office building.
Suddenly, I feel like Luca and I should’ve prepared a bit better for this. In my head, the photographer knew we weren’treallymarried. He’d be helping us look the part. Clearly, that’s not the case.
I scoot closer to Luca, and he glances over at me.
I give him a look that sayshelp me out, here!If Jasper thinks we’re newlyweds, we have our work cut out for us. I remember how nauseating it was to hear Siena saymy husbandinstead of Jack every time she referred to him for the first month after their wedding. I also remember how they might as well have been glued together by the lips.
We get in the elevator, and Jasper presses the button for the top floor. “Here’s the plan,” he says. “We’ll get some shots of you guys in those outfits on the roof, then we’ll change and head over to the beach. After that, we’ll change into the final outfits and head to the park and maybe the pier, depending on time. Zach wants a variety of shots—some candid, some posed—but the main thing, he said, is to really capture your love story and just how obsessed you two are with each other.”
The elevator dings, mercifully saving us from a response. Luca looks like he just got shoved onto a stage in his underwear. Something about his complete and utter horror strikes me as funny. He’s expecting me to yell out “flibbertigibbet” any second. But I told him I’m not backing out, and I meant it.
Instead, I thread my fingers through his as we follow Jasper.
Luca’s gaze whips toward me, and I cock a brow. “Do you want the NFL or what?” I ask in a low voice.
His expression grows more determined, and his fingers tighten around mine.
I smile. “That’s what I thought. Try to look like you like me a little, okay?”
“All right,” Jasper says. “I want you over here by the wall. Luca, you’ll lean your back against it”—he pulls Luca where he wants him—“and Victoria, you come here”—he guides me by the arm right in front of Luca. He tugs me until my feet are staggered with Luca’s, bringing our bodies close. Newlywed close. “Luca, put your arms around her waist.”
Luca’s dark eyes dart to mine, and I stifle a laugh. Jasper might as well ask him to do jazz hands.
To be fair, my heart’s beating faster than an Eminem rap, but one of us has to get it together here, so I grab Luca’s hands, pull them behind me, and set them on the small of my back.
Jasper steps away to scrutinize the pose. “Arms around his neck, Victoria.”
I rest my arms on Luca’s shoulders, which are stiff as boards.
“Relax your shoulders, Luca,” Jasper says.
Luca’s traps and shoulders are under my arms, but nothing happens to them.
“His shoulders are just so big they look tense all the time,” I explain with a forced laugh.
Luca shoots me an unamused look.
I cock a brow back at him because, what does he expect?
“Theyarebig shoulders.” Jasper walks over and pushes them down and back manually. “There.” He takes Luca’s hands on my waist and pulls them lower so they’re sitting in the gray area between my butt and back.
My eyes widen, and I force myself to relax.It’s fine.We’re acting.
The photographer brings some of my hair in front of my left shoulder, then runs backward, takes his camera in hand, and disappears behind it. “Now rest your cheeks together and look at me. Soft smiles.”
Like the obedient girl I am, I lean my cheek in and rest it against Luca’s. The scratch of his scruff reminds me of the other night when I hugged him and, just for a couple seconds, he leaned into it. If only I could get him to soften like that now.
The camera clicks and clicks.
“Now look at each other,” Jasper says.
