Page 65 of The Sun Will Rise
“Please, Roo.” She pulls away from me, dipping her head and lifting my chin with her index finger at the same time. I lock eyes with hers: brown on brown. “I need to say it.”
I nod, a silent encouragement for her to continue.
“I know we kept it from you. But we never wanted to hurt you. We knew—we thought—you wouldn’t be okay with it, and we didn’t even know what we were doing at first. If it was a fling. Maybe some weird gratitude or co-dependent sex. But it grew, and we should’ve—we should’ve told you, Roo. We should’ve said something. The longer we kept it secret, the easier it was to just not say anything at all. But we were wrong.”
The tears that threatened a moment ago spill over, tracking lines down my face and onto my chest. I feel the dampness on my thin T-shirt as the tears fall unbidden.
“I’m not mad, Katy. I was. I was really mad. But… I was wrong. I’m not mad anymore. I love you, and I love Jay, and I just want you both to be happy.”
“He makes me happy,” she whispers. “He makes mesohappy.”
We hold each other quietly for a moment until our phones buzz in unison, dragging laughter from both of us. We check them with matching raised eyebrows, and within seconds, a second message appears in our group chat.
Lolo
sos need some models for a jewellery shoot on Thursday any of u free?
Amie
It’s mum’s birthday, Maisy and I are taking her for afternoon tea. Sorry xo
Lolo
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA SUZ
Katy looks at me, just as I open my mouth to speak.
“I could make time,” I say, and I kick myself even as the words fall out of my mouth. “As long as I check in with work sometime later in the day, I can do it.” The biggest perk of working for an American-based company and living in London is that I often don’t start work until sometime in the afternoon.
The downside, of course, is that starting work late usually means finishing work late. But I’ve always been a workaholic, and I’ve built up plenty of personal time to take as and when I feel like it.
“You’re gonna do it?” Katy asks, a surprised smile on her face. “Finally ready to make your big modelling debut?” Katy has modelled a few times for Paloma—sometimes just for Lo’s whims, and other times when clients have been stuck for a model. Paloma’s been inviting me to take part for years, but I’ve always turned her down until now.
Katy’s gorgeous, with her long blonde hair and soulful eyes, and every time Lo has her camera out, she’s always so at ease. Even Amie has done a shoot or two, but considering she’s absolutely stunning, and an extrovert who could make conversation with a rock, that’s hardly surprising. I, on the other hand, am even more awkward in front of the lens. I paste a grin on my face and text Paloma to say Katy and I willbe there, all the while wondering how on earth I’m going to convince my feet to propel me there.
Might have to googlehow to be a modelwhen I get home.
Chapter thirty-four
Ruth
Two days later, Ilet myself into Paloma’s photography studio and am immediately assaulted by some kind of sweet and musky incense, and her favourite dubstep playlist blasting at top volume through the small speakers dotted throughout the rooms. I spot Katy sitting cross-legged on the floor with a woman I don’t recognise. Katy waves me over as soon as she spots me.
“Lo!” Katy turns her head and yells towards one of the other rooms. “Turn it down!”
The other woman looks up from the sketchpad she and Katy have been poring over.
She’s pretty, with fine features and long, red hair. It’s a much lighter shade than Paloma’s deep red. This woman’s hair is closer to a true ginger, and she has the porcelain skin and freckles to match. Her face splits into a wide grin as I toe off my boots and plop down beside my best friend.
“You must be Ruth!” she says. Her accent is soft, much softer than mine, and very neutral. I can’t work out where she might be from, other thangenerically southern.It’s not quite a BBC newsreader accent, but it’s not a million miles away, either. “I’m Annie. Thank youso muchfor jumping in, you and Katy are lifesavers. I can’t tell you what a mess this was before Paloma recruited you two to help out.”
All I know is that Paloma texted an SOS asking the three of us to model for a client’s photo shoot after the original model had cancelled at the last minute. Amie couldn’t make it, as it’s Suzanne’s birthday today and she and Maisy are taking her out for a posh afternoon tea. Maisy’s been talking about it—and her pretty tea party dress—all week. As excited as I am to spend the day with two of my best friends—and Annie, who already seems lovely—I can’t pretend I’m not a little nervous, too.
Paloma appears then, a mischievous smile on her face as she waves a small remote control in the air. The music volume decreases drastically, and I see Annie visibly relax.
“How does this work?” I ask as Paloma drops to the floor and squeezes between me and Katy. She wraps her long arms around me in a quick hug before reaching for Annie’s scrapbook.
“Well, we have a few backdrop scenes,” she begins. She flips to a page with some magazine cut-outs taped to it. “And then we just vibe.”
