Chapter Montana
Montana
Three years after Tulum, three years that had completely and utterly changed Luisa's life, the inevitable happened.
Finally, probably a year after Luisa had finally moved on from that night emotionally, the call sheet came in for a fashion shoot in the US Mid-West and Luisa's eyes settled on one name that stood out from all of the others.
Arabella Greenwood.
Bel.
Luisa read the name with a wry smile. Twenty one years old now, with Bel twenty three, the gap, obviously, was still two years but while in Tulum it had reflected almost a lifetime's gap in modelling and life experience, by the time of this shoot the gap was nothing.
They were peers by that stage, both known in the industry if not outside it, both at about the same place in terms of profile, both with names that got asked for.
So, she reflected, this time there wouldn't be the imbalance. This time they would meet as equals.
And who knew what that might mean? Would there still be that connection after all that time?
Luisa wasn't sure, but she approached it with an open mind, keen to find out.
***
It was Montana this time. The first time that Luisa saw Bel again it was from across the paddock, early in the morning before the crew had finished their coffee.
It was cold still, cold enough that she could see the steam rising from her own morning coffee, and Luisa was thankful to be wrapped up warm in a full length coat that went right down to her ankles.
Bel was already being photographed, sat on a fence rail, one knee hitched up in a careless pose that didn’t need a photographer to tell her how to make it any more perfect, looking effortlessly good in worn denim and a white shirt, half tucked in and with a few less buttons done up than if she’d been wearing it to walk down the street, her dark hair, longer now than it had been in Tulum, braided down her back, and a Stetson on her knee.
She almost looked approachable. Almost.
But even from a distance Luisa could see that nothing about Bel had softened. There was still the same cool, focused professionalism, the same presence that made it look like the various people involved in getting the shots were in her orbit, not her in theirs.
Luisa watched from the side, not just because it was Bel but also as a professional, picking up on what was working and wasn’t, working out how she could work best when it was her turn.
That was something that she’d learned in the last three years: you can always learn, you can always develop…
being professional meant throughout the whole shoot, not just when she was in front of the camera. You had to work hard to get ahead.
Then there was a moment, all too brief, between shots while the photographer talked to her assistant where Bel looked around and saw Luisa, a quick smile with genuine warmth as their eyes made contact, a smile that Luisa returned with a small nod of recognition.
Inside, Luisa felt her heart beat a little faster. Because she had the distinct feeling that Bel had been looking out for her just as much as Luisa had been looking out for Bel.
***
For three days they circled each other.
The ranch where the shoot was taking place was sprawling and expansive, the sky endless, the mountains in the background spectacular. Luisa figured even she with just her smart phone could take some spectacular shots, the scenery was so astounding.
The shoot was for a luxury brand trying to sell its version of the American West, all worn denim, low slung soft leather belts and faux cowboy boots.
Luisa spent some of her time getting photographed on horseback, and a lot more time posing on weathered old fences and next to outbuildings, all with that scenery selling the dream in the background.
Bel and her posed often together, something about the way their respective looks worked together that caught the eye of the creatives, standing shoulder to shoulder in the dust, their bodies close but not touching unless directed, their eyes focused and professional as the cameras clicked.
And in the quiet between takes, they talked. It felt easy, completely different to three years before. Whereas back then there had been a huge imbalance in experience and power, almost a mentor guiding their mentee, now Bel spoke to her as an equal, with respect.
They talked about what they’d each been doing, they talked about people they knew in common, they marvelled that it had been three years.
And they laughed, that was the biggest difference to before.
Bel had a bone dry sense of humour and it worked well with Luisa’s, so that more than once they found themselves laughing together about something that left everyone else bemused.
But there was also something else there, something in the background, in the way their eyes met for a split second longer than necessary, the way when they posed together their bodies touched a little more than necessary.
There was… interest, Luisa guessed was the best way to describe it, reciprocal interest.
Despite the obvious chemistry though they circled, warily. It was like they each had a fence around their inner most thoughts, their conversations limited to the more superficial topics and steering well clear of each other’s love lives, and going nowhere near what had happened in Tulum.
***
On the third and final night they had the obligatory party, this time set around a bonfire as the sun set from a cold, blue sky.
Luisa made sure to be sociable with a lot of the other people there, many of them models and other fashion professionals that she’d worked with quite a few times before.
As the sky turned black though, blanketed by a stunning view of the stars, she sought out Bel or maybe Bel sought her out, she never quite knew which, and they sat together, sharing a drink, warmed by the bonfire.
Plenty of other people were around but the conversation was just the two of them.
They chatted, they teased each other, and they flirted, getting closer and closer to what was unsaid between them. Finally, fortified by more than a few glasses of wine, Luisa said, “I want to thank you for everything you did for me in Tulum that time.”
Bel looked at her with a faint smile. “It was the least I could do.” She paused, looking Luisa in the eye, and then said, “Everything?”
Luisa looked back at her, immediately understanding the thrust of her question, and nodded. “Everything,” she replied quietly.
There was a moment, a long moment, where they looked at each other and Luisa felt her heart skip a beat, because the way that Bel was looking at her was the exact same look from three years before, in Bel’s hotel room, right before they went to bed together.
But then one of the other models joined them and the moment was broken. A few minutes later though, Luisa glanced back at Bel to see that Bel was already looking at her. There was something there, Luisa thought, without a doubt.
***
Coming up to midnight that night, Luisa was in her bed. Her own bed, and alone.
Her mind was racing, thoughts of Bel, wondering if she’d misread it earlier, wondering why they’d not ended up finishing the night together. Luisa had been open to it, more than open in fact, she’d wanted it, but the rest of the night just hadn’t quite panned out like that.
So there she was, in bed alone. Fuck it, she thought to herself, I’m not going to die wondering. I’m going to seize the moment.
Climbing out of bed she threw on her long coat over the shorts and vest she wore in bed, put on a thick woollen scarf and beanie hat, and slid on a warm pair of faux cowboy boots that she’d ‘borrowed’ from the shoot, preparing herself for the freezing temperatures outside.
As she walked the hundred yards or so along a stone path to Bel’s room, she did wonder what she was doing.
It hadn’t happened, so just leave it, the more cautious part of her subconscious said.
Nobody else was around, the place was silent, almost eerily so, just Luisa padding along, lit by the artfully placed lighting next to the path.
She got to Bel’s door, paused for a second, then knocked. Not softly, not apologetically, she knocked like she had something she needed that was behind that door.
Bel opened the door quickly, she must have still been up, dressed in a bath robe, her hair tied up in a bun, smelling of mouthwash and toothpaste.
She looked at Luisa, a split second of surprise, then she smiled. Luisa smiled back.
There was a moment that seemed to stretch on, and then they were all over each other, lips pressed together, stumbling back into Bel’s room as the door shut behind them.
They ended up against the wall, Bel’s back against it as Luisa pushed up against her, their bodies together, their hands all over each other, their tongues meeting.
It was different to Tulum, completely different but no worse for it. It was three years of want all pouring out in one night, and it was equal this time. In Tulum, Bel had been the teacher, this time they were equals and it showed.
Luisa broke the kiss and started to kiss down Bel’s neck while her hands slipped inside her bathrobe, thrilled to discover that she was naked underneath, roughly sliding over her breasts, feeling her nipples harden at Luisa’s touch.
This time it was Luisa who whispered, “Come to bed.” Three simple words, but a sentence that Luisa had waited three years to say.
Bel smiled, a smile of recognition at Luisa’s reference to that night in Tulum all those years ago. Luisa allowed herself a moment just to take it all in, the culmination of three years of unfulfilled desire. She could feel the sparks flying, without a doubt, and could see the hunger in Bel’s eyes.