Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
As he drove home, Alex felt victorious after his day with Aria. As excited as he was though, his mind went to the photoshoot and how Gio had put his arm around Aria so casually. It seemed to make her uncomfortable, though.
She hadn’t mentioned that she and Gio were dating, and after their lengthy conversation tonight, he was convinced that it was one-sided. He could be wrong, but Alex was sure Gio was in love with his boss.
But Alex wouldn’t let what happened in school happen again. He was going to make his intentions known, starting with a friendship and the possibility of more when she was ready.
Then, there was her obvious love for Nicholas. A pang of jealousy bloomed in his heart. Nicholas would always be a part of her life and he knew that would never change. He needed her to know that he understood.
Aria came into his life like a breath of fresh air, cutting through the loneliness he didn’t know resided in his heart until he saw her again. He was overwhelmed with how strongly he felt about her so soon.
He texted her when he arrived home to let her know he would be by the next day with the photos from the shoot. He couldn’t wait any longer than that to see her again, which meant it would be a sleepless night for him editing.
In the wee hours of the morning after many cups of coffee to keep him awake as he edited, Alex headed into his makeshift dark room. He carefully poured out the developing solutions in their trays as he worked late into the night.
A little while later, he held up the photo he had been waiting to process from the shoot. As it hung from the line to dry, he took in all her features.
During the beach shoot, Michael needed a break.
While Alex changed out his lens, he saw Aria.
She had turned toward the ocean and lifted her head skyward, her eyes closed, the long tendrils of her auburn hair whipping around in the breeze that came off the water.
Her face shone with contentment and joy.
She looked like a sea goddess, and he couldn’t help but capture the perfect moment.
Looking at it now in paper form, his lungs filled up with a sigh of satisfaction.
It wasn’t just that she was beautiful. It was her spirit, her laughter, the way she made everyone around her feel seen.
Aria possessed an ethereal grace and poise that belied her young age. She was everything.
He hurriedly processed the rest of the photos and hung them to dry as he dragged himself to the shower and then to bed for a few hours.
As he drifted off to sleep, he thought about Aria and Gio again. He would've stepped aside for her happiness if he thought she reciprocated Gio's feelings, but if her words were true, they were only friends, and Alex wasn't backing down this time for anyone.