Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
When Alex’s alarm went off, he grunted and turned it off, squinting against the sun coming in from his window.
Checking the time, he saw that he’d only had about three hours of sleep.
Sliding to an upright position, he scrubbed his face with his hands, forced himself out of bed and into the bathroom.
He dressed quickly before heading to the kitchen. Grabbing an apple before walking into his dark room, Alex took down the now-dry photos and placed them in a large manila envelope before heading out the door, slamming it too loudly in his haste.
Alex arrived at Libri Stellari to deliver the photos to Aria, excited to see her again even though it had only been about twelve hours.
When he entered the office, the receptionist was on the phone but waved politely and pointed to Luna’s desk. Nodding his thanks, he stopped once he saw Luna look up.
“Good morning, Alex. Nice to see you again. Was Aria expecting you?”
“Good morning. Yes, I have the photos ready for her,” he answered, waving the envelope.
“Wow, that was fast. Um, let me see,” she said as she stood up and looked into Aria’s office. “Yes, she’s in there. Looks like she’s about to finish up a phone call. I can bring you if you’d like.”
“No, I don’t want to disturb you. Thanks.”
Alex walked over to the window, catching Aria’s eye as she spoke. Holding up her finger, she signaled for him to wait. A few minutes later, she hung up and beckoned him inside.
When she stood up to greet him, Alex took in her colorful, cornflower blue sundress. Her hair was down in natural waves and he had to hold his breath in an attempt to still his pounding heart.
Focus, Alex. Focus.
“You’re amazing for getting these done so quickly. You must not have slept last night. I'm so excited to see how they came out,” Aria said with a wide smile.
“I knew you were in a bit of a hurry from what his agent mentioned.”
“Let's take a look, then, shall we?” Aria said. “Lay them out on my desk and we can pick the one you like best. One second, let me move the flowers out of the way.”
Alex waited for her, then let the photos slide out of their envelope. As his hands fanned them out on her now-cleared desk, his heart stopped.
In his mad sleep-deprived dash to get ready, he forgot to leave the photo he had taken of her at home.
Alex made a lunge for it, trying to get to it before she saw, but it was too late.
“Oh, what’s this?” Aria asked, picking it up before he could reach it.
Holding it in her hands, she looked up at Alex and back down at the picture, blinking.
“Alex, this, this is lovely.”
“Oh well, sorry. It's just a habit. A photographer can’t seem to let a good photo opportunity go without capturing it. You looked so pretty, the lighting was perfect, and I guess I couldn't help myself. Are you upset with me?”
“Upset? No, it’s just been a long time since I’ve seen myself like that. May I keep it?” asked Aria as she looked at the photo again.
“Sure. I have the digital copy,” he answered, wincing at this admission.
Aria pressed her lips together suppressing a smile and thanked him for the photo as they went back to looking through the head shots of Michael.
“Come on this side of the desk so we can look at them together,” she said as she wheeled her chair over, giving Alex room to bring his closer.
While Aria shuffled through the photos, Alex could see Gio now at Luna’s desk, both trying to be inconspicuous as they looked at him and Aria. He could just barely make out their conversation.
“They would make a perfect couple. I wish I could meet a handsome and famous guy who looks at me like that,” Luna sighed.
Alex turned as Gio scoffed and walked away. Before he got to what he assumed was his office, he turned back and caught Alex’s gaze.
Gio nodded a greeting which he reciprocated, both pairs of eyes narrowed at each other. Without words, they quietly declared war.
At that moment, he made an important decision. He would call his agent Anthony and let him know he was unavailable for any projects for a while, including the one in Argentina. As much as it meant to him, Aria meant more.
He turned his attention back to Aria and the photos. She’d chosen her favorite and held it out to him.
“This one. I think it captures the heart of who Michael is. What do you think?”
He wheeled his chair a little closer to the desk. Misjudging the distance, he reached for the photo but caught most of Aria's hand with his fingers, feeling a pull as they connected. Once again, the touch of her hand robbed him of breath as it froze in his lungs.
It was almost indescribable. Like he was a magnet that was drawn to her by a force he couldn’t resist. Every time their hands touched it was like a lightning strike.
Aria gasped as Alex lightly rubbed his thumb over her hand.
Pulling his hand away, Alex cleared his throat which had suddenly dried. Hoping she didn’t hear the tightness in his voice, he answered, “Yes, I agree. That's the one. Do you think Michael will like it?”
“I'm sure of it. Thank you again, Alex. It was thrilling to watch you work. I can only imagine what it would be like to see you working in some beautiful place around the world.”
Finding his confidence, Alex replied, “You would make anywhere in the world even more beautiful.”
Aria’s cheek flamed instantly, and he loved that he had that effect on her. He hadn’t meant to sound so flirty, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. The growing feeling of rightness between them was to blame.
“Yes, well. I, I don't want to take up too much of your time. I can only imagine how late you worked last night. I'll forward the digital ones to Michael and let him know our choice and go from there.”
He tried to hide his smirk knowing she was flustered. Maybe this attraction wasn’t one-sided after all.
“Great. Let me know when you’re free again. I still would like to make you dinner,” Alex said with a hopeful look.
“I'd like that very much. And thanks again for the photo. I haven't taken any of myself in quite a while and now I can tell all my friends it was taken by a famous photographer.”