Love With No Filter - Book 1

Prolougue - INEZ

"It's here!" I practically dropped my bowl of store bought tomato soup at my roommates and best friend, Amelia's words. The bowl clattered against the counter with a rattling sound that rung through my head.

It. Was. Here.

The letter that could change my life. That was if I got accepted. The soup I had just had suddenly threatened to make a reappearance as my stomach turned. Nerves flooded my anticipation as I sped down the corridor to the front room of our apartment. I nearly slipped as I reached the doorway.

Amelia, my best friend of six years, stood in front of me with a wide smile, a flimsy letter in her hand. She could barely contain her excitement. She jumped up and down, her blonde messy bun falling apart as she did so. She was smiling so hard I could see her dimples.

"Alright here, take it!" She grinned, forcing the letter into my hand. I looked down at the sealed envelope and my stomach did a flip again. I was shaking, my hands cold from sweat and I felt flushed.

"No. I can't. You open it please!" I quickly said and outstretched my hand for her to take back the letter. She raised an eyebrow, her blue eyes staring into my hazel ones with a hint of judgement. She rolled her eyes.

"Inez Charleen. You have waited three months to hear back from Astraeus. This is your dream job! You are opening your acceptance letter."

"One, its an internship, not a job. And two, it might not be an acceptance letter. Thirteen people applied for the internship, only two get in." saying it out loud again was the only way to prepare myself for disappointment.

I kept having to remind myself that there was a big chance I wouldn't get accepted to intern as a photographer for my favourite fashion brand, Astraeus. It was still maddening that I even had the opportunity to apply for such a position. I had been training as a professional photographer for years but my dream was to live in New York, photographing all the big events and looks which are to be situated on the front pages of magazines.

"Hell no." she pulled a face and folded her arms, "when you get excited because you got accepted, I need to see your face light up. Not vice versa. Now open it, the anticipation is killing me!"

It was killing me too because I knew whatever the paper said determined the future of my career. New York photographer sensation or cheap deals in DC with little to no pay. As much as I loved Amelia and I really did, I couldn't bare another month in this hell hole. Our apartment was cheap and was placed above a bakery on the Main Street. The mornings were busy and the evenings were loud from the club two buildings to the left of us.

Amelia knew the lady who ran the bakery so that helped get us the apartment above. Maggie was a frail old lady with a bright spirit and the most amazing cinnamon buns. She used to babysit Amelia when she was young and they grew quite attached to one another. If I did end up moving, I would miss the feeling of waking up to the smell of fresh bread. But then again, my office was a 30 minute walk away from my bed and sleeping in wasn't a luxury I was fortunate enough to have.

I breathed in a shaky breath and nodded. My trembling hands slowly opened the envelope. I pulled out the folded piece of paper. There were moments like this where I wish my photography company, Photopro studios, would just send an email instead. It was much more convenient and would save me the agonizing stress of opening an envelope. Just as I was about to unfold the paper, I froze.

"No. I can't its-"

"Open it!" Amelia threw her hands in the air in a dramatic fury. And as she did so, I decided to rip off the band aid. I grabbed the letter and snapped open the paper and started reading with such a speed that my eyes barely skimmed the words. However, they slowed and froze on the words that would change my future. "What? Good news, bad news? Nez give me something I beg!" She said impatiently, her hands covering her mouth.

I gulped, "Bad news..." her eyes widened in horror, "you have to get a new roommate, I'm moving to fucking New York for the next five months!" the words came out as an almost squeal towards the end of my sentence.

Amelia's face lit up as she rushed towards me, tackling me to the sofa in one of her famous bare hug cuddles. I could smell her fresh mint chewing gum and lavender, vanilla scent. She placed her hands on my cheeks, they were cold from sweat too.

"I knew you could do it! I'm so proud of you babes!" I was so happy I could cry. I think I was crying, or maybe it was the sweat from nerves. "this calls for drinks! On me, of course."

"It's two pm Ami." I laugh

"So? You take for-fucking-ever to get ready anyway. So go, get dressed up we leave at 5:30. We're going to get a quick dinner at the nacho place you like down the street cause I know how much you'll miss that when you move to New York. And then, we're going to a bar and getting you some celebratory dick."

I cringed at her words, covering my face with my hands, "oh my god!"

"Go! Shower! Now! Chop chop ms future photographer sensation. We have a date with champagne!" She smacked her ass in a playful gesture and skipped down the hall towards her bedroom. I smiled so hard my cheeks felt like they were melting.

I'm moving to New York.

A/N
Word count: 996
Hope you all enjoyed the prologue to my book. Please leave any suggestions at the end of any chapter I'd love to hear your thoughts.
The next chapter will be the official start
Thanks for reading
- E <3