Never, Always (Nicholas Hoult)

chapter 27: New Opportunities

A few weeks from Angie and Jessica's pool visit, I was scared awake by my Arctic Monkeys ringtone. I sighed, but rolled over and grabbed my phone.

"Hello?" I sounded like I hadn't even slept.

"Yes, Miss Alexandria Novick?"

I sat up, mildly confused but still groggy. "This is her."

"Yes, this is Brandon Greene of Femme Magazine. We have your application and portfolio here and we are very interested in your skills."

"Really?"

There was a small laugh at the other end. "Yes, we are. Can you come in for an interview?"

"Today?" I asked excitedly.

"If you'd like," he responded, and I quickly told him that today was completely fine. He told me to come at 4, which I agreed to, and the conversation ended.

I threw my phone on my bed and danced around my room.

"Yesyesyesyessss!" Finally, I didn't have to sit at home anymore and wait for a purpose.

The clock on the wall read 2:04, and I knew I only had about an hour and a half to get ready because of the half hour commute. I put on my most professional makeup look (to the best of my ability) and found an outfit that I deemed acceptable for a fashion magazine job interview. After my final touch ups, an hour and fifteen had passed, so I gathered everything I needed and jumped into my car, buzzing with excitement.

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"Yes, it went well Ang," I laughed, sitting in my car an hour later. "They said they'd call me soon to let me know if they wanted to offer me a position."

"I'm so happy for you! And this is all because of me!" she squealed, causing me to pull the phone away from my ear for a moment.

"Yeah, thanks! I can't believe you did this for me!"

She laughed. "You know I've always wanted to work with you! Let's do dinner tonight, my treat!"

"Alright, 6 at Chipotle?"

"Chipotle?!" she scoffed. "You're a working woman now! Who needs a dinner that shows she is too good for Chipotle!"

I rolled my eyes. "I don't work there yet."

"Mmhmm!" She didn't seem to be listening to me. "Okay, Bertucci's at 6! See you soon, Honey!" and hung up the phone.

I sighed, smiling, and drove home listening to my favorite music to wind down.

I pulled into my driveway and immediately felt my heart flutter when I saw Nicholas's car in the driveway.

I went to his car after stepping out of mine, but saw it was empty.

"He must already be inside," I thought to myself. I turned around and saw him standing on my front porch, with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. My stomach flipped, but I approached him with a giant goofy smile.

"Hello, Nicholas."

He grinned. "Hi, Alex. How are you?"

"I'm good. I was just at a job interview, it went well. How are you?"

"That's fantastic! Who was the interview for?" He asked, handing me the flowers and kissing my cheek. I briefly sniffed them and held them at my side.

"These are lovely, thank you. Would you like to come inside?" I opened the door for him and he nodded graciously.

"It was my pleasure." He stepped a few feet inside and sat on my couch, patting the area next to him. "Where was the interview?"

I had avoided the question the first time for a reason. I knew Nicholas would have connections at Femme, and I would rather get this job by myself. Not that recommendations are a bad thing, but a recommendation from my celebrity boyfriend would guarantee me the job. Angie had already gotten me the interview, I wanted this to be based on my talent, not the connections I had.

"It's no big deal, just a magazine. Angie and I are going out to dinner, would you like to join us?" I sat down next to him with my feet folded underneath me after I had pulled my heels off.

He turned to face me. "I'd love to. But I want to know where you'll work, this is big news! A magazine! Which one?"

I sighed, defeated. His adorable attitude was too much for me. "Femme magazine. Angie has a connection there, so she got me an interview."

"Oh, I know people at Femme! A close friend of mine actually works there, would you like me to mention you?"

"Oh no, I don't want to cause you any trouble. I've already done the interview, so we'll see if they call me!" I said hopefully, trying to deter him.

He looked doubtful. "You know that I think you're a wonderfully talented photographer. However, there will be other photographers who aren't as talented as you who have better recommendations. Are you sure you don't want me to say anything?"

I considered, but decided against it. "You're right. But I want them to pick me for me! It sounds crazy but I think I have a good chance. They liked my style, they loved the pictures I've taken." he nodded, not seeming convinced. "Thank you, though. It means a lot that you'd be willing to help my career." I leaned forward and kissed him, and then stood up. "I'm going to change into something less...editorial."

He laughed, and stood up as well. "Do I look editorial?" I looked him up and down, and shook my head. Though he was wearing a suit, he still made it casual.

"You look fine. We're going to a nice place, but I just feel like a secretary." I went to my room and heard footsteps behind me.

"Can I come with you?" he asked, and I could hear the smirk on his lips.

I didn't turn to face him, I could feel heat rising to my cheeks. "If you'd like," I responded nonchalantly, and opened the door, leaving it open behind me.

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okay, so I'm going to be wrapping this up in the next couple of chapters. I hate leaving things unfinished and this is something I think about every now and again. Also, I get the emails about you guys commenting and such and I really want to finish it😂 Anyways, enjoy!