Love Through Your Lens (Completed)

Chapter Six: Celebration

I texted Julia right away after I steadied myself from the call.

She arranged a lunch meeting for us the following Monday to hash out the details. Of course, she was ecstatic at the prospect of us working together again. At least I wouldn't be in front of him alone.

The rest of the week flew by and finally it was Friday. I had plans to meet Cora and her boyfriend Drew at a club close to our apartments for our celebration that evening.

- - -

Alexis: [Just got here. Where should I meet you?]

I texted Cora as I strode up to the dimly lit bar to order a vodka soda with extra lime. I couldn't wait to be out of diet mode.

"Alexis! Over here!" Cora screamed and waved a hand over to me from a private booth across the club. Thankfully, it was still early enough I could hear her.

I nodded to the bartender after he made my drink and settled up with a generous tip. I took a small sip out of the cocktail straw as I sauntered over to join her, her boyfriend, and his bandmates.

"Hey! You look ready to celebrate!" She raised her glass in an imaginary cheers to my outfit.

"Thanks, Cora." I smoothed down my black and gold striped sequined dress with one hand before delicately swiping a few fingers through the loose waves framing my face. "Hey, Drew. How's it going?" I nodded to her boyfriend.

Him and his band had just gotten back from their most recent tour overseas. "Hectic. But so glad to be back in my own bed for a little while." He looked over at Cora with a smouldering stare, a long lock of his dark blond hair providing me a smidge of privacy from their loving moment.

Cora laughed and snuggled into him. "I'm glad too, babe."

I returned my attention to my drink and slid into the booth next to Cora.

I had tried dating fellow celebrities over the past five years. But what Chris said back the the final night of our photo shoot stuck in my head every time things got tough.

It just doesn't work.

"So tell us about your final project before you retire!" Cora leaned away from Drew and clapped her hands together in excitement.

I sighed and played with the straw of my drink. "You make me sound old," I joked and sent her a sharp glance, then laughed. "So remember what I told you about Chris Acker?"

Cora held her hand up to her mouth as she gasped. Her eyes grew wider in anticipation. "The guy who took your professional modeling virginity?!"

"Shhh! Not so loud..." I cringed and noticed Drew leaning in to hear now. Lovely.

"Among other things..." Cora remarked sassily before taking a sip of her drink.

I played absentmindedly with the clasp of my clutch as I prepared to update Cora on the events of this week. I silently hoped she would keep cool - I didn't need the whole club hearing about the history we had to leak to the tabloids...

"Well he proposed some campaign where he's doing a spin on classic art pieces or something. He wants me to model for him again."

Cora straightened in her seat and grabbed Drew's wrist to anchor herself against the news. "Oh. My. God. You spoke to him?!" Her jaw dropped as she processed this information. "Wait - who reached out to who?"

I sighed and ran my fingers along the sides of my glass, hoping the coolness of the condensation would help fight the warmth spreading through my body at the thought of our phone conversation. "He got a hold of my assistant, who forgot to take his name...then she asked me to call him back. I had no idea."