The most beautiful part of the entire set were the brightly colored red plants: red twig dogwoods, holly, and daphne. The dogwood twigs were set up like wreaths, and there were wands sticking out of them, completing the four suits.
A storm was definitely brewing across the overcast sky, and the scent of frost in the air mingled behind the scent of Pythia and the flowers to my sensitive nose. I hoped we could get through this shoot before the storm hit so everyone could get home safely, but I was too distracted by the scents surrounding us.
Pythia’s handler placed the blindfold in my hand before grabbing my leg to steady me, and I stared at it in confusion before I realized I was supposedto put it on. I set my helmet atop my knee as I tied the blindfold, breathing deeply to find my equilibrium, then nodded and gave a quiet “thank you” to the handler. She’d told me her name, but I was infamously bad with names unless it was an animal.
My other senses expanded as I lost my eyesight. I stroked Pythia’s mane, noting just how soft she was as she let out a snort. I smiled to myself. A car door closed, then another one. The noise came from behind the house, which probably meant that was my other half. I clenched my thighs around Pythia, suddenly dizzy and nervous again.
A loud laugh tore me out of my panic. It was so familiar, a bright and bubbly sound, but I couldn’t figure out where I’d heard it before. Sadie hushed the woman who’d laughed with a giggle, then asked the staff to take their places. I sat up straighter in the saddle as the sounds of feet crunching through frozen grass neared. The armor was too tight, squeezing around my chest like a vise. I couldn’t get enough air, but I tried not to let it show on my face. I pulled at the collar of my shirt, then tried to self-soothe as I rubbed at my neck. Everything would be okay.
“Okay, my knight. I’m going to have your princess take a step up on a stool to your left. You’re going to reach out your hand as if you’re trying to pull her onto the horse in front of you. We will, of course, not be putting two humans on the back of a horse. Please don’t worry about trying to lift her to you, okay? Your princess will then grab your hand,” Sadie said, and then quieter, she gave directions to my princess.
Fuck, this is really happening. What was I thinking? Can I safe word out of this?
I dipped my hand down, trying to make it look graceful as she placed her hand in mine. As her hand grasped mine, my mind calmed.
I think I blacked out for the rest of the shoot as I focused on her touch, as if it could ground me in the moment. I followed Sadie’s directions as much as I could, but I was on autopilot.
Before I knew it, I was helped off Pythia and directed down on one knee, my helmet on my knee again as we were about to do the big reveal. My fingers trembled as I tucked my thumb underneath the blindfold, waiting for Sadie’s direction. I was desperate to see the woman whose touch convinced me not to bolt.
“Three, two, one,” Sadie said, and I pulled off the blindfold with a quickness. Torches were lit, and my vision was temporarily spotty, but as I looked up, I was convinced I was seeing things.
“Shana?”
CHAPTER 04: SHANA
“Oh my god. Charlie?” I whispered, my hand in front of my mouth. My knees threatened to buckle.
Slowly, she stood up, tucking the helmet underneath her arm, and I was confident I was going to pass out. I took a deep breath and I tried not to lock my knees. It had been two decades since I last saw her, but her graceful movements were familiar. I held my breath as her hips smoothly swayed toward me, the movement almost preternatural, as if she were stalking prey. Charlie was just as stunning as she had been all those years ago. She hadn’t aged a single day since she stopped talking to me all those years ago. My vision blurred as tears threatened to spill over.
Charlie lifted her hand, swiping a thumb under my eye gently before cupping the side of my face. Her eyes were soft, questioning. I subtly nodded, and she closed the gap between us, cupping her hand on the back of my head before her lips crashed into mine. I wrapped my hands around her back, pulling her as close to me as I could.
It was a kiss of desperation, of two past lovers reuniting. We shared a breath, each refusing to part even a little to pull in air. That shattered piece of my heart, the one held together like kintsugi, began to feel as if it was shaping back into the heart I once knew. I thought I could live without her. I knewnothing.
The sound had faded, and as Charlie dipped me backwards, whispering, “I’ve got you,mon coeur.”
I nodded again, and the kiss went from one of desperation to one of worship. It was slow, gentle, and full of every single word she hadn’t yet expressed. I held her close as the first few fat snowflakes fell, before the sound of Sadie’s camera shutter brought me back into the land of the living.
I smiled against Charlie’s lips, and as she lifted me back up, she went down on her knees again, hugging my middle. I ran my fingers through the top of her hair, since the sides were nearly shaved to her scalp. Her ears were bright red. She’d need to get warm soon before she caught frostbite.
She kept whispering something, and I bent down to her level so I could hear her. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” she repeated over and over.
“Hey, hey,gioia. It’s okay. You’re okay,” I said, bending down to meet her at her level. The snow was picking up, but I grabbed her chin gently, forcing her to focus on me. “It’s okay. We can talk in a little bit, all right?”
I wiped her tears away as she had done for me, then pulled her in close, letting her rest her head against the shoulder furthest away from the camera so she could get her emotions under control. With my other hand, I made the cut motion across my neck toward Sadie. The shoot was over.
“That’s a wrap, friends. Thank you,” Sadie said quietly.
The crew, ready and anxious to break down the set, began pulling carts over as the snow picked up. Charlie pulled away from me slowly, her emotions under control. I kissed her forehead gently before standing back up and making my way to Sadie.
“You cannot tell me that you and my mom didn’t coordinate this on purpose,” I said, playfully angry, my hands on my hips.
She ducked her head. “And if I said that was the case?”
I grabbed her camera, and she let me without hesitation, pulling the strap off her neck to hand it over to me. The pictures were fucking incredible. I quietly gasped as I flipped through shot after shot. Even the ones where we were blindfolded, the chemistry was off the charts. It looked like a high fashion shoot. The Mississippi floated by in the background with ice patches marking the passage of time in each image, and as the torches had been lit, the entire scene changed again, and then one more time as the snow began to fall.
“My mother and I are going to have a talk,” I said.
Sadie laughed. “I remembered you telling me about her when we last met. Your mom told me stories, too.”
