“Yes,” I hear the other voice say back. The voice is deep, and it sends goosebumps down my skin.
“Great. I’m going to start capturing photos now,” she says as I hear her shutter go off while we stand back-to-back. “Alright, open and turn!”
I drop my hands from my eyes and turn.
Oh.
Oh.
He’s… incredibly handsome. He’s tall, and the navy shirt clings to his body, his mouth parted slightly as he takes me in. He has green eyes, a tiny scar near his dark brow, and his smile grows wider as he looks at me. It feels like it zaps me in the chest. I truly don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone more gorgeous. He’s inches from me, close enough that the world goes out of focus around his face. His dark hair is short, he’s tan, and a thin gold chain catches the light at his collarbone.
Nerves and excitement crash together in my chest as I just stare at him and try to remember how to breathe.
“Hi,” he whispers, sounding a smidge breathy.
“Hi,” I echo, as his green eyes wander down my face before coming back up to meet mine.
“Perfect,” Sadie says from somewhere to the left. “Don’t move.”
Click.
My pulse drums in my ears, and I watch as he swallows, his throat bobbing.
“I’m Eli,” he adds.
“Collin.” I clear my throat. “Sorry I was late. My plane was delayed by four hours.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re here now,” he says, and something flutters in my chest because same. Ever since unexpectedly taking over my family’s hardware store, I haven’t had much time for dating. It’s way more work and time than I anticipated, but I think I’m finally getting to a good spot where I don’t need to spend every waking moment on it. I’ve worked there since I was a teenager and practically grew up in the store with my brother and cousins, but taking over has been completely different from showing up for a shift and collecting a paycheck.
“Okay,” Sadie calls out to us, and I break my eyes away from Eli. “Step a half-foot closer. Shoulders back. Collin, eyes on Eli. Eli, look at me.”
We shift closer, and the air between us is electric. I swear I can feel the heat coming off his skin. We’re not touching, but every sense in my body acts like we are. We both laugh quietly and breathily from nerves, but neither of us steps away.
Click.
Eli slowly moves his gaze away from mine to Sadie.
Click.
“Good,” she murmurs. “Both of you turn toward me.” We rotate at the same time, doing what she asked while looking into the camera.
Click.
“Now, go back to the wall and walk toward me together,” Sadie says. “Slowly. Get to know each other.”
We fall into step, side by side. I can’t stop checking for him in my peripheral vision. The attraction I’m feeling is immediate, and I really don’t want to screw this up.
“Tell me about you,” I prompt him.
“Uh, okay. Let’s see…” He rubs his bare arm as we slowly move forward following Sadie’s prompt. “I’m a firefighter.”
“No way, really?”
“Yeah,” he says, laughing softly. “Classic story of wanting to do it since I was a kid, and here I am doing it all these years later.”
“That’s always sounded like an intense job.”
“It can be.” He glances at me, and there’s a spark of humor in his eyes. “But I love it. Truly couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”
