He hurriedly processed the rest of the photos and hung them to dry as he dragged himself to the shower and then to bed for a few hours.
As he drifted off to sleep, he thought about Aria and Gio again. He would've stepped aside for her happiness if he thought she reciprocated Gio's feelings, but if her words were true, they were only friends, and Alex wasn't backing down this time for anyone.
Chapter Twenty-One
When Alex’salarm went off, he grunted and turned it off, squinting against the sun coming in from his window. Checking the time, he saw that he’d only had about three hours of sleep. Sliding to an upright position, he scrubbed his face with his hands, forced himself out of bed and into the bathroom.
He dressed quickly before heading to the kitchen. Grabbing an apple before walking into his dark room, Alex took down the now-dry photos and placed them in a large manila envelope before heading out the door, slamming it too loudly in his haste.
Alex arrived at Libri Stellari to deliver the photos to Aria, excited to see her again even though it had only been about twelve hours.
When he entered the office, the receptionist was on the phone but waved politely and pointed to Luna’s desk. Nodding his thanks, he stopped once he saw Luna look up.
“Good morning, Alex. Nice to see you again. Was Aria expecting you?”
“Good morning. Yes, I have the photos ready for her,” he answered, waving the envelope.
“Wow, that was fast. Um, let me see,” she said as she stood up and looked into Aria’s office. “Yes, she’s in there. Looks like she’s about to finish up a phone call. I can bring you if you’d like.”
“No, I don’t want to disturb you. Thanks.”
Alex walked over to the window, catching Aria’s eye as she spoke. Holding up her finger, she signaled for him to wait. A few minutes later, she hung up and beckoned him inside.
When she stood up to greet him, Alex took in her colorful, cornflower blue sundress. Her hair was down in natural waves and he had to hold his breath in an attempt to still his pounding heart.
Focus, Alex. Focus.
“You’re amazing for getting these done so quickly. You must not have slept last night. I'm so excited to see how they came out,” Aria said with a wide smile.
“I knew you were in a bit of a hurry from what his agent mentioned.”
“Let's take a look, then, shall we?” Aria said. “Lay them out on my desk and we can pick the one you like best. One second, let me move the flowers out of the way.”
Alex waited for her, then let the photos slide out of their envelope. As his hands fanned them out on her now-cleared desk, his heart stopped.
In his mad sleep-deprived dash to get ready, he forgot to leave the photo he had taken of her at home.
Alex made a lunge for it, trying to get to it before she saw, but it was too late.
“Oh, what’s this?” Aria asked, picking it up before he could reach it.
Holding it in her hands, she looked up at Alex and back down at the picture, blinking.
“Alex, this, this is lovely.”
“Oh well, sorry. It's just a habit. A photographer can’t seem to let a good photo opportunity go without capturing it. You looked so pretty, the lighting was perfect, and I guess I couldn't help myself. Are you upset with me?”
“Upset? No, it’s just been a long time since I’ve seen myself like that. May I keep it?” asked Aria as she looked at the photo again.
“Sure. I have the digital copy,” he answered, wincing at this admission.
Aria pressed her lips together suppressing a smile and thanked him for the photo as they went back to looking through the head shots of Michael.
“Come on this side of the desk so we can look at them together,” she said as she wheeled her chair over, giving Alex room to bring his closer.
While Aria shuffled through the photos, Alex could see Gio now at Luna’s desk, both trying to be inconspicuous as they looked at him and Aria. He could just barely make out their conversation.
“They would make a perfect couple. I wish I could meet a handsome and famous guy who looks at me like that,” Luna sighed.
