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CHAPTER EIGHT
Laura
“Beautiful, now give me your profile,” Idirected the lovely bride, Jenni, as Itook her photos in her parents’ garden while waiting for the bridesmaids to finish their hair and makeup.
Jenni looked impeccable in the lace white wedding gown, her raven black curls elegantly styled in aside-swept chignon along with delicate makeup to match. The late morning’ssun shone on her sparkling diamond jewelry and off her perfect set of teeth.
She didn’tjust smile, she glowed.
“Gorgeous.” Ihalf sighed as Iscrolled through the photos. After verifying none of them were out of focus, Iwalked up to the patio table and offered her ahand. “You can rest for afew minutes until the rest of the girls come.”
“Thanks.” She settled down while Ifixed her dress so it wouldn’trumple. “Idon’tthink I’ve ever been this nervous. Ever.”
“It’sagood kind of nervous though, right?” For some brides Ihad alist of pick-me-up reassuring lines just in case, though Ididn’tthink Jenni fit under that category.
“The best.” Her grin widened even more if that was possible. “I’ve been fantasizing about marrying Darius amonth into our relationship. He’sthe one.”
“That’swonderful.” Asmile tugged at my lips. Isnapped afew more candid photos of her, loving her radiant positivity. “How did you know?”
One of the many methods Iimplored to get the most natural shots from my brides was chatting with them, showing interest in their relationship. Iasked them about their first meeting or date, what they did to stay together no matter what. Their descriptions of their spouses and the feelings they shared fascinated me, and provided me an insight into what made love happen and stick.
The dreamy eyes and swooning smiles gave that extra something to the photos, and the stories themselves gave me hope for the future. If these people did it, sometimes against seriously difficult odds, maybe Icould do it too.
“First, did you see my fiancé? The man is hot!” She giggled, her laugh contagious. “I’mjust kidding. Sorta. Ilove that he was sweet and considerate, since the moment he came up to me in school.” She almost leaned her cheek on her palm at the thought of him, and Igripped her wrist at the last minute to save the meticulous makeup she had on.
“Phew, thanks again. Anyway…” Placing both palms firmly in her lap, she continued, “We started off as friends, and as Imentioned, he was hot with his insane cheekbones and full dark hair and those pitch-black eyes…” She fanned herself comically. “Hot. And Iliked him, alot, but Iwasn’tin love. The day Ifell for him was when instead of kissing me good night on the lips like he usually did, he pressed his forehead into mine. Our eyes locked and it felt like azap! After that we were inseparable.”
Her eyes grew misty as she traveled through memory lane. She relived it, and by the looks of it, Iguessed she even remembered the scent of his cologne that day from three years ago.
“Oh my gosh, Ithink my heart is melting.” Ismacked my chest, keeping my language cuss-free with my clients.
“That’swhat Ifeel like every single day.” The peachy-pink blush her makeup artist used turned ashade darker, her dark eyelashes battling to hold the welling tears at bay.
Tears that crept up on me too.
After we both pushed them back, we talked awhile longer, until her shrilling bridesmaids showed up. They fretted over how gorgeous Jenni looked, how they loved their hairstyles, and how the pale mauve dresses matched. We shot the bride and her bridesmaids in the same garden, and then we were off to the hotel where the wedding would take place.
Jenni’shotel room was separate from her groom’s, and Ileft her there to photograph the men before they walked inside the venue, noticing the guests trickling in through the hallways. Darius’sexcitement matched his bride’s, pacing across the room, unable to stay still for the photos. My years-long experience equipped me with tools to handle every situation, and Italked him through it.
“Everything will be fine,” Ireassured him. “Jenni is just perfect and in less than an hour, you’ll be married to the love of your life.”
“She is, isn’tshe?” The intake of breath filled his chest, and then through pursed lips he let it all out, glancing from the ceiling to me.
“Yes, she is,” Ireplied, although he really didn’tneed my approval.
With afew minutes remaining until the ceremony, Ileft the room to him and his buddies and hurried toward the wedding arch, where I’dhave aview of them as they walked down the aisle.
While Iadjusted the settings of the camera to the lights in the ceremony hall, astrong feeling of someone watching me possessed me. It overpowered the throng of guests passing in front of me to find their places, louder than the conversations of about two hundred people crammed in the same room.
Guests who wanted to draw my attention for aphoto never just looked. They waved, poked my shoulder, drunk-yelled in my ear. Even the wealthiest of people got excited to have their photo snapped.
They rarely observed me from afar in away that sent ashiver down my spine.
Please don’tlet this be aperv, Iprayed when Ilet the camera rest on its strap. Ihad had my share of wedding perverts too, by far my least favorite.
When Ilifted my eyes, Inoticed that the man who stared at me blatantly was not indeed aperv. Not in the unwanted sense of the word, anyway. His broad frame in the sand-colored suit stood out among everyone else, and his blue eyes pinned me in place. They brightened when mine met his, and he waved.
His lips quirked up in that way they did right before he started doing lots of bad things to me. Azapof my own struck me from my chest to my lower belly, though it was probably nothing like the one Jenni described.
