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I paused, not sure how to respond because he was kind of right. But I didn't care. I threw myself into my work because I didn't want to think about Jessica and how I thought she was the love of my life. I thought we were going to have babies and grow old together. Then I found her with her boss, so work was a great distraction. It kept my mind busy and I didn't think about her.
“You know, there are other women out there. They aren't all like Jessica,” my brother said.
I sighed, “I know, but they aren't all like your wife either. You guys lucked out.” My brother and his wife are high school sweethearts. They got married before going off to college. Now they had a couple of beautiful little girls, my two nieces that I loved more than life. They still acted like teenagers on their first date. They had the kind of love I thought Jessica and I had, but she proved me wrong.
“Are you sure you don't want to come out with me and the girls? They’d love to hang out with Uncle Grayson. No pressure. I promise I won't let Jessica try to set you up with a friend again.”
“No, I'm good. I'm just gonna go and take some pictures for a while and then come home, go to bed and stay out of trouble.”
“Fine. I'll see you later.” My brother hung up the phone and I got my camera gear together.
It was already eight o'clock at night and the festival should be in full swing. There would be plenty of action and things to take pictures of. As a freelance photographer, I mainly did stuff for the newspaper and online publications, but once in a while I liked to do something different. Occasionally, I photographed a wedding or a sporting event. The city had hired me to take some pictures of the Notting Hill Carnival. It should be a good time and the weather was great. I looked forward to getting some fresh air
I loved the Notting Hill Carnival. I'd been going since I was a kid. I could remember every year going with my family, my parents and my brother, and then with my friends as a teenager. It was the best time of the year and always so much fun.
As I approached downtown, I enjoyed the dancers and the costumes and the music despite the fact I was working. It was hard not to. The mood was electric and everybody was having a great time.
I started taking pictures of the different dancers. Thenshecaught my eye. She was tall with long blonde hair that she had back in a high ponytail. She was wearing a little red tank top and jean shorts that showed off her long legs. She was laughing and talking with her friends. There was something striking about her that drew me in. I heard her laughing and I started to snap pictures in her direction. Hopefully she won’t see me, but the mood of her and her friends was the type of thing that I was trying to capture in my pictures. It would make for great PR in future Notting Hill Carnival ads. Not to mention she was gorgeous.
I found myself staying near her the rest of the night, casually following her around and hoping she didn't think I was stalking her. At one point in the evening, she caught me taking pictures of her and I froze. She marched right over.
“Excuse me, are you taking pictures of me? And my friends?” She sounded like an angel, albeit an angry angel and I found myself a little bit speechless.
I nodded and stammered, “I'm just taking pictures of the carnival. It's a public place so I can take pictures.” I sounded like an idiot.
She kind of relaxed and smiled. “Well, I guess you're right. I am out in public at a festival. You seemed to be nearby whenever I turned around, so I was just wondering if maybe you were stalking me.” She winked and I felt my cheeks get warm, thankful that it was sort of dark where we were standing and she probably couldn't see me blush.
“No, just you know, taking pictures. I'm a freelance photographer that was hired to take pictures of the Notting Hill Carnival. They like to post them online and also use them for future campaigns.” I tried to blow it off and be casual about it.
She nodded. “That makes sense.” Her friend called her over and she turned towards her. “I'll be right there.” She turned her attention back to me. “Well, have a good night and have fun.”
“You too.” I watched her walk away, her hips swaying and I wondered how her ass would feel in my hands. I shook my head and looked at the clock. It was now 11 o'clock and I had taken more than enough pictures tonight. It was probably time to go home before she realized I was stalking her all night.
3
VANESSA
After the Notting Hill Carnival, I started seeing the photographer guy around my neighborhood all the time. I don't know if I just never noticed him before in my neighborhood or what, but he was at the coffee shop or at the corner grocery store. He seemed to be everywhere. I didn’t think he wasn't stalking me as I rarely caught him looking at me, but I just happened to see him all the time.
One morning on my way to work, I stopped at the coffee shop. He was there and I got in line right behind him as I waited for my coffee.
He sure was hot. He didn’t have the professional, refined look I usually went for. He did comb his dark hair back but was wearing jeans along with flip flops and a black v-neck t-shirt. He was fit, but not in an obvious way. He had an artist vibe about him, something I found intriguing.
“Good morning,” he said with a smile.
I nodded and smiled. “Good morning.”
There was almost an awkward pause as we waited for our orders. He finally broke the silence. “Did you and your friends have fun at the Notting Hill Carnival?”
“Yes, we had a ton of fun. It was my first time there and it was amazing.”
“You're not from around here, are you?”
I smiled and shook my head. “My accent gives it away, doesn't it?”
He chuckled. “Yep, you're a Yankee. I thought I noticed it the other night but wasn’t sure with the loud music and people.”
She laughed and nodded. “I'm from Wisconsin.”
