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“It’s amazing.Reallyamazing. The view is unbeatable. I’m still not used to the silence either. There are, like, no noisy neighbours.”
I smile. “Good. Any problems with that ass-sucker landlord of yours?”
She laughs, shaking her head. “Not so far. I actually haven’t seen him since I moved in. He doesn’t seem to be around much.”
“Lucky you.”
“You sound bitter,” she teases.
I roll my eyes. “That’s because I am.”
We reach the tents, and Sebastian, the lead photographer and one of my good friends, waves at me from the beach. He’s in his typical floral button-up, tight shorts that stop way too high on his thighs, and a floppy sunhat. Seeing his style always makes me giggle. It matches his personality to a T. Outgoing, carefree, vibrant. We’re pretty similar in a lot of ways.
Ivy peels open the flap on the first tent, and we head inside. There’s only one other model scheduled to be here with us today, and she’s sitting on one of the inflatable pink couches they have set up. Already looking like she’s gotten ready, she spreads her glossy lips into a smile and glances up at us.
“Hey, Lola,” I greet her, wiggling my fingers in a wave.
“Hi, sweet cheeks. You’re a sight for sore eyes.”
“Likewise. It’s been a while since we’ve worked together. I was starting to wonder if you’ve been hiding from me.”
She crinkles her adorable button nose. “Never. I think Seb is just getting too old to deal with our shenanigans, so he’s been keeping us apart.”
Speaking of the devil, the tent flap opens as he asks, “Did you just call me old?”
I smirk. “You have been doing this for a long time.”
He scowls, but his eyes are light and warm. “I’m not much older than that new husband of yours, Adalyn.”
Ivy and Lola make lowoohnoises while I say, “Valid point.”
“Question for you, Seb. If a man got a wedding ring tattooed on his finger for you, would you say he’s crazy or just insanely in love?” Ivy asks, a wicked smile spreading her lips.
“Both.” He laughs.
“That’s real? I thought the tattoos were fake when I saw them online,” Lola admits.
Lifting my hand, I scrub at my finger to show her that it is indeed real. “This baby is here forever.”
“Or until you get it lasered off,” Sebastian says.
I frown, a bit offended. “Why would I get it removed?”
“Your marriage is fairly new. Anything could happen,” Ivy says as if to justify their lack of faith.
Their opinions don’t mean much to me when it comes to changing my viewpoint on my marriage, but they do frustrate me. I try to remind myself it’s only because they’ve never seen the two of us together. How are they supposed to know more than what the media and I tell them?
“There will be no lasering of this ring. For either of us. I love him, and until you have the chance to see us together for real outside of a social media post, you should keep your opinions neutral,” I tell them, voice strong.
Sebastian raises his hands in surrender. “You’re right. Consider me judgment-free.”
“I’m with Seb. If you’re happy, babe, that’s all that matters,” Lola says.
I look to Ivy, expecting her to say the same thing, but there’s still doubt in her eyes. She’s the only one here besides me who knows that my marriage was accidental, but it still hurts to see that she can’t look past that, even now as I tell them how happy I am. To Seb and Lola, it just looks like my best friend doesn’t approve of my sudden marriage, and I wonder what they’re thinking about it.
“Listen, Vee, you know me. Which means you know that I’m not going to waste my time trying to convince someone of something that doesn’t involve them. I know it was sudden, but I don’t regret it. Not in the slightest. I’m happy. Really fucking happy.”
She’s quiet for a few moments, running her fingers through her hair repeatedly as if doing so might help her come to grips with what I’m saying quicker. Finally, she sighs, nodding.
