Never Too Soon

Doesn't Play

POV: Harper

"What's the smile for?" Max asked me as soon as I opened the door to the rooftop.

"We may or may not have talked." I sucked my lips in and checked over my shoulder to make sure Lauren was nowhere to be seen before closing the door behind myself.

"About what?" Max asked with squinted eyes, ready to see if I was going to tell the truth.

"Well, she overheard your loud ass." I glared at him and he winced with a slow knowing nod. "So she asked if she heard correctly that I liked her back, and after some courage and prying I told the truth. Then some things happened and now I'm here. Darius, where do you need me?" I tried to avoid the rest of the conversation.

"Right here, short stack!" Darius yelled over his shoulder.

"Woah woah woah, I wasn't done getting the tea from you." Max tried to stop me, but I was already being grabbed by Darius to be moved into the first spot.

"Try asking your hotshot billionaire best friend." I giggled and Darius looked at me.

"Short stack, what is he talking about?" Darius asked slowly. "If Lauren laid a finger on you, you know I will kill her for you."

"Nothing bad happened. I promise." I assured him.

"Oh, okay then." Darius brushed it off before mirroring the pose he wanted me in, and I followed his actions with my chin tilted up slightly, lips barely parted, left knee bent while leaning most of my weight on my right, and my right hand gently grabbing the back of my neck.

"You're a natural, short stack. I'll give you that." Darius backed away to his tripod where his camera, that was undoubtedly worth more than anything I had ever owned in my life, and made sure the lighting was still correct for the shoot.

"No no, you can't come out here yet. You are a distraction." Max scolded someone, and I didn't look to see who since Darius needed me to look directly into the camera lens.

"No I'm not! You are more of a distraction than anyone I had ever met in my life!" Lauren snapped back.

"Who is the one yelling, mamí?" Max shot back.

"I am trying to focus here! If your Latin asses want to continue your pointless bickering, please do find somewhere else to do it!" Darius stepped away from the camera and put his hands on his hips to look over at the doorway.

The two of them went silent and Darius nodded his head before turning back to me.

"Move three steps to your right, keep your arms by your side but strong, and stand up straight. I want you to look into the camera as if you are trying to intimidate the world." Darius snapped his fingers and I was quick to move.

I stood tall, tilted my chin up just enough to notice the difference, and kept my facial expression resting and cold as my arms flexed along my sides just enough to have them there with purpose.

"Yes, now let me see you cross your arms and make the facial expression that you would have if Lauren just annoyed the shit out of you." Darius never stopped taking pictures, even when I was moving to a different pose.

His little mini-shoot for me lasted around twenty minutes that consisted of me doing various poses on different parts of the roof to get different views as the backdrops.

"Short stack, these came out incredible. Come here." Darius waved me over after putting the SD card from his camera into his laptop.

I hesitantly looked at his screen, knowing that he had to of been lying. I was fine in the moment, but afterwards I was a mess.