When up-and-coming model Isabelle meets talented but jaded photographer Milo, sparks fly despite their age difference. Their romance becomes the talk of the New York City fashion scene, fueling rumors and speculation about their scandalous affair. A...
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They spent the whole next day together, hours melting into each other.
She wanted nothing more than to be by his side.
Looking at him in the morning, walking around shirtless, she didn't care that she didn't sleep that great. He looked so beautiful. She padded around the house as they waited for the food to arrive, and she found a picture of him and some other guy friends at a wedding from last summer.
When she asked him about it, he said,
"Oh, that was just a wedding we crashed...a friend of a friend we came to pick up and ended up staying. I was a little...rough back then. That was after the...breakup." He said quietly.
Isabelle looked at the photo again and he seemed as handsome as ever to her, "I think you look good."
Milo came up to her and hugged her around her waist, "you're just saying that cause you like me... girlfriend," he whispered in her ear.
Isabelle nodded, not even trying to deny it, "I do..I do...." They got caught up in kisses, his tongue finding hers, until they were interrupted by a doorbell, the food was here.
They ate the butter chicken on the couch in silence, relishing it and each other.
Then, he lay his head down on her lap, and sighed contently, "there is nowhere else I'd rather be right now. Right now, I'm perfectly happy with where I am."
She stroked his curls as he closed his eyes, and thought that she felt the same thing.
There was a renewed sense of energy in their relationship. A breath of relief, but also a momentum.
He said to her the night before, "girlfriend, that's one you an ride out for a while..."
It scared her to think that really there were only two roads from here...an engagement or a breakup. She didn't know which one scared her most. She knew she was putting the cart before the horse though, and decided to focus on the new car smell of their new blossoming relationship.
When he finally dropped her off at her place that evening, she lingered for their kiss longer than usual.
"Goodnight, boyfriend," she whispered into his ear, with a crooked smile.
He kissed her forehead and she got out of the car.
That evening she sat on her couch wondering if there was some sort of handbook that she would have to follow now. On one hand she was exhilarated and thought about how he said 'we can make it be whatever we want to be', but on the other hand she didn't want to let anyone or herself down. Though that was foolish as well. This was uncharted territory, she was on the other side of somewhere she's never been before. And though you can never truly be ready for something like this, you also always are for the right person. And Milo felt like the right person.
Its like he could feel her thinking about him, she looked at her phone as it dinged and her heart jumped seeing his name on the screen, again!
He wished her goodnigh xx. She blew him a kiss even though he didn't see it. She was sure he could feel it.
The next morning she went in for a Botox appointment. She'd never done it before but her manager insisted it was time to start pre-empteivley. She didn't love it, but when her doctor said it could help with her headaches, she decided to give it a try. Of course, all of her model friends have been getting it - and not just taht - for years.
She felt it was a slipery slope - botox then fillers - then other things...she was determined to maintain her natural beauty and age gracefully. But she was also open to trying new things, never wanting to judge anyone. Also knowing htat her face and her body - no matter how much she liked or dind't liek the fact - were her tools and instrumetns for her job just like a carpented has his tools.
She acted cool but in truth was dreading it. She wished Milo was with her to hold her hand through it but she knew he was on a shoot.
There we go again, the flip side of the attachment to him, was the anxiety of being away from him. Though he kept assuring her that it was a choice ot be with her, that she shouldn't worry about anyone else. And she didn't, but being in a relationship with him now didn't make all the problems go away [as she previously thought relationships did when she was young and naive] instead if anything it almost amplified it. But she trusted him.
She got called into the room almost as soon as she got in there, but not before the fornt desk woman upsold her on pre booking her next appointmetn in three months.
In the clinician's room, it was mostly bare except for a large skeleton that she couldn't stop staring at.
The doctor was nice lady, she told her "not to worry about it - I do my own!"
So, Isabelle took a deep breath as she lay down and 24 needles went into her head - luckily 24 skinny needles but still. Needles..botox.
She walked home slowly, having been told to sit upright for 4 hours and not exercise or do facials for 24 hours.
At home she just watched movies and drank a milk shake. It felt strange, like pressure in her head and some aches - her eyes felt heavy and she was tired, even though they told her she wouldn't be able to sleep on her side.
Mostly, it gave her time to sit around and think about the strangeness of the last couple of days. How quickly everything can - and does - change.
