Not If I Date You First

EPILOGUE

ADA

"That's gorgeous, you two." I snap the picture, glancing down at the LCD screen on my Nikon. Faye and Ariani's bright turquoise and fuchsia gowns stand out brilliantly against the stark white background of Luxe Magazine's studio.

When Luxe named them power couple of the year, Rita—who's now my boss—picked me to do the shoot. It's the first one I've actually worked as a photographer instead of an assistant.

With Faye set to star in what's sure to be next year's biggest blockbuster, and Ariani starting journalism classes at NYU as she gets ready to move her show from YouTube to a major network, it's no wonder the magazine chose them. These two are going to rule the world one day, and I can't wait.

"Let's do something more candid," I call. "Try just looking at each other and laughing."

Ariani tosses her hair over her shoulder. "We're not trained monkeys, picture girl. We can't just laugh on command."

"You're professional actors."

"In case you didn't hear, I'm a journalist now." She puts a hand on her hip, but her eyes are teasing.

Liam snickers behind me. "A little help here?" I gesture toward his friends.

"Just imagine Wes dancing," he says. "You know like—"

He does an imitation of Wesley trying to do the running man. Both Ariani and Faye burst out laughing as I whirl around to get the shot. "I'm going to double-check these, but I think that was it!"

I beam, walking over to the monitor and popping my SD card in. Rita comes over to review my photos as the wardrobe team starts unzipping garment bags, and an assistant offers Faye and Ariani sparkling water. I ball my hands into fists to keep from fidgeting as Rita examines the set. Taking these kinds of photographs is so different from what I was used to as a paparazzo.

I've still got so much to learn, but Rita's been an awesome mentor, and I get to be a lot more creative with the pictures I take now. It's the most fun I've ever had with my photography.

"Very nice, Ada," Rita says as she scrolls through the photos. "There are a few images here that are a little soft. Keep working on that." She points out some shots that are a little too bright and slightly out of focus. "But overall this is excellent work. We've got more than enough for the spread here."

"Thank you." A pleased flush creeps up my neck. Rita calls a wrap on the shoot, and at least ten hair and makeup artists descend to escort Faye and Ariani to the dressing rooms.

"Good job, Ada," Faye says, grinning at me. She waves as she follows after them.

"See you in class." Ariani winks at me.

I finally caved and enrolled in some general courses at NYU for the semester. Dad was so ecstatic, you'd have thought he won the frickin' lottery.

I wasn't super excited at first, but Rita was all about it. She even offered to put in a good word if I was interested in applying to transfer to Tisch after the semester's over. I've been obsessed with the idea ever since.

Their photography program is one of the best in the world. Being a student there would be such an incredible opportunity, and Rita even said I could keep working for Luxe doing shoots part-time while I'm in school.

I stare at the photographs on the monitor, letting myself feel proud of the work I did. A pair of strong arms wrap around me from behind, and I lean back against Liam's chest.

"You did an amazing job." His mouth tickles my neck. I turn my head, looking up at him.

"They turned out really well, didn't they?"

Liam's hand skates over my hair. "Absolutely beautiful," he says, looking at me.

"Are you sure you have to leave tomorrow?" I twine my arms around him. Liam's flying out for L.A. first thing in the morning to begin filming Where There's Smoke. He'll be gone for four months. Thinking about it makes my heart twinge. "Not at all." He pulls me closer. "But I think Ackerman's pretty set on it."

I pout, and he leans in and kisses me, teeth tugging at my lip in a way that has me wishing there weren't a dozen assistants in the room.

"Besides, you're going to be off on your own adventure," he says. "You're not going to have time to miss me."

"I doubt that," I say, but I feel a little flicker of excitement. I'm going to Bali in a few weeks. Luxe is doing a huge shoot on location, and since it's during fall break, Rita asked me to go as an assistant. It's going to be a lot of lugging camera bags around and fetching coffee, but I can't wait.

"I'll come back as often as I can." Liam's hands trace over my back. "And I'll fly you out whenever you're able to fit me into that busy schedule of yours."

"I mean, I am a big deal now, but I think I can pencil you in." I poke him playfully in the side.

"That's all I ask." Liam presses a kiss to the top of my head, and I can feel him breathing in the smell of my shampoo.

"You ready to stop working and get out of here, Ace? I'm trying to date you, you know."

"Not if I date you first, Superstar."