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He cocked his head at the fact that I was swearing while my entire frame began to burn in embarrassment. I was flushed red and warm from the heat and shame and self-consciousness until I understood then that I could no longer remain in his presence.
“I’m sorry,” I apologized, and without waiting for his response or reaction, I hurriedly made my way over to meet Aurora.
I was sweating even more by the time that it took me reach her, but the good news was I was still so startled from my meeting with the man that when I took in the women seated and conversing as they waited, and of course noted that Victoria was also among them, I couldn’t even muster up the energy or zeal to be taken aback.
It was a day of surprises and annoyances, and all I could do was approach it calmly for my own peace of mind. She, however, seemed hell-bent on being dramatic about the whole process, and I ensured to indulge her.
“Oh wow,” she said, just as I shared a smile with Aurora and her mother. “You’re - you're the photographer?” she asked, almost as though this was some joke solely orchestrated for her amusement.
I nearly rolled my eyes but managed to hold myself in check. Plus, I wasn't exactly scoring any brownie points for showing up the way I did. I mean, I didn’t think I looked bad, but as I took in the women before me and the fact that they were all staring at me with distaste that I was sure they tried to hide but I couldn’t help but cower just a little.
"You two have worked together before?” Aurora’s mother asked.
“Oh no,” she laughed a little too loudly. I couldn’t, however, get over how slick and shiny her blonde hair looked. It had always looked this way, straight, primed, perfect... and she was dressed just like the other women. Only Aurora looked a bit more down to earth with jeans and a jacket, while the others donned pearls, gold jewelry, and invisible makeup.
“So how do you know her then?” Aurora's mom asked. “Or you don't?” The way she asked the question rubbed me the wrong way, almost as though she was hoping that she truly didn’t know me, and her daughter was just making an unacceptable and misguided decision as usual by involving me in all of this. I didn't blame her because if things had gone according to plan today, I would have been more confident and able to retreat.
“We met in college,” she replied. “We were in the same dormitory, but that's about it.”
Aurora gave her a look then, but she didn't seem to care about the curt and distasteful way she had delivered her response. I didn’t have any response, but none was needed because just then, the faces of all the women at the table seemed to light up. Victoria especially stood up, seemingly like the perfect hostess, and before I could blink, she was striding across the room, her heels clicking against the polished wooden floors, and going over to the man.
I turned as well because it would just be weird if I ignored him when no one else seemed to be able to. What I saw, however, was that even though Victoria was right in front of his face, being all teeth and overly courteous, his gaze lingered on me.
He was so bold and unapologetic with it that I had to look away. And as soon as I did, I saw that Aurora and her mom were looking at me curiously. There was no way for me to explain this, so I simply sent them a smile and went over to Aurora's side.
"I'll get started,” I told her, and she nodded. Then she looked towards the man who now had his attention on Victoria and was nodding quietly as she rattled off.
“That’s my brother,” she said, and my brows raised. I wasn't surprised because I had suspected as much. It wasn’t that they looked together; more like I didn’t think a man this gorgeous could just be randomly walking around here and in the vicinity. I mean, it was an extremely luxurious location, but somehow, he just seemed like he was beyond it, so he had to be here for a very specific and almost obligatory purpose.
He eventually walked away from Victoria and then he headed over. He kissed his mom, and even though I tried, I found that I couldn’t look away. He seemed so affectionate with her, so careful that even though I had told myself that I was for whatever reason going to ignore his existence, I found myself unable to look away.
Afterward, he came over to Aurora, and she still had her guard up because she turned away.
He, however, kissed her on the forehead, and even though she didn’t smile or react, I could see her posture instantly soften. Her shoulders relaxed, as well as her scowl, but she still didn't look at him. Instead, she started scrolling through her phone, which meant that his attention had nowhere else to land but on me.
I wasn’t exactly pleased about this, but I wasn’t able to cover either, so I sent him a brief and polite smile and then began to walk away so I could get to work. However, at the last moment, he grabbed my arm, and I was stunned. His grip was hard, but it was too audacious for me. I looked at it, frowning, and then looked up at him.
“Who are you?” he asked. However, before I could respond, his mother explained, once again as though my presence was an apology.
“Aurora hired her to handle some of the photos.”
“Yes,” Victoria suddenly added out of nowhere, and I was taken aback to hear her voice. I had almost even forgotten about her presence.
“She was hired, but I don’t think that was necessary. Aurora?” she called.
“I have already hired the photographer that will be taking all your shots. He’s worked for Vogue for years, and he will be more than capable of handling this project in the best possible way.”
"No offense, Evelyn,” she said, and I nearly rolled my eyes.
I pulled my hand out of the man's grip, and thankfully, he let me go quite easily.
“Well, that’s all well and good, but I don’t need only the ceremony photographed. I need all the moments leading up to it. So can you get your Vogue photographer to come over right now and do his job?”
“Um…” she seemed stumped as she looked between Aurora's brother and mother.
"He’s not a roadside photographer, Aurora,” she said. “I’ve already scheduled him in advance for the big day, so –"
“Well, since he can't be here since he's too big to capture my most precious moments, then please stay out of this. At the end of the day, this is my wedding and not yours.”
