Page 52 of Picture Us

Fin wrapped their arms around the duo and nodded toward a tall, well-dressed woman. “This is Tommy, she’s an agent at SDO Management.”

Drew immediately extended their hand. “Nice to meet you, I’m Drew Hudson.”

After a firm shake, Tomy turned their attention to Rose. “And you must be Rose.”

“Rose Miller.” She extended her hand and smiled.

After the brief introduction, Fin was called to a different corner of the party, leaving the trio to chat.

“So, what’s it like being an agent?” Rose asked, tucking her hair behind her ear.

Tommy laughed, scanning the crowd as she spoke. “Exhausting. This is my first night off in a few months. But you gotta love the grind.”

Drew nodded. “What kind of clients do you represent?”

She thought about the question for a few seconds. “Kind of everything, but I’m moving more into sports management. We need more sapphics representing women athletes.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Rose smiled. “I love basketball so much, but the WNBA players aren’t managed very well. They deserve more exposure.”

“Absolutely.” Tommy smiled. “So, Fin tells me you’re both photographers. What’s that like in this economy?”

The duo looked at each other, trying to find the words. Of course it wasn’t easy; Drew had learned that first hand. Transitioning from photojournalism to portrait photography was a hard loss for them, but it made ends meet.

Rose shrugged. “It comes and goes. But I love it.”

“No one becomes a photographer for the money, I suppose.” Tommy laughed. “Well look, I represent Mackenzie Bennett, and she’s just coming off a serious Wimbledon win. We’re looking to get her some exposure so she can compete with some of the older, more established stars before the U.S. Open. I’d love to see your portfolios.”

Holy shit.Drew smiled, stepping forward. “Absolutely, let me grab your email.”

Rose gulped, eyeing Drew. “Is this a solo gig or a joint gig?”

Tommy looked at her, their blue eyes chilling her spine. “That’s up to you, I’d be happy to see anything!”

“Awesome, I’ll send you my work first thing tomorrow.” Drew was already shaking Tommy’s hand.

Rose offered hers too, and before they knew it, Tommy was off chasing after a gorgeous blonde.

They stood in silence for a moment as Drew and Rose put the agent’s information into their phones. Drew could hardly believe it, the power of sapphic networking was unmatched.

“Oh my god, that’s awesome. That agency is no joke, they represent fucking LAWSON.” Drew shook their head.

Rose nodded. “No kidding. Do you think you’d want to do it together?”

It was the question Drew had hoped she wouldn’t ask. Of course, working together had turned out better than Drew could have imagined. But they weren’t ready to make that their schtick. Drew had their own career goals and didn’t want that attached to someone they weren’t sure would even be around in a few months.

“I’m not sure, maybe we think on it?” Drew offered, running a hand along her arm.

Rose smiled. “Yeah, sure.”

She looked like she might say something else, but before she could, Ellen shouted across the party. “It’s present time, y’all!”

Most of the party kept mingling, but Rose grabbed Drew’s hand and beelined toward the back table where Ellen and Fin had collected their gifts.

Rose found a table to sit on, getting a good view near the front of the crowd. Drew sidled up next to her, resting their hand on the rough, metal table. The hair on their arms stood on end as their skin brushed against Rose.

Her eyes were glued to Ellen and Fin as they scanned the pile of presents, and she was brimming over with excitement for her gift to be opened. Drew’s eyes wandered her face. Her beauty still surprised them. Normally, they couldn’t stomach bubbly personalities, but Rose was different. She was bubbly and sweet, but she called them out on their shit.

Ellen clapped when she spotted the floral craft paper. “This one’s first!”

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