Page 48 of Only If You Dare

He quirked a brow.

“I don’t want to get used to you telling me how beautiful I am. It’s not normal.”

I know I sounded crazy. Julian must have thought so too because his expression froze.

“Alright everybody, same routine different story. I’ll countdown from three. You give me your best pose,” the camera man shouted.

Julian was still staring at me. Although I wasn’t looking at him, I could feel his gaze heavy at my side. Everyone posed becoming as still as statues. The flash from the camera multiplied as the camera man made sure not to miss a beat.

“Switch!” the camera man yelled. The models moved around us finding other positions and there were more flashes from the camera.

“Switch,” he yelled again. For a second, I felt like the odd man out. Everyone was moving but me, I held the same pose and position. I took a chance at a glance over to Julian. He was no longer watching me and that made me breathe a sigh of relief. The banquet shots went on for another hour, and somewhere past the thirty-minute mark, I was placed in other positions but always next to Julian.

When it was over, I retreated hastily, needing to grab a moment of solitude to shake off my nervousness. Truth be told, I was terrified of what I would look like in front of the camera. I’d never been one to worry about my weight. I was the type of person that could eat without exercising and not gain a pound. Nevertheless, being in a room full of beautiful men and women who daily put their professional lives on the line and were serious about it, made me feel unworthy and self-conscious.

The door to the bathroom opened and Kelsey walked in.

“Are you okay, honey?”

I gave her a quick smile and shook my head.

“Fine,” I said.

“If it helps you any, you’re done for the day, so you can relax if you must.”

I peered at her. “What do you mean for the day?”

“You don’t know?”

“Know what?”

Kelsey mumbled. “I think he set me up for this.”

“Excuse me, what are you talking about?”

“Well, because you’ve played a major role, whenever we need to pair the king and queen together, you’ll have to hold her spot.”

My mouth dropped. “Are you serious?”

Kelsey looked pensive. “Yeah, we can’t have a different queen in other photos. The same roles remain unless…”

“Unless what?”

“You become ill and hopefully that doesn’t happen. I don’t know how many illnesses I can take.” Kelsey shook her head. “Anyway, take a load off. You did great today for your first time. Oh and congratulations.”

“For what?”

“Being with this cast makes you officially an international model.”

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