Page 87 of My Ruthless Neighbor

“Archer? Oh, yeah, he sure is. That man is the backbone of the agency.”

Hannah opens the black door and asks me to step inside first. When I do, I am overwhelmed by the scene before me.

The size of the room is massive. There are people scattered around the floor, each concentrating on their own task. A pop song is playing over the surround speakers.

White curtain-like fabric is stretched across the wall and the floor in an arc.

“What’s it called?” I ask Hannah about the white background.

“Oh, that’s an infinity cove. Another term is cyclorama. It gives a seamless background which allows the photographer to capture their subject and create amazing visuals.”

“It’s… fascinating.” I gawk at the surrounding.

“I forgot to mention, we sometimes use the studio for car photography and advertisements. That’s why the studio is on the ground floor.”

I can picture a car here because this room is spacious.

Light equipment is placed around the white background. Few feet away from the infinity cove are monitors and other electronic gadgets mounted on tripods.

“What are those monitors for?”

“To review the pictures during the shoot.”

“Whoa.”

“Cool, right? To your left, you can see the makeup vanity set up for you. There’s a changing room right beside it. Also, if you want to use the restroom, it’s to your right at the far corner.”

I can only bob my head.

“Today’s just a test shoot, so you’ll be given only one outfit to change into.”

As Hannah continues to speak, my brain tunes her out. Unease ripples through me.

I want to run. But it’s too late. I am already here. These people are here for me. I can’t let so many people down. I can’t let Hannah down who has put so much trust in me. A noob.

I don’t even realize I am moving backward until I crash against someone. I twist around to find Raleigh.

My best friend.

I stare up at him, my body trembling.

“In case you forgot, I am still mad at you…” He trails. He takes one look at my face and pulls me in his arms.

“Summer, what’s wrong?” Raleigh strokes my back as he asks.

I shake my head, inhaling his familiar scent of leather.

I feel a small hand ruffle my hair. “She’s nervous,” Hannah says.

Raleigh pulls away. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to, okay?”

I stare into his blue eyes.

“But I am happy that you are here. Hannah couldn’t have chosen a better face for this campaign.” He smiles at Hannah.

“I… I want to do this.”

“But?” He cues.

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