Page 88 of Last First Kiss
I snap a few more pictures, making sure I get their entrance as a married couple. Diana and Alex are now both in matching white knee-length dresses, paired with matching tennis shoes.
We all cheer as they walk in hand in hand, some of the guests blowing bubbles toward them. Alex dips Diana, kissing more of her teeth than her lips as Diana smiles. I snap another picture before everyone surrounds them.Then I take a few more photos of them talking to guests and greeting everyone.
I could take the rest of the night off. My assistant is somewhere around here snapping more pictures, and all the big moments my sister wanted me to photograph are done; now it’s party time.
“Where’s your assistant?” Clara says from behind me.
I smile. It’s like she knew exactly what I was thinking.
“Around. I saw her a bit ago swapping her SD cards.” I scan the room for Nina.
“Are you taking a break?”
“Yeah, I’m done for the night.” I grab my camera bag and gently lower my camera and lenses into it.
Clara smiles. “Perfect!”
I raise an eyebrow, intrigued. “Perfect for what?”
Her grin widens as she takes my hand and pulls me toward the dance floor, the music shifting into a soft, swaying song.
“Perfect for this,” she says, spinning me in a circle.
I laugh, feeling the warmth of the champagne mixed with the smell of her cologne. Clara’s smile never fades as we move in sync, her touch light but firm, guiding me closer.
It’s effortless, this connection between us, and I can’t believe I didn’t see it before.
The crowd fades into a blur as I focus on her. Her laugh rings in my ears like a melody I never, ever want to end. Her blue hair falls loose, swaying with the music. Nothing in the world could be more perfect than this moment with her.
My lips brush against Clara’s, and a spark ignites—racing from my mouth down to the pit of my belly—until my whole body is awake. Goosebumps spring across my skin, shivering through me as my heart swells so full it might burst.
“Mind if I steal her?” Isabella says from behind me.
Of course.Her timing is impeccable, if impeccable meansconsistentlythe worst possible.
Clara nods and lets go of me, pulling Lily into the middle of the dance floor.
Isabella stretches her hand out to me. I sigh and take it.
“You really do have a gift for showing up at theexactwrong moment. You know that?” I say as I place my hand on her shoulder.
Isabella laughs, completely unbothered. “Yeah, yeah. You’ll thank me in a second. But also, can’t a girl want to dance with her best friend?” she asks innocently.
“Oh, absolutely, but whoever that girl is, it’s not you, because you would never want to dance with me over Lily, so why have you interrupted my evening with Clara?” I tease, trying to sound annoyed even though I’m anything but.
She rolls her eyes. “You better be nice to me or I won’t give you what’s in my pocket.” She wags her eyebrows, and I narrow my eyes.
“You want the good news first or the bad?” she asks, and my heart starts beating faster, anxiety coiling inside me.
The only thought in my mind right now is that my photographs probably sucked so much that she lost clients for displaying them. Okay, maybe a tad bit dramatic, but I can’t help it.
“Good. Always good first,” I reply, but my throat feels like it’s about to close. I’m not ready to hear about how much I suck quite yet.
“Fine. Good news is that I was able to sell all your photographs,” Isabella says, and I instinctively hold her a little tighter, trying to contain the spark of excitement in my chest.
“Wait—seriously?”
She grins. “Oh, I’m not done.”
