“Right,” I pointed at him and tried my best to advert my eyes, “best man.”
“Is that a problem?” he asked
“That means, you’re Jake’s brother?” I still couldn’t believe this was happening. The man I had often found myself thinking about since the bookstore was standing in front of me wrapped in nothing but a towel.
“Slightly younger more charming brother, yes.” He laughed.
I moved closer to the door and did my best to keep my eyes on the ceiling but failed miserably.
“So, you’re the photographer for today, I see.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
“Yes I am! I mean, yep, I’ll be here all day. ”Why did he have to be so handsome? It really wasn’t fair.
“Wedding photography, huh? I didn’t take you as the mushy love type,” he said with a smile.
“I’m not.” A nervous laugh escaped my throat. “I do weddings and portraits on the side to pay the bills.”
“What company do you work for?” He raised his eyebrows. Usually people didn’t act this interested about my work.
“I actually work for myself.”
“Your own business, well that’s impressive.” He nodded his head. “So you like poetry and photography.”
“What, are you compiling a list?” I asked, embarrassed.
“Not exactly.” He smiled, making my breath catch in my throat.
“I… I should get back to work.” Slowly, probably a bit too slowly, I turned and walked toward the door.
“Violet,” he said behind me.
I turned back to look at him.
“It’s nice to see you again,” he said and walked toward me.
“Yeah… umm, you too,” I stuttered.
“We’ll talk more later.” He assured me. He opened the door and I stepped over the threshold.
I left Robert in all his naked glory. It took a few moments of deep breathing, leaning against the wall outside that door to calm myself down, before I could walk without stumbling. With my nerves returned, I decided I should check on Becky and the bride. The girls were starting to change into their dresses and Annabel was almost done with her hair.
The rest of the afternoon went by pretty quick and without further incident. I took pictures of the groom and the groomsmen, which Robert didn’t exactly make easy. He kept a playful gaze on me the whole time and I found it almost impossible to keep the camera steady. Becky couldn’t stop commenting on how unbelievable sexy he was and how he couldn’t keep his eyes off me, which didn’t help either. I was already having a hard enough time not thinking about him in that towel without her mentioning, how did she put it, how “impressive” he looked. She had no idea how much better it got.
The bride and bridesmaids’ pictures were a breeze and a lot of fun to shoot. You could feel the electricity in the air beaming from the bride. It must have been contagious because I was in an unusually good mood for standing on my feet all day. Weddings were always exhausting but this one was different and I found myself gliding from one photo to the next without needing a break. Soon after the pictures with the bride were finished the ceremony started. It didn’t drag on like other weddings I had done, which was nice.
The sun set over the ocean just as the bride and groom looked lovingly into each other’s eyes and exchanged their vows. It made the ceremony all the more charming. After the vows were said, there was some kind of prayer or blessing in a language I’d never heard before. Annabel and Jake’s left hand were bound together by a piece of cloth and the officiant chanted over their joined hands. The guests didn’t seemed confused by the prayer, so it must be a family custom or something.
After the ceremony I took pictures of the bride and groom side by side in the large swing bench I had seen earlier. The pictures looked even better than I had imagined. Becky and I finished taking pictures of the happy couple with family and friends, checking them off the list as we went. Shortly after we finished it was time for the grand entrance and for the reception to begin.
The dance floor looked amazing. Red and white rose petals floated on the water beneath the glass and the pool lights flittered through the flowers, making the dance floor look other-worldly. Once the grand entrance was over and the first dance out of the way I grabbed Becky, deciding it was time to take a break for a few minutes.
“Man, it’s been a long day,” Becky said, stretching her neck from side to side.
“And it’s not over yet,” I beamed. “They left out food for us in the kitchen if you wanna go grab a bite real quick. I’ll hold down the fort.” I nudged her off the wall. I knew she had to be hungry because my stomach protested loudly against Becky eating before me.
“You sure? I can wait if you want.”
“No, it’s alright. I’ll grab a bite when you get back.” I raised my camera and looked in the direction of the dance floor, indicating there was still work to do. Except I couldn’t help but look at Robert.
“He’s unbelievable, isn’t he?” Following my gaze, she saw Robert dancing with the flower girl. “You should go talk to him! He’s been eying you all day.” Becky raised her eyebrows with implication.
“Oh, shut up and go eat,” I laughed and pushed her in the direction of the kitchen.
“If he was interested in me, I wouldn’t hesitate,” she noted, biting her lip.
“He’s not interested in me. Guys who looks like that? Are just looking for their next conquest.”
“Yeah, and he wants to conquer you!” She gave me a knowing look as a small smile played at her lips.
“Knock it off, it’s not going to happen.”
“Alright, alright.” Becky raised her hands in surrender. “I still say you should think about it. It has been a long time for you,” she said over her shoulder as she walked away to get her food.
After she got back I went to the kitchen to have a quick bite myself. When I walked back out Becky was talking to Alex, one of the groomsman who had built the gazebo earlier, so I walked around the dance floor taking candid pictures of the dancing guests.
It was starting to get late and most of the photos had been taken already. Once the cake was cut and the toasts made, you could only have so many pictures of champagne-crazed people doing the Electric Slide before things got repetitive. All we needed now was the bouquet toss and garter toss.
Becky had been flirting with Alex off and on all night. I knew she wouldn’t be of anymore use to me now that the wedding was winding down. All she had on her mind now was getting back to her place, or his. When Becky finally came up for air and glanced in my direction, I waved her over.
“You can get out of here if you want,” I said, nodding my head in Alex’s direction.
“I can’t leave you empty-handed,” she insisted, though not too strongly.
“Honestly, Beck. I’m going to wrap it up soon anyway. I can finish without you.”
“You sure?”
“Of course. Go enjoy yourself,” I said, knowing she would. “Just leave your gear by the front door before you head out.
“Okay, will do. Thanks, Violet.” She headed over to Alex, letting him know they could leave.
“Well aren’t you a nice boss,” a voice said from behind me.
I turned around to see Robert standing just a few feet away. He had a drink in one hand, his tie loosely undone and his jacket unbuttoned. I sighed internally at the sight of him. Even with his suit somewhat disheveled from being worn all day, he still looked too good to be true.
“She wasn’t any use to me anymore, anyway. Becky tends to have a one track mind,” I chuckled under my breath.