Shutter

Chapter Eight

He laughed out loud, but knocked his knuckle against the top of the nightstand for good measure.

"If my naked ass is plastered all over the internet, I am coming after you," Elle threatened, pointing her finger at him in an accusatory manner.

"Oh, Ace. It won't be your ass," he responded, smirking devilishly as he looked at a picture of his hand pressed against her womanhood that took up the whole screen of his phone.

"Oh my god," she groaned, pressing her hand against her heated face.

...

"So, why didn't you come out last night?" Charlie asked Elle with a smirk on his face as the two of them were out scouting the next day.

"Uh, reasons..." Elle said, smirking back at him, trying to keep herself from blushing, to no avail.

"I thought Erica was up your ass about getting something substantial," he reminded her, cocking his eyebrow in question.

"She is. Just... something came up," Elle said, smirking slightly as she tried to shrug as nonchalantly as possible.

"And that something wouldn't happen to be a famous actor that you just so happened to be sleeping with?" Charlie eyed her, with a hint of a smirk on his lips.

"Well, I mean..." Elle stammered, unable to come up with a good lie.

"I knew it!" He laughed, pointing his finger at her.

"He came over with Thai take-out. I just... I hadn't seen him in days, okay. It just... it just seemed like a better way to spend my night," she said with an unapologetic shrug, causing Charlie to shake his head and chuckle under his breath as he shoved a piece of gum into his mouth.

"I'm weaakkk, okay. Sue me," she whined, smiling widely at him.

"I'll try not to take that offensively," he chuckled, beaming a smile at her.

"No, Charlie. No. I mean, I love your company..." She started to explain, feeling like a shit friend.

"I'm kidding, Elle. Calm down. Nothing was really going on last night anyway. Although, I did get some sweet candids of Diddy leaving the Hyde Lounge," he said with a hint of sarcasm at the end.

At the mention of the Hyde Lounge, Elle's mind went back to the night Julian found her at said club before proceeding to feel her up on the jam-packed dance floor. Then, went home with her in her cab after being bombarded by countless pap pictures taken by Liam. It was the first night she and Julian ever slept together, and it was the true beginning of whatever they seemed to have started with one another.

"Yo, Elle," she heard Charlie say as he snapped his fingers in front of her face.

"Hmm? What?" She asked, focusing on him once again.

"Where did you just go?" He chuckled, smirking widely at her.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, knitting her eyebrows in confusion.

"I mean, you were here, but you were a million miles away," he chuckled.

"I, uh... I don't know. I just..." She stammered, not having an explanation.

"You've got it bad," he laughed heartily.

"Shut up," she scoffed, trying hard to keep the smirk off of her face.

"When's the wedding?" He laughed, thinking he was so funny.

"Fuck off. I wasn't even thinking about him, okay," she lied.