Shutter

Chapter Ten

"Julian," she said carefully, turning to look at him.

"I know, I know. We've talked about this, but it's just like, I don't know. I like being here with you and I like having you at my place. But I feel like we're just like, cooped up. And sometimes I just really want to take you out," he explained with a sigh, looking almost disappointed.

He was the sweetest fucking thing. She could have fallen at his feet. He was amazing. But that was a place she was honestly not ready to go yet. She was not ready to be that girl.

"You're absolutely adorable, you know that," she cooed, smiling at him, sticking her toothbrush in her mouth again.

"But your standpoint doesn't change?" He asked, his eyes pleading with her.

"I just... Julian..." She sighed, looking at him through the mirror again.

"I just feel like maybe we're getting stifled," he said with a shrug.

"Stifled? What do you mean?" She asked, turning toward him once again.

"Like, I don't know. We're so compatible here... in bed. Like, I just feel like we haven't gotten the opportunity to explore each other outside of that," he explained, looking into her eyes with his wide perfect green ones.

"And we need to do that in public?" She questioned stubbornly.

She hated that she needed to make excuses, that she couldn't give him what he wanted. But she wasn't ready.

"Well, no. But I just think we're not making the most out of this," he explained with another shrug.

"The most out of what?" She asked, wanting him to say it – to admit out loud that he wanted more with her, more than just sex.

"The most out of this, out of us," he answered immediately.

"Us?" She asked, her eyes softening as she looked at him.

"Yeah, us. You and me. Us. Here and now," he elaborated.

"I think that the 'us' you're referring to is finding no difficulty in getting to know each other inside and outside of the bed, Julian. I think you're worrying for nothing," she told him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

He sighed, seemingly disappointed with her answer.

"If it makes you feel any better, we can completely stay away from the bed – from sex. I mean, if you want to get to know each other better in other ways," she said, smirking teasingly at him.

"Well, now. I didn't say that," he chuckled, smirking back at her as he looked into her eyes.

"That's what I thought," she snickered, leaving a kiss on his lips.

He was adorable. And a part of her couldn't help but think, "he's all mine".

...

Elle really needed to get her shit together. Erica was going to have her head if she didn't get something she could work with. What kind of paparazza was she if she never went out, if she never got the money shot?

She told herself that even if Julian came to her doorstep and dropped down on one knee proposing marriage to her, she was still going to go out and find some sort of celebrity gossip. Luckily for her, she knew Julian was out with some friends and wouldn't be popping by at any point. So she dressed in her usual jeans and tee, and laced up her Converses before making her way out to where she knew a shit load of celebrities would be – an L.A. Lakers game.

Everyone was there from David Beckham to Leonardo DiCaprio to the Kardashian. But her eyes fixated on the one little bastard who brought her gold before – Brayden Fields. He sat front row with his little model girlfriend, Nina Kendall.