30 Days to Love

Day 3: Losing Control

"I saw you called. Twice."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I tried leaving you a message but your mailbox is full."

"Oh, I'll have to delete some messages. Thanks for telling me." Mystery solved.

 "How are you?"

"I'm fine. It's been a busy week. And it's only going to get worse."

"Same here."

"Oh yeah? What do you have going on this week? Come to think of it, I don't even know what you do. What do you do James?"

"I'm a photographer."

Shauna stops walking.

"You're a photographer? Like at the mall or something?"

James laughs.

"No, I don't shoot photos at the mall. I shoot products for companies and I shoot fine art on the side for myself. I was just offered a show at a gallery downtown in less than a month. I'm in the process of figuring out what prints I want to include. That's always the challenge for me."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Stereotype me?"

"Yeah, sorry."

"You're forgiven."

"What kind of fine art do you shoot?"

"Portraits mainly. I'd love to shoot you."

"Ha! I am an engineering nerd. Not a model."

"The two are not mutually exclusive. I know for a fact there are engineering nerd models."

"I'm sure they're much prettier than me."

"What are you talking about? You take my breath away. The camera will love you."

"That's really sweet to say but I'm not really interested in being a model. I have finals coming up. It's just not good timing for this."

"You would really be helping me out. I want to showcase a couple of new pieces. What are you doing later today?"

Shauna looks down at herself – she couldn't look worse. Modeling is the furthest thing from her mind.

"I have class."

"When are you out of class?"

"2."

"Perfect, we can catch Magic Hour."

"What's Magic Hour?"

"It's the time of day when the light from the sun is magical. It happens as the sun is setting. Everything looks amazing at Magic Hour. You'll see."

"I would need all the help I can get. I don't know. I really should just study."

"It will be 2 hours tops. I promise."

Shauna looks around campus and sees a couple laughing about something they're looking at on their reader together. She tries to ignore the longing for that kind of closeness with someone. The push and pull among school and James and her future is exhausting.

She relents. "Okay."

"Okay, I can photograph you today?"

"I'm already regretting this. But, yes, you can photograph me today."

"I'll pick you up. We can go through your wardrobe when I get there. Let's avoid black."

"You won't embarrass me, will you?"

"Not a chance. I'll see you later."

"Don't you need my address?"

"Yes, yes, I do."