Novaletti Factor

Chapter 14~

"Oh?" 

 "I mean-living with him sounds like a dream but I just feel like it's too soon. We've gotten so comfortable with one another and it feels so right a lot of the times but..." I was scared. Micah required so much and that completely overwhelmed me. 

"Sometimes it doesn't..." She finished exactly what was going on in my head and I just nodded. "Whatever you do, Elise, you should talk to him about it. He should know how you're feeling and most importantly he should respect it." It was classic advise. 

And what did I think? Micah was going to be angry? That he wouldn't understand? At the end of the day he was a grown man. We were adults. I forced my mind to relax. I was overworking myself mentally and it was starting to drain me. Several long moments of silence stretched between us and before I could thank her, my phone started to vibrate violently with an incoming call. 

It was Gabby. I stepped away to take the call. Apparently the phone line at the studio was working overtime and Leland Sandoval was waiting for me. 

~

A little while later I stood in the lobby of my studio with Gabby and Leland. He had come to hand deliver the first physical copy of the magazine to me. Right there, on the front cover, was me. "I thought it was just going to be a small piece inside?" I was completely taken back. 

I could feel Leland watching me as I flipped through the pages to find it. "There is." He seemed obviously proud of himself. Turns out, the "small piece" was actually a few pages long. It detailed my entire life. All of the things we had talked about and I'd given him permission to use. 

"I think it's really amazing and we should definitely celebrate it." I could pretty much hear the nefarious intentions in Gabby's head. "Just wait until you read it all. It's fabulous. You're fabulous...Which is why we should go out and celebrate." Thanking her for the offer but politely declining would be the best course of action. 

What really sounded nice was a hot bubble bath and wine so I could read the article in privacy and peace. Didn't happen fast enough. "I agree. I know a nice spot we can go to." Too soon, the vote was not in my favor as Leland spoke up. 

And that was how I ended up here, sitting with Gabriela in my bedroom and sipping the wine that had been reserved for my night alone. But I couldn't complain. It reminded me of our nights in University when we had lived together; getting ready on weekends to go out and party. We were certainly dressed for a party. Tomorrow was a free day...marked on the calendar and all. 

Any minute our ride would be arriving to take us to the club Leland would be waiting at. Gabby was propped against my headboard and drinking down her second glass of wine. Part of me felt envious yet I couldn't bring myself to just let go and throw back. Comfortably tipsy was going to be my limit tonight. 

"What did you think of the other pictures in the article? Did you look at them?" The questions were random and I frowned over the rim of my glass at my friend. I had skimmed through it and I had noticed the other pictures Leland had included that hadn't been taken with Micah around. 

"Yes? He told me the magazine had their own photographer and he said they would be capturing a few photo's of me while I'm working. Why? Everyone in them gave consent." 

I could see in her face that something was going on in her brain. Anyway, she knew all of this. Why was I explaining it to her? She had even been in a few of the shots. She shrugged, "It's just...strange. He's seems like the type of person who would build a creepy shrine with picture's of your face all over the walls in a scary little room."