Monday
Today is going to be a busy day. Even though you just moved in last weekend, that was not going to stop you from grinding. You had money to make and no time to waste. Today you had three photoshoots planned. Two maternity and one couple shoot.
You finally had you apartment looking exactly how you wanted it to. Your parents came to visit you yesterday for the first time. They were so happy and proud of you for being able to make it look stunny. They just made jokes about you being able to keep it clean.
Getting ready for the work day meant making sure all camera batteries were charged and your bags were packed. You hated feeling rushed when you knew you back to back shoots in one day, so you made sure to wake up extra early. The sun was shining and you were feeling extra motivated to go hard and make the best of if today.
Backpack on your back and camera bag slung over your shoulder, you stepped out of your apartment and closed the door behind you. After locking up your apartment, you headed towards the elevator.
You pressed the button and patiently waited. You checked your phone and saw one new text from your boyfriend.
Tristan😊❤️
Good morning baby😊
You typed up a response before you heard the elevator button ding.
You:
Good morning beb😊 how'd you sleep?
The doors opened and to your surprise, Melo was standing alone in the elevator. This was the first time you have seen him since your move-in day.
"Hey," you smiled at him.
"Hey camera girl," he smiled warmly, "how you doin'?"
You noticed that the parking level button was already pressed.
"I'm good, about to start my workday. Busy day for me," you sigh. "But I'm excited."
"Whatchu got going on?" He asked you, body now facing you directly as he swung his water bottle with his fingertips on the cap.
Today he had on a similar fit to the one he had on the first time you saw him. Black sweatpants and a blue hoodie this time.
"Well, 3 different photoshoot and my last one in the evening is still iffy. They seem like they might cancel because she's pregnant and has been having a lot of morning sickness and nausea overall, which is pretty understandable," you shrug.
"Oh so like a fraternity shoot?" He asked and you giggle.
"Maternity, actually. What about you?" You ask. The elevator dinging once more before it stopped as it reached the parking garage.
"Just going to hoop," he states.
"This early?" You ask.
"Grind don't stop," he shrugged, while gesturing you to exit the elevator first.
"Thank you," you say while scurrying out trying to keep you camera bag from falling off your shoulder.
"You should take my pictures sometime," he said finally, both of you stopping to look at each other before going your separate ways. You look in his eyes now, not being able to tell if his tone was serious or not.
"Well, if I get a cancellation this afternoon, the spot is yours," you laugh.
"Seriously?" He asked.
You nodded.
"I'll get back to you," he smiles. "What's your number?"
You pulled out your phone from you back pocket.
"How should I-" you ask looking up at him and he takes your phone out of your hands before you can finish your sentence.
"I'll just type it in," he grins, your phone looked tiny in his hands. He stuck his tongue out slightly while he typed. You watched him, holding back a giggle.
"There," he said while reaching his arm out to hand your phone back to you. You looked down at contact name he created.
Melo 🕺🛸💯
You rolled your eyes and looked up at him as he proudly grinned ear to ear.
"My signature emojis," he shrugged.
"You're lame," you teased. "I'll text you and let you know what happens."
"Okay camera girl," he smiles before waving you off. The two of you go your separate ways and you make your way to your car. Setting all of your equipment down and taking a deep breath. You put your car in drive and made your way to your first shoot.
•••
Halfway through the second shoot, you got a text and just as you suspected it was a cancellation on the maternity shoot.
You contemplate texting Melo in that moment.
"Hey let's take a five, yeah?" You ask your clients. Luckily it was the couple photoshoot so their significant other could keep them company for a moment. You pull out your phone and pull up Melo's contact name.
You: Well if you were serious about that photoshoot this evening, the spot is open 🤷
You close your phone for a moment, looking around at the scenery. They truly picked a beautiful spot to get their photos done and you felt blessed to be there in that moment. You felt your phone buzz and quickly opened it.
Melo 🕺🏾🛸💯
Very serious camera girl. Unfortunately something came up. You okay on a reschedule? What's your Sunday schedule lookin like?
Oof, bummer, you thought to yourself.
You:
Ofc. I don't usually work Sunday's but I don't mind, that works for me.
Melo 🕺🏾🛸💯
Awww you sure camera girl? If that's ya lil day off I understand. I'm just busy all week and all day Saturday.
You: All good, I get it. Grind don't stop right?
Melo 🕺🏾🛸💯
That's what I like to hear 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
You roll your eyes at his text and slide your phone back into your pocket. You continue the shoot until you realize it was getting later. You thanked them for their time and they thanked you for being so patient and kind to them. You packed up your stuff and headed back to your apartment.
Tristan 😊❤️
Oof sorry I never got a chance to respond to your last text. I slept good. You wanna go out to dinner together?
You smile at his text.
You: I would absolutely love that.
Tristan 😊❤️
Pick you up at 7pm.
You:
Sounds perfect.
You decided to wash off the sweat on your body after a long day of shooting. Feeling the soreness in your body from all the bending and arching while shooting, you let the hot water run down your body for a long time before lathering up in body wash.
After your shower, you plugged up your camera to your laptop before getting ready for Tristan to pick you up. Allowing all the photos to slowly upload, you spent the time between getting ready and waiting for Tristan to come pick you up to sort through some pictures.
He picked you up and greeted you with a long kiss. Caught by surprise by his level of affection so soon after seeing you, you raised your eyebrows after the kiss.
"I missed you today," he gushed.
"Wow I missed you too," you pull him into another kiss. "I like these kinds of greetings."
He gave you a sly look as the two of you chatted about your days on your way to the restaurant.
When you got there, the restaurant was pretty empty. They took your orders right away. As you were waiting on your food, you both sat in silence. While your boyfriend was scrolling through his phone, you mind drifted you to watch whatever was playing in the TV. They only had football and basketball playing so you decided why not.
"Hey babe?" You ask your boyfriend.
"Hmm?"
"Did the NBA season start already?" You ask. He heavily kept up with basketball and was definitely a huge fan even though he did not tune into the games, he kept up with a few of his favorite teams and players. You however, always tried to keep up and failed. So you were not as aware as what was going. Ever.
"Yeah, only preseason though. Nothing crazy," he replies without looking up at you.
"Oh okay," you say, still focusing on the tv that read 'Raptors vs. Hornets'.
You tried to keep up with the subtitles as they explained the game. They showed a slow motion play by play. You tried your best to keep your eyes on the subtitles and keep up with the words.
"...No. 3 overall pick LaMelo Ball scoreless in 16 minutes of work, but he hauled in 10 rebounds and dished out four assists during the 111-100 loss to the Raptors. Ball showed off his court vision throughout his time on the court with a number of flashy passes..."
You squint harder and feel your heart begin to pound out of your chest.
No way, you thought. LaMelo... Melo...
Was that really-
"Why," he finally. asks, looking up at you then at the tv.
"Uh- just curious," you reply almost choking on your words but shrugging it off.
The waitress brings your drinks and you quickly sip on that.
Your eyes still fixated on the TV as they continued to show bits and pieces of the game.
"Overall, the 19-year-old looked comfortable on the floor with his new teammates. I'm looking forward to seeing what he'll bring to the table during is Rookie Year. I have a feeling it will be a good one."
You could not believe you did not piece it together before. You had no idea who he was. The height was a dead giveaway honestly. You face-palmed yourself and your boyfriend looked back up at you.
"What?" He asks with a laugh. "You good?"
"Y-yeah I'm okay," you laugh along with him nervously.
Just found out I live in the same building as an NBA player but yes I'm okay. And he wants a photo shoot from me? That's fine. I'm fine,
you thought.
"Here you guys go," the waitress said as she set the food down on the table.
"Thank you so much," you say to her. "May we have some extra napkins and ketchup?"
"'Course you can, I'll be right back with that," she smiles.
You stare at your burger and fries for a moment, feeling as if hunger left your body due to the wave of nerves you felt after observing the TV.
"Looks so good," Tristan states.
"Oh yeah," you respond putting and emphasis on the "oh".
Your eyes made their way back up to the tv. Scanning the screen for Melo, you finally find him running up the court and shooting a shot. He makes it, and the score for the Hornets and their points go up. The screen switched to the announcers faces. It must just be a summary of what happened in the game.
"Here you go," the waitress swiftly placed the ketchup and extra napkins on the table.
"Thanks," Tristan states.
You finally gain the courage to take a bite out of the burger. Chewing slowly, your eyes darted from your boyfriend to the TV.
"How is it?" He asks you.
"Very good," you say with a mouth full of food and try to smile. He laughs.
"You sure, you look disgusted," he says in between chuckles.
"Yeah," you smile, finally swallowing your big bite. "Yes it's good as usual."
You both ate in silence for a moment before you spoke.
"Hey, so wait what's your rookie year again? Like your first year?" You ask while quickly taking another bite.
"For basketball? Well yeah it's your first year in the league. What's with all the basketball questions all of a sudden?" He chuckles, almost halfway done with his burger while you studied yours.
"Just curious, I guess," you say, contemplating on telling the truth at this very moment.
"Okayyyy," he says, dragging the 'a' in okay.
He watches you for a moment while you eat. You take another bite and fight the urge to say anymore words.
He looks back down on his phone again. Your eyes go back to the television as you watch more game highlights.
"What's your plans tomorrow and the weekend?" You ask him, taking a sip on your drink realizing how dry your throat was.
"Three-12 hour shift, then off Monday thankfully." he chuckles. "And you?"
"Couple of shoots," you say. "So you even work a 12 hour on Sunday?"
"Yeah, I tried to see if I could get off, but they needed me in."
"Okay, that's fine babe, I actually have a shoot scheduled for that day."
"But I thought that was your off day?" He asked with a furrowed brows.
"Yeah usually is but I'm making an exception. He said it was the only free day he has this week," you state nonchalantly, taking another bite of your burger to look up at the tv again.
"Oh," is all he says.
You watched as the game came to a finish and looked back at your boyfriend again. He was on his phone patiently waiting for you to finish.
"So you coming over tonight?" You ask.
"Probably not tonight, my mom needs some help with something I guess. I'll try to come back Sunday night maybe?"
You nod your head in agreement, "that works."
You took your time finishing up your burger until you felt full. The waitress dropped the check off and your boyfriend picked it up. When she came back he handed it to her with the card.
"Thank you baby," you tell him.
"'Course," he replies.
You both get up and exit the restaurant. When you got into the car, he made eye contact with you for a moment, the engine turning on drowning out the silence the two of you.
"What?" You blush.
"Nothing, it's just. I hope you enjoyed dinner," he stated.
"I did," you giggle. "Sorry about how I was at first," you say.
"It's okay... I guess I just have a question."
"What's up?" You ask.
"Who's the exception for this Sunday?"
"Oh that, yeah." You reply.
He puts the car in drive.
"Well just some guy that lives in my building. Remember the one I met when we moved in? He saw me taking photos and asked what I do. I told him and he said he'd want to do a shoot. I was pretty excited considering how quick he was on board for doing one so that's pretty much why I made the exception." You reply. With all honesty it definitely was the truth. Tristan just does not know who he is.. but now you do and that is why you felt scared telling him.
"Ohhh, okay. Well thank you for explaining that." He smiled.
"Of course babe. Plus it works out since you're working on Sunday anyway. Got something to keep my mind busy."
"Yeah yeah, of course!" He replies nodding, almost sounding like he was convincing himself of something.
You drive in silence for what felt like forever. You turned up the radio a bit.
"Hey..." he murmurs finally breaking the silence?"
"Hmm?" You ask.
"Have you ever considered doing something besides photography?" He asks.
Your grin quickly turns into a frown.
"Like what?" You ask sternly.
"Like I don't know maybe going to college? Or getting a corporate job?"
You took a deep breath, processing what he has just asked you. He obviously knew photography was your dream career and you were working so hard to build your brand and make that come to life. You were not in the mood to start and argument.
"Nah," you simply state.
How could he even ask that.
"What if your photography career ever goes down south," he boldly states keeping his eyes looked on the road.
"I don't think that way... it's important to stay positive about what you work towards. And if the times comes where I do need a backup plan. I'll figure it out." You state, crossing your arms over each other. You watched as your apartment building appeared closer and closer from the distance.
He does a double take before replying. "Oh no no Y/N why are you upset? It's a genuine question."
"I'm fine," you reply.
"You're obviously mad," he says putting his hand on your shoulder. You could swear from the corner of your eye it looked as if he was grinning.
"Seriously... I am. Just wish you had more faith in me." Is all you say.
He smacked his lips.
"I do! Damn why would you even think that? I just think sometimes it's important to be realistic."
You glare at him.
"I am being realistic. I moved to Charlotte for crying out loud it's not like I dropped everything and moved to the most expensive city in the country."
"I know that baby, I know that. Listen why are you getting so upset? It's not that serious I just asked a question."
You clear your throat, brushing off what felt like gaslighting, you faked a smile.
"I know hon, thanks." You say before opening the car door.
"Wait wait..." he states.
"What?" You ask.
"Can I have a goodbye kiss please?"He asked.
You lean back in and plant a long kiss on his lips.
"Thank you for dinner," you state before shutting the door and heading inside your apartment building. "Text me when you make it home."
•••
Now knowing what you know about Melo now, you did not know what to think or how to feel. He is still a person and deserves to be treated like one. You started to feel bad thinking about how he just gave you his number. I mean, you are definitely a trustworthy person but how did he know that? He just met you. Hey, it is strictly business anyway. He wants a photoshoot and you are more than happy to deliver.
To wind down for the night you changed into your comfy pj's and completed your nightly skin care routine.
Melo 🕺🛸💯
New Message – 10 Minutes Ago
You slide your phone to open it.
Melo 🕺🛸💯 How was your day camera girl?
You felt a grin grow on your face before you replied.
You: Shoots went well! Boyfriend took me out to dinner. How about you?
Three dots popped up and disappeared again. You decided to tidy up a bit around you apartment before sitting down and getting started on edited.
Melo 🕺🏾🛸💯
Where'd y'all go out to eat? And nothing crazy after hooping around I got food and all that.
You laughed to yourself because you obviously knew the truth at this point. How would you play it off though? When did you plan on telling him that you knew? You were not sure but being in this moment of him thinking you do not know made it kind of fun.
You: That sounds fun, with some friends? And just some burger place we found in downtown Charlotte.
You smirked and hit 'send'.
You cozy up in bed with your fuzzy blankets and felt at peace with the world. Maybeeee you could save editing for tomorrow..
Melo 🕺🏾🛸💯
Haha something like that yeah
...
I'll hit you up tomorrow camera girl, get some rest.
You found yourself smiling at his kind words.
You: thank youuu, you too!
You closed your eyes for a moment before setting your morning alarm. Snuggling yourself up some more, you heard your phone vibrate a couple more times.
Melo 🕺🏾🛸💯
Loved Your Message
Tristan😍❤️ Good night beautiful😊
You:
Good night 💕💕
You began to think about how you and Tristan started dating. When you met in high school you became good friends senior year. After graduating, he asked you to be his girlfriend. It was truly sweet because he did ask. These days a lot of guys do not go out of their way to ask. You hit a year of being together in July 2019.
You began scrolling through pictures of the two of you. Looking back at the memories you shared together. You admired your background for a moment as well: the two of you in your caps and gowns and graduation.
Your eyes scanned your bedroom for a moment. Feeling restless, you were unsure if you should make the most out of your time awake by editing photos. It felt like a long work day today.
Feeling curious, you pulled out your phone yet again. Pulling up safari, you glanced over your shoulder as if someone was watching. You then typed 'Melo Ball'. You began looking through news articles about him. Feeling weird about it, you quickly exited out of Safari.
"Oh boy," you say to yourself with your palm on your forehead. Tempted to look again, you pull up his Instagram.
Over 7 million followers...
Scrolling through quickly, you looked enough to see him posted with his Jersey and lots of other pictures of him flexing his outfits. You decided to exit out again feeling strange about doing research on someone who lives probably less than 50 feet away from you. You decided you would treat him like any other client and get to know him at the shoot. He still is a person and deserves to be treated like one whether he was a celebrity or not. You have just never done a photoshoot for a well-known person before. Maybe just a couple of smaller Instagram models. Nobody this big.
Well, this should definitely be in interesting photoshoot, you thought to yourself.