“Okay, fine, but I’m not waiting on you to start eating, I’m starving!” River calls as I set my things down in my room. I take the dress out of the box and find a hanger for it. I didn’t want it to wrinkle, and I want to be able to admire it.
I change into a long t-shirt and a pair of shorts, tie up my hair in a loose bun, and take off my makeup. It has been forever since I spent the day out of the house, actually working the entire day, and I am exhausted. The smell of my lo mein is the only thing getting me motivated not to crash into my bed. I plug in my work phone and almost immediately it makes a sound.
A new notification pops up on the iPhone, ‘Ellie added a new calendar event’. I unlock the phone to see what the event is and make sure I add it in my normal phone calendar too.
Summer line photoshoot in DC with photographer Max Montgomery.
My heart drops. Max? My Max? It shouldn’t be surprising, she is an extremely talented photographer and she loves workingwith inclusive brands. But is this true? I glance at the dates and wonder if the universe is playing a prank on me. This job was too good to be true. Will I be seeing Max in person the weekend before Valentine’s Day? Of course. I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves before I think of my next step. I need to call my therapist. Shirley and I would need as many sessions as possible to talk this out.
Chapter Twenty
MAX
I should’ve checked the weather in DC before I got on the train. I don’t know why I somehow thought the weather would be nicer here than in New York.
I lug my suitcase through the train station, looking for the exit. It’s a bit of a maze, but once I find it, I’m hit immediately with the rush of cold air. I had seen the snow falling while looking out of the train window, but I sort of hoped that the closer I got to DC, the snow would stop.
Unfortunately, it is close to fifteen degrees, and I am already freezing my ass off. I’m not built for this kind of weather. I grew up in California. I’m built for beaches and no layers.
I usually stay in the city for photoshoots, but occasionally I’ll take a mini vacation somewhere. Usually Boston, Jersey, or DC depending on the reason.
While I wouldn’t travel for weddings or proposals, I do make exceptions for brands. Especially with this brand, the designer is extremely talented, and I’ve worked with her a few times in the city. She creates clothes for all sizes with a special focus on plus-size women not looking like old ladies or pregnant. I didn’t knowit at the time, but I’d seen Cari wearing several of her designs. They were always flattering, and always ended up on the floor.
I don’t know why I’m thinking about Cari. It’s been months since I’ve heard from her, since I’d even seen her. I don’t know what she is even up to anymore.
Aspen knows not to mention her anymore, and she’s been avoiding the group hangs. I can’t blame her; if she was going, I wasn’t. It’s not like anyone is icing her out, but on the same page, no one is insisting we both be there.
So many holidays have passed since I saw her; Valentine’s Day is next weekend. Last year, around this time, she was dropping hints about me taking her out, and I remember booking a work trip at the last minute to avoid that confrontation. God, I was kind of an asshole, wasn’t I? I don’t know why but when it came to her, I just couldn’t tell her how I was feeling. Maybe it was because I thought she might see through my lies. She had a habit of knowing when I was lying, and it wasn’t easy to convince her otherwise.
“Max!” I glance up, hearing my name being called by my familiar pink-haired friend. Ellie is the designer I’m waiting for, her suitcase is being rolled by her partner behind her.
“Hey, El.” I smile. Ellie surprises me by hugging me and I hug back, letting go rather quickly.
“Hey, I’m Reese,” her partner introduces herself. She’s of similar height, with a cropped black haircut and a black leather jacket.
“Max.” I smile, shaking her hand.
“Our Uber is going to be here any minute. Are you okay heading to the space? Or do you need to go to the hotel first?” she asks, smiling.
“I’m all good, happy to get started.” I pat my camera bag. The Uber pulls up just as quickly and Reese loads their bags in thetrunk. I help with mine, taking my camera bag to sit on my lap. I’m a little overprotective of her.
“Perfect! The bar is like twenty minutes from here. I think it’ll be the best location for my summer line. It’s a cute queer bar. We stumbled upon it once by accident and had the best food,” Ellie goes on as we get settled in the car. It’s close quarters with the three of us in the backseat, but we make it work.
“That’s great, and we have someone working on hair and makeup already you said?” I clarify.
“Yes, my assistant. I just hired her recently and she’s such a dream you’ll love her. She’s not a makeup artist, but ours fell through last minute so she’s stepping in, and she’s very talented. She’ll also be helping out with the poses. She has a background in marketing and social media so she has an eye for it,” Ellie explains.
“Got it.” I nod.
Just as I’m starting to warm up, we pull up to the bar. It’s a bright white building with a gray awning, the words ‘as you are.’ close to the top. It’s next door to a bright red building with yellow accents, the contrast is a photographer’s dream. I’ll have to remember to come outside once I get the camera set up and take a few shots.
Although the purpose is to shoot Ellie’s spring line, there is nothing wrong with promoting a queer small business in any way I can. There is a big rainbow flag on the fence out front, but it is partially covered by fresh snow and still holding strong. It’s on the corner of the block, just down the street from a firehouse.
“It has the best vibe inside. It’s somehow cozy and fun at the same time. And everyone who works there is super nice. I drag Reese here every time we’re remotely near DC,” Ellie goes on as we bring our bags through the snowy path to the front door.
Inside there’s a bit of chaos between the number of people and the racks of clothes. There are tables everywhere, whichseem to be their normal spots. Which makes sense now why there’s chaos. It’s hard to make things look authentic while adding things that aren’t normally there.
Ellie excuses herself to take care of the chaos, and Reese takes our bags down the hallway past what looks to be either a closet or a bathroom. I start unpacking my camera, making sure I have all the lenses I need handy, along with anything else I might need nearby. I’m setting up the lighting settings to capture everything despite the darker lighting in here when Ellie sneaks up behind me.
