And then a couple of messages from Luisa, her excitement palpable:
Remind me what time your flight lands? I’ve got a great weekend planned for us xx
And then a second message accompanying a selfie of her in her gym kit looking really very good indeed:
Can’t believe I get to see you tomorrow, soooo excited!! xx
Amy smiled to herself. She really, really liked Luisa. Really liked her. Fun, easy going. And the physical attraction was, well, wow. But… they’d known each other for, what, a week in person? Apart from that it had been video calls and a constant stream both ways of pictures and messages. The next three weeks would be the acid test, she knew… whether this was real, or whether this was a holiday fling mixed up with a lesbian awakening where the reality didn’t stack up. And there was so much to discover still about Luisa, about her friends, about whether she had anyone else on the scene (they’d explicitly agreed that whatever they had was open, after all), about her life.
She was determined to give it the very best go though.How have I ended up like this?Amy thought.Two women that I like verymuch, one married and with what could best be described as a history of moral complexity but who has promised to make amends, one seemingly perfect but five thousand miles away and who I know much less about than I do Sarah.
Still, one step at a time. Pack. Reply to Luisa. Avoid the deep, deep temptation to go over to Sarah’s flat tonight. Fly to LA.
Amy stood there for a couple of minutes, still leaning against the door, eyes closed… simply taking a few moments to gather herself.
Then she went back to the bedroom to finish packing.
A Model Life
Eight Years Ago
Tulum
Tulum wasn’t the centre of the world, Luisa knew that at the time, but for an eighteen-year-old trying to make it in the modelling world, someone who’d never left Mexico, never stepped into a multi-day shoot where the photographers spoke several languages and the clothes were from labels straight off the pages of a magazine, it certainly felt like it.
It was her first big photoshoot, an opportunity that had come out of nowhere at the last minute when another model had dropped out and they needed someone urgently. Luisa must have fit the look, either that or her agent had been doing better work than Luisa gave her credit for, and before she knew what was happening she was saying goodbye to her parents, her boyfriend was dropping her off at the airport, she was sat on a plane with a car waiting for her when she arrived, her name held up on a board, a room in a good hotel, all expenses paid… it was one of those opportunities that comes up in life that you have to seize and make the most of, and that was what Luisa planned to do.
The photoshoot was at a luxury villa set back from the beach, gardens, a pool, large open rooms inside, she could see exactly why they’d chosen it. Walking around on that first morning after a night hiding in her room, too nervous and star struck to introduce herself to the other models that she knew and recognised from the magazine cuttings on her wall at home but had never met, never even got close to meeting, Luisa felt like she’d been transported into the pages. It felt right, it was where she wanted to be.
It was a hive of activity, make-up artists and stylists and creative who-knew-what-they-dids all rushing around, and when Luisa introduced herself, she was soon seated and being prepared.
Sat with her feet on the cool stone floor of what looked like it would be the villa’s dining room on a more normal day, she told herself that she would be professional, she would be focused, she would be the kind of woman who deserved to be there because, she told herself again and again, she did deserve to be there. Everyone had to start somewhere, and for Luisa this was going to kick start her whole career.
That worked, right up until she saw Arabella.
***
It was early on the second day of shooting, the air still cool from night-time, the real heat of the day a few hours away yet. Luisa had stepped outside on to the villa’s terrace in search of a cup of coffee, not quite used to being up so early, and there, standing at the edge of the pool, deep in conversation with one of the photographers, was Arabella.
Luisa recognised her immediately, had known she was going to be there from the lists she’d been given, but Arabella Greenwood was different to everyone else… she was famous in a way that no one else there was, not necessarily to someone in the street but certainly in this world. Famous enough that she had clout, she had power. She was the star of this photoshoot, without a doubt, and with that came influence.
Luisa couldn’t help but stare, seeing this person she’d admired in fashion magazines in the flesh. She was already dressed in her first costume of the day, or maybe her second or third, Luisa could only guess, wearing nothing but a simple black one-piece swimsuit and an oversized blue shirt that was unbuttoned and left one shoulder bare.
Arabella was tall, slim, a figure that Luisa knew well, her dark hair, almost black, falling to just below her shoulders and framing a stunningly beautiful face. Only a couple of years older than Luisa, Arabella by the age of twenty had had the exact career trajectory that Luisa aspired to, a rapid rise that meant her extra two years were a lifetime’s difference in experience between them.
She was in intense conversation with the photographer, but it was purely professional. Serious but not confrontational, this was someone who took modelling as seriously as Luisa planned to. First impressions, Luisa was impressed.
The photographer nodded agreement and left, and Arabella turned, glancing at Luisa. Luisa looked away instinctively then forced herself to look back again, only to see Arabella’s eyes still on her. It was only a second or two before someone else came walking towards Arabella, calling her name, but it was enough.
Arabella had seen her and, Luisa fervently hoped, recognised her as a fellow professional.
***
A couple of hours later, the day starting to properly heat up and Luisa having gone through several different costumes already, she was taking a moment in the relative cool of the villa when she saw Arabella walking past.
No, not past. Towards her. Directly towards her. Seeking her out.
Before she had time to feel nervous Luisa looked at her and smiled, trying to look open and welcoming, but Arabella simply said, “Come with me.” Her voice was smooth and quiet yet confident, spoken in English, and Luisa was left in little doubt that Arabella was the one with the power here and Luisa wasn’t.
