Just the Way You Are (6 page)

‘Wow, it’s beautiful in here,’ I breathed.

Max and I took our seats at the back of the room while guests filed in for the ceremony. As I watched an array of dresses and suits mill past me, my phone rang.

‘Hello?’ I said when I’d walked out to the hallway.

‘Ava, it’s Miranda here.’ Her voice reminded me of Amira’s; saccharine to the point of nauseating. Paddy was probably in the room.

‘What can I do for you?’ I asked, trying to keep my tone as civil as I could. I hated how she could be nice one minute and nasty the next. She was
Sleek’
s version of Jekyll and Hyde.

‘I just wanted to check you’d arrived at the ceremony OK. No hiccups, were there?’

‘None.’

‘Good, good to hear that. Listen, the agency photographer who’ll be helping you for this assignment will meet you outside in about… ooh… five minutes. He’s new and it’s his first assignment so try and make sure you’re professional when you greet him, will you?’

Miranda rang off without saying goodbye. I sighed; oh great, just perfect. It was my first shot at wedding reporting and I had to babysit some college graduate who’d probably produce some out-of-focus shots of the couple and some “arty” landscape pictures and walk off with three hundred quid for his trouble. I stormed outside in a huff, but wasn’t prepared for the sight that greeted me.

Standing outside under the canopy of fairy lights, looking utterly delectable in a black tuxedo, was possibly the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. Moonlight sliced his face, highlighting his sharp cheekbones, slate-coloured eyes and perfect profile.

He turned to look at me. One stare almost turned me to jelly.

‘Hi, I’m looking for Ava Clements?’ His voice had a soft south London brogue: gentle but a little rough around the edges.

My heart skipped and danced with joy. I’d never been happier to be me.

‘Well you’ve found her,’ I replied with a smile.

Chapter 6

The beautiful man stuck out a hand for me to shake. I took it and felt his rough palm beneath mine. He had worker’s hands.

‘Nate Walton, nice to meet you.’ He smiled and revealed two rows of pearly white teeth.

‘Nice to meet you too, a-are you the agency photographer?’ I couldn’t help but trip over my words. He was perfect; everything from his defined arm muscles to his come-get-me eyes was utterly exquisite.

‘I certainly am.’ He picked up the chunky black camera hanging around his neck. ‘I’ve just started with Apex Pictures; we’re going to be sharing an office with your magazine.. I was surprised to get an assignment so quickly actually, considering I’ve just joined.’ He stepped closer to me. ‘So would you be the incredibly sexy journalist I was told to look out for?’

My cheeks began to burn and my gaze dropped to the floor. After a few seconds, I had the nerve to meet his gaze again.

‘Um… I don’t know that I’d use that
exact
phrase but… yeah, you’re photographing the wedding I’m covering tonight. F-Follow me.’

Smooth Ava, really smooth.

I moved to go back inside and tripped over the red carpet. Nate caught me before I banged my head on the revolving door. His strong arm was wrapped round my waist and for a second it looked like he was going to bend down and kiss me.

‘Falling for me already are you? That didn’t take long.’ He smiled and pulled me upright then went effortlessly through the revolving door.

I stared after him, my heart hammering in my chest. My mouth had gone dry and I had to remind myself to keep breathing.

After I composed myself, I followed him.

The wedding was beautiful and simple; it was the complete opposite of what I’d expected. The bride’s dress was elegant and classic: a white A-line gown with a sweetheart neckline and a layer of tulle on the skirt. The bridal party came down the aisle as a jazz singer gently crooned
At Last
by Etta James. Giselle and Aaron had written their own vows and, rather than being cheesy and over-sentimental, they were well thought out and sweet. Despite my hatred for weddings, I found myself dabbing my eyes in places. Rather than being gaudy and extravagant, it was a celebration of two people’s love for one another.

Max, Nate and I sat at the back; Nate snapped away happily and chatted to me while I scribbled down notes about the ceremony and Max watched. When I briefly introduced them, they talked for a minute before silence fell. As the happy couple exchanged rings, Nate took a final photo then slung his arm loosely around my shoulders.

‘Ready to go to the reception then?’ he asked with a jovial smile.

Max spun round and looked at us with a quizzical frown on his face. I couldn’t tell if it was what Nate had said that bothered him or the fact he had his arm round me after knowing me for all of five minutes. He really was like a protective older brother sometimes. As I became increasingly aware of how close Nate was to me, I realised I didn’t like him being in my personal space. It had been unoccupied for some time and I liked it that way. Even though Nate was drop-dead gorgeous, that didn’t guarantee him a free pass.

‘Yeah I suppose so. Are you coming as well, Max?’ I shrugged Nate off and went to stand beside him. His shoulders relaxed after that.

‘Certainly am, Munchkin! Lead the way!’ Placing a protective hand on my lower back, Max guided me into the crowd making their way to the reception.

Rather than opting for a sit-down meal, Giselle and Aaron had gone for a luxurious buffet, lovingly prepared by the amazing catering team they’d hired. Plates of vegetable samosas, quiches, mini cheeseburgers and tapas dishes were mixed with profiterole towers and trays of sweet pastries. The whole spread looked delightful.

As everyone pored over the buffet table, I decided to seek out the bride and groom to do the interview before the speeches started. I saw them lingering at the back of the room, drinking champagne and looking blissfully happy. I shook off any lingering nerves and approached them. Nate followed close behind, camera at the ready.

‘Hi there, my name’s Ava Clements. I’m the wedding reporter from
Sleek
magazine. What an amazing ceremony; I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house!’

‘Thanks, it was our dream day – wasn’t it
Mr Henderson
?’

Her voice had a soft Liverpudlian lilt, her husband’s name rolling effortlessly off her tongue. She stared at her new husband and fluttered her eyelashes at him.

‘Certainly was,
Mrs Henderson
,’ he replied.

‘Would you like to do the interview now or after the speeches?’ I asked. ‘The photographer’s here too, so we could get the photos out of the way as well. He’ll probably want one of you cutting the cake…’

I stopped as I saw Giselle’s face contort into a furious scowl.

‘Wait a second, what magazine did you say you were from?’

‘
Sleek
,’ I replied. ‘I-Is there a problem?’

‘You bet there’s a bloody problem, love! We’ve signed an exclusive deal with
Mirage
magazine; your lot aren’t supposed to be anywhere near this wedding!’

My heart sank and a cold sweat washed over me. It was every reporter’s worst nightmare to turn up at an event or function to hear another magazine had the exclusive.

‘A-are you sure?’ I stammered. ‘My editor definitely said we had the interview and photo rights…’

‘I think I’d remember which magazine I signed a £500,000 deal with, don’t you?!’

Then it dawned on me: Miranda had set me up. She’d sent me to this wedding knowing full well we couldn’t print anything about it. To confirm my suspicions, I opened up my emails and found one from Sphere Media, the couple’s PR representatives, wondering why on earth I was asking about doing an interview with Giselle and Aaron when
Mirage
had the exclusive. I hadn’t had time to check before; I’d been too busy doing my Cinderella routine.

‘I’m so sorry; I’ve completely wasted your time.’

I walked away from them and made for the door. I’d never felt so embarrassed in my life; I just wanted to get home and lose myself in a tub of Ben & Jerry’s.

‘Hey, where are you off to?’ Max’s voice drifted to me from the buffet table.

I turned and saw him standing with his arm round Amira’s waist. She looked resplendent in a primrose-coloured satin dress that complemented her caramel skin. Perfect, I thought, just perfect. Amira turning up put the tin lid on an awful evening.

‘It’s all gone wrong,’ I groaned. ‘I’m not even supposed to be here;
Mirage
have got the interview rights, not
Sleek
!’

Max’s nose wrinkled. ‘Surely Miranda would’ve… Ah.’

‘Yeah, she’s set me up to look a complete idiot.’ I turned to Amira, hoping she’d at least be friendly while Max was around. ‘Hi Amira, when did you get here?’

She flipped her hair behind her shoulder and tightened her grip on his waist. ‘A few minutes ago, my modelling shoot finished early. My headshots were so good my agent thinks he could land me a spot on the new Burberry campaign.’

That meant nothing to me, but I could tell I was supposed to be impressed. I raised my eyebrows and smiled insincerely.

‘Are you heading off home now?’ Max asked. ‘I can call you a cab or you could get a lift back with us.’

‘No need, my friend.’ Nate appeared by my side, grinning widely. ‘I’ve had a word with the happy couple and they’re happy for us to interview them. In fact they insist on it.’

Max’s face fell and his jaw tightened. His dislike for Nate was written all over his face.

‘Oh yeah and how did you swing that?’ A bitter note ran through his voice, like he resented his very presence in the room.

Nate tapped the side of his nose and winked at him, seemingly unaware of how much trouble he was causing.

‘It was pretty hard work, let’s just say! Not only did I have to break out the old charm and persuasion, I had to get Paddy on the phone to authorise a new deal for exclusivity on the photos and story. He wasn’t too chuffed to find out
Mirage
had it first and told me to do whatever I had to do to secure the deal. I might’ve brought
Mirage
’s questionable information gathering techniques to their attention: phone hacking, raking in people’s bins and the like.’

My eyes widened. ‘But that’s not true!’

‘What they don’t know can’t hurt them. Who’s this lovely creature?’ His eyes widened with pleasure as they met Amira’s. ‘Nice to meet you, I’m Nate Walton.’

He bent low and picked up Amira’s slender, manicured hand. After holding her gaze just a fraction too long, he gently kissed her hand then released it. She giggled coquettishly and fluttered her eyelashes.

‘Amira Sharma,’ she replied with a cat-like grin.

I heard Max’s knuckles crack ominously. He looked absolutely furious. I put my hand on his arm and his features immediately softened. I recognised the anger boiling up inside him; I’d seen it before when men approached Amira on a night out. He’d confided in me one night that he was sure she was going to go off with one of them someday.

‘I’m fine,’ he said quietly. He looked up and turned his attention to Nate. ‘So what brings you to Manchester anyway? You don’t sound like you’re from round here.’

‘You’re right there Maxie-boy. I lived in Paris, LA, Sydney then New York, but I’m back on home soil now. I did freelance work for an international photo agency and ended up visiting places like Vanuatu, Fiji and Antigua. It was brilliant.’

‘This must be a bit of a comedown for you then?’ Max shot back.

My heart was in my mouth as the tension rose between them. If they made a scene, it’d be splashed all over the front pages of the national newspapers tomorrow. I’d probably lose my job for not keeping a lid on the situation and no magazine would ever hire me again.

‘Why don’t you and Amira head off to have a bite to eat or something and I can do the interview?’ I suggested.

Before anyone could protest, I grabbed Nate’s arm and dragged him in the happy couple’s direction.

Giselle and Aaron were a down-to-earth couple who spoke at ease of their love for one another, despite them having once moved in very different circles. Giselle, it seemed, hadn’t always mingled with soap stars and footballers. I listened with fascination as they talked about the night they met; she’d been a barmaid at her local pub and he’d come in one night after training. After spotting her serving some regulars, he had fallen in love with her instantly. He’d stayed on at the pub until the end of her shift, flirted relentlessly with her until she’d agreed to go out with him and the rest was history.

‘He can’t cook to save his life and he leaves his dirty underpants everywhere, but I love him anyway!’

‘Says the woman who dyed my away kit pink!’

The love and affection between them was plain for all to see. You could see it in the way their eyes shone around one another, the smiles plastered to both of their faces and even the way their fingers were laced together. I even began to feel a little bit jealous, before reminding myself I had an admirer of my very own; he just hadn’t revealed himself yet.

‘Thank you so much for allowing us to do this interview. We’ll be in touch if we need anything else and congratulations again,’ I said, shaking their hands.

‘No problem chick, any time,’ said Giselle.

They happily posed for snaps while Nate clicked away furiously with his long-lens camera. Anyone who saw them could tell they fit together naturally; they were soulmates.

I felt a little ache in my heart. Would I ever find my soulmate, or would he always just be a collection of words on a page?

I was stood at the buffet table, poring over the vast array of food on offer, when Amira oozed her way up to me.

‘Having a good time then?’ Her voice reminded me of Miranda’s: syrupy-sweet to the point of nauseating when people were around, and cold and nasty when they weren’t.

‘Yeah it’s been a lovely wedding so far,’ I replied as I piled my plate high with sausage rolls. ‘How about you?’

‘It’s all a bit tacky in my opinion, but then I suppose these are just the kind of social circles Max moves in.’

That comment didn’t sit well with me. It sounded very much like she was saying my best friend wasn’t good enough for her.