Part III - Chapter 10

I woke up to the feeling of being bathed in warm sunshine and someone else beside me. It took me a moment to recall where I was and what happened the previous night, and when I did remember, I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear. My asshole was sore, but I didn't mind at all.

I looked over to see Daniel, the sheets pulled up just to his waist as he was laying on his side, snoozing away. I silently chuckled to myself at how beautiful he looked as the sunshine made his skin glow.

I should probably text my parents so they know I'm okay, I thought to myself. I sat up, carefully climbing out of bed as not to wake him. I picked up my clothes off the floor and began to quietly dress myself back up. I looked in the mirror, seeing how wrinkled my clothes were. But I didn't really care anyway—I had spent the night with Daniel and we told each other we loved each other. How could life get any more perfect?

I was about to pull out my phone to text my parents and let them know I was alright and I was just 'staying the night' with a friend, but the sound of something vibrating on the ground distracted me.

I looked down at the floor, seeing Daniel's phone light up. It seemed that it must have fallen out of his pocket while we were undressing the previous night.

Although I knew that I shouldn't, curiosity got the best of me. I picked up his phone from the floor and saw that he received two new text messages from someone named Breanne.

'Hope you and your friend had fun last night, baby! Text me back when you can.'

'Btw, I showed the ring to Riley. She was so jealous! I told her she needs to get engaged too, lol.'

And just like that, I felt a sharp pain in my chest as if someone stabbed me. I was taken aback as my shaky hands dropped his phone on the carpeted floor as I took a step back. I suddenly began to feel dizzy. I couldn't believe it.

My eyes began to tear up, my vision becoming blurry as I covered my mouth with my hand. It can't be… Daniel can't be engaged, I told myself. This has to be some kind of misunderstanding. Daniel told me he was single. He wouldn't lie, would he…? He can't be engaged! He told me he loves me!

Soon, I heard the sound of sheets rustling as I looked over to see Daniel slightly stir before sitting up and rubbing an eye. "Morning, Co… What's wrong?" He asked me, looking at me in concern.

I closed my eyes and gulped. "Who's Breanne?" My voice came out quietly in a shaky whisper.

Daniel closed his eyes and sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair. "Cody…"

"Who the fuck is Breanne, Daniel!?"

Daniel was taken aback, and even I was a bit, too. He had a nervous expression on his face before he hung his head and sighed again. "Breanne is… my fiancée."

"Your fia—" I could barely say it. I just turned before beginning to walk to the door, but Daniel quickly got up from the bed and ran over to take my arm. "Cody…"

I shook him off. "Don't fucking touch me."

"Please, at least hear me out first," he pleaded, his expression begging for me to stay to at least listen to what he had to say.

I exhaled deeply, trying to calm myself down despite feeling incredibly angry. Though I wanted to just walk out, I supposed that I should listen to him. He owed me an explanation.

I took a moment to take a deep breath again. "Fine," I said as Daniel nodded and had a grateful look on his face. "Alright…"

Daniel sat down on the bed with a sigh. I leaned against the wall, crossing my arms. It was distracting that he was in nothing but his boxers—he looked really good, but I was still angry with him. I just tried my hardest not to stare too much and remind myself he lied to me.

"Breanne is a family friend. My dad and her dad are close, and my family have been pressuring me to be with her for years. We've been together for two years now… She's a nice girl, really. But I don't think I love her," he sadly said with another sigh. "My mother gave me her ring and told me that her and my dad decided to give it to me so I could propose to Breanne. I wasn't planning to… I told them I wasn't ready for marriage. I'm only twenty. But they started going on about how they got married at my age, and how Breanne is the perfect girl for me, that they would be so proud to call her their daughter-in-law. They assured me that I had a future being a stockbroker and a husband to Breanne… And in the end, they won."

I stayed silent. I didn't know what I could say—I was still upset, of course. I felt sorry for him and I understood how hard it must have been for him. But at the same time, it definitely wouldn't have been the choice I would make if I were in his shoes. He's a grown man who should be making decisions for himself, not a damn puppet of his parents.

"You still lied to me," I said with a hurt voice. "You told me you were single when you weren't. I trusted you."

"And I'm sorry for that. I wasn't thinking," Daniel said, his eyes downcast in shame. "When we had dinner together last night… I felt everything I've ever felt for you and more," he said, standing up and slowly walking over to me, taking my hand. "I feel awful for lying to you, Cody. But I'm selfish. I knew that you wouldn't want to be with me if you found out that I was engaged, so I lied…" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "But I love you, Cody. It only took me one night to realize how much I do… And I still want us to see each other."

I let go of his hand. "You want us to still see each other despite you being engaged?"

Daniel was silent for a moment. "I… I was hoping—"

I had to let out a laugh of disbelief. "Are you serious? I'm not going to have a secret relationship with an engaged man!" I angrily yelled at him. "I'm not a fucking homewrecker!"

"Cody…"

Tears were stinging in my eyes again. "If you really love me, you'd leave her for me," I said, my voice breaking. "You would give up this stupid charade life your parents set up for you and do what you really want."

"I…" Daniel exhaled deeply as he ran his hands back through his hair. "I can't do that."

Despair came over me. I felt as if everything in my body shut down. "Why not!?"

Daniel had a serious look on his face. "You don't know how my family is, Cody. A man being with another man… It's complicated. People in my family are heavily influenced by their parents, including me," he said, his voice slightly raised in frustration. "We can't all simply go against what's expected of us. The reality is, sometimes you have to compromise when the odds are against you."

I couldn't believe what he was saying to me. I shook my head and let out a sad chuckle. "Then you're a coward," is all I quietly said, making Daniel widen his eyes. I turned around. "Don't bother trying to reach out to me. Maybe you should have listened to your parents and never contacted me again." I began to walk to the door again, opening it up as I inhaled sharply. "Good luck with your fiancée, Daniel," is all I said before walking through the door, slamming the door behind me as I cut him off from him calling out my name again.

Tears ran down my face as I ran down the hall, repeatedly pressing the 'down' button to summon the elevator. Once the elevator arrived, I entered and hit the main floor, waiting for this damn thing to get me out of here already.

I finally reached the main floor and hurriedly made my way out of the building and across the street to get to my car. I had almost forgotten that my car was still parked in the restaurant parking lot.

I unlocked it and sat inside, closing the door as I began to cry loudly, hitting my head against the top of the steering wheel. I didn't know exactly what hurt the most when it came to Daniel—all I know is that he hurt me deeply.

I started my car and I could barely think, feeling nothing but absolute despair. I began to drive, but my hands felt numb as they gripped the steering wheel tightly, my vision blurred from my teary eyes.

I couldn't hear the radio over my loud cries as I continued to be a sobbing mess. I tried to tell myself to just get away and drive. The pain felt as if someone had stuck a knife in my gut and left it there.

It soon began to rain, starting with a slow drizzle that soon continued into a continuous downpour. It was getting a bit too much for me to handle with my emotions all out of control and the rain coming down heavy. I pulled up to a parking lot of a plaza that was sparse with cars, parking at an empty space as I took a moment to just rest my head against the wheel, sniffling sadly.

The rain was battering against the roof of my car as it fell down the windshield and the windows as I felt weak with sorrow. Daniel Thompson… You've broken my heart all over again, haven't you?

I cursed as I hit my head against the wheel and began to sob again. Fuck love. Fuck everyone, were the only things I was thinking at that moment. I will never let myself be vulnerable with another person ever again. I was right about Daniel and about Julian… Nothing good comes from falling in love.

I rolled up my sleeve, taking off Daniel's bracelet as I threw it down on the floor of my car. The rain continued to pour as my car was filled with the sound of my cries.

I will never fall in love again.

---

After spending about half an hour sobbing in my car, somehow I ended up driving back home in one piece. I didn't want to have my parents bombarding me with questions about my whereabouts the previous night or why I looked like I'd been crying. I just wanted to head straight to my room and sulk in my misery.

I checked myself in the mirror, making sure that I didn't look like I just finished sobbing my soul out. I turned off my car before quickly heading inside my home to get out of the rain, seeing my dad watching football on television while my mother was sitting beside him on the couch, knitting. The both turned their heads to look at me once I entered the room. "Oh! You're home, Cody!" My mom said. She got up from the couch to walk over and kiss my cheek. She took a moment to place her hands on my face and inspected me, and I tried to remain calm. "Have you been crying?"

"Huh? No, I haven't been crying," I lied.

"Your eyes are red," she pointed out. My dad frowned at me. "You haven't been… smoking marijuana, have you?"

"Of course not," I said with an eye roll. "I'm fine, I guess it's just… pollen or whatever. I'm going to my room," I said before pulling away from my mother and headed straight to my room to get away from my parents, closing the door. I sighed deeply as I leaned against the door and felt myself beginning to tear up again thinking about Daniel.

He really broke my heart for the second time, I thought to myself as I cried into my pillow, trying to block out the sound of my sobs. I'm not good enough, am I? I really thought I could get anything I wanted, being as beautiful as I am… Yet, I couldn't make Julian or Daniel stay with me. I just wasn't good enough for them to give up something bigger to be with me.

I never really felt self-conscious about myself before, not until I wallowed in my misery over my broken heart. I guess outer beauty isn't enough to make love last.

I sat up and wiped my tears, looking over at my bookshelf. I saw Lamb In A Box on the shelf, which I remember was the book I was reading when I met Daniel for the first time back in high school.

"It's about two high school lovers who thought they were gonna be together forever, then they had a bad breakup after graduation. They meet again years later after high school when they're both adults, but time had already passed and they both have changed since they were together… So it's complicated."

Maybe the timing wasn't right for us, I thought to myself as I clutched my chest. Just like Amy-Leigh and Maxwell… Too much time has passed, and our lives have gone down different paths, and now we're different from the people we used to be.

The rain continued to pour outside, raindrops falling down my window. I sighed deeply and pulled out my phone, seeing a bunch of new messages from Daniel. I unlocked my phone and immediately went to block his number.

After that, I sighed heavily before I decided to get up, despite feeling like shit. I sat down at my desk and opened my email to see if work had emailed me my work schedule.

Once I went to my inbox, I widened my eyes seeing an email from someone named 'Chance Miller,' with the subject being; 'Modeling Opportunity.'

Though I immediately dismissed it as shady spam mail that somehow made its way to my main inbox, I decided to open it out of curiosity.

'Greetings, Cody Vale. I hope this email finds you well.

My name is Chance Miller, and I'm an agent working for the Tempest Talent Industry. Recently, I have seen your appearance in FreshTechFarid's video uploaded a while ago, which led me to take a look at your Flumblr profile. I have to say, I see great potential in you, and if you are interested, I would be honoured to recruit you as a part-time model. If you are indeed interested, please reply to this email or contact me via phone by calling my number included below.

Best, Chance Miller.'

Under his name was his signature, along with his phone number. I raised a brow. This has to be one of those fake recruiter scams, right? I thought to myself.

But the email looked pretty legit, usually fake scammer emails had poor quality jpegs as part of the email's design—but the design of the email looked pretty professional. I opened a new tab in my browser, searching up the 'Tempest Talent Industry,' just to see if it really was legit or not. The first result that came up in the search engine was a link to the official website.

I clicked on it, and sure enough, the Tempest Talent Industry seemed to be the real deal. On the front page were some 'known names' of celebrities who were signed to the agency. Though I wasn't a follower of celebrities as much as other people my age were, the names Deen Reynolds and Lacie De la Fontaine seemed to be ones that I've definitely heard before. I think I probably heard about them from Nia…

I clicked on their staff page, searching for the name 'Chance Miller.' After scrolling down to the very bottom of the page, I finally came across his profile. He appeared to be a bald man in his possibly late forties to early fifties. There wasn't much to his profile—and there didn't seem to have any notable names as his clients.

But that didn't bother me, because at least I knew that email was real. His contact information in his profile matched the ones in the email. I wasn't going to contact him right away, though—I needed to think this whole 'part-time modeling' thing over. I'd probably have to run it by my parents, too.

I leaned back in my chair and took a moment to think. Me as a model… I never really considered it seriously before. Sometimes I would daydream what it would be like, but I hadn't considered it as something I could pursue. I guess taking selfies for Flumblr is a bit like modeling… But I'd never done professional photoshoots before. I stroked my chin in thought. It's quite flattering to know that someone actually sees potential in me to become a model!

I smiled to myself. Well, why the hell shouldn't I go for it? I got my heart completely crushed by my childhood love today and got recruited by a talent agent in the same day… I really have nothing else to lose. If it doesn't work out, then I go back to the same old job at the grocery store and do my little livestreams on the side.

It didn't take long for me to decide that I wanted to go through with it. It would just be a matter of talking to my parents about it. I know I'm twenty years old now and I can make decisions for myself, but this is pretty major. I should at least let them know.

---

"Ma? Pa?"

My parents looked at me as I was standing at the doorway. "What is it, Cody?" My mom asked me, putting down whatever it was she was sewing in her lap.

My dad turned down the volume of the television before looking at me with a concerned face. "What's up, kiddo?"

I walked over to the living chair opposite of the couch and sat down. I took a deep breath. "I got an invitation for a really great opportunity to be a part-time model," I explained. Surprise and curiosity seemed to wash over their faces. "I haven't said yes or anything like that yet, but I wanted to run it by you two before I contacted the agent who reached out to me."

"Are you sure it's a legitimate thing? You know, you really have to be careful of scammers nowadays," my mom said, and I sighed deeply. "Yes, I checked it. The agency has a whole website and everything."

My dad raised a brow in suspicion. "What kind of modeling is it? I hope it's not one of those companies that make you do inappropriate photoshoots, right?"

My face twisted in disgust. "Of course not," I said. Although, I don't think I'd mind being a pinup model, I thought in the back of my mind.

"Well, if it's something that you want to do, then I don't see why not," my dad said before looking at my mom to see if she agreed. She nodded and smiled at me. "Yes, you're twenty years old now, Cody. As long as it's a real opportunity and not a scam, then I say go for it."

I widened my eyes in surprise. "Really?"

They nodded. "You're a very handsome boy. I understand why anyone would want to hire you as a model," my mom said happily. "Sometimes I can't believe how much you've grown, you're no longer just our little boy anymore."

"So you're okay with it?"

"Yes, Cody. As we said, go for it if you want to. You're an adult and can make decisions for yourself. We just want you to chase your dreams, whatever they may be," my dad said with a smile. I smiled back at them. "Thank you!" I said before heading back to my room. I closed the door and quickly headed back on my computer, going to my inbox to look for the email from Chance.

I pulled out my phone and began to dial the number that he provided in the email. I took a moment to think if I really wanted to do this. I really hope that this isn't a scam or some sort of trafficking trick…

I hit the 'CALL' button before I could think twice about it. I took a deep breath while I waited as the line rang. It only took three rings until I heard someone pick up on the other end. "Hey, this is Chance Miller from the Tempest Talent Industry. How may I assist you this afternoon?"

I gulped. "Um… Hi. I'm Cody Vale. You emailed me about a part-time modeling opportunity?"

"Ah, yes! Cody Vale! So glad you decided to call. Have you taken my offer into consideration?"

I nodded. "I have. I'd like to go through with it."

"Excellent! Excellent, excellent, excellent. I would love to meet you in person so we can get to know each other and go over all the details as to how this introductory process will go. I have some paperwork that we'll have to go through together. Our headquarters is based in Los Angeles, so ideally, I'd like for you to come to my office there."

I widened my eyes. Los Angeles, huh? It's not so far away, but I'd still probably have to take a short flight there. "When do you want me to come?"

"Perhaps sometime in the next two weeks? That would be ideal, as long as you aren't busy. You may have to make some arrangements with a hotel, as you may have to stay in LA for a few days."

I wonder if I'll be able to afford the flight there and staying at a hotel for more than one night, I thought to myself. And will I be travelling alone? I never travelled so far that I couldn't reach by driving. It makes me a little nervous…

"Do you have any more questions? If you do, I'll be happy to answer them once we meet in person."

I scratched my head. "No, I don't think so. If I do though, can I just email or text you, or something?"

"Yeah, that's fine. Whenever you arrive in LA, call me, and I'll tell you the details of where our headquarters is located and where my office is."

"Alright," I said. "Then I'll contact you whenever."

"Okay. Bye for now," Chance said before I hung up. I took a deep breath. I'm going to LA… That is, if my parents say that it's okay.

I headed out of my room and back into the living room to talk to my parents again. "Ma… Pa… I contacted the agent who wants to recruit me. He wants me to go down to Los Angeles sometime in the next two weeks."

My dad nearly spit out the coffee he was drinking. "Los Angeles?! By yourself?"

My mother's face twisted in concern. "I don't know about letting you go to LA on your own… Do you want us to come with you?"

I awkwardly rubbed my arm. "Um… To be honest, not really…"

"Thought so. Well, even though you're an adult, I don't think I'd be comfortable with you flying out to LA by yourself." My mother took a moment to think before she seemed to come up with an idea. "Why don't you go with that pretty girl that you brought here before?"

I raised my brows. "You mean Nia? Hmm… I could ask her."

"I just hope you two won't get into any funny business together while being there," she then said in a strict tone, which made me roll my eyes. "It's not like that. We're just really close friends."

My dad smirked. "Just 'close friends,' huh?"

The thought of Nia and I being a couple almost made me want to laugh, but I had to hold myself back so my parents wouldn't suspect that I was swinging the other way. "Yes, just close friends. Besides, she's a pretty girl who likes pretty girls."

"Oh, I see. So it's like that," my mom said in surprise. "Well, anyway, she's a very nice girl. I'd feel a lot better if she accompanied you on your trip."

"What if she can't come with me? What then?"

My dad took a sip of his coffee. "Then I guess we'll have to come with you."

Hell no! I thought to myself. "I'll try my best to get her to come with me then," I said before I hurried back to my room. I sighed deeply. I really hope Nia will be able to come with me… I know she said that her father is pretty strict, so I hope he'll allow her to go to LA with a boy he doesn't even know.

I was so excited to go to LA. I almost forgot that I was supposed to be heartbroken over Daniel.

---

I ended up calling Nia and telling her about the modeling opportunity for me, and asked her if she wanted to go with me to LA. She seemed excited and agreed right away, which made me question how she would spend a couple of days off from school, and how she would get her father to agree. All she said in response to all of that was 'don't worry about it, I'll handle it.'

And so, Nia and I met up at the airport, and she immediately hugged me as soon as she saw me. It felt good to be with her again, and the familiar scent of her shampoo when I got a whiff of her hair reminded me of the days we would spend together back on campus. She seemed to bring a lot with her, as she was rolling around a fairly large luggage.

During our flight, I filled in Nia on everything that happened from when I took a break from school up until the current moment. She would react dramatically to almost everything I'd say, such as cheering when I told her about my slut phase, or her getting angry when I told her about Daniel's betrayal. She referred to him as 'Milli Vanilli 'cause he fake as fuck,' whatever that meant.

I couldn't help but still feel the pain whenever I thought about how much Daniel hurt me. But I just tried to convince myself that going for this opportunity in LA was a new start for me—I would forget about any kind of drama for the time being and focus on what I needed to do.

The flight was actually shorter than I expected, only about an hour long. Once we landed, I gave Chance a call, and he gave me the directions to the agency building from the airport. It was only a bit of a walk there, so it was perfect for Nia and I to admire the scenery of LA as we walked.

"I can't believe we're in LA. I've never been," Nia said as she looked up and admired the buildings while we walked. "The only 'big city' I've been is our own, if that even really counts as a big city."

"Me neither. My parents never really liked metropolitan areas, so we never got to visit any big cities either," I said with a nod, reading the street signs as we passed by them to make sure we were heading in the right direction.

"I wish I could go on a shopping spree, there's a lot of stores here," Nia mused. "But I only brought a bit of cash with me."

"Your dad didn't give you extra money?" I asked.

"Um…" Nia scratched her head and looked away. "No…" She sighed. "Okay, I didn't exactly tell him I was going to LA."

"What?" I gasped, wide-eyed. "Did you lie to him?!"

She chuckled. "Not exactly, he thinks I'm still at the campus. It's not like it's any of his business who I hang out with or where I go."

I shook my head. "Where do you even get money then?"

"Programming commissions and game tournaments. Plus, my dad sends me a bit of money every month," she said with a smile. "Don't worry about it!" She playfully said as she slapped me on the back as I coughed.

"Whatever, let's keep going," I said as I looked at the map on my phone while we kept walking, occasionally looking up to see if we were going the right way.

I still really couldn't believe we were in LA. It still felt so surreal to me—I'd only see about LA on television. I never thought I would ever be offered to sign to a contract in LA before.

After about twenty minutes of Nia and I looking like absolute tourists to find the building, we finally got there. We entered the building to see a high-class modern lobby, it really looked like something I'd imagine when I would read those 'sexy billionaire CEO' erotica stories.

Heading to the elevator, we looked for 'Miller' in the directory. It seemed that his office was on the fifth floor of the building. We summoned the elevator with the push of the button, and headed inside. I pressed the button for the fifth floor as the doors closed. The elevator was made out of glass—and I could see the view of the outside as the elevator headed up each floor. It quickly got us to the floor, and Nia and I headed out into the hallway.

We walked down the hall to look for the nameplate on the door that would read as 'C. Miller.' We finally reached the very end to the back of the hall where we reached the door. I took a deep breath, looking at Nia for reassurance. She placed a hand on my shoulder and nodded with a sure expression, making me smile and nod back. I nervously knocked on the door before waiting for someone to answer.

Finally, a man answered, who I assumed to be Chance. He was wearing a golfer's hat and a suit. "Hey, you must be Cody Vale, huh?" He smiled at me and outstretched his hand. I shook it and nodded. "Yes."

"I'm Chance Miller. It's nice to meet you." He looked behind me at Nia. "And you are?"

Nia curtsied. "Just accompanying Mr. Vale on our first journey to LA," she said with a smile. She looked at me. "I'll wait out here," she said to me before sitting down in one of the comfy-looking chairs in the hallway.

"Let's talk inside," Chance said to me as I nodded. He let me in and closed the door. It was a fairly dusty room with a lot of old-looking things, but everything seemed to be neat and organized. I sat down in the chair in front of his desk before he sat down in his office chair. "So, let's go over the paperwork," he said, sliding a stack of papers to me as I widened my eyes.

He chuckled. "Don't worry, it looks like a lot, but really, you won't have to read it all," he said reassuringly.

So Chance and I spent the next hour or so going over the paperwork, basically it was all just legal stuff that I had to sign and contracts that would finalize Tempest Talent Industry being my agency. I barely had time to react to it all—I just signed away with whatever I was presented with. Nevertheless, it was all very exciting.

After we were finally finished. Chance shook my hand again and welcomed me to the agency. He then asked me if I had any questions.

"I do have some questions…" I said as I scratched my head. "Will I have to move to LA?"

"That's all up to you, Cody. It's ideal, as there are possibly many opportunities here in LA for you, and many of your gigs will be here. Although you don't have to move here if you feel that you want to stay in your hometown. I'll be contacting you a lot digitally, so you won't have to worry about having to fly out to meet with me every week."

I nodded. "Um, also… Why did you choose me?" I asked shyly. "Honestly, I never really had much modeling experience."

"Well… My job is to find young people who I believe have the great potential to succeed. And I see that potential in you. Just from your Flumblr photos alone, you have great photogenic energy."

I nodded and smiled. "Um… So, when will my first gig be?" I asked, trying not to sound too antsy.

"Well, actually, I was wondering if you could start later this evening," Chance said, making my face light up instantly. "I actually had a gig on my waiting list from a few days ago. It took some convincing, but I promised them that you would be excellent for them."

"What is it?" I asked.

He smiled. "It's a photoshoot for a high school math textbook," he said, which made my excitement suddenly vanish. And here I thought I was going to model on a runway or something…

Chance must have seen the disappointed look on my face, because he chuckled. "For your very first gig, this is actually kind of big," he said with a nod. "Don't worry, the more work you do, and the harder you work, you'll get to be a big shot soon enough. I believe in you."

I was filled with determination. "Alright," I said. "I'll do that."

"Good," Chance said. "The photoshoot will be later at seven PM. I'll text you the address of where it'll be taking place. Get a taxi there." He began to check his phone. "Don't be late. Make sure to make a good impression."

I nodded. "I'm very punctual."

"That's an excellent thing to be," Chance said. "Alright. Any more questions?"

"Is everything all good, then?" I asked, and chance nodded. "Yep, all the paperwork is done with. You're free to go explore LA for the first time," he said with a smile.

"It was nice to meet you, I'm glad we'll be working together," I said as I stood up and bowed politely. Chance laughed. "No need to be so formal. Not with me, anyway."

I nodded. "Right. It was nice to meet you too," I said before heading out. Nia was just chilling on her phone, sitting in the chair as if she was lounging in her own living room.

I walked up to her and she stood up with a grin. "So, how'd it go?"

I nodded and smiled. "It went great. My first gig is later this evening, it's a photoshoot for a textbook."

She clapped. "That's fucking awesome, Cody! I'm totally psyched for you," she said. "What do you want to do now, then? Maybe we could go sightseeing and take some pictures!"

"That sounds like a good idea. After that, we should probably check in at a hotel."

Nia and I shared a fist bump before heading to the elevator, ready to have some fun in the city.

---

Nia and I spent the afternoon going for a bit of a walk around the city, taking pictures together whenever we could. She took photos of me and I took photos of her, so we could post them on our social media pages. Nia looked really beautiful in the photos, she had amazing energy that was perfect for candid shots.

We got some snacks and cold beverages to go before we sat at one of the public benches, facing a fancy fountain while we talked some more. Even though we didn't have much money to actually do some real sightseeing, just being with Nia was always fun enough.

When we got tired, we looked up some of the cheapest hotels in the area, and decided on one that was only about ninety dollars per night. We hailed a cab and told the driver to head to that hotel.

We both checked in for a room for two, which did have two separate beds. Nia spent her time taking a shower and getting ready for a night out with a tight black dress and a fake ID, while I took a short nap.

Once it was time for me to wake up, I got ready before taking a cab to the location Chance told me the shoot was taking place. After I got dropped off, I found myself in front of what looked to be a photography studio. I headed inside and the receptionist smiled at me. "Hello! How may I help you?"

"I'm here for the photoshoot taking place at seven," I said, looking at my phone to see that I was ten minutes early.

"Sure! Follow me," she said before leading me to the back, and down some stairs to where there was a large backdrop and lights all around, and a crew of people setting up camera equipment while one woman taking photos of a girl, who may have been the same age as me or younger, smiling and showing off her backpack.

There seemed to be a few people standing around, waiting for their turn to be photographed. "This is the last model," the woman said to the photographer.

Did I arrive last? And here I thought I was always first to everything…

The photographer finished taking the photo before turning to me. "Hello. Your name?"

"Cody Vale… Chance Miller assigned me a gig here."

"Oh, you're Miller's new client, huh?" She eyed me down and back up before chuckling. "It's about time he took his career seriously and struck a gold mine with you."

I couldn't help but blush a bit. She pointed to the dressing room. "There's some clothes in there you can change into. We want you to look like a high-school student."

I nodded before heading to the male dressing room, where there were sets of different clothes in bags, as if they were just dry cleaned. I chose the set that resembled my style the most, consisting of a hoodie and some jeans, along with a pair of high-top sneakers.

I left the room to enter the studio again, where the photographer gestured for me to step in front of the camera, onto the backdrop.

"Okay, Cody. Just do your best to give me 'casual.' Any kind of relaxed poses will do, as long as you look at the camera with a smile.

I nodded, before I began to pose. Even though the photographer wanted casual, I couldn't help but feel so natural in front of the camera. With each snap of the camera and the lights blinding me, I felt something within me, as if I felt completely free with each photo being taken.

"Good job. Next, we'll have some shots where we'll edit in a blackboard in the background. So just look like you're pointing at something while looking at it and smiling."

I nodded before getting into the perfect pose, earning a delighted 'yes!' from the photographer. I never felt anything quite like it before. I felt almost the same feeling of freedom I felt whenever I read books, complete euphoria in a form of escapism.

All my problems felt as if they were gone in those moments where I would do my poses and get my photos taken. It was like the heartbreak from Daniel's betrayal was completely healed over.

If Daniel won't leave her for me… Then it wasn't meant to be, I thought to myself. He's not the one, and I have to move on.

"Awesome. Now let's get some props in here," the photographer said before one of the crew members handed me a basket of fruits. I looked at the photographer questioningly. "It's for one of the problem solving questions in the book," she said, which made a lot more sense. "Hold one of the apples and look like you're about to bite into it."

I picked up one of the apples, which was a wax apple. I held it up and turned my head to the side to smile as I made it look like I was about to bite, holding the basket in my other hand.

This is where I belong, I thought to myself with confidence. I'm going to work hard to become a famous model. And I don't need to depend on anyone else but myself, I don't need to have a happy ending with some guy to be happy.

I winked at the camera. Because I become before anyone else when it comes to my happiness—and I'm gonna love myself more than anyone.