Through the Lens

by Laura Sutton

  “I'm getting married.”

  “You already said that,” Claire said putting her camera down, the worry was starting to spread across her features.

  “I'M GETTING MARRIED!” Alyssa screamed in joy as she jumped up from her bed and started jumping up and down on the bed like a toddler. Claire laughed as her friend's joy was contagious. She snapped a few shots, really quick before she looked at her watch and saw the time.

  “Come on, let’s get you ready.” Claire pulled her out of the bedroom and into the living room. Claire had made sure that they had make-up and hair stylists standing there ready. The night before they had gotten their showers and waxing done together on their girls’ night. A night that still had her mind ringing in happiness over their pampering.

  “Beautify me. I'm your willing canvas.” Alyssa teased as she passed Claire, almost pulling her towards the stylists.

  Soon the make-up and hair were done for the bride, Claire, and the three that would stand next to Alyssa. She had wanted Claire as her Maid of Honor, but Claire wanted to be the photographer. She did not trust anyone else for the job; she never did. Her camera card was full of pictures of the dress, rings, getting ready for the big day, the Bachelorette party from the night before, and even just some fun pictures of their pampering session. She had even talked Alyssa into a pre-wedding photoshoot, of course, it did not take much persuading. Her friend loved being in front of the camera. Claire downloaded the pictures to her laptop as she put in a different memory card.

  “What do you think?” Alyssa asked as she came twirling into the room, a smile on her face.

  Claire turned. The dress was beautiful, but on her best friend the dress was perfect. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes. “You're the pure definition of picture-perfect." Claire picked up her camera and grabbed a few shots of her best friend in front of the bedroom window. The sunbeams were streaming into the room creating a natural glow around her already glowing friend.

  “Hey, no tears,” Alyssa said with a smile.

  “You're just too pretty. I'm worried I may have to revive the groom before he can even say 'I do.'” Claire laughed as she hugged her.

  “If he faints, I'll kill him.”

  “You would too. Should I warn him?” Claire asked with a smile.

  “No, it makes the suspense even better.” Alyssa laughed.

  “I'm sure it will. Well, I'm off to photograph the boys.” Claire smiled as she grabbed her photography bag and walked down the hall to the elevators.

  The boys were on the floor below them so no one would see the bride by accident. Claire stepped out of the elevator and walked down the hall. She stopped at the door of Topher's room taking a deep breath. She was happy to be gaining him as a brother, but in a way, she knew that she was losing Alyssa. They would never room together again, but she knew that they would be happy and that was the only thing that she cared about. Claire stood tall, tugging down her purple dress covered with ivory lace, putting her heels on that were held in her hands. She had never really been one for heels, but this was a special occasion. She would be dressed to the nines until the very end. She knocked on the door as Topher stood there with wide eyes.

  “Thank God you’re here!”

  “Just breathe.” Claire stepped inside and saw clothing and things all over the ground. “My best man just called, and his flight was delayed. I have no clue what to do, and I'm not sure he's breathing.” Topher pointed to one of the two men passed out on the floor.

  “Ok, sit,” Claire demanded as she put her camera bag down. Picking up her phone she called a number. “Hey, I need you down in Room 921.”

  “You can't call Alyssa.” Topher's panic was back in his voice.

  “I wouldn't call her. It's bad luck for the bride and groom to meet before they walk down the aisle. Calm down. It's the stylists.” Claire kissed his cheek as she tugged him up from the barstool. “Go shower quickly and put on your tux. I'll deal with them.” She pointed to the two men, who were passed out on the floor.

  “Shit!” Once Topher was out of the room, Claire couldn't help but curse as she looked to the groomsmen. 'How would she wake up two very drunk men and take pictures? Hell, how was Topher still standing?' Claire grabbed her camera and tripod, setting her camera on automatic capture, then grabbed two glasses of water from the kitchenette. She smiled as she heard her camera clicking; taking pictures of the passed-out men. She walked into the room and poured the glasses of icy cold water on their faces, hearing the camera clicking away. Catching the whole act and their reactions as they jumped up from their spots on the ground, angry as they can be until they saw Claire standing there. Both men saw her expression and crossed arms, knowing they were in trouble. “Gentlemen, shower. Now. March, march, march.” They both moved quickly towards their beds. “I expect you back out here, dressed, in ten minutes or I will drag you out here myself in whatever state you are in!” Claire demanded, as bedroom doors shut quickly, and water seemed to be in surround sound in the hotel suite. Claire went to her camera and turned off the clicker as a knock sounded on the door.

  Claire let in the stylist; explaining the situation. Of course, the women were laughing. She had worked with them on photoshoots over the years and things still surprised them. One guy came flying out of the room, his shirt barely buttoned, and hair wet. “I'm here.” All the women turned staring at the barely dressed, still wet guy with huge chocolate brown eyes.

  “What the hell did you threaten them with?” Sarah, the hairstylist, asked looking back at Claire, her hands on her hips.

  “You must know her well.” The half-dressed guy smiled at Sarah. “I'm Brandon.” He held his hand out.

  “What did she threaten you with?” Sarah asked looking at his hand, crossing her arm in front of her, not taking his offered hand. She gave him a look, knowing he deserved to be in trouble with Claire.

  “She said we had ten minutes to be out here or she'd drag us out here in whatever state we were in,” Brandon said looking at his watch. Claire stood there trying not to laugh which was not possible as soon as Sarah and the other two stylists broke out in giggles.

  “I'm Sarah.” She held her hand out to Brandon who took it and kissed the top of her hand. She blushed as Claire shook her head. She picked up the camera from around her neck and captured a few of the shots.

  Soon all three of the men were sitting there as the stylist got their hair and blemishes fixed and they were camera ready. Claire walked around snapping shots of them getting ready. Claire's cellphone buzzed wildly. She grabbed it quickly. “Ok. I'm heading downstairs and grabbing the pictures I need. Everything is ready.”

  Topher jumped off the stool quickly as Claire walked towards the door. “Hey, Claire.” Claire turned as Topher grabbed her up in a hug. “Thanks for all this,” Topher said quietly in her ear.

  “No problem. You're my brother now.” Claire said with a smile as she playfully bumped into him with her shoulder. “You're one of the crazies now.” She laughed as she went out the door of the hotel room, and to the elevators.

  Claire leaned against the cold walls of the elevator with her eyes closed. Her phone rang again. She did not know the number, so she sent it to voicemail. Today was all about her friend, and she would deal with everything else tomorrow. She silenced her cellphone as the elevator doors opened to the hotel foyer. She walked out the doors and was met by the young wedding coordinator, Bethany Tolin. “Ms. Henderson. I was told you wanted to get pictures of the venue before the wedding.” The young woman was vibrant as her slightly curled brown hair hung around her shoulders. Claire liked her a lot and had enjoyed working with her over the past couple of months as the wedding came together. One day she wanted to use her for her wedding.

  “Yes, ma'am.”

  “I will take you there. We have security as requested. Only the people invited will be able to get into the event. Also, they have finished the final touches on the ballroom.”

  Claire stopped as they reached the balcon
y. She could see the whole venue from where she stood. The white chairs on the green grass were breathtaking. Claire snapped a few shots, as Bethany had a huge smile on her face. “This is perfect, Mrs. Tolin. We could not ask for more.”

  “Shall we go down?”

  “Oh yes,” Claire said with a smile. The more that she saw of the venue the more she loved it. She had never thought about having a wedding of her own but seeing this gave her several ideas. Claire bit her lip as she stood where the bride would stand, the square opened gazebo would cover the wedding couple and the preacher. Purple and white flowers wrapped the white columns and down the wedding aisle. “She is going to love this,” Claire said looking back to Mrs. Tolin.

  “Any changes or concerns?” She asked pulling out a pen as she looked at her clipboard.

  Claire looked everything over. Pulling her camera up she looked through the lens. “It all looks good from here.” She stated after snapping several shots while she walked around inspecting everything. She wasn't going to let one thing pass if it wasn't correct. She was going to make sure this day was perfect for Alyssa and Topher.

  “Perfect. Let's look at the ballroom, then I can let everyone know the changes you see fit. So it's all perfect before the wedding hour.”

  Claire nodded as she followed her into the room where the reception would be. Claire was glad they chose to do it all at one location. This hotel, overlooking the bluffs would be perfect for pictures and not in a boring church or downtown New York that showed nasty buildings or people stumbling into the event. This event space was breathtaking. She walked into the ballroom and smiled. The place was better than she could have ever imagined. The lights were left low as purple and white plates were placed at round tables. A long table sat above the others on a platform with nameplates for each of the key people. Claire froze as she saw the name on the nameplate in front of her. “No way. It must be a mistake,” Claire whispered to herself.

  “I'm sorry. What was that? I missed it.” Mrs. Tolin asked stepping closer to Claire. Moving her clipboard and pen so she could jot down notes.

  “Oh, nothing. I'm just admiring... everything.” Claire smiled but she knew that it did not reach her eyes. It had to be a mistake. There was no way that Topher's boss would agree to be his best man. The man was too busy, and Topher was just his assistant.

  “Just breathe, Claire. It's just a mistake and even if he was coming, he’s just a man.” Claire laughed inside. 'Just a man right... a hot, delicious, gorgeous, unattainable man.' Claire took a deep breath as she went around grabbing the pictures that she needed, trying to control her breathing. She tried losing herself in the pictures and finally gave up. “I'm done here. Everything looks perfect,” Claire said with a smile as she quickly left the room. She needed to see Alyssa and find the truth. The elevator felt like it was not moving at all as Claire tapped her high heel, impatiently. Floor ten, the chime went off as the door opened. Claire stepped off and headed towards their suite. Opening the door, she went in search for Alyssa, who was sitting at the counter getting her nails painted. Her white dress covered with a smock.

  “How was it?”

  “Even prettier than we imagined.” Claire smiled. As she walked over to her friend.

  “Quick question...”

  “Shoot.”

  “Best Man...”

  “Aidan Ashby.” She smiled, “I can't wait to meet him, finally. Well, at least when I'm not plastered drunk, that is.” Alyssa blushed. She had never really gotten that drunk before and was a little ashamed that Aidan had seen it. She had heard from Topher that she had even told Aidan off about Claire. She didn't remember it and was a little nervous at what she had said to him. She trusted Topher to tell her if she said anything too bad. The situation made Claire laugh. Of course, Alyssa stood up for her and she could only imagine what she had said.

  “When was it decided that he was the best man?” She had gone pale at the question. The thought of seeing him again almost stopped her heart.

  Alyssa looked over at Claire. “You don't like him?” Claire blushed as she looked out the window beside her. Alyssa smiled. “A blush... why Claire, I have the feeling you like him. Spill...” Alyssa said with a huge grin as she looked over.

  “It's nothing. Just a surprise.”

  “Claire Jordan Henderson quit lying and spill,” Alyssa said as she joined her at the window that she was standing in front of, excitedly grasping her arm.

  “It's nothing really... we kissed, once. I was teasing him, and he was proving a point.”

  “Once? That deeper color of red on your cheeks tells a different story.”

  “I haven't seen or heard from him since that kiss.”

  “But...” Claire looked to the nail lady who was packing up. The woman left the room as Claire sat down next to Alyssa.

  “I've been dreaming about him lately, especially after the kiss.” Alyssa was about to say something, but Claire cut her off, “You cannot tell anyone! I thought that I could just avoid him for the rest of my life.”

  “Claire, this is the first guy you've even thought of. Maybe it's time to put yourself out there. I have only heard good things about him, well except for him being a bit of a dictator. Be open. To him, or others. Yes, you've had a past, a bad past that you didn't have any choice about. That past can't dictate your future,” Alyssa smiled as she kissed her on the cheek. “Be happy.”

  “You make it sound easy.”

  “The right guy will love you no matter the darkness. Remember that.” Alyssa hugged her tight.

  Claire left the room; she still had a lot to get done in the two hours before the wedding started.

  Chapter Six

  He was late. Really late. He hated being late. It was one of his biggest pet peeves. He promised Topher that he would be there by last night, but the weather had grounded all flights, even his private jet and all the others he tried to pay off to fly in the nasty weather. He was in the car, speeding towards the hotel where his best friend, his brother, was going to marry the love of his life. Aidan's sports car squealed into the valet parking of the hotel. He was out of the car before the surprised valet man could open his door. He straightened his tie as he walked around the car, tossing his keys towards the valet.

  He walked towards the elevator. He paused as he watched a woman walking in killer heels down the hall and out the back doors of the hotel foyer. The elevator chimed as the doors opened and he stepped inside.

  Aidan knocked on the door to his brother suite. “A!” Topher grabbed him excitedly in a hug the moment he opened the door. “Welcome to the party.” He said as they walked in the door and the other men all nodded to him.

  “Aidan you were lucky as hell you weren't here for Lens-Zilla.”

  “Lens-Zilla?” Aidan asked looking to his brother. He was never a big fan of his brother's friend, Brandon. He felt that he was a bad influence and seemed a little too irresponsible for his tastes. Though he liked Kyle, he even brought him onto his security team after Topher backed him.

  “Claire.” Topher smiled as he leaned against the counter. He was all smiles and excitement.

  “Yeah, man. She doused us with water. Then threatened if we weren't out here in ten minutes she'd come in and drag us out. Can you believe that? Hell, I haven't been that terrified since my mother found me with a girl in my room when I was eleven.” Brandon shuttered as he remembered.

  “You, terrified? You made it in five minutes. I was nine minutes and forty-five seconds. Her hand was on my door when I opened it.” Kyle added. Brandon sat down at the kitchen bar, running his hand through his hair.

  “Let me guess... drunk and incoherent,” Aidan said, looking over both men and the state of the hotel room.

  “No,” Brandon said straightening himself upright. “We would never let anyone get that drunk.” He said defiantly. Kyle stayed quiet, looking at his champagne glass filled with orange juice.

  “Kyle answered that one.” Aidan shook his head, a smile on his face. Kyle
had been with them for the past three years, and Aidan knew that the silence meant that he was either right or he was being silent so he wouldn't get in more trouble. He could already imagine Claire's annoyance as she mothered these boys. Her job was to take pictures of the wedding, not worry about drunk groomsmen. That was his job, and he had royally messed up. He knew that if he had been there that he would have cut the guys off before they got too wild, but he was glad that his brother had a good night.

  He listened to the guys whine a bit more about the way they were awoken and then the conversation had turned to her looks. When they described her dress, Aidan clenched his fists. He had seen her; it was the figure that had him pausing outside the elevator. Those heels on that hard-tiled floor walking out of the hotel still brought goosebumps to his body. He had not seen her since he dropped her off at her apartment two months ago. Sending her the design table had been a gut reaction when he saw it. He was walking to his business meeting across the street from his office and knew it would be a great replacement for the one she had to sell. He had kept her note of thanks with him all the time in his planner. He had pictured her many times in the two months working at that table and what he wanted to do to her on that table. He took a deep breath before he even noticed that his brother was giving him a weird look.

  “Earth to Aidan.”

  “Sorry, jet lag,” Aidan said, giving him a small smile. Topher gave him a look, knowing that it was a complete lie. Topher had been there this past month when he needed a sounding board for his frustration. Topher knew all about his run-in with Claire two months ago at his apartment. Though, he did not know everything that he truly wanted to do to Claire. He just knew about the kiss and him starting to like her. Of course, Topher could not keep his mouth shut and told all three of their adopted sisters about Claire and his kiss. With their reactions, you would think that they had never seen him with a woman before. There was one girl back when they were in the orphanage. Aidan smiled at the thought before he noticed that he had been lost in thought again and his brother was glaring. Aidan gave his brother his full attention especially the moment that he heard Brandon talking about Claire's ass.