Chapter 1

"Ella, hurry up! Cristabel is looking for you!" I heard my aunt calling me from downstairs. I have no time to choose the clothes from my dresser. Of all the colors required for the event, why does it have to be white?

"Just  a second! I'm still looking for a white dress!" I shouted as I slid the clothes through left and right. Don't laugh at me. I have white clothes. They wanted specifically a white dress! In which, I don't wear dresses all the time, or ever.

"She also said that she's going to let you borrow her dress!" 

Oh finally! Someone read my mind. Or maybe Cristabel knows me too much that she thought of lending me one. She's my cousin who I'm always with ever since we're kids.

I just wore a white t-shirt and jeans then stared myself at the mirror. My hair's tied in braids, like the usual. I have pimples all over my face, I wear glasses and I also make sure that there is no food stuck between my teeth and braces. I'm aware I'm ugly so I don't want to spend too much time in front of mirrors.

I quickly went down the stairs and my auntie gave me a raise of her eyebrow. "Are you really going to a wedding wearing that?"

"Auntie, I'm just a photographer. Do I really have to wear a dress just to take pictures of these people?" I said as I packed my stuff in my black backpack, which happens to be my laptop and a digital camera.

"I'm just saying that even if it's in your work, you have to fix yourself a bit," Auntie said.

"Oh I'm so heartbroken. I need a man, I guess," I sarcastically said then I headed to the door. "See you later, Auntie!"

I didn't hear my aunt say another word after I shut the door. I am so late and Cristabel is going to be pissed off! Or maybe she's not.

"Here's your white dress," Cristabel said as she threw me the white simple dress on my lap as soon as I got in the car. She's a huge woman around my age, which we were both in our twenties, she's wearing heavy make-up most of the time, her hair's chestnut and soft so it's the only part of her that I find attractive. The rest of it, I'm not so sure.

"The wedding has already started and we still have to go through the traffic of the main roads," Cristable complained. "Why do you always wake up so late?"

I ate cheese curls as I'm staring at the vehicles, lifted my feet on the chair, and didn't care if my converse shoes would smudge Cristabel's cover seat.

"And put down your feet! Jesus, Ella! You're twenty-three yet you're acting like a nine year old kid!"

I let out a pretentious giggle and just ignored my annoying cousin.

"Make sure you wear that dress before we arrive at the wedding or I will not let you work in my company again!" she threatened me.

"Oh, you mean your independent and small company?" I said with my mouth full. 

Cristabel sighed with an annoyance etched on her face. She has no choice but to pick me as her temporary photographer. She just started her independent photography business in which I also helped her finish it online since I'm more techy than she was. 

"Good thing that you're good at this stuff or you will be jobless forever," Cristabel said.

"Forever is a bit of an exaggeration.”

"Shut up and just wear the fucking dress!" she said with annoyance. And I just find it funny when I successfully annoyed her.

We finally arrived at the place where the event would be held. We stopped at the parking lot and I got off the car wearing the uncomfortable and itchy white dress and two-inch heeled shoes. God! I hope I will not mess the wedding's photos because of these ridiculous shoes!

"You go ahead to the event," Cristabel said while she was tapping on her phone. "I'll go to the lobby to pay ourselves." Without me replying, she went straight to the other side of the building. Yep. The entrance to the event hall was on the other way. I have no one to assist me to go there like I'm some old woman. So I have to walk like nothing's going on with my feet, which I highly doubt.

As I'm walking, a black Toyota Vios car almost broke my knees, in which good thing that it suddenly stopped before I met my death bed.

"Hey! Watch what you're going, kid!" A man in his twenties shouted as half of his body got out from the window.

"Gee, thanks!" I sarcastically said. "You know, I almost got killed because of your recklessness!"

"I am not the one who is reckless. You didn't see me coming here?" he asked with an annoying smile, but quite handsome because of his looks. 

I admit it, I was pretty reckless. Because of these shoes! "No! I didn't." But I don't want to look defeated here, right?

The guy scoffed, maintaining his cute—er annoying smile. "Can you please step aside? I'm going to be late!"

I didn't say anything anymore and just stepped aside like I was told. He drove his car passed me and stopped by at the other side of the parking lot. I think he's one of the guests of the wedding. Damn it.

I arrived at the event hall's entrance when a guard stopped me from getting inside.

"Your name, Ma'am?"

"Ella Taron."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-three."

"You don't look like one," he said with a grin as he gave me a sticker note with my name on it.

"Thanks. I'm used to it," I said then I stepped inside after sticking the name tag on my chest. I'm so fed up with people mistake me with my age! I mean, I really looked like a teenager or a kid. But I act like I'm in my twenties! I'm not even sure if it's a compliment or an insult. 

As I entered the event hall, the place was filled with gorgeous utensils, plates and delicious foods. It has a chandelier hanging around the ceilings, lots of lights spinning around and the music is catchy that will make your feet move. Everyone was happy and chatting around as they were picking up the food on the long table. And that was when I knew that I missed half of the wedding already since they were in the eating phase.

I quickly took my camera and took pictures of the people. I took the happy ones of course since this is a wedding. Then as I'm taking pictures of each of them, I saw the guy who almost bumped me at the parking lot earlier. He looked sad and annoyed and he was just standing there at the corner, drinking some wine. I took him a picture then he saw me right at that moment.

Oh god. I wasn't supposed to do that! I mean, wait. He's walking here. I have to pretend that I didn't notice him!

"Did you just take a photo of me?" he asked.

"Um . . . it's the cake that I took the picture of," I lied. I hope he buys it.

"The cake is over there," he said as he pointed where the cake was, which was a bit far away from where he was originally standing.

"Oh."

"Anyway, you're the photographer of this wedding, right?" he asked.

"Um . . . yeah?"

"I'll pay you now then get out of here," he said as he started putting his hand in his pocket.

"Huh? But why—"

"Double," he cut me off. Then he took out some random cash and put it on my hand. It was scrambled but I saw it was like triple of the price that we were expecting from our clients.

"Now get out," he said as he waved his hand, telling me to go away.

I didn't say anything else so I just went outside the event hall and met with Cristabel.

"What are you still doing here? Was the wedding finished?" she asked as she tried looking at the party inside.

"Some guy gave me triple the price that we're supposed to receive just to get rid of me," I told her.

"What?" she asked in a high tone.

"I don't know! But receiving such money is so rare nowadays—"

"Ella, we're not here just for money. We're here to give them pictures of their happy rare moments of their lives!"

"Maybe that guy is bitter about the couple. I saw him drinking wine at the corner without socializing anyone—"

"You're unbelievable!" she said then she entered the event halls. She didn't even take my camera on my hand so what was she going to do there? But a few seconds later, she went back to me and grabbed my camera from my hand and walked back inside again.

I think Cristabel is going to fire me. I might have to force myself to get a new job!