جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 30

It was raining again. Not soft rain like the night they met, but hard New York rain that hit the penthouse windows so loud that Milo said it sounded like the sky was developing photos too — click click click.Milo was in the bathroom. Not the big master bathroom with the bathtub that could fit two people and the expensive soap that Lucien bought because it smelled like Milo's favorite — cedar and rain. He was in the second bathroom, the small one that Lucien never used, that had become Milo's darkroom without permission.He had taped black trash bags over the window. He had put his developing tanks on the sink. He had chemicals in labeled bottles that said "DO NOT DRINK - MILO'S STUFF" in black marker because Lucien once almost drank developer thinking it was cold brew.Lucien knocked on the door at 8 PM."Milo? You have been in there for three hours. Lena said you missed dinner.""I am developing!" Milo's voice from inside, excited, muffled. "The Tokyo rain photos from last week, the

Milo's first real client that was not Lucien, not Beaumont Corp, not Lena's friend, called him on Wednesday.Her name was Sarah. She had a baby. She wanted photos of baby. She found Milo on Instagram because someone who came to his gallery show tagged him and said "this boy sees love in photos."Milo stared at his phone for ten minutes after she hung up.Then he screamed."LUCIEN! LUCIEN! A LADY WANTS ME TO TAKE PHOTOS OF HER BABY! A REAL CLIENT! NOT YOUR FRIEND! REAL!"Lucien came running from his office, thinking Milo was hurt, tie half on, barefoot."What? What happened? Are you okay?""She wants baby photos! She will PAY me! $400! For baby!" Milo was jumping on couch, freckles bright, camera already in hand even though baby shoot was Saturday.Lucien caught him before he fell off couch. "That's amazing! My photographer getting clients!""But what if I ruin baby?" Milo whispered, sudden fear. "What if baby cries because I'm ugly? What if mom hates photos? What if I drop baby? I don

Milo was not supposed to look at Lucien's laptop.Lucien's laptop was Beaumont Corp confidential, Tokyo deals, numbers that could buy Milo's old building ten times. Milo never looked. He had his own laptop now, new one Lucien bought for editing, with stickers of freckled cats that Milo put on.But Lucien's laptop was open on kitchen table on Thursday morning, screen glowing, and Milo was looking for his camera cable that Lucien borrowed and lost again, and he saw it.Browser history open. Lucien always closed browser history, because billionaire paranoia, but this time he forgot.Top searches:small silver rings for freckled boyshow to propose to photographer who throws winedo men like promise rings or engagement ringsbest place to propose in New York not cheesyhow to ask someone to marry you when you already live together and share fridgeMilo stopped breathing.His heart started beating so loud that he could hear it in his ears, louder than rain, louder than Central Park traffic

They flew to Provence three days after engagement party because Henri said "lavender waits for no one, even if November," and Eleanor said "you need honeymoon before wedding, it's French tradition, we invented love."Milo had never been on private plane before. He had never been on any plane before. The last time he traveled was bus from Ukari to Lagos when he was 18, with camera that his mom bought him, holding it tight so no one stole it.Now he was on plane that had bed and fridge and photos on walls — his photos, because Lucien put his Tokyo photos in plane before flight, so Milo would feel home.Milo sat by window, blue good luck shirt, black jeans, matching socks because Eleanor asked, ring shining, camera on lap, looking out at clouds like they were photos waiting to be developed.Lucien sat next to him, no tie, white shirt sleeves rolled, holding Milo's black-nailed hand with ring, counting freckles on Milo's nose to calm him because Milo was scared of flying."47 on nose," Lu

June in Provence was real purple.Not November grey-green that Milo said was purple because love sees purple, but real purple, rows and rows of lavender that went to sky, that smelled so strong that Milo said "I can smell purple," and Lucien said "you are purple now too," because Milo wore blue shirt that looked purple in lavender light.Wedding day.Milo woke up at 5 AM, same as always, because light at 5 AM in Provence in June was perfect for photos, golden and soft and made freckles glow like stars.He put on blue good luck shirt, same blue shirt from first day they met, from gallery, from engagement party, now wedding shirt, washed many times but still blue, still good luck.Black jeans, matching socks because Eleanor asked again and this time it was wedding so he matched, clean black nails, lip piercing shining, ring with freckles inside shining, camera on tripod ready.Lucien woke at 6 AM, white shirt, no tie, like Milo wanted, black pants, hair messy on purpose because Milo sai