Public Displays

As Elle walked into the room her every step was followed by dozens of eyes, but she barely noticed. The full force of her attention was poured into making sure she didn't trip on the edge of the no doubt thousand dollar dress she was currently wearing. Elle wasn't used to wearing such high heels but with the help of Will's outstretched hand she slowly and carefully made her way to the centre of the room.

In the middle of the studio a large area was set up with cameras, lights, a beautiful but simplistic spring backdrop. Will walked her over and introduced her to the director, photographer, and the assistants she would be working with. Now that she wasn't so focused Elle slowly noticed the number of stares aimed at her. She still managed to smile and nod politely to the staff as the introductions were made, but the one thing Elle could not ignore no matter how hard she tried was Adam's burning gaze.

Even without looking at him she could feel his eyes gauging her. The director led Elle over to the backdrop and instructed her on how to pose. When his back was turned to her Elle dared to glance over at Adam, who was watching her intently from some distance, but she couldn't recognize the dark emotion in his eyes.

But the shoot quickly began and Elle was forced to look away as she focused on the instructions being called out and the bright flash of the cameras around her. It was a task that required all her attention, Elle quickly found she was too busy to wonder at the look on Adam's face. Will, however, had all the time in the world as he waited for the next clothing change.

"I've done well haven't I?" He teased, taking a place beside Adam who stood against a far wall with his arms crossed against his chest.

"The collection is well done."

Will rolled his eyes. "I'm not talking about the dresses. Did you think I wouldn't notice that you were interested in her? It seems you both are dating now, should I offer my congratulations?"

Adam looked over at his friend with a raised brow. "If you do I'll demote you." he said plainly.

"You ought to promote me. Wait till you see the rest of the dresses, I made sure to pick designs that suit her well."

"Maybe I will promote you. You clearly have too much time on your hands, I should give you more work."

"If you're this serious you must really like her." Will said with a laugh. Adam didn't give a reply, he simply continued to watch the shoot. But even if the passive look on his face didn't give anything away, Will got his answer from the look in his friend's eyes.

After a few minutes of taking photos the director signalled that he was done and Elle was led back into her changing room. This time she was given a soft, lilac coloured gown, that had hundreds of tiny silk flowers sewn in that looked so realistic that Elle refused to believe they were fake.

The style of her hair and makeup were changed as well before she was led back out into the studio for the next set of photos to be taken. The process was repeated again and again, with each dress more amazing then the last.

"Is something wrong?" Will asked, noticing her stare as he fixed the clasp of a necklace around her neck during her fourth and final round of photos.

"It's nothing." Elle said, quickly looking away. "I'm just amazed. I never really paid much attention to fashion, but your dresses really are like works of art."

"Thank you for the compliment miss, but you really ought to be more careful with your words. I'm afraid of Adam's temper if you compliment me anymore than that." He teased.

Elle hesitated. Did this mean he knew they were seeing each other? Adam hadn't mentioned that he told anyone though. "Did he tell you?" She asked vaguely.

"Not really, but I think those close to him can tell."

"I see."

"He's a bit blunt, if you have any complaints about him you can come to me." Will said with a bright smile.

Elle felt like she couldn't keep up with Will's pace. She couldn't tell how much of what he said was teasing, so she gave him an awkward smile and resumed her place in front of the cameras.

The shoot finally finished after a few hours and Elle quickly made her way back to her dressing room, eager to change back into her plain and comfortable clothes. She was surprised to find Adam waiting outside her dressing room door on her way back.

"You did well today." He complimented.

"Did I really? I was so nervous the whole time." Elle said with a sigh. "Are you sure my expressions were natural?"

"You looked perfect." Adam murmured.

There it was again. That look of love in his eyes. Elle glanced down the hallway quickly, making sure no one was in sight before pressing her lips softly against his. With the heels on she didn't have to tiptoe like she usually did.

When she pulled away she was surprised to see Adam look away with a flushed face. "You shouldn't fool around here. What if someone sees?" He muttered, covering his face with one hand.

"What's this? Are you embarrassed?" Elle teased. "You look so cute, let me see." She reached for his hand, but Adam evaded her. The two continued to tease each other in the hallway as Elle made futile attempts to pull his hand away from his face.

"Enough." Adam said finally, covering Elle's eyes with one hand and snaking the other into her hair. Unlike Elle's simple peck, Adam's kiss was deep and demanding and left Elle even redder than Adam had been.

"Quickly get changed." Adam said when he finally pulled away. "Let's go get something to eat."

"Okay." Elle murmured, rushing into her room before he could attack her again.

Later that evening, while the two were out for dinner, Adam received a text message from Will.

'I thought I should send my congratulations after all.' Will wrote. 'I will send this to your mother if you demote me.' He added, sending a picture file.

"What is it?" Elle asked when she saw the look on Adam's face. Her jaw dropped as she looked over his shoulder at the photo open on his screen.

It was a photo of them from earlier, kissing in the hallway at the studio. Both of them were dumbfounded. Elle put her head in her hands while Adam looked forlornly at her. "I told you not to fool around." He said.