The alarm rang while darkness still lingered behind the curtains. The screeching sound continued to attack my ears until I took refuge beneath the pillow. It couldn't possibly be time to wake up. I hadn't slept well, processing too many thoughts that refused to leave me in peace—thoughts that merged into dreams that distorted everything and made the situation even worse.

As the alarm kept insisting, I decided that it wasn't worth drawing it out. I shut off the noise, flicked on the light and regretted it immediately. It was too bright and stung my eyes in the worst possible way. I didn't even dare to check the time, knowing that it would be even harder to rise. My eyes slowly adjusted as I forced myself to sit up and stretch my limbs.

Standing with wobbly legs in the tiled bathroom, I grabbed the sink for support. The face in the mirror wasn't a pretty sight. My dark blond hair stood on end, my eyes were puffy from lack of sleep and my skin appeared pasty.

A knock on the door pulled me away from the sad reflection. I rushed to get some clothes on, almost falling over in the process as my right foot got stuck in my black jeans. The knock sounded one more time before I was able to reach the handle.

"Good morning. Ready for some breakfast?" Cameron asked softly. He appeared wide awake which was entirely unfair.

"Not sure I can stomach breakfast. What time is it? I forgot that you set my alarm."

"It's 5 am. We have to get going, otherwise we won't have time to prepare the set."

Suddenly, being a photographer didn't sound half as exciting. However, I wasn't sure he would have liked to hear any complaints. "I'll be right with you. Just have to brush my teeth."

"I'll get us a car. I've already moved the equipment downstairs."

"Oh..." I realized that he'd allowed me to sleep in, which made me feel like the worst assistant ever. "I'll be quick."

Thirty minutes later we got into an Uber car that drove us through the light traffic. The early Saturday morning was obviously spared from the pressure of too many travelers, allowing a sense of calm that I hadn't expected. I sat back and stared out of the window, peering at tall skyscrapers and stores with their shutters down.

Cameron ran his fingers through his damp hair. "I forgot to comb this, I'll look like a bum among those models we're shooting."

I chuckled. Cameron couldn't look like a bum, no matter how disheveled he was. "I do hope we're not shooting them."

He shook his head. "That was lame. Gotta step it up, Adam."

The driver snorted softly, clearly listening in on our conversation. I caught her eyes in the rear view mirror and smiled wide. It felt good to stretch my lips and feel the rumble of a laughter tugging at my sides. This was already turning out to be a great day despite the early hour.

We stopped by a small café that the driver recommended and bought some breakfast and coffees to go. What should have been a quick stop turned out to be quite hilarious as Cameron couldn't decide what kind of coffee he wanted. He threw nasty looks at the automat and mumbled something about never getting a real coffee when he needed it. I had to admit that the cappuccino wasn't ideal, but I hoped the energy rush would make up for it.

As we drove on, the buildings morphed from business complexes to apartments and lastly into big slabs of concrete without much in the way of windows. We didn't stop until we reached the fringes of the industrial area, and by then, the contrast between the sleek city and the worn facades made me wonder if we'd gone back in time a few decades. A massive, run-down building was surrounded by a tall fence that appeared to be a new addition. Other than that, there were no signs of recent activity.

"Why is this abandoned?" I asked, peering through the fence.

"The owners refuse to give up the land. Apparently, they're on a long-term lease that the city can't do much about. Had to get special permit to access."

I was slightly impressed by his willingness to walk the extra mile for getting a scene like this one. Even if he was a pretty chill guy, he was definitely ambitious.

I clasped my fingers around one of the cold iron bars while Cameron unlocked the gate. "So, what's the theme of this session if you're doing it here?" Perhaps it was a question I should have asked sooner, but I had been distracted. My boyfriend still hovered close in my thoughts. Something about the depressing atmosphere around us urged Gabriel closer.

"They're looking for a rough setting to go with their new collection. I thought that it couldn't get much rougher than this, and besides, industrial is apparently a thing."

"A thing?"

"A thing." Cameron grinned, just in time for the gate to let out a loud cry.

The driver was kind enough to help us unload, but she kept glancing over her shoulder which reminded me of what Cameron had said about security. When that realization hit home, the fence seemed less intimidating.

An hour later, my nerves were shot to hell as a small black bus with tinted windows arrived at the gate. Cameron, on the other hand, seemed unperturbed. I realized why when it opened up and revealed the models and their entourage. I exhaled in relief and almost slumped against the large tripod.

It was mostly teenage girls, dolled up to make them appear years older, but I also saw a guy who looked eerily similar to Chris. I even did a double take before I realized that it wasn't him. I guessed he was a few years older than Chris, and his hair was a shade darker. They could have been brothers.

I paused at that thought. Chris had told me that his brother was a model. Frowning, I looked at him again to see if I could prove my theory somehow.

"You're pretty obvious," Cameron said close to my ear—close enough to make me jump. He hadn't been there a second ago, surely.

"What?"

A dimple appeared on his cheek, and I felt as if I were missing something important.

"He's a good looking guy," Cameron offered.

Cue blush.

"No, it's nothing like that. I think he might be my roommate's brother."

Cameron's features softened, and that's when I realized that he had been a little bit tense. Odd. I thought he was fine with me being gay, in fact, he had implied that he preferred men as well. Another thought struck me—maybe Cameron had a thing for this model. I wouldn't have been surprised. On the other hand, if this was Chris' brother, then he was happily married.

"Well then, why don't you go and ask." Cameron moved on to poke around with the cables.

It took a few tries of pumping myself full of fake confidence before I had the guts to walk over to greet the guy. I reached out with my hand and tried to keep my expression neutral.

"Hi. I'm Adam Webb, assisting the photographer today. Nice to see you guys here."

"Ayden Sinclair." He took my hand, perhaps pretending that it was fully rational of me to greet him first out of everyone. "You guys must have been busy all morning to rig this." He gestured at the set.

"Yes, we've been here for a while." Ayden Sinclair. It had to be Chris' brother. "Sorry, maybe this is an awkward question, but I have roommate called Chris Sinclair, and you two look strikingly similar."

Ayden laughed. "You're rooming with my brother? I feel for you, man. He's a slob."

Relieved that I hadn't made a total fool of myself, I smiled and nodded. Chris was a bit of a slob, but I tried to keep him in check. It worked most of the time, at least in my half of the room. "He's a great guy. Sure, he likes to spread his socks across the floor, but it's nothing I can't live with."

"Sounds exactly like my brother."

I smiled and found myself in a strange kind of contentment. Maybe I hadn't smiled enough recently.

Someone called for Ayden, and he excused himself with a brief nod. For a while, I stood where he'd left me, not sure where I was going or what I was supposed to do. Surveying the surroundings one more time, I could somehow appreciate the rough beauty that I hadn't noticed when we had first arrived.

"Adam." Cameron approached me.

"Sorry, I'm coming." I skipped a few steps while Cameron waited for me to catch up.

"Don't worry, but let's get this running. I'll need your help with the light."

The rest of the morning passed by in a blur. Cameron let me help him with various tasks, and he even asked for my opinion on some of the photos. When it was Ayden's turn to pose, Cameron began in his usual manner, but after a while he stepped away from the camera and asked me to take a few shots.

I forced my hands to stop shaking as I grabbed the camera. This was my chance, and I was beyond excited although my nerves trembled on the surface. I peered through the lens and pressed the shutter button. The first photo was utter crap, and I could feel heat rising across my face despite the cold. Trying with a bit more confidence, I attempted to direct Ayden with a voice that barely carried. "Maybe move around a bit and perhaps I can try to make it more alive?"

Ayden didn't respond, but began to move. It was strange to ask someone to pose this way or that way 'Raise your left arm a few inches, look into the camera, look away from the camera,' but it was also a lot of fun.

When I had taken a few shots, I felt Cameron's presence over my shoulder. "Your turn," I said.

"Sure, just let me have a look at these." He took the camera and went through the pictures showing on the small screen. "Can you get the iPad?"

Nerves fluttered inside my stomach at his words. He wanted to check the photos on a larger screen, and that realization was enough to drive me slightly insane with apprehension. I fetched the iPad and the cord connecting to the camera. Cameron plugged it in and swiped through the pictures. Ayden came to stand beside us, exacerbating the situation ten-fold. It was too much to watch it all, so I averted my eyes and stared into the distance.

"These are great, Adam," Cameron said. I swallowed and forced myself to glance at the photos. I didn't see anything special about them. Cameron was just trying to make me feel better.

"Thanks," I mumbled.

"I'm serious. These are great photos." Cameron turned to Ayden. "I think you can go change your outfit."

Blood drained from my cheeks. Cameron had to be kidding. He hadn't taken that many pictures himself.

"Adam, I'm not kidding."

"Did I say that out loud?" I was shell-shocked, so it was not unlikely that my thoughts had expressed themselves as words.

"No, you didn't. I was guessing based on your funny face."

And with that, Cameron broke the tension.

"I don't have a funny face."

He laughed. "Sure you do. Everyone has a funny face."

Shaking my head, I walked off to find some water, or something, or anything. I had to get away from that man because he was slowly but surely driving me insane.

* * * *

The hours before lunch flew past in a flurry of clothes, strange model poses and a lot of laughs between Cameron and me. I had fun, and I realized this was my element. I'd locked myself in the closet with Gabriel and had spent far too little time with others. I tried not to think too much about what it meant. I even contemplated sending him another message, but since all of the previous ones remained unanswered, I suppressed the urge.

My fingers were growing numb from the cold, but I couldn't care less. All I needed was the sun in my face and Cameron's jabs about my red nose to keep me warm. The models weren't faring very well, however. The collection wasn't meant for winter, and the clothes they wore were not enough to temper the chill. Their entourage hid in the bus until they absolutely had to go outside, so Cameron and I were practically on our own apart from the model we were working with.

Checking the time, I realized that we should have brought some lunch with us. My stomach wasn't complaining yet, but I feared that had to do with the excitement—which might mean that I would drop dead after it wore off.

I tapped Cameron's shoulder. "Should I get us some lunch?"

Cameron turned and took a picture of me.

"Hey, I'm not a model."

He took another one, and I rolled my eyes in response.

"I totally forgot about lunch. I say we wrap this up instead and head back to town. Unless you're super hungry, of course." Not waiting for my reply, he dove into his bag and rummaged around. After a few seconds he threw me an energy bar. "Think you'll manage?"

"Sure. Aren't you hungry, though?" I could tell his blood sugar was nearing dangerously low levels because he kept snapping at people, and not with the camera.

Cameron shook his head. For an adult, he knew strangely little about himself and his limits. I handed the energy bar to him. "You should probably eat it. I'm not very hungry anyway."

He eyed me, and when I didn't relent, he took the piece and tried to unwrap it with one hand while still taking photos with the other. I almost laughed, but reined it in and helped him instead.

One hour later, I regretted giving it back. My stomach was protesting, my limbs were far too cold, and I couldn't wait to get back to the hotel and order a hot chocolate and some food to eat while taking a scalding hot bath.

"You look like you're ready to call it a day," Cameron commented.

I contemplated my options. If I told him I was dying to settle at the hotel, he might take that as a sign that I wasn't as committed to this career as I first told him. On the other hand, if I said no, he might torture me for a couple of more hours, and I wasn't sure if I could handle that.

I chose to nod, not trusting my voice.

"Good, because I'm freaking cold. Next time, we're going to the Bahamas."

Phantom heat from the picture of us at a warm beach flowed through my body for a fraction of a second. I knew that it was highly unrealistic that we'd make that trip together, but I could always hope.

"I like the sound of that."

"Good." As if that was our cue to start packing up, he shooed away the model and reached for his camera bag.

"Should I get us a car?" I asked.

"Yes, definitely." The snappiness was getting worse, and it was great to know that we were done for the day—if we didn't get food into our systems soon, we would be an unpleasant pair.

By the time the car had arrived, the models and their bus had already gone. Our new driver was less accommodating and refused to help with the gear, which meant that it took quite some time to get it stowed into the trunk. Cameron muttered something about giving a bad review, and I almost felt sorry for the driver as I knew it was mostly the lack of food that went behind that judgement rather than the driver's performance.

The journey back was rather tense, even if Cameron did his best to keep up with some kind of conversation. The driver talked a mile a minute, mostly about his former job that he'd left to drive for Uber instead.

While the man continued to complain about his old boss, Cameron asked if I wanted to eat at the hotel or if we should go out. One part of me wanted to see more of Chicago, but the rational part of my brain said that we had to eat as soon as possible. The hotel would be convenient.

"Do they have room service?" I asked.

Cameron looked surprised, and that's when I realized how that might have sounded.

Of course, I blushed. "I didn't mean it like that."

Cameron let out a soft chuckle, which caused the driver to laugh even if I doubted he'd even heard us. He must have thought Cameron was reacting to something he'd said.

"I believe they do have room service."

"Maybe it's better to eat in the restaurant." I would be mortified if he thought I was flirting with him.

* * * *

We ended up with room service in the end as both of us felt less than ready to sit in the restaurant among others. Cameron placed the plates on the coffee table and scooted over on the small, light blue couch, waving for me to sit down. I claimed the spot beside him and focused on the food in front of me. My mouth watered, and as if on cue, my stomach rumbled with hungry anticipation.

"Looks fishy," I commented.

"They told me it's cod, but I can't for the life of me spot any cod on my plate."

We both studied the odd creation and chuckled. I poked the delicately placed food with my fork, wondering what it all was. It looked too beautiful to eat, almost resembling small pieces of art.

"Smells good," Cameron said. "Not sure what it smells like, though." He scrunched his nose, and I couldn't help but smile.

I found myself wishing that Gabriel could be a bit more like Cameron. The easy smiles, the free expressions, the laughter in his voice—they all made Cameron into the lovely person he was, and that person brought forth the best in others. Gabriel, on the other hand, had seemed to do the opposite as of late. He even brought out the worst in me.

Cameron placed the fork on the plate and sat back. "You taste first."

"What? No!" I pressed my lips together into a thin line.

"You're my assistant. That includes tasting food first to see if it's poisoned." Cameron tried to sound serious, but he wasn't convincing.

I crossed my arms and tried to look as grave as I could. "You ordered the food."

"Well, you wanted the fishy stuff, clearly this is your responsibility."

I rolled my eyes and gave in, placing a small sample on my tongue. I relaxed back in to the couch and savored the utter perfection of flavors in harmony.

"You're moaning. I think I'll have your plate too."

My eyes flew open, just in time to catch Cameron in the act of dumping the contents from my plate onto his.

"Don't you dare."

Cameron broke out in laughter. "Oh God, that was priceless. You look like an affronted kitten."

While my face reddened, Cameron kept laughing until I attempted to steal his plate. He dove in to protect it and began to eat. The moan vibrating in his throat was enough to quiet both of us.

For a brief moment, our eyes met, and the silence contained a lot more than I'd bargained for.

* * * *

Sleep evaded me when I needed it the most. Exhausted, my thoughts kept swirling in the wrong direction. I was in trouble, and I had realized it too late. It shouldn't have taken me by surprise, but it did, and now I doubted if I could look at Cameron the same way ever again.

The dinner had been wonderful despite that brief moment of forbidden tension. We had mostly talked about the photo shoot and discussed some of the pictures. He appeared to value my opinion, but I wasn't certain if he was being truthful when he said I had talent. It didn't matter. He boosted my ego either way.

I shifted beneath the sheets, trying to find a way to settle down and deal with the guilt that surged inside me. I wasn't supposed to be attracted to Cameron, and it wasn't fair to compare Gabriel to him. Sighing, I shifted again. I needed to sleep, not think about errant thoughts I couldn't do much about. The only thing to do was shove them to the back of my mind and refuse to listen because Cameron wasn't an option no matter how attractive he was. Even if Gabriel and I for some reason didn't work out, Cameron was still out of bounds. He was my teacher and employer, certainly not a potential lover. That would be far too complicated. However, that didn't stop me from being drawn to him.

I remembered reading about the laws of attraction for an assignment in school. Hormones didn't distinguish, and it was fully possible to be attracted to someone while in love with another. Perhaps that didn't agree with what people thought was appropriate, but it held some kind of odd comfort that science was on my side.

Sighing, I turned over again. It was no use—my conscience was roaring with unease about my budding feelings for Cameron. I was blaming myself for something I hadn't done, but I figured that cheating came in many different shapes and forms.

It was time to goback and fight for the relationship I had. I wanted us to have a real chancetogether because I knew how well we could work if everything fell into place.We had years of friendship to prove it.