She wasn't supposed to say yes.
Selene sat alone in her hotel room after breakfast, the curtains half-drawn, light slipping through the slits like it was being careful not to disturb her.
Her coffee cup was still warm in her hands.
She stared at the steam curling up.
Why did I say yes?
She barely knew him. Evan. A stranger with a crooked smile, a camera, and too much charm.
He talked like the world was still interesting.
She didn't trust people who did that.
Selene looked at her bag on the chair, the half-unpacked clothes, her books.
She had left everything. And no one had come after her.
Not even a real goodbye.
Not even a real plan.
But Evan—he gave her one.
She set the cup down and sat on the edge of the bed, hands clasped between her knees.
She could've said no.
Should've.
But the truth was…
She was tired of floating.
Of the silence.
Of waking up and not knowing what to do with her own existence.
Maybe she didn't care about photography.
Maybe she didn't even care about Evan.
But the thought of walking beside someone—& having a purpose—even just a little—felt like enough.
At least for now.
So she said yes.
Not because she believed in the job.
Not because she believed in herself.
But because, for once, someone asked her to come along.
Selene lost in her thoughts and suddenly there was a knock on the door.
Sharp. Quick. Impatient.
Selene blinked, like she'd forgotten where she was.
She padded over and opened it slowly.
Evan stood there, hair slightly messy, grinning like he'd just won something. In one hand, he held a tablet. In the other, a small, battered notebook and a pen stuck in the coil.
"Hello again" he said. "Let's go. We've got work to do."
Selene stared at him. "Work?"
"Yes," he said cheerfully, walking right past her and into the room like he owned it. "You, madam, are now officially my assistant. First task—location check. We're going to the venue where the wedding is happening."
She frowned. "I didn't agree to leaving the hotel."
"You agreed to work with me," he pointed out, already scrolling something on the tablet. "And unfortunately for you, my work doesn't happen in hotel rooms. Unless someone's getting married in the hallway."
Selene crossed her arms. "I don't want to go."
Evan looked up at her, blinking. "Why?"
"I just don't."
He tilted his head. "Are you allergic to wedding venues or just sunlight in general?"
She gave him a look.
He held up his hands. "Okay, okay. Fair. But it'll be quick. I need to check lighting, angles, maybe take a few sample shots. You don't even have to do anything. You can just stand there and judge me silently. Which I'm pretty sure you enjoy."
Selene tried not to smile. "Do you always talk this much?"
"Only when I'm being ignored," he grinned.
She sighed, grabbing her hoodie off the chair. "This better not take long."
Evan beamed like she'd just agreed to marry him. "Ten minutes. Fifteen tops."
"You're lying."
"Absolutely," he said without hesitation.
Selene tugged her hoodie over her head, assuming they'd be catching a cab.
Evan was already outside when Selene stepped out, squinting at the late-afternoon light. He stood near the curb, his hair still messy, sleeves rolled up, looking entirely too pleased with himself.
Selene tugged her hoodie over her head, assuming they'd be catching a cab.
Adam was there too, tossing something up and catching it — keys.
"You sure about this?" Adam asked, eyeing Evan with a smirk.
"What kind of a gentleman takes her girlfriend for a date visiting a venue & — on a bike" Adam said, looking over at her, then back at Evan.
"I know what I'm doing," Evan said with a grin, holding out his hand.
With a theatrical sigh, Adam tossed him the keys. "Unbelievable."
Evan caught them in one hand, turned to Selene, and held them out. "Come on. Let me show you something."
She eyed the keys warily. "A bike?"
"A very charming, slightly loud, totally free bike," he said. He grinned like a kid showing off a new toy.
Selene stopped in her tracks. "You want me to get on that?"
Adam chuckled. "She's smarter than you, Evan. Don't blame her if she runs halfway back to town."
Evan ignored him.
Evan patted the seat. "She's beautiful. Slightly temperamental, but aren't we all?"
"I've never been on a motorbike," she said, eyeing it warily.
His face lit up like it was his birthday. "You're joking."
"I'm serious."
"Then it can be your origin story."
She gave him a deadpan look. "Pretty sure my origin story ends with me flying off this thing and cracking my skull."
"Wow. So much faith," he said, swinging his leg over the seat with ease. "Come on. I'll go slow. I promise."
"You say that like you're not the type to speed up the moment we start."
He looked over his shoulder with a mischievous smirk.
Selene hesitated, then slowly climbed on behind him. She sat stiffly, gripping the edge of the seat instead of him.
"You're gonna need to hold on tighter than that," he said.
She scoffed. "I'm not hugging you."
With a roar of the engine, the bike jolted forward. Selene yelped and instinctively grabbed onto him.
"I hate this already!" she shouted over the wind.
"I love this already!" Evan whispers to himself, laughing.
As they started their ride, the engine hummed beneath them, steady and alive. The bike weaved through the tall buildings of the city, their shadows long and golden. Gradually, the noise faded. The street opened to a quieter road lined with pine trees — tall & still.
The sun warmed her back. The wind slipped through her fingers as she held her arms slightly out. Cold air kissed her face, sharp but not unwelcome. For the first time in weeks, maybe months, her mind quieted.
She didn't know where they were going. She didn't ask.
Selene stopped tensing.
She leaned in a little.
And then she smiled.
The wind whipped past them as the bike curved along the road.
"How do you know my name?" Selene suddenly asked, her voice close to his ear.
Evan grinned. "I guessed it."
"You did not." She laughed against the wind.
He just chuckled, not answering.
"Evan!" she nudged his shoulder with her hand, still holding on.
"I'm serious! You look like a Selene. Kind of mysterious. Kind of poetic."
"That's not how guessing works."
"Sure it is," he said, leaning a little into a turn. "I'm just talented."
She rolled her eyes, but her laugh lingered in the air between them all the way to the venue.
They pulled into a long gravel driveway flanked by trees, the motorbike slowing to a crawl. At the end stood a wide cream-colored house, soft ivy curling along its sides, and a large open backyard dotted with flowerbeds and fairy lights being strung along a fence by two early decorators.
"Wow…" Selene whispered as she climbed off the bike, brushing her hair back. "This place looks like a movie."
"It's pretty, huh?" Evan said, taking off his helmet. "Wait till it's filled with drunk uncles and someone's crying ex."
She gave him a look. "Romantic."
He winked.
They made their way up to the house, where an older man with a clipboard met them on the porch. Evan did the talking, quick and charming as ever, introducing himself as the photographer. The man nodded and waved them through, telling them they could look around and prepare.
As they stepped into the backyard, Evan reached into his leather bag and pulled out a small notebook, handing it to Selene along with a pen.
"Alright, Assistant Selene," he said, adopting a businesslike tone, "your job is very important."
"Crucial," he said. "You write down everything I say… everything that sounds even remotely wedding-related. And also—anything that's not but feels poetic or like it could be used in a blog caption."
She stared at him. "You mean like… The tree swayed with the breeze of forgotten lovers?"
"Exactly," he said, grinning. "God, you're natural at this."
She snorted. "That was sarcasm."
"I'm choosing to ignore that."
They wandered the yard—Evan pointing out where the ceremony would be held under a sprawling oak tree, where the couple would walk in, the corner where he wanted to catch sunset photos.
"This spot," he said, stopping at a narrow stone path lined with tiny daisies. "This is where I want the bride and groom to do the 'just married' walk. See how the light falls here?"
Selene scribbled notes, glancing up. "Yeah, it's warm here. Dreamy."
He paused, looking at her with a tiny smile. "Exactly."
They circled around the back porch, where a makeshift bar was being set up.
"Write this down," Evan said, tapping the notebook in her hands. "'Interview bartender tomorrow. Get stories. Everyone has stories at weddings.'"
Selene wrote it with a small smile. "You're more sentimental than I thought."
He shrugged. "Weddings bring it out of me. Or maybe it's you."
She glanced at him.
He smirked.