Valerie P.O.V

Being with Carter last night was amazing. I didn't really plan on it, but he made me feel comfortable and safe, and not to mention incredibly turned on, that I wanted to go there. He never pushed me into doing anything when we were together, and was perhaps even slightly hesitant. Once I gave him permission, he treated my body so expertly I had never felt that way before. If I were a different girl, we for sure would have slept together that first night I saw him. Holding back from the sizzling chemistry we had when we first met and building an emotional connection first instead, had really paid off when we got physical.

Unfortunately, Carter had to leave after breakfast to meet with some important people. He wanted to come out with a line of merch, with 15% of the profits going to a different charity organisation of his choosing every four months, as there were so many important causes out there he couldn't possibly pick just one. I had gained so much respect for him after hearing about his plans.

As I arrived home, I decided I would try to do a quick at-home workout of squats, lunges, pushups and situps on my yoga mat. The hike yesterday really got me in the mood of being active- my body felt so fresh and relaxed afterwards. I took a shower after my little sesh and opted to dress up extra cute again so I could also take a few more pictures to upload on Instagram. Practising some self-love and taking care of yourself is so very important. My self-esteem was at an all-time high as well, I barely felt any self-consciousness being exposed in front of Carter last night. It felt so right.

~

My followers had been climbing higher as every day passed, with my commitment to uploading daily with a cute summery outfit. It felt really empowering to start each day off stylishly dressed and ready to kick ass- even if it was just working at Bean Crushers. It was also fun, I'm not sure how well I would keep it up when fall semester started, but for now I was enjoying it. I had been getting a lot of positive comments as well on my photos which was cool to see, and encouraged me to keep going. There were a few comments though, about whether I was the "mystery girl" dating Carter, which peaked my curiosity as to what that meant.

I brought up my explore page and decided to do some internet stalking to find out. After a little scrolling, I came across a post from a gossip site that was split into two. On the left, there was a photo of Carter sitting at some sort of café, laughing with a pretty girl I haven't seen before. On the right, there was a picture of Carter and I on our hike with his arms wrapped around me, probably from when he had run up and caught me from behind. I wonder how they got that photo? We hadn't encountered any fans or paparazzi that day... maybe they just hadn't come up to him? I flicked my eyes down toward the caption: "Carter Bryson, the ladies' man spotted with an old flame, Lacey Drew at Urth Caffé and with another mystery girl looking extra cosy on the Hollywood trail the next day. Is this the start of a budding romance, or perhaps a love triangle?"

What?! I guess mystery girl is me, but I couldn't be recognised clearly due to the cap shadowing my face and because the photo was not taken up close. But who was Lacey? They had called her an old flame... maybe an ex? I tried to remember back to that day, he briefly told me he would just be seeing some friends... Ugh, why do I even care that much? I trust him. I don't need to know his whereabouts and every single person he meets. I never even blinked twice until seeing this picture!

My insecurities once again started bubbling up to the surface as I looked up her name. This girl was stunning, and they both appeared like they were having a good time in that picture. I kept scrolling through her feed until I stumbled across a post from three years ago, she was leaning up to kiss Carter's cheek as he had a hand around her waist. A knot formed in my stomach at the sight. Ugh it was in the past though! It doesn't really matter! I knew I was being ridiculous and bringing this upon myself by looking, but at the same time it still bothered me. Especially because they had called her an old flame, and Carter had gone to see her recently... Am I jealous? I think I was. More importantly though, I was very, very confused. Who was she to him? And who am I to him?

I couldn't resist and flicked back to the gossip site photo to read the comments, most of which were insignificant. The knot in my stomach grew however, as I read a few more.

"Omg I love Lacey & Carter!!! Hope they're getting back together" "Is that chick on the right from @sommertamari's insta?! Kinda looks like her" "totally like him and Lacey better tho, like the old days" "nah I don't think they were together even"

I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths to try and sort through all my tumultuous thoughts. Try not to let it get to you. I repeated what Carter had said in my head. It's probably nothing, just gossip.

"Hey girl, what's up?" Ell's voice chirped up from behind me. I opened my eyes to see her cheery face stroll through the front door.

"Nothing much, just on my phone really," I replied nonchalantly, as Ell popped her keys and purse down, making her way over to the dining table to sit next to me.

"Oooh anything interesting?" she said as she whipped out her own phone to check her notifications.

"Umm, not really! I'm like at 27K followers now which is like so mind-blowing," I chuckled as I stretched my arms above my head. Just forget about it.

"Omg congrats Val!" Ell exclaimed happily, dropping her hands down on the table to look at me in mild surprise. "I mean, I knew that the world would obvs appreciate your sense of style so I'm not surprised. Plus you're like hot," she rolled her eyes sassily, and resumed texting on her phone.

"Thanks," I rolled my eyes right back at her jokingly.

"We should totally do some lookbooks later, I'll be your photographer," she said nodding her head enthusiastically at the idea.

"Alright," I chuckled. "How was work by the way?" I set my phone down to focus on her.

"Good! I'm sad I'm going to finish up soon. First episode comes out in a few days, do you wanna come with me to the premiere/wrap party we're having?"

"Yeah, that sounds fun," I nodded at the smiling girl before me. I would always support her without any strings-attached, like she had supported me through everything that happened.

"Thanks Val! By the way, Julian from wardrobe asked about you, I think you should give him a call!"

Wow he remembered me?! Hmm... It couldn't hurt to see what he wanted? How fun would it be to play with so many clothes, shoes and accessories all day long. I should have his card somewhere in my purse...

~

I was fidgeting non-stop as I heard the repeated tone of my cellphone ringing after punching in Julian's number. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally picked up.

"Hello?"

"Oh hi Julian! This is Valerie... Valerie Delwood?"

"Darling! So glad you called. Look, I really need an assistant stylist for the next five days, and you were just fabulous last time!"

"Oh wow really...? I mean are you sure? I have no professional experience... I'm not-"

"Honey, I can spot someone with good fashion sense a mile away."

"O-Okay, I mean I would love to."

"Great! I'm travelling to New York though... will that be an issue?"

"Uh...no, no I, I can go."

"Fabulous! You will receive a small pay for your assistance, however airfare and accommodation will need to be covered."

"Yes, yep I can do that."

"Amazing! Text you the details darling, ciao!"

"Bye, thankyou!"

I stared at the end call on the screen in shock.

What. Just. Happened.

Everything happened so quickly I didn't really have time to process. It was an amazing opportunity that I couldn't possibly turn down though. The only two minor issues were; going back to New York which I didn't enjoy doing too often, and getting my shifts at Bean Crushers covered for the next few days. Also, the airfare... could I really swing that with my budget? I might have to dip in to my savings. What am I saying! It's not every day someone offers something like this to you. I should take it and run. Harden up Valerie. You can do this. No backing out.

I spent the rest of the afternoon calling to cover the three shifts I had on that week and began packing carefully for the next five days. I had to be on my best game. New York style was quite different to L.A, more high fashion and less summery hype clothes because of the weather difference and atmosphere.

Ellana was extremely excited after I had told her what happened and dramatically faux-cried that I would be ditching her for a week. To which I responded that she would probably just stay at Kean's anyway, causing her to admit it with a guilty shrug. She said she'd still miss me though, and that I would totally rock it.