Falling In

I got up from my comfortable first class seat that I’ve been sitting in for 5 hours, and reached for my bag that was right next to me. Fortunately, nobody had taken the seat - unlike the previous flight that I somebody had been seated next to an angry business man for two hours - giving my camera a comfortable spot.

“Thank you for flying with us, I hope you enjoy your stay in Orlando,” the stewardess smiled at me before I exited the plane.

I made my way over to the car rentals, and handed them the papers. That’s the power of money. I was still 4 years away to be able to rent a car, but I was brought out here by some huge magazine and they paid for everything.

“Just walk out through those doors and cross the street, and give these to the people there and they’ll let you pick the car you wanna use,” the lady told me.

I quickly said a thank you and did as told and before I knew it, I was in my sweet ride. A Lexus IS 350c. Oh yeah, a convertible. If you’re in Florida, you have got to have a convertible. I put my bag in the trunk and my camera bag next to me on the passenger’s seat as I plugged in the address to the navigator. Once that was set up, I took out my AUX cable, along with my iPod and was ready to explore the city.

It only look half an hour to get to my destination, taking into consideration that I was using the time to sightsee and drove relatively slow. I was quite surprised at how broad and spread out everything was. At least it seemed to be, compared to the traffic back in Tahoe.

The house that they had provided for me seemed to be in a private lot. ”Very nice,” I thought to myself. I pulled up into the house that had the number 3846 on a fancy plackard, next to the front door.

I got out of the car, and used the key that was provided for me to open the door. It was no surprise that it would open, but it got me smiling like an idiot. I’ve always loved traveling, thus my job as a photographer that travels for clients. But I’ve always travelled with somebody. And for once, I get a solo job, and I can use these two weeks to relax and not worry about anything.

I went back to the car, grabbing my camera bag first, safely putting it on the couch before going back to get my luggage. I locked the car as I walked back into the beautiful loft and decided to explore.

When you walk into the door, a massive space greets you, complete with leather couches and a big screen TV. Then below the stairs, was the kitchen. I walked up the stairs and saw that there were two bedrooms. They were both the same size, really. They both had bathrooms, so I took the one to the right of the stairs.

I settled in, putting my luggage to the side and set up my equipment on the other side, next to the window. I decided to take a nap, seeing that it was still 6 AM back in Tahoe. I changed into my flannel pajamas and a tank top as I turned on the air conditioning, turning it to the highest setting before getting comfortable in bed. I quickly texted my brother and best friend that I got to my destination safe and for them to have a great weekend.

Crap. The weekend.

I frowned as the thought just squeezed itself into my brain, making the questions come back to haunt me.

Why was he not coming this year? He’s always down to snowboard. He loved Tahoe like it was his second home. Did he have other plans, other than snowboarding? Did he not like it anymore?

The questions ran through my head as if they were on a marathon, and each question I contemplated on all the possible answers.

Maybe he had plans with … Yeah, maybe he had plans with that. Maybe he didn’t like Tahoe anymore because he himself was trying to avoid me. Maybe he’s going snowboarding somewhere else? For a new scenery? Maybe in Colorado? Or in Vermont? Maybe work got in his way?

I spent probably an hour with the thoughts just running in circles. I then realized…

Why do I even care?

That single thought made me snap out of it. And I was glad. I reached for my phone, checking the time. My eyes widened seeing that it had already been two hours since I’ve planned to sleep. I had a missed call and two messages. I decided to read the messages first.



I typed a reply saying: It’s okay. Touchy subject. I’m sorry too :( I’ll bring you back stuff. But don’t count on the kettle corn :p

I checked the next one - from Patrick, my client for my current assignment. He asked to meet me at the office at 2 PM to discuss the rest of the details. I looked at the time and it told me I had 2 hours to get ready and get there. I had figured out that I wouldn’t be getting any sleep, and decided to clean my self up.

After I had gotten into a pair of shorts and a tank top, I grabbed my purse, along with the smaller version of my camera bag. I had my Nikon D5000 with me, along with the lens that would be best for landscapes. I also took an extra lens for portraits, just in case.

I grabbed the key off the plate next to the front door, and made my way to the blue car, plugging in my iPod and putting down the roof of the car to feel the wind in my face.

Hello, Florida



“Hello, you must be the infamous Stella Grace Descenzo,” Patrick greeted me with a hug.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Dane,” I smiled at him.

“No, honor’s all mine,” he smiled back. “So, shall I go over the details with you?” he asked, and I nodded, following him to his office. I sat down on one of the chairs around a coffee table, assuming that was where we were gonna discuss things. Professionals tend to want you to relax more. Humility is vital, yes, but at times you just have to act like you’ve been friends for a long time. That’s just how it is.

“We’re putting in a kid’s section for the March and April issues, just enough time for people to make plans for their summer vacations. And we all know that kids love Disneyland and all those amusement parks. I just need you to take pictures and write a quick article about each amusement park, and also their hotels,” he told me.

“Write?” I asked, my eyebrows furrowed.

“Yeah. You write don’t you?” he asked.

“Yes, I do,” I nodded.

“Well, then that’s all I need for you to do. It won’t be too hard though because you’ll have a partner to do the pictures and articles with too,” he said.

“What partner?” I asked, now sitting up in my chair. “I thought I was working on this alone?” I asked.

“Bob didn’t tell you?” he asked.

“Kyla didn’t tell you? I called her, asking if you’d be okay with working with somebody so the job would be easier for you,” he explained.

I gritted my teeth, cursing at Kyla – my manager – in my head. “No, she didn’t inform me, but that won’t be a problem,” I said, flashing a fake smile his way.

“Good,” he smiled. “I like that,” he stated. “So, this week will be the amusement parks, and next week, I’ll be sending the two of you down to South Beach Miami to check out some of the clubs and hotels,” he explained looking at the folder. “Here is the list, and you’ll get Sundays off,” he said before he handed me the folder.

I read over it, before looking at the top of the page that read ‘Luxury Travel Magazine’. I almost choked on my own spit. My eyes raised up to the man that was closely inspecting me. “Do you agree with the itinerary?” he asked me.

I nodded at him. “It’s well written,” I smiled.

“Oh and as for your partner. You’ll be living with him in the loft that I’ve provided for you. How do you like it by the way?”

“Oh, it’s amazing. I love the space and I like the area very much,” I grinned, then realized the beginning of his sentence. “Wait, he?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yes, a he. My nephew actually. He’s from California as well. He’s actually around your age, but a couple of years older. Around twenty three? You’re twenty one, right?” he asked, and I nodded. “Well, he’s getting started in his career in journalism. Though, he’s been doing photography. He was in the business area because his father side of the family owns two of the well known brands in the fashion industry. He’s been doing photography professionally for a couple years now, but I think he still needs some work,” he explained.

“So, he asked you if he could work for you?” I asked.

“Kind of. He didn’t really ask. I didn’t want to give him the benefit because he’s my nephew. I actually set him up on two other practice runs before actually publishing something from him. It seemed to be very good. Though, he does need quite some help in his journalism skills, and many have recommended you for doing both jobs. And doing them well, if I may mention,” he smiled. “So, I think that putting you two together would be a great idea. We can get the insight from both the female and the male prospective of things,” he finished.

“Oh, I guess. But I think he could’ve handled doing an amusement park alone,” I joked.

“Amusement parks are always better spent with somebody,” he laughed. “If your eye,” he motioned towards the camera on my lap. “Can’t capture it, maybe his can,” he grinned. “Plus, when I send you down to South Beach, it’ll be kind of weird to go clubbing alone, wouldn’t it?” he chuckled.

“I agree,” I smiled nodding at him.

A knock came to the door, and I heard the door open. Patrick stood up to greet the person, blocking my view from behind the door. My phone rang, making me look down for a moment to read who it was from, and to see if it was some kind of emergency. When I figured it wasn’t, I looked up and wanted to cower away from the dark green orbs that burned onto my gray ones.

“Stella Grace Descenzo, meet my nephew. Ethan Jay Versace,” Patrick introduced.

“What are you doing here?” he asked me in that melodic voice of his.