Off Camera (Love Through a Lens, #3)

by Chelsea Curto

For the girls who feel like they take up too much space. You don’t. They just don’t dream big enough.

His thick-framed glasses hide a lot of his face, but I see green eyes and red scruff on his cheeks that matches the hair on his head. An inviting grin pulls at his mouth, and he seems so familiar to me. I’m certain I’ve seen him somewhere before, I just can’t remember when.

“You’re pretty. Very pretty, and also the first woman who hasn’t made fun of me for liking superheroes. I’m wondering if my friends put you up to this as some sort of dare, because I’m not sure what the hell I did to have someone as gorgeous as you rattle off comic book titles at me.”

She’s funny. Quick-witted and smart. Gorgeous and a total knockout. And when she dropped a comic book title into casual conversation like she was talking about the weather? My heart almost fell out of my chest.

I get a whiff of her perfume when she leans forward. It smells like the rainstorm we had two nights ago, with a hint of honey and pretty white flowers. Hyacinths, maybe. I like it.

The woman is gorgeous, with long brown hair that hangs down her back and big brown eyes. Her skin is tan, her smile is soft, and there’s this presence about her. Like she can light up any room she’s in without having to try.

I’ve already gathered that Reid is different. He’s shy. Hesitant in believing he could hold the titles of good-looking and most attractive. A guy who would rather fade into the background than steal the spotlight. But gosh, he could be the star of the show.

“Avery,” he murmurs, and my name has never sounded so precious before. “It’s a pleasure to meet you for real.” “The pleasure is still mine.”

He rests his forehead against mine. I love how close he is. How warm he is, and how he’s staring at me like I’m the only person in the room.

He pushes his glasses up his nose, and never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that would be as hot as it is.

I love when the quiet ones surprise you. Just when you think you have them figured out, they do something out of character, like get on their knees and eat you out like you’re their favorite meal.

“You’re a nice guy. You blush, for heaven’s sake, which is the cutest thing in the world, by the way. I didn’t think you’d have an A+ dirty talk game, and I’m surprised.”

I wonder if this is how I’m going to die: with a beautiful man putting his dick in me. What a way to go.

His grip on me tightens, and I relax into the feeling of being safe. A spot I’m not familiar with, but I’d like to get to know.

I’m not a big believer of fate or divine intervention, but as I head out of his room with my heels in my hand and a final look over my shoulder where I find him watching me walk away, I can’t help but think Reid was sent to me for a very specific reason.

“Huh. I didn’t realize you’re never in the stuff you share online,” Dallas says. “Nope. I’m happier off camera where no one can see me,” I say. “Hiding in the shadows. Unrecognizable. You don’t even hear my voice in the videos.” “I could never,” Maverick says. “I want my name in big, bright lights.”

I suck in a sharp breath. Avery runs the Thunderhawks’ social media accounts? Avery is who I talk to every day? Avery drives me up a goddamn wall? What the fucking fuck is going on?

“We call someone out, we’re a bitch. We keep our mouths shut, they ask, ‘what? Don’t you have something to say?’ We can’t win.” “We really can’t. We’re damned if we do, damned if we don’t.” “Sums up being a woman, honestly.”

My breath gets stuck in my chest. I shake my head, refusing to believe this man, the one who stared at me like I was the most precious thing in the world and wouldn’t look away, is the same one I’ve been talking to, been hating, for years.

“Oh my god. This cannot be happening. I liked the you I met at the bar, but I hate internet you. You’re the biggest pain in my ass.”

I’m not going to be able to turn off my attraction to him overnight. Even with this big revelation, I still want to kiss him. I still think he’s a nice guy with a good heart. He also happens to be the man I’ve loathed since our very first interaction. Separating the two is going to be difficult.

“The quiet ones are always the most fun.”

“Just because our experiences are different doesn’t mean yours is less important.”

Goddamn him. Goddamn him for being attractive. Goddamn him for being vulnerable with me. Goddamn him for wearing those glasses.

I don’t know how it happens. I don’t know who moves first. If questioned, I would deny any involvement, but maybe it’s me. Maybe it’s him. Maybe it’s both of us, drawn together like magnets, an inevitable pull I can’t resist no matter how hard I fucking try. One minute, we’re six feet apart. The next I’m pressed against his door. His hand is tangled in my hair and his mouth is on mine. He’s kissing me like a man starved, and I’m not doing a goddamn thing to stop him.

Every time I’m with Avery, it still feels like a fever dream. Outside the bedroom, she irritates the ever-loving shit out of me. She makes me want to pull my hair out and has me furiously answering comments like my fingers are going to fall off if I don’t get to them fast enough. It’s different behind closed doors when we put our phones away. Work and life get paused when she shows up at my apartment, and I can be someone else for a little while. The dude who scores a goddamn beauty queen.

“Think you might care about me, Sinclair,” he says into my hair, and I’m struck with the sudden and horrifying realization I do care about him. “Just a little bit.” “In your dreams, Duncan,” I say, even though we both know I’m lying.

“You’re beautiful,” Reid murmurs, and I tuck it away close to my chest. “Sometimes I still can’t believe I get to have you like this.” “In another part of your stadium?” I ask, my lips moving to his neck. I kiss below his ear. Above his collarbone, and I smile when he tips his head back and groans. “It’s becoming a trend, I’ve noticed.” “No.” The single word shakes. Turns fraught and hesitant, like he’s afraid to admit this next part out loud. “Like you’re mine.”

“You never take up too much space, Ave. Not with me,” he says. “I think I’d like you to take up more of it.”

“But you don’t have to worry about them. I’m only looking at you. I have been for a while now.” Avery’s eyes soften, and I feel her smile in the center of my chest. “I’m only looking at you too, Reid.”

Now that I have her in my arms, I don’t want to let her go. My chest feels impossibly tight when she smiles. Tighter still when she puts her hand over my heart.

I’m still looking at her long after she falls asleep, and I think I’d like to find a way to keep her here for more than a year. I want to find a way to keep her here forever.

“Why is your heart beating so fast?” “Because I was nervous about your present. Because I like being here with you.” I swallow, my next words shaky. “Because seeing you happy makes me happy.”

I’ve been scared to admit it, but now I know with absolute certainty. If I let myself fall, Reid is the one I’m going to fall for. I think I’m already halfway there.

Calling you the girl of my dreams sounds so fucking cliché, but it’s true. If I had to put together my perfect person, every part of them would be made of you.”

I want to love her, and I want her to love me back.

“You’re mine,” I tell her, letting the words slip free and she smiles. “Today. Tomorrow. For as long as you’ll have me.” “Yours,”

It’s time for me to acknowledge the thing I’ve been trying so hard to fight. I like him. I like him so much. I’d give him my heart if he asked. I’d promise to treasure his in return, if he let me. I think I might be a little in love with him too.

He’s looking at me like I’m made of stars. Something racing across a midnight sky made of hopes and wishes and wants. There’s wonder when he parts his lips. Joy when I give him a nervous smile. Affection, too, when he moves his hand to my cheek, his touch as soft as clouds.

I’m falling for this man, and from the way my heart beats when he doesn’t let go, I know I’m tumbling head first.

“I can’t believe I get to exist within a four-foot radius of you. You’re made of dreams, Avery, and I’m the guy lucky enough for even a few minutes of your time.”

“Five months ago, I hated you. I would’ve done anything to bring you down. Now I’m wondering how I lived so long without you.” “You’ve always had me,” I say. I reach up and cup his cheek, my thumb running over the rough scratch of his beard. “In a way, I’ve always been yours.”

“You made work fun. You had me checking my phone every fifteen minutes, obsessing over what you might say and how I would answer. I made spreadsheets where I tried to figure out your schedule. My friends gave me so much shit. They said I had a crush. They said you were the only one who could hold my attention. I denied having any sort of feelings for you. You were the bane of my existence. My biggest pet peeve. My eye twitched when they mentioned you, but then it all made sense. Hating you felt a lot like⁠—”

“I took you to that shitty sports bar, Avery, because I… I don’t want you to go on dates with anyone else. I don’t want you to give your attention to anyone else. I’ve never, ever taken anything for myself, but with you, I want to. I’m greedy. I want more, and I’m going to keep being greedy for as long as you’ll let me.”

Fuck, I love her. This isn’t a crush that’s going to go away in a few weeks. This isn’t something I can expect to fade away when the football season ends.

“I spent three years talking to someone I pretended not to give a damn about, but the thing is, I love you,” I say. “I love you a whole fucking lot, Avery, and it’s the one part of our bet I didn’t see coming. I planned for everything else except falling head over heels for you. And I still fell. Hard. I fucking smashed into the ground.”

“I love you too,” she whispers, and my heart stops. It flatlines before jolting back to life when she takes my face in her palms. “I love you so very much, Reid, because you’ve made me believe in it again. I feel it when I’m with you. In every cracked corner of my heart that’s putting itself back together again. Every morning when I open my eyes, and you’re there. Sometimes it scares me how much I love you.”

“Baby. You’re going to be fucking sick of me soon.” “Doubtful. I’ve always been a little obsessed with you, Duncan. It’s about time you caught up.”

“I love you,” I whisper, and his eyes light up. His smile melts into something beautiful, something precious. Mine. “I love you so much. I’m so glad I sent you that first message. I’m so glad I get to be here with you.”

He presses his mouth to mine, and I kiss him. I kiss him like the world is going to end tomorrow and he cups the back of my neck, keeping me in place and kissing me back like I’m his salvation.