A young college girl stood quietly behind the counter of the sleepy café with her eyes trained on a dark and rainy street. The darkness of autumn made it seem like midnight when it was only 7pm. As she glanced around the café, she noted the regular college kids with their laptops glowing and ear buds creating a secret solitude while they studied and drank their latte. One man sat quietly in the corner sipping his normal tall dark roast coffee. He was a point of curiosity for her when he came in; he never said much and always had a big fancy camera with him.
On a typical shift one night, the camera man came in and placed his order. He was always friendly but clearly a man of few words. She remembered his order because it was just like him; tall and black. As he walked to the counter she had his coffee ready and smiled up at him.
"Am I that predictable Carlee?" He beamed a wide smile.
"I guess you are." She looked down in to his coffee and smiled meekly.
"That's why I come here, I like that I'm not a face in the crowd." He locked eyes with her briefly.
"Why do you carry a camera all the time?" She couldn't believe she asked the question that had kept her curiosity for the few weeks he had been coming in.
"I'm a photographer." His hand squeezed the big lens.
"That would explain it." She felt stupid and handed him the change.
Dropping the change in the tip jar, he sat at the table closest to the counter.
When the photographer finished his coffee, the café was empty. Standing at the counter he placed his empty cup and looked at the young woman as she washed a coffee urn in the big sink. Her uniform really didn't do the body underneath justice. To most people, she would be a plain girl but to his eye he saw real beauty. Her blue eyes and long wavy brown hair always pleased him to look at.
"Have you ever considered modelling Carlee?" His deep voice filled the little café catching her off guard.
Turning towards him she looked down, "No, is that what kind of pictures you take?"
"Yep, among other things." He pulled a card from his pocket and handed it to her. "If you ever want to give it a try, let me know."
Carlee took the card and placed it in her apron. "Thanks."
A typical Saturday night in her dorm, Carlee sat studying in her pajamas. Startled by the door opening she looked up to see her drunken roommate Tina noisily making her way to her bed.
"Hi Carlee. I'm a little drunk." She flopped on her bunk.
"Just a little." Carlee shook her head watching her friend as she got undressed.
"It was a great party C, you really need to get out and enjoy college! Loosen up a little bit." Her hands were animated as she talked about the good times college had to offer.
"I'm good you drunkard!" They laughed.
Tina staggered over to the dresser topless to find a tee, "Who is Derek?"
"Derek who?" Carlee looked up from her book.
"Derek Young, photographer." Tina held the business card close to her eyes to read the small print.
"He's just a guy from the café. He thinks I should be a model." She shrugged it off.
Tina flopped on the bed with Carlee, "YOU SHOULD DO IT!"
"You are delusional Tina, I'm no model." She shook her head.
"You're gorgeous C! Perfect boobs, butt and hair! You should try it out." Her voice raised in excitement.
"Go to sleep would you! I have an exam in the morning." She smacked Tina's ass as she headed for her bed.
Carlee finished her exam and was getting dressed for work when she saw the simple business card on her dresser. He was likely just being polite, she wasn't model material. Fixing her hair in the mirror she pulled it back in to a tight pony tail as usual before putting her uniform on. As her shift trudged on she found herself waiting for Derek to show up. Two days had passed and he hadn't shown up yet.
Derek opened the café door and shook off the cold air of autumn. He immediately noticed Carlee looking his way and he smiled at her. As he walked to the counter his coffee was waiting for him.
"Thank you Carlee." He smiled and gave her a wink. "I would love to talk to you a bit about modelling for me when you get a break."
"You were serious about wanting me to model?" She truly couldn't wrap her head around why.
"Very." His smile turned to a serious face.
Carlee made herself an iced coffee and sat across from Derek. "Why me?"
"Have you looked in a mirror lately? Why not you?" His smile returned.
Carlee blushed. "You mean like magazines and stuff?"
"Not immediately. We would build you a portfolio to get you noticed first."
"I don't have a lot of free time between school and work. I need the money." Carlee looked for an exit from the conversation.
"I pay you to model for me and you get pictures for your profile." He watched her intently. "It's very relaxed and fun. We can schedule it around work and school."
"Let me think about it and I will get back to you okay? I have to get back to work now." Carlee headed for the counter.
As Derek placed his empty cup on the counter Carlee walked up to him, "I'm just curious, but how much does it pay?"
"It pays $25 an hour. Usually two hours at a time." He watched her eyes open at his response.
"Really? What do I have to do?" Her voice was skeptical.
"Nothing you don't want to do Carlee. We start slow and see where it goes. You get paid either way."
"I don't work tomorrow and I'm finished school at noon."
"Sounds good, I'll meet you by the campus library at noon then?" His big hand tapped the counter playfully.