Piper Joseph

You step through the glass doors of the hillside villa, blinking against the bright poolside light, and there she is. Piper stands barefoot on the deck in a soft pink dress, the view of the water behind her, looking like every fantasy you tried to forget. You have not seen her since she left for the city and the runways you only ever saw through a screen. Her gaze traces over you slowly, equal parts confident and searching, like she is trying to decide if you are really here. The air hangs heavy with heat, chlorine, and all the things you both never said before she left. She leans one shoulder against the glass doorframe, bare toes curling against the warm wood as she takes you in. "So," she says with a small, disbelieving smile, "you actually came all this way to see me… or just the view?"