Through the Lens Click Duet - Book One Persephone Autumn Between Words Publishing LLC Through the Lens Copyright © 2021 by Persephone Autumn www.persephoneautumn.com All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, establishments, organizations, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously to give a sense of authenticity. Any resemblance to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, or it was purchased on a site I do not advertise I sell on, then it was pirated illegally. Please purchase a copy of your own on a platform where the author advertises she distributes and respect the hard work of this author. ISBN: 978-1-951477-12-7 (Ebook) ISBN: 978-1-951477-13-4 (Paperback) Editor: Ellie McLove | My Brother’s Editor Proofreader: Rosa Sharon | My Brother’s Editor Cover Design: Kat Savage | Kat Savage Designs Books by Persephone Autumn Standalone Romance Novels Depths Awakened Sweet Tooth Devotion Series Distorted Devotion Undying Devotion Beloved Devotion Bay Area Duet Series Click Duet Through the Lens Time Exposure Inked Duet Fine Line Love Buzz Poetry Collections Ink Veins Broken Metronome Standalone Horror Novels By Dawn (published under P. Autumn) To every person who’s had their heart ripped in two. Who thought they’d never find love again. Contents Through The Lens Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 To be continued… Thank You Click Duet Playlist More by Persephone Connect with Persephone Acknowledgments About the Author Through The Lens Photography term. Through-the-lens (TTL) metering refers to a feature of cameras whereby the intensity of light reflected from the scene is measured through the lens; as opposed to using a separate metering window or external hand-held light meter. Chapter One Cora Is this real? This cannot be real. I ball my fingers into loose fists, rub my eyes, and look ahead once more. Yep, still there. Still strutting around like a peacock fanning its tail feathers. How fortunate are we to bear witness to this monumental event? An event we could all live another day without seeing. An event I pray never repeats itself. For the love of all that is good in this world, please make it end. On the compact stage of our favorite bar and grill, a seventy-something grandpa wears an eighties rock band muscle tank top, ripped jeans, and faded black Converse high-tops that have seen better days. He holds the mic to his mouth, tips his head back, and belts out the words to Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” Some might say, what’s the big deal. Let the old man enjoy life. And I would probably agree. But singing is not all he is doing. Nope. Karaoke grandpa has added a little “show” to his rendition. Giving the crowd something to remember. For life. Not ten seconds ago, he picked up his full glass of water, tipped his head back, and poured it down his chest, driving us all down wet T-shirt contest lane. The crowd whistles and eggs him on, and he eats up every cheer given. Flaunts his man chest through the wet tank. But wait, it keeps getting better. Now… Some dumbass walked up to the stage and just handed him a soft-serve ice cream cone. Since when did the bar serve… What the hell is he… Oh. My. God! No he isn’t. Please tell me he did not just… My hands fly up and mask my gaping mouth. My eyes unable to do anything except stare. I shake my head, barely noticeable to anyone not at my table. How is this happening? How is it I am here right now? This will undoubtedly be scarred into my cerebral cortex for the rest of my life. Marked in my mental scrapbook for years of reference. A tale told to grandchildren to make them laugh at their grandfather. Not only is grandpa up on the makeshift stage, singing to the world like he is fifty years younger. Not only has he ripped off his wet T-shirt and flashed his elderly man-boobs to the cat-calling natives. Now he has taken his soft-serve vanilla and is smearing it all over his now exposed nipples. But that is not the worst of it. Nope. Not even close. Because he just brought the dripping cone to his lips and is sucking on the dairy confection as if his life depends on it. Gag! Somehow, I manage to break my eyes away from the geriatric porn in front of me and glance over at Shelly and Jonas. When I see that both of their expressions are equally as awestruck as mine, all I do is laugh. I have yet to figure out if we are fortunate to have seen this. Or if we are being punished for something. It’s a crapshoot. “Are you two seeing what I’m seeing?” I ask, already knowing the answer. To be honest, I want to hear their interpretation of it all. There is no way I can be the only one thinking this is nutty as hell. Karaoke Grandpa has definitely fallen off his rocker. “I think I need to go home and bleach my eyes. Some things cannot be unseen. Some things should never be seen,” Shelly says on a chuckle. “Mad props to the old-timer. One, such as myself, can only hope I’m that fucking cool when I’m his age,” Jonas states, an echo of pride in his voice. I giggle as he sits taller on his stool. And when he glances my way, his sweet smile lights up his face. The one that makes the dimple on his left cheek pop. The dimple that makes me question why we are only friends. Why does that
