we keep this love in a photograph

Chapter 10

Monday was Rosie's first day of work, and they had dinner afterwards at a Korean barbecue restaurant while she skirted around the topic of her job, but was quietly pleased about something. Jennie was content to let her keep her thoughts to herself, as unusual as it was for Rosie, and chalked it up to excitement for her first day back after her break.

It was a busy week for Jennie, and it made it harder to fit in moments with Rosie, who was also exhausted from her long days and the commute out to the base and back, but they still managed to find the time. After Korean barbecue, there was pizza late one night at Jennie's office, her eyes burning as she stayed glued to her computer screen, while Rosie rewrote an article she was working on from the sofa. There had been a night spent curled up on Jennie's sofa, watching a movie as they ate ramen and mochi from a takeout Rosie had swung by on her way home.

It wasn't until the weekend that they really had much time, Jennie's Saturday morning taken up by an important meeting with an overseas associate, before her afternoon and Sunday was freed up. Sunday afternoon, they walked along the bay wall, eating gelato as the sun left dappled shadows on the sidewalk as it filtered through the overhanging trees, their leaves so deeply green that they looked blue.

Jennie was grateful for the chance to get outside and stretch her legs, breathing in the briny air as children screamed and laughed on the playground, dogs barked and chased after tennis balls or begged for attention from them - she loved to watch Rosie sink to her knees to ruffle their fur under their chins as their tongue lolled - and seagulls wheeled about, their keening cry oddly comforting. It was a warm day and they walked and walked, occasionally holding hands, pointing out things of interest to each other and just enjoying the pleasure of company. They didn't even have to talk; Jennie just enjoyed being beside her.

Rosie didn't stay for dinner that night, grimly explaining to Jennie that Irene and Suho were moving into their own apartment together and she'd offered to help, and Jennie assured her that it was fine with an odd sense of amusement. No one had ever worried that she might be offended at being left alone; Jennie didn't know any different. Perhaps a part of her even craved the loneliness, until Rosie came along, but she would survive a night on her own. Besides, she already had plans.

She'd ordered four separate broken Polaroid cameras online while at work, and at the long table in her attic, she sat at the stool, surrounded by the disassembled pieces of cameras. There was an open tutorial on the laptop screen before her and Jennie stared at it intently while she sipped her Aperol Spritz and followed the steps to reassemble it.

The evening was warm, the sky a gentle violet through the open windows as a sweet breeze brought in the faintly spicy smell of magnolia and heated tarmac. She had a record on downstairs that just managed to reach her on the fourth floor, and she was happy to sit there all afternoon as the hours dragged on, determined to get the camera working again.

Her paperwork was piled on her desk, forgotten about as the camera occupied her attention, and Jennie picked at a light dinner of figs and soft cheeses as she worked, letting her mind wander as her capable hands moved of their own accord. It was slow work, and satisfying as each fiddly piece was slotted into place, and the sun hadn't even fully set by the time Jennie had a fully assembled camera before her.

Pointing the lens of the camera towards herself, Jennie smiled, her eyes crinkling as she cocked her head to the side slightly and snapped a photo to see if it was working. Her stomach soared with triumph as she let out a quiet laugh, black spots momentarily blinding her from the flash before the camera chugged out a square film. Setting the camera down safely, Jennie held the square in her hands, beneath the desk where it was darker, and waited for the photo to reveal itself. She brought it back out to find her smiling face staring back at her and was filled with smug satisfaction.