Tegan's P.O.V.
Sighing, I picked up the polaroid beside me. She was sitting on a swing, wearing a long black skirt, a gray, oversized sweater, and red ankle combat boots, her beautiful brown hair in a mess of a bun atop her head, rings covering her fingers. She moved her legs back and forth in such a graceful way. Her beauty was incredible, and it saddened me that she didn't see it. Seeing her through the lens, I snapped a picture, and it came out. My messenger bag sat beside me, full of notebooks, with a few pencils and pens, and my sketchbook. I pulled out a Sharpie, and quickly wrote October 7, 2011 on it, along with her name. Charlotte. It was beautiful, like her. I would never get over her beauty.
I picked up my bag, my polaroid, and the photograph. Holding it gently in my hand, I walked to where she was swinging. Her bag was by the poles, and when she wasn't looking, I layed the photo on her bag before walking away.
My mind went wondering. Will she see it? What if she doesn't like it? I worried that she would throw it away. Deep down, I knew she wouldn't, but my thoughts tried to trick me. I continued walking through the park, and stopped at the bridge, looking over the water. Snapping a picture, I slid the photo into one of my notebooks.
Life is so beautiful, I thought. It amazed me that people couldn't, or didn't, see the beauty around them. Or the beauty that they were.
I sat on the pavement, leaning against the bars, and stayed, watching the people, the sunset. I noticed Charlotte walking across the bridge, and she was at such a perfect angle, that you could see the sunset behind her. I snapped one last picture, before pulling out my sketchbook and sketching the life going on around me.
Charlotte's P.O.V.
I know he thinks I didn't see him, but I did. Him and his loveliness. Tegan and I had gone to school together for years, and never said a word outside of school, but I still loved him, and I know he likes me. I saw it on his face whenever he looked at me, thinking I didn't see him. And he seemed to have a weird obsession with taking pictures of me, and leaving them in places I'd see- my bag, locker, porch, windowsill. Honestly, I don't know why he likes me. I'm just a broken mess.
After he had walked away, I hopped off the swing, and picked up the picture he left. It was me on the swing, a look of freedom of my face, and the trees swaying in the background, sun shining. It was beautiful.
Unlike me.
Still, I smiled at the photograph in my hand, and at the thought of Tegan taking it, holding his polaroid to make sure it was just right.
I started to walk across the bridge, heading toward the lake, when I noticed the sunset. I wish I was that beautiful, I thought, but I could never be. I'm too broken.
Facing the sunset, I closed my green eyes, feeling the warmth, the love, wind, everything all around me. Ever since I was a small child, I've always had this fascination with the sky. Stars, clouds, Northern lights. Sunrises, sunsets. It was just so beautiful.
My eyes opened so that I could look around. People were walking, sitting on the sand, or benches. Couples holding hands, hugging, kissing cheeks. Then I saw him. Tegan.
Holding the photograph in my hand, still, I opened my bag, found my journal, and slid it into a random page so that it would not wrinkle. I also grabbed my polaroid, and, after I saw Tegan snap a picture of myself, I took a picture of him. He had jeans on, a band t-shirt, and converse, with a look of happiness and love on his face, yet he was calm, and relaxed. Lucky him, I thought. The picture came out perfectly, capturing him the exact way I wanted it, and I also placed it into my journal.
Closing my bag, I sighed, and began walking down the wooden stairs to the lake.
I always loved coming here. I thought of it as my safe place, where everything was okay. A place that gave me hope, and made me feel loved. Somewhere that I could be myself.
Unzipping my shoes, I slipped them off, along with my socks, and held them in my hand, feeling the soft sand between my toes, as I walked to a bench and set them down, then walked to the lake, the water cold as I gently set my foot down, closed my eyes, and let the feeling of being alive take over.
When I opened them, Tegan was next to me.
