I stretched out on the bed and set my book down on the nightstand. The afternoon sun was streaming in through the window as I laid sprawled out across the comforter. My head was starting to hurt from the reading. I was captivated by the story, but at some point, you have to set the book down. Squeezing my eyes shut, I relished in the odd sensation of stretching that was slightly painful yet satisfying. I let out a breath and just stared up at the ceiling for a little while. I was beginning to feel drowsy. My brain had slowed down from the lack of movement, and now I was ready for a nap. My eyes started drifting shut when I heard the door open.
Brian entered the room with a medium sized box. Sitting up, I had a confused look on my face as he delicately held the box in his hands. There was a small, little bow fastened on the generic cardboard box, and something about it made my heart gushy. I knew we didn't have access to much. The pitiful scene of a plain, boring box with an attempt at spicing it up that happened to kind of fail made my heart feel happy yet sad. It was cute but gave me an odd, bittersweet sense of pain. He had an adorable grin on his face, comparable to the grin a small child gives you when they have something they think you'll be proud of.
I crossed my legs on the bed, scooting over to make a spot for him. He sat down and set the box in front of me. "I got you something," he said quietly. I smiled shyly at him
"You shouldn't have," I said, semi-nervous to see what was inside.
"I wanted to," he said. He pushed the box a little closer to me, signifying I should open it. I brought my hands up to unfold the flaps keeping the insides concealed, one palm still bandaged up. Pulling back the cardboard, it revealed a vintage-style polaroid camera. My eyes lit up as I gently pulled it out to see it closer. "I know you're pretty creative, so I wanted to get you something to occupy your time. With this, you don't have to go in to get your film developed or printed. I know it's not the newest model, and I got it from a used source, but I wasn't sure how long the money would last. But, I don't want you to worry! We'll be fine. It's just-" I cut him off by throwing my arms around his neck and pulling him into a hug.
"I love it," I whispered. He pulled away, gently holding my good hand.
"You do?" he asked tentatively. I nodded, a big grin on my face. I turned it over in my hands, looking at all the different parts of it. He was still sitting shyly on the bed next to me, and I brought the camera up. I quickly clicked the button before he could react, a flash radiating through the room. I giggled a little as the camera started churning out a photograph. The little window on the film stayed white, but the shocked, shy outline of him started fading into view. "Hey!" he said, laughing a little.
"What?" I asked, a fake, innocent look on my face. "I didn't do anything," I said, eyes big in a puppy dog way.
"Sure you didn't," he said softly, smiling to himself. He started getting off the bed. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom and then start making dinner. You have fun," he said, turning to look at me. I nodded, looking up from the camera. He left the room as I continued looking at the device in awe. I could tell it had been used, but I thought of it as if it had been loved before. I looked at the different areas on the polaroid, trying to figure out how all of it worked without wasting any film. I heard the bathroom door shut and slid off the bed, grinning. I slipped the cord attached to the camera around my neck and walked into the main area.
Out the window, I noticed a patch of blue flowers. The smile on my face grew as I thought of the artistic potential. Stepping outside, my feet met the moist grass as I walked carefully over to the flowers, camera in hand. I was careful to avoid any sticks or pebbles as I had neglected to put shoes on. I crouched down and admired the round, pastel petals. I poked lightly at the delicate plant causing it to sway gently. The breeze on my face felt nice, and it was a comfortable temperature outside.
I scanned the small patch for the best-looking flowers. I found a small clump of three flowers that still had whole petals. There were no tears or abnormalities on these, and I decided they were perfect. I pushed a tuft of my blonde hair behind my ear as I brought the camera closer up to my face. Careful of my wounded hand, I worked to get a good angle. Finally happy with the shot, I snapped the picture and waited for the film to come out. I plopped down onto my knees, resting on the soft grass as the photograph slowly began to appear. I breathed in the gentle scents of the outdoors and looked down to see my creation.
I saw a beautiful shot of three delicate flowers in an untouched landscape and smiled to myself. I couldn't wait to show Brian. Making sure my camera was secure around my neck, I jumped up and walked inside, picture in hand. A huge smile on my face, I turned to shut the door behind me and faced back around to see Brian coming down the hallway in an urgent way. He looked mad. My smile faded.
"Where the fuck were you!" he yelled. My brows knitted together in confusion and disappointment. He saw me standing by the door. "Did you go outside?" he bellowed. My emotions transitioned to fear. I had completely forgotten my boundaries. I wasn't thinking when I pursued the flowers. I stood frozen in my spot, bearing a camera and an expression of terror. He began coming closer to me, but I stayed rooted, my feet unable to carry my body anywhere else. "Didn't I tell you the rules? There were like two of them! How could you disobey me like that? I just did something for you, and this is how you repay me?" he raged, his voice rather loud. He stopped about ten feet away from me, but I still couldn't say anything.
I hesitantly lifted up the picture and shakily handed it to him. Confused and mad, he snatched it from my grasp to look at what I was giving him. His gaze immediately softened. "I'm sorry... I forgot," I said quietly, tears beginning to well up in my eyes. He came towards me, and I flinched, but he wrapped his arms around me. He held me against his chest as I tried to slow my heart rate.
"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have freaked out," he said, kissing the top of my head. "It's beautiful," he added. My arms hung loosely around his waist as he held me in the bearhug for a few moments longer. Pulling away, he looked at the photo again. "How did you do that?" he asked with genuine curiosity.
"Do what?" I responded, clearing my throat.
"Make something so ordinary and plain into something beautiful." I shrugged.
"It's not much," I said, looking away.
"It's incredible," he said quietly, marveling at the snapshot. He gave me a quick peck on the lips before moving past me into the kitchen. I saw him pull off a little piece of tape from the roll and fasten the picture to the fridge. He stepped back to gaze at it again, and I laughed to myself a little at the childishness of the whole situation. I moved over to him, and he slung his arm around my waist. We both stood there staring at the large blank white canvas of the fridge that now had a new divot of blue color.
AN: tbh idk how i feel about this chapter. i'm supposed to be sleeping, and i'll probs be tired in the morning, but it's okay. i'll have an excuse to have an iced almond milk latte. which makes it worth it. ily guys <3
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She's Gone
Fanfiction"'David, Gabbie can't be next,' I said, my voice breaking. He pulled me into his chest, and I broke down sobbing. 'She's not safe,' I wailed. He stroked my hair, knowing there was nothing he could say."
