The Photographer (Ignazio Boschetto Fanfiction)

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

      

       My long-awaited day of release finally came, and my self-implicated binding was broken on the day of October first. When I stepped out of the hotel, trembling with anticipation, I gripped my camera in my shaking hands and closed my eyes to breathe in the fresh air. The crisp, cool October air of Buenos Aires held promise of returned excitement. I opened my eyes and sprinted away from the hotel, eagerly reawakening my dormant ambitions and drawing them back to my heart. Buenos Aires had more cityscapes to offer than the lush forests of El Salvador, but it was enough to send me into a frenzy of tremulous excitement. The early morning light found me transfixed by the world around me, romping through long streets of buildings that pierced the sky.

          Every ounce of suppressed merriment returned more brilliantly than ever, seizing me in a joyous, vivacious rush. The fresh, cool air invigorated me and spun me into wild excitement. My heart raced and my head spun in accompaniment with my constant laughter. The lonely streets were all mine to seize, and they surrendered to my every whim. The land was mine, the buildings free for the taking, and I captured each and every one on the camera screen. For hours I was lost in this transcendent environment, until the blazing sun, the bustling of morning activity, and the rumbling of my stomach persuaded me that it was time to break the spell and return to the hotel.

          In an energized, breathless state, I held my camera and watched the red flash of my high-tops against the concrete as I ran back to the hotel. I dashed up the stairs on the side of the homely hotel, onto the outstretched landing lined with welcoming room doors.

          “Tamzin!”

          I turned and smiled at Ignazio, who was sitting on a bench on the landing looking out at the city, and I returned his friendly wave.

          “Good morning!” I called, and he smiled brightly.

          “Yes, it is! I was waiting for you to come back!” he said, getting up and moving to the door of his room.

          “Why’s that?” I asked breathlessly, striding toward our hotel rooms.

          Ignazio opened the door to the room and stepped inside, returning after a moment holding a glass that he held out to me.

          “I made breakfast smoothies.”

          “No way!” I cried in delight, eagerly hurrying up to him, reaching out to grasp the glass and smiling at the cold that chilled my hot fingertips. I took a sip and smiled at the blissful goodness.

          “Brilliant! Thanks, Ignazio!” I said brightly, flopping down onto the bench and smiling contentedly at him as I slid off the camera from around my neck. He sat next to me and watched me as I took another sip and then gazed lovingly over the railing at the city, pushing my hair behind my shoulders as I tried to regain my breath.

          “I love Buenos Aires!” I panted, and Ignazio laughed.

“Me, too, Tamzin. And I love October! It feels great out here! So cool and nice…”

I laughed.

“Yes, but I can’t feel it right now! I need to cool off!”

He laughed too.

“I can tell! Your cheeks are all red.”

I smiled and leaned back as I sipped the smoothie, sliding down to prop up my feet on the railing in front of us. Ignazio watched me and leaned back against the bench, too.