Ink and Cameras (JeffMads) (Newspaper AU)

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Madison's POV

After a while of trying to look busy, I am having trouble staying focused, or even awake. Jefferson should be here literally any minute now.

20 minutes later, a tall man comes up. He has huge expensive looking headphones, and I can hear music as he walks by. He sits down on my right without a word to me and takes off his magenta hoodie. I sit there for another 5 minutes trying to see when he will notice me, but he never does. I awkwardly lean over tapping him on the shoulder.

At this point, he has his laptop out and he has started writing something. I tap him on the shoulder again, and he finally turns towards me. I grin slightly, and like Alex, he asks, "Who are you?"

"James Madison," I say, trying to sound confident.

He takes off his headphones and asks, "What?"

I can hear jazz coming out of them. I hate jazz music. I say my name again, "Madison. My name is James Madison.

"Who?"

"I am the photographer working with you."

All this time, he was staring at his computer and typing away. Finally, he turns to me and acknowledges my existence.

Jefferson's POV

This is who they gave me to work with (I just sang that. In the song from Mulan)? He is dressed sightly messily, but he has an okay science of style.

Whatever. If he's a good photographer, we'll be fine.

I explain what I need from him, and go back to work writing this freaking boring article of a new park they are building the next city over. I will need one or two photos for the print edition, but we also publish all of our articles on our website, and we try to put more photos in the online edition.

Madison's POV

After a little research about the park that I need to photograph, I drive over. It is only about a half hour away, so once I get over there, I grab my backpack that has my camera and a notebook in it, along with my tripod.

The construction crews are there, so I take a few photos of them working, making sure to get permission to use them. After that, I take a few close ups of some of the plants, and several of the park as a whole. After I think I have enough photos, I get in the car, ready to drive back.

When I get back, I am just about ready to start my lunch break, so I walk around until I find Alex and John. We decide to go to the restaurant right across the street. It is just a family owned cafe, and according to them, it has the best (AN insert some type of food here because for some reason my brain is shutting off) in town.

We walk across the street, making small talk. Well, John and I make small talk. It seems like Alex doesn't like small talk very much. He seems like a person who would jump right into a heated political debate as soon as he meets somebody, which is a huge contrast to John. John seems more mellow and sweet, and is just a good people person, whereas Alex, well. He seems like he could live his whole life without seeing a human.

Wait. That's a lie. The way he looks at John, well. Those two are an adorable couple.

When we get to the restaurant, we are able to find a booth in the corner. The waiter comes over and we order (AN does anybody else here rehearse what they are going to say in their head like 400 times over and then still panic when it gets to them for ordering? Because I do.....).

"So," John asks as he takes a bite of his omelet, "why did you choose photography?"

"Oh," I say, thinking, "Well, when I was a kid, my best friend was always going on about how she would go to these places and take photos of anything. They weren't amazing, but they were like her. Full of life, vibrant. I can still to this day, hear her saying, Jem! Just look at that color!'. Things like that. She always saw the good in people. She was an amazing friend."

"Was?"

"Well, when we were both 11, she got diagnosed with brain cancer."

"Oh God James." John breathes sympathetically, while Alex has an expression on his face like he knows loss as well.

"She died 3 months later."

John leans forward like he wants to comfort me, but Alex puts a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. I try to thank him with my eyes.

"I'm not going to cry," I say with a small forced laugh, but I can hear the wobble in my voice. It has been a long time since I have had to talk about her. I force myself to continue, "At her funeral, her parents gave me her camera. She had so many pictures of us together, and all the other pictures just reminded me of her so much. At first I started taking them just when I wanted to remember her, but eventually, I started taking a liking to it. I still have her old outdated camera on my desk at home."

"Well.." John says, "I got into photography because I like art." He laughs. Alex looks over at him and starts laughing too, and after a few seconds I join in. That's when I know, I am going to get along plenty well with Alexander and John.

I DID NOT PLAN ON WRITING THAT

WELL

ANYWAYS

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BYEEEEE