A Thousand Words

7.

I could feel goosebumps raise on the edges of my skin. It was cold out. My legs trudged alongside Tyler as he guided me through the streets of the unfamiliar neighborhood. We were walking for at least 10 minutes by now, and not a single word had exited his mouth. Part of me wanted to question him on where our destination was supposed to be, but I knew to suppress that curiosity. I trusted him. 

Tyler stopped between two houses. I looked at him in confusion. this couldn't be where he planned on taking me. We were in the middle of a sidewalk with nothing significant around us. I gawked around us, only to notice that Tyler had pushed aside a few branches of shrubbery. It was a path. 

The boy gestured for me to walk on. I couldn't help but hesitate. It felt like I was walking onto a horror scene; a mysterious boy on a beaten path. It was as though this was foreshadowing my doom. But of course, I was curious to know where he was leading me. I stepped pass Tyler onto the unkempt gravel. 

Light peeked through the branches above us so my vision wasn't hindered. The path itself was mesmerizing in itself. You could tell that not many people walked along here as I stepped over fallen branches and crunching leaves. The boy followed close behind me as I walked on. 

In the distance, I could hear the crashing of water against rocks. I knew the city was near the water, but I didn't realize it was that close. My legs picked up speed as the end of the path came near. 

My shoes sunk into the sand, or what you could consider pebbles. I looked at either side of me and saw that the shore lasted for a mile or two. No one else was on this small beach, which made sense because winter was around the corner. In the distance, you could see the faint skyline of the city. You could tell that the day was near a close as the sun set beneath the buildings and the sky began to paint a light orange at the outlined tips of the skyline. 

"Wow," I found myself mumbling under my breath. "How did you find this place?"

There was crunching of the sand behind me. Tyler cleared his throat before responding. "George," he stated simply. 

I turned around with my brows furrowed. Surely if George knew about this place, he would've told me long ago. 

"He knew I was into photography and suggested I take some shots here." His voice was low. I could sense the hesitation in his voice. He wasn't used to opening up like this with me. 

"Oh." It was all I could muster out of myself. It felt like minutes had passed before he uttered another word. Something I wasn't expecting. 

"Do you mind if I...uh..." Tyler's voice drifted off. I didn't know what he was referring to, so I turned around to face the boy. 

I froze at the sight of the familiar black object in his hand. How did I not notice its absence on the counter this morning? 

"I–I don't have any makeup on and I'm wearing...this," I stuttered, motioning toward my boring outfit. I knew that my hair was an unruly mess and that the clothes weren't anything worth showcasing. 

Tyler's lips pressed together in a frown. He wasn't expecting that answer. 

"You don't need makeup and your outfit is fine," he told me. I noticed how his bottom lip lodged between his teeth. The longer I stared at him, the more I wanted to cave in. 

"Alright, I guess. Just a few." It has been months since Tyler had picked up his camera. If this was helping him return back to an earlier version of himself, before Jenna, then I was okay with it. 

Tyler gave me a weak smile as he removed the cap from his lens. "Just relax," he spoke calmly. 

I didn't know what he wanted from me. I didn't know how to pose or where to look. I was a fish out of water. I looked down at my fidgeting hands, unsure of myself. 

"Look up at me," Tyler requested. Reluctantly, I did as asked. 

Click.

The wind was beginning to pick up. My hair flew across my face. I tried to tame it with my left hand, giggling as there was no use to my motion. 

Click. 

"Can you walk towards me? Slowly. Just like that."

I mimicked Tyler's suggestions. Still unsure of how well these photos would turn out. He continued to instruct me for another 10 minutes. When he was satisfied, he peered down at his camera, scrolling through.

"Can I see them?" I asked as I walked closer to the boy. 

"Not until I edit them," he stated with a smile. 

I couldn't help but grin. I had never expected this boy to want to take pictures of me. So I figured, I would take this step by step. If he wasn't willing to show them to me right away, then I'd wait. 

"That's not fair," I teased with a fake frown on my face and my nose scrunched up. 

"Sorry 'bout it, El," he playfully spoke back. El. He called me El. Only two people called me by that nickname–George and Jenna. 

I couldn't bring myself to tell him that, though. Instead, a smile plastered itself on my face. There was something comforting in the fact that he had called me by my nickname. I could feel the goosebumps return, shivering at the thought. 

"You cold?" Tyler tentatively asked. I quickly nodded. 

"Well then, let's get you home."

I silently walked behind the tall figure. I couldn't help but smile as I watched his harsh facade slowly crumble. I knew that it wasn't going to be easy, but I knew that it was possible. Today was evidence of that. Something in him was changing. I didn't know what, but I noticed a shift in his character. Slowly, but surely, I was going to lead him to the path of closure...to happiness.