The Lost Ones | Choni

20| Picture perfect

Toni's POV

Another week has passed and I was laying in my bed with Cheryl and Hot Dog cuddled against me. Cheryl came over after school and spent the night so we could spend the day together before going back to her house for dinner. I wanted to go out and work on my photography today and see if I could get some new shots for my portfolio. So once we got up, that's what we were going to do.

Cheryl was pretty tired and she was laying on my chest as I rubbed her shoulder. She was sleeping soundly until Hot Dog crawled over and licked our faces.

"Ugh! Hot Dog!" I whined as I wiped the slobber off my face, doing my best to shield Cheryl.

"I think he's ready for us to wake up." Cheryl hummed sleepily.

"He is." I yawned as I stretched. I reached over to my nightstand and got Cheryl's glasses and then I turned and placed them on her face. I also handed her phone to her.

"Thanks, Toni." She smiled at me.

"You're welcome." I said and kissed the top of her head.

"Jeez, it's 1:00!" She exclaimed as she looked at her phone.

"Shit!" I laughed. "I guess this week tired us out."

"Yeah. Looks like we'll be having lunch instead of breakfast." She added.

"I'll just pack a little picnic for us." I said as I got off the bed.

"That sounds good." She agreed as she got off the bed too and then went into the bathroom. "Hey since I wasn't planning on staying here last night, could I borrow some clothes?" She asked.

"Sure! Just go pick something from my closet and I'll pack lunch for us." I said as I was changing into my clothes.

I left the room with Hot Dog and filled his dish with kibble. I then decided to pack some fruit, sandwiches and cookies for lunch. Cheryl came out of my room, wearing a dark blue crop top and black shorty shorts. I'm a bit smaller than Cheryl so my clothes just tend to be a little tighter on her. The crop top actually fit her perfectly since it was a little loose on me, but the shorts were kinda snug and really showed off her figure. Was I complaining though? Hell fucking no.

"You look hot, baby." I smirked at her.

"I-I do?"

"Yes. Very hot in fact." I said and she blushed. I walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her waist and hugged her as I kissed her cheek. Hot Dog jumped up in between us to get our attention and then he picked up his leash and dropped it at our feet.

"Someone's ready to go." Cheryl giggled.

"Well we need to get going so we can get ready for dinner tonight."

"Yeah that's true. Let's get going then." She said happily and then we grabbed our picnic basket and my camera. We also decided to bring Hot Dog with us so he could get a good walk and maybe even pose for pictures.

We went out to the small parking lot outside of my apartment and hopped in Cheryl's impala. Jason and Veronica were going to stay at Thornhill all day today so that means that Cheryl could use the car. Since I knew where we needed to go I decided to drive while Cheryl sat in the passenger seat, Hot Dog in between us. I put the keys in and then we were off.

• • •

I drove us to Fox Forest and from there we'd walk to Sweetwater River and then back to the car and make our way to Thornhill. We got out of the car and I grabbed Hot Dog's leash while Cheryl got the picnic basket. We held hands with our free hands and we began to walk down the trail.

As we walked around I stopped to take pictures of our soundings. We were on a little wooden bridge just above a small stream and I just snapped a picture of a butterfly.

"Ooh! That one's beautiful, Tee-Tee!" Cheryl exclaimed excitedly as I showed her the photo.

The photo was of the butterfly on top of the side of the bridge and you could see the stream behind it. It really was a beautiful picture and the smile on Cheryl's face as she looked at it made me love it more.

"Thanks, Cher." I smiled back. The butterfly then flew up and we began to watch it flutter around us until it decided to land on Cheryl's temple, hooking onto a piece of her hair. "Omg! Don't move!" I said as I held up my camera. I angled the camera at her as she held a soft closed-lip smile. I needed her to adjust a bit so I could really get the best photo. I just really hope the butterfly didn't leave before I could get the photograph. "Okay keep your smile the same, but tilt your head down and to the left a little." I explained and she did what I asked. "Good girl. Now close your eyes." I added softly and she did. "Perfect." I whispered and then I took the picture.

I looked at the picture and it was gorgeous. Only half of Cheryl's face was in the photo and it was the half that the butterfly was on. Her face took up the whole right side of the photo, the left side simply showed the blurred green trees in the background, and her ginger locks took up the middle. Even more beautiful then the first picture with the butterfly.

A small gust of wind pasted by and the butterfly flew off along with it, leaving an adorable pout on her face.

"Awww." She frowned. "How'd the photo turn out?" She then asked me as she came to look.

"Amazing. You make a perfect muse, Cher." I said and I kissed the tip of her nose. She then looked at the picture and her jaw dropped.

"Woah that looks gorgeous! That one's my favorite!" She beamed.

"Mine too! Now let's keep walking and take more pictures."

Hot Dog was sitting next to the picnic basket, waiting patiently for us and Cheryl giggled at him.

"Who's a good boy?!" She cooed as she crouched down and started petting the sides of his head. He smiled and wagged his tail in response. I then got next to them and snapped another picture. After viewing the photograph, we all got up and continued along the bridge. We were coming close to the river at this point because I could hear the rapids. We stopped again when there where some sun beams shinning though the trees and onto the path. I pointed my camera up and got another great photo. I then heard Cheryl's stomach growl and that was our cue to get to the river for our picnic.

We got to the river and I pulled out the small picnic blanket that I brought with us. As I did that Cheryl got out our food. We put everything out and Cheryl immediately grabbed a slice of watermelon and took a bite. She looked adorable and I just couldn't help myself. I backed up and got out my camera again to take a picture. Before I took the picture, Hot Dog laid down and put his head on Cheryl's lap.

"Awww he wants to be in the picture too!" Cheryl smiled.

"That or he wants your food." I laughed. "Look over at the trees please." I instructed and she did. I then took the picture and I went back to where she was sitting. "This one's cute!" I cooed and she agreed. Cheryl was sitting down with her watermelon and Hog Dog on her lap. In the background you could see the river, trees, and the mountains. Cheryl and Hot Dog were only a small piece of the photo but everything tied together perfectly.

"It really is." She smiled back.

I sat down with Cheryl and Hot Dog and we enjoyed our little picnic. This was honestly perfect and in this moment we thought nothing would be able to come to ruin our happiness, and that would've been true if we had stayed there. Within just a few hours things would start to take a turn for the worse.

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Hey guys! Sorry for the shorter chapter but I wanted one last cute and mellow chapter before I start my plans! And this chapter was just randomly only in Toni's POV. Oh well 😂. I'll try and update again this weekend and thanks for being patient with me! Thanks for reading!
-Lily <3