To Have and To Hold

Chapitre Sept

Jeremiah ended up pulling me from the diner to go outside, to a tree that was only a few yards from the building itself. It would've been totally, completely dark, except the full moon's light made it almost as bright as dawn, the starlight shining down. It reflected off of Jeremiah's glasses, and when he turned back to make sure I was still coming—he still had my hand in his—I could easily see the small smile on his face. "Pose for me."

I frowned at him, feeling the loss immediately as he dropped my hand. The chilly air swept over my cheeks, my red jacket buttoned in place. "Uh, I hate taking photos, remember?"

"Uh, but you're extremely photogenic, remember?" He grinned. "C'mon, just one photograph? I've always wanted someone to model with this tree. It's beautiful."

He wasn't wrong, I had to admit. The way the limbs wound around each other seemed almost whimsical, and the branches spread out long. The base of the tree wasn't big at all—wide, yes, but I could easily pull myself up into the limbs. "I don't know how to pose."

"I'll walk you through it," Jeremiah said, and turned on his camera.

"Can you even shoot photos at night?"

"I'm going to shoot in black and white, and there are settings I'll change on my camera to help. The photos are going to be a bit distorted, but I want that haunted effect." He glanced up at me, and I felt his gaze travel the length from my head to my toes. "Your dress, when the saturation is taken out of it, looks perfect."

There was so much excitement in his voice, so much packed into it, that I couldn't deny him again; I kicked off my heels and walked through the grass up to the tree. From up close, its dark bark was peeling, and I could see the smooth wood underneath. Its leaves were low hanging, and I brushed a few aside to peer back at Jeremiah. "Okay," I said in a sullen voice, but couldn't keep up the ruse for long. His happiness was catching. "Walk me through it, oh Mr. Grand Photographer."

Jeremiah rocked back on his heels, something he did often. I watched him pull his camera to his eye, and pulled it away to readjust the settings. "For the first few I want you to just stand there and look into the camera, okay? Is that okay?"

Even though the urge to heckle him was strong—I thought you said one photograph—I resisted. I looked back at the tree. "Just stand and stare? What do I do with my hands?"

"Just—" He pulled the camera back up. "—improvise."

"I'm not good at improvising," I told him, pressing my hands to my gown. The camera's flash popped off, and I blinked against the spots that lit up my eyes. "Jeremiah—"

He peered into the screen. "No, that's good! Honest. Just—uh—lift your chin a little? Like, maybe an inch higher."

Feeling slightly silly, I tilted my chin. "Like this?"

"Perfect," I heard him whisper under his breath, and he took a step closer. His dress shoe crunched over a fallen twig. "Can you angle your, um, head a bit? Just a tiny bit, not much."

My head angled a bit, a tiny bit, not much.

"Beautiful," he said, and the camera snapped off again. He slanted the camera differently, and took another photo. I moved my dress around me, feeling awkward for standing still. "I like that—the-the dress thing." Snap. "How far out does the material pull from your body?"

I gripped the fabric and tested it, pulling it from my legs. I could stretch both of my arms out wide.

"Maybe pull one side out far, and run your other hand through your hair." Jeremiah pulled the camera down a bit, and looked at me over the device. "You're doing great, Alice."