Love Me Harder (Taynew)

Chapter 13: Of nightmares and dreams

Tay had fallen into photography when he was sixteen, on his sixteenth birthday specifically. Oab had gifted him a polaroid that day. It’s a picture of both of them, eyes fallen into crescents, arms tight around each other and mouth grinning like no tomorrow. Brown orbs shining under the sunlight and he can feel his heart beating loudly at the sight of Oab’s arms tighten around his shoulder, as if telling him that he’s going to stay by Tay’s side. Forever. It was beautiful, streaked with colours, so mesmerizing that he can’t take his eyes of it and at that moment, Tay decided he wanted to take a photograph just like that. 

A photograph that makes his heart beats.

His dream sparked then.

He started saving money to buy his own DSLR after that and even entered competition along together with his best friend. Oab has been a supportive friend. He even lent his camera once in a while when Tay wanted to put his skills into practice. They shared the same interest in photography and spent their evening enjoying taking photos despite their lack of knowledge in it. They spent their time together every day, always. Basking in the memories of either black and white films or coloured glossy paper, they laughed, shared and learned.

But like a polaroid splashed with colours that fades away with time, Tay’s dream dimmed as soon as summer ended.

-

“Tay, please give New his lunch. Thanks” Gun pushed a lunchbox into his hands.

Tay made a noise of protest, a bit bewildered at the request because he doesn’t want to talk with New but Gun has already turned his heel, passing meals at other staff. Despite after a week passed by without any contact with each other, still, Tay wasn’t sure how to confront the model. He huffed hopelessly and stared at the meal in his hand.

It was almost 2 o’clock in the afternoon when they all were given a fifteen minutes break and to give New time to change into his seventh outfit. Halfway across the room, the younger guy was sitting on a stool, surrounded with a makeup artist, powdering and brushing away every imperfection from his face, and a stylist, pulling on a black shirt over his broad shoulders and buttoning up his shirt.

“Here, your meal” said Tay blankly and puts down the box on the table across New. He was about to turn away but New’s sentence stopped him.

“Thanks but I’m not hungry” New spoke low, eyes staring ahead on his reflection in the mirror as his stylist fixed his hair.

Tay rolled his eyes in annoyance and folded his arms. His lips clipped tight as he mentally restrained himself from telling New the importance of eating lunch and about how our body needs nutrients in order to have energy for the whole day. Somewhere in his mind tells him that it’s not the time to pick a fight so Tay slumped his shoulders. 

“More for me then” He spatted bitterly as he took the box.  

“Are we good, Tay?” A weak tug on his shirt made his heart lurched in his throat. New’s voice sound so small and uncertain.

This time, Tay found New looking at him, turning his body around so they could properly looked into each other’s eyes. Tay froze on his spot as he thinks. The stylist and makeup artist were already out of their sight, probably to give them time alone or possibly to spare Tay some space to breath. He wasn’t sure which one. It is most probably the latter because suddenly it’s very hard to breathe and Tay thinks it shows on his face.