Before The Shutter Close

- Through My Lens 📷

I never thought joining a photography competition would change anything.

Photography was supposed to be simple-just me, my camera, and the search for something meaningful enough to capture.

Until I met-or rather, noticed-him again.

Ezekiel.

The school's well-known student.
The one who's always at the top.
The one I could never seem to beat in photography competitions.

We've known each other since Grade 7. We were even classmates once, but we barely talked. Years passed, and somehow, we ended up in the same place again.

Except this time, things were different.

I had Bella by my side, and eventually, two unexpected friends-Zach De Vera, the basketball player, and Ace Vance, the smart photographer who became my partner and one of the people closest to me.

With them, school became a little less exhausting.

Photography became a little more exciting.

And somehow, I started seeing things differently.

Especially the way Ezekiel looked at me.

Sometimes, he wouldn't even glance my way.

Other times, I'd catch his eyes on me for a few seconds longer than they should've been.

I never knew what those looks meant.

Maybe they meant nothing.

Maybe I was just imagining things.

But as the competitions continued, friendships grew stronger, and feelings became harder to ignore, I began to realize something-

maybe I wasn't the only one looking through the lens.

Because sometimes, the person you're trying so hard to capture...

might be the one who's been watching you all along.

And sometimes, the best stories aren't the ones you plan to tell.

They're the ones that happen when you least expect them. 📷

A story about friendship, competition, growing up, unexpected feelings, and all the moments that somehow become worth remembering.