Picture Perfect

Shakily, he wiped his hands on the side of his jeans, ridding his hands of the thin film of sweat that was covering them. Nervousness always got the better of him.

‘It’s a quarter to seven Jon.’ Cady spoke quietly into Jon’s ear, making him jump. ‘Whoa, what’s up with you tonight?’ she asked, spinning him round to look at him properly.

He hadn’t told her about the special guest he had invited, he hadn’t told anybody. It wasn’t that he was ashamed, or embarrassed, it was just that the fact that no-one knew made it a little more special.

‘Nothing,’ Jon replied, hoping she wouldn’t suspect anything.

‘I know something’s up with you, Walker.’ Damn. ‘But, seeing as it’s your special night, I’m going to leave you be.’ She smiled at him as he breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

Within an hour, the medium sized studio was buzzing with people. As Jon walked around the room mingling with the right people, he couldn’t concentrate on anything, bar one thing.

‘So, what was your inspiration for this collection?’ Peter Simmons, another local gallery owner asked Jon.

He smoothed his hair down on his, out of habit, ‘well about a month ago, I took a break and went to Belgium. Cady said I needed to relax.’ Peter laughed, he knew what Cady was like, everyone knew what Cady was like.

‘I met a beautiful girl, and as cliché as it sounds, she changed my outlook on life. It inspired me to take pictures for fun, for the beauty of things – like I did when I started out.’ E smiled, hoping he hadn’t gone into too much detail and bored the respected art collector and photographer.

‘That sounds brilliant, I -’ he continued to talk, but Jon had stopped listening.

She had stepped in the door, her brown hair hanging in loose curls around her face. She looked around the studio, looking for Jon. He knew she was seeking him, but her overwhelming beauty and the fact that she was so close to him once more, made Jon stay in his place. It was as though his feet were nailed to the floor. Once she saw him and her face lit up, there was nothing on this earth that could have kept them apart.

‘Ine,’ he breathed as he hugged her tight. He breathed deeply, breathing in her significant scent, it was a mix of vanilla, and a number of different things Jon couldn’t put his finger on. All he knew is he liked it and at that moment he realised, how much he had missed Ine.

‘It’s so good to see you Jon,’ she smiled radiantly. He was too happy to talk, the delight had welled up inside of him, making him incapable of coherent speech. Her mere presence had that effect on him. ‘So are you going to walk me through?’ she grinned, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the pictures.

‘Wait!’ he said, grinding to a sharp halt.

Ine looked at him with a confused smile.

‘We need to start over there,’ he said pointing in the complete opposite direction, to the west wall of the gallery. ‘That was the way I planned it.’

He guided her around the room, once she had gotten over the fact that she was the focal point of the collection, Ine revelled in Jon’s amazing skill and the beauty he managed to capture with that one piece of technology.

The light feeling of his hand on the small of her back made Ine smile. Her feelings for Jon had all but quadrupled in the three and a half weeks they had been apart.

They neared the end of the collection, a grateful and gracious smile etched onto Ine’s face.

Leading her outside, Jon took Ine’s hand in his own, rubbing his thumbs over her soft hands. ‘Ine, I missed you so much, you don’t even know how happy I am to see you.’ Jon revealed to her.

‘I don’t think I can be without you Jon.’ She mirrored his feelings through the tone of her voice.

He placed one hand delicately on each of her hips and pulled her toward him. Placing his lips directly onto hers, they both smiled into the kiss. Ine placed her hands on his cheeks, shielding them from the outside world, it was like they were in their own bubble.

When they pulled away, the smile had failed to leave their faces. Not caring that he had a studio full of guests admiring his work, Jon took Ine’s hand and led hand and led her down the street, an aura of euphoria surrounding the two of them. Unbeknown to both of them, that was the start of a long, happy, and eventful life together.