A Photograph of You & I

"So explain to me again how this is supposed to work?" I asked Bam for the billionth time the following afternoon. He held up a piece of paper that held the instructions for the large machine in front of us.

"Okay, you pack the snow into here." He pointed to a large rectangular opening. I nodded. "And it shoots out here." He pointed to a spout.

"And I push which button?"

He sighed heavily, obviously annoyed with my lack in capacity to remember anything today. "The blue one." He told me flatly, crumpling the paper and tossing it over his shoulder.

I narrowed my eyes at his action and wandered over to shove the wad of paper in my pocket.

"I still don't understand why you need to shoot snow all over Vito's car. It's not like you don't piss him off enough." I muttered, shifting my weight from one foot to another.

"Which is exactly why I'm not doing it. This way, he can get pissed off all he wants but he won't do anything about it to anyone. It's a win - win situation."

"Except on Vito's part." I mumbled.

"That fat fuck has it coming for pushing me in the pool this morning. He's lucky I didn't shove his ass in that water."

"You threw a waffle at him Bam." I said pointedly, deciding I didn't care whether or not I got my pants wet and taking a seat on the ground.

"That's beside the point..." He began pushing the machine over toward where his uncle had parked his new truck. I shook my head and wondered why I had agreed to take part in this act of revenge in the first place.

I lay back in the fluffy snow; not caring that the sweatshirt my mother had brought over was getting soaked. I inhaled the crisp air deeply and sighed. And to think this morning had started off so perfectly.

Ville had woken me up unintentionally, by playing the acoustic guitar that was kept in the corner of his room. He'd slept in the armchair in the same area, despite my protests that I'd be fine on the couch.

He'd been singing a song that was so completely haunting in melody that I'd been transfixed on his figure without being able to break my stare. He had apparently felt my gaze on him, and looked up to lock his emerald eyes with mine. He never once stopped playing or singing.

Then, toward the end of the song he got up and walked around the bed to my side.

"It could be alright, before it's all over. For this one last time, let me close to your heart..." His singing had been barely a whisper before he bent to my forehead and planted a light kiss against my milky skin.

"Aina!" Bam's yelling shook my thoughts and I sat up to face him as he beckoned me over. I sighed heavily and watched as my breath floated away in a cloud.

I quickly went to Bam's side, not wanting to annoy him any more than I might have this morning. He motioned for me to start scooping snow into the opening. I did as I was told as quietly as I could manage. As soon as it was filled Bam dug his cell phone out of his coat pocket.

Dialing a few familiar numbers and pressing the call button, he waited patiently for someone to answer on the other end.

"Ry, send him out." Bam said quickly before shutting the phone and turning to me.

"Okay, the second he waddles out the door, press the blue button." He stressed as though I were two years old. I glared at him.

"You'd do well to not treat me like a toddler Bam. You left me in charge of this thing and I can turn it on you easily." My words were meant as a joke but came out harsher than I'd meant for them to.

He just looked at me apologetically for a half-second before he ran over the other side of the house. I rolled my eyes at his inability to apologize and waited patiently, crouched behind the snow machine.

My finger hovered over the blue button as the front door opened. I waited for Bam to peek his head around the corner before I did anything.

A thumbs up and I forced the button down, just as Vince walked out of the house and began looking around. A loud mechanical noise filled the air and I ran away from the machine as it began spitting out streams of snow. Ryan ran over to keep filling it and soon I joined him.

"Walkfdflaksjdaowid BAM! YOUSTUPIDsadsadsda!" Don Vito began throwing his hands up and shouting in gibberish, only a few words being decipherable. I laughed loudly as I loaded armload after armload of snow into the opening.

April and Phil soon exited the house after hearing all the commotion, closely followed by Ville, Raab, and Dico. Everyone but Vito was laughing at the spectacle he was making about his windows being open.

As I emptied another armful of snow into the machine I caught Ville's eye and he nodded his head, beckoning me over to him.

"Can you handle this?" I shouted to Ryan over the noise.

"Yeah, go ahead." Ryan replied, getting a shovel that was leaning against the house. I looked at him gratefully and sneaked past Bam's raving uncle to reach Ville.

"So this is what Bam tore you away from me for?" He asked, wrapping his warm arms around me in a protective cocoon. Despite my inhibitions, I felt myself relax into his chest.

"He didn't tear me away, Ville. I was eating breakfast anyway. Just because you ran off when you heard the word 'revenge'..." I teased.

"I have some sense of self-preservation. Once Vito realizes you were the one behind that machine all along he's going to give you an ear full."

"I'd like to see him try." I challenged Ville's prediction with a wide grin, never expecting his next move.

"Vito!" He called, raising his voice as loud as he could. I stared at him trying not to allow my face to betray my shock.

"Ville." I hissed, but I only earned a wider grin from him.

"Oh so you don't want me to say anything? Is that because you know I'm right?" He asked, teeming with self-satisfaction.

I rolled my eyes. "I just don't want to take any chances."

He looked at me contemplatively before glancing to his left at Bam who was now jogging in circles around Don Vito, egging him on as much as he possibly could.

"Vito!" Ville called once again, this time earning the man's attention. "Aina was the one who did this to your truck!"

I was absolutely mortified. Bam stopped dead in his tracks, mouth open in a half smirk.

"VILLE!" I yelled, struggling against his vice grip on me.

"AINA wkjasdfsdkfjsldkfsjfkljsfslkdf!" Vito began toddling over to me, waving his arms and such.

Finally I managed to wriggle free and made a dash inside, knowing that Vito wouldn't get far before the boys started throwing snow and slush at him.

I kicked off my boots and threw my coat in the corner. The wooden floors were incredibly cold considering how warm the house was. I skipped up the stairs, two at a time - knowing that I wouldn't be alone for long and if I wanted to hide, I had a very limited time to do so.

Avoiding the rooms I knew would have a bad odor, I finally decided on the other guest bedroom that was rarely used for anything other than Bam throwing skateboards into the walls.

I slipped through the doorframe and shut the heavy door quietly behind me. I nearly laughed out loud at the holes in the wall that had been made so that they deliberately spelled out "Bam."

I wandered over to the single window and looked down as Raab and Ryan attacked Don Vito with snowballs, seeming to have given up on the snow machine. He attempted to get in the other side of his truck and I did laugh as I looked at the realization that hit him.

"It's not nice to laugh at others' pain." A voice jokingly admonished behind me.

"It's also not nice to sell people out." I turned, raising an eyebrow at Ville who merely smirked without regret.

"That's what you get for doubting me." His velvety voice was absolutely heart melting.

His moves became more and more feline as he sauntered over to me, his hips swaying delicately with each step. I found myself unable to tear my vision from his movements; they were absolutely mesmerizing.

"Well, I suppose I'll have to believe you more often." I said, staring up into his eyes as he grasped my shoulders ever so lightly.

"I guess so..."

"AINA COME HERE!" Bam's booming yell resonated through the house and I shut my eyes in disappointment. I heard Ville release a soft sigh.

"I'd better go see what he wants..." I said, opening my eyes.

"Yeah..." Ville replied absently.

I removed myself from his grip and slowly ambled out the door, giving Ville ample time to complete the action I knew he had been meaning to before Bam had called for me.

I slipped out the door without hearing another word from him.

Ville's P.O.V

"Fuck." I muttered, reaching in my pockets for my cigarettes and a lighter. I lit up the cigarette and placed it between my lips, taking a long drag.

Moments later, the door opened and closed behind me and I turned to view the intruder.

"Go get dressed." Bam said simply, leaning against the doorframe.

"Bam, I'm not sure if you noticed...but I am." I replied; somewhat upset with him for disrupting the plan I'd formulated.

He rolled his eyes at my comment. "In nice clothes, Vil."

"What for?"

"You and Aina have dinner reservations."