A Photograph of You & I

No one was chasing me.

No one had tried to stop me.

I had backed away until I had reached the line of trees where I turned around and jogged down the winding, icy driveway.

My heart pounded in my ears and my lungs were stabbed by the frigid air. This wasn't how things were supposed to turn out. It wasn't fair.

My leg muscles began to burn from pumping them so fast despite the fact I was freezing and all the energy I'd built up during the day seemed to have dissipated with Ville's words.

I stopped along the side of the road and dug in my pockets to find my cell phone. I almost began to panic when it wasn't in the usual pocket, but I checked the other one and it slipped into my hand.

My hands were shaking as I dialed seven numbers that should have seemed familiar to me but for some reason seemed foreign. I pressed the phone to my icy ear and trembled, waiting for an answer.

"Hello?" My mother answered and I breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Mama?" My voice quaked, revealing more than I'd intended to let on.

"Aina, what's wrong?" My mother's voice grew immediately concerned and I held back the sobs that threatened to burst forth.

"Mum, can you come get me..."

"Yeah sure honey." I heard her getting her keys. "I'll meet you at Bam's in fifteen."

"I'm not at Bam's." I replied quietly, starting to walk. My feet crunched in the snow.

"Where are you?"

"The side of the road."

"Did his car break down?"

"No Mom. I ... I took off."

"What? Why?"

"I'll explain later, can you please just come get me?"

"Yeah, I'll be right there - you're on the main road right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, honey I'll be there in a few." She hung up quickly and I slowly removed the phone from my ear and pressed 'End'.

With a heavy sigh I sank down on a fallen tree that had been rolled to the side of the road. I watched as my breath floated away in a cloud of vapor, knowing that I should have listened to my head when I'd given myself the chance.

I took my phone out again and dialed for the operator. I waited a few seconds before someone answered.

"Hello, I'd like a number to a travel agency in the West Chester area." I spoke, trying to keep the shaking out of my voice.

Bam's P.O.V

"Fuck," I repeated after having swore several times already. My 'swear vocabulary' was growing thin and I'd soon be inventing combinations to express my frustration.

The moment Ville had confirmed my worst suspicions I completely lost it. I punched and kicked the Hummer so hard I'd left dents in the body. I didn't even care; I was so pissed off.

Ville was sitting on my bed, not moving or saying a word - but I knew that he was trying to control the tears that hadn't stopped flowing down his face since he'd come out of his room.

"This is so fucking messed up..." Ryan muttered from where he was leaning near the door. I only nodded and rubbed my forehead with my hand, wishing I could change the past and made sure I called Ville a month earlier than I had.

"She wants me to go to our flat with her the day after tomorrow." Ville murmured, his voice clearly breaking before he'd finished his sentence. He brought his hands over his eyes and sobbed a few times before sniffling.

I was far too uncomfortable when my friend cried, I had no idea what I could say or do when they needed to be comforted. If anything, I'd make it worse.

"You can't convince her to stay longer until we can figure something out?" Ryan asked, pushing himself off the wall and walking over to us. Ville only shook his head, a stray tear fell from the tip of his nose and I cringed a little.

"There's nothing that can be done, Ryan. I got her pregnant - I have to take responsibility for what I've done."

"Even if it means you'll be miserable? Not to mention Aina." Ryan countered and I covered my eyes knowing he'd just opened a can of worms.

"Aina deserves far better than me. She'll realize that soon and find someone else." I was absolutely shocked by Ville's response. I had seriously expected him to blow up at Ryan but he remained as calm as was possible considering the circumstances.

"You can't seriously believe that." I asked incredulously. "Ville I see how that girl looks at you - we all know that she will never be happy unless she's with you."

He only denied my words with a shake of his head. "It's all over Bam, we tried..."

"Don't you dare start with that bullshit! It's not over until I say its over and I say that there must be some loophole. We just don't see it yet."

Ville stood up, and looked at me for a long moment before making his way to the bedroom door.

"Well when you see it, let me know." He told us before closing the door.

I muttered another string of curses before slamming down on my bed and covering my face with my hands. Ryan sat down as well waiting for something to break the silence.

That interruption came in the form of a ringing phone. I looked over to my bedside table and looked at the caller I.D.

I grabbed the phone quickly upon seeing Aina's mother's number; but I soon found out that April had reached the phone first. I held my hand over the mouthpiece and positioned the phone so that both Ryan and I could hear the conversation.

"Hey Isa," April answered. "What's up."

"Hi April. Aina just called me from the side of the road saying she needed a ride home because she ran away from your house. She wouldn't give me details and I was wondering if you knew what was going on?"

A heavy sigh came from one of the women but I wasn't sure which one.

"It more than likely has something to do with Ville's fiancée being here." April confessed after a moment. Isabella choked on something and began coughing.

"His what."

"She showed up earlier today saying she was pregnant, I can only assume Aina ran away because of her shock."

"Oh my god." Isa breathed. "I've got to go get her. I'll be over a little bit later if that's okay."

"Absolutely," April replied. "I'll see you soon."

The two women exchanged their farewells and hung up, I replaced the phone on the hook and cursed some more.

"What do we do now?"

I jumped up, an idea forming in my mind as I spoke. "We have to get to Aina before her mom does." I said, pulling on some socks and heading out the door with Ryan in tow.