A Photograph of You & I

In one quick second I was wrapped tightly in his arms. He was shaking and I felt a teardrop hit my shoulder. I rubbed his back in an attempt to comfort the absolute last person I ever expected to see again. I was vaguely aware of everyone leaving us to be alone, although I had a feeling that Bam's disappearance into the house had more to do with being dragged in by everyone.

"Aina..." I heard Ville's deep voice whisper in my ear. I released him hesitantly and looked up into his face while reaching up and wiping a stray tear with my thumb.

He hadn't aged all that much from what I remembered of his face. The only visible difference was dark circles under his eyes that showed he'd had far too little sleep.

"Ville...I-" I was completely at a loss for words. Thank God he wasn't.

"I've missed you." He admitted shyly, it was obvious he was restraining himself from hugging me again so I closed the distance for us. I leaned my head into his chest as though we hadn't been apart a day but unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

"I've missed you too. So much more than you know." I said quietly. Slowly, he released me and led me over to the chairs that had been previously occupied by our friends.

I sat in one and he pulled another to face me more fully. I grew suddenly self-conscious as he stared straight at me. I tried in vain to keep my eyes averted from his face, but I found I was staring in the same manner that he was.

"Aina...what happened...why didn't you write? Or call? Or something?" He asked, with a slightly accusing tone.

This I couldn't answer. Because I'd been wondering the same exact thing ever since the day I'd left. I supposed I could blame it on my father's death or that I couldn't afford to pay long distance phone bills or even that I kept forgetting to go pick up stamps from the post office. But that would be a lie.

"I'm not sure." I said shortly. He looked down disappointed.

An uncomfortable silence passed between us. I fiddled with my hands in an attempt to keep my eyes anywhere but on those heartbreaking green eyes.

"Sweetheart, I hate to prod, but there has to be a reason for you to have cut off all contact with me after what happened." He said gently.

I hesitantly looked up. "I think...I think I was scared, Ville."

He looked hurt by my words. "Scared of me?"

"No! No, it was my own doing Ville." I quickly rid him of that ridiculous idea and he waited expectantly. "I think I was scared because of the fact that the last thing I'd told you was that I loved you. I guess that if I kept writing or calling, eventually, you'd get a girlfriend and I'd have to listen to you talk about her all the time...it would have broken my heart. It was all stupidity and jealousy on my part Ville and I'm so so so sorry."

After my rant he stayed completely silent. I worried that he would be mad after my little confession but it seemed he was sympathetic.

"I would never have done that to you Aina. I would have waited for you. I will still wait for you. From the day you told me you loved me, my heart and my soul have been yours."

I smiled at this but the drunken party spilling back outside ruined our moment. The music was blaring and I hadn't noticed it at all. Bam danced outside carrying three bottles of beer and he handed one to Ville and myself.

"Come on you two, party time!" He yelled and the crowd around him cheered. I smiled wider and took a swig from the bottle of beer.

"We'll talk later." I promised Ville as I followed Bam inside. The look that flashed over his face nearly broke my heart.

It was a look that screamed, 'Come back to me...'

I tried to ignore the stabbing pains that attacked my heart as I went further into the house, being pushed around by the bodies that were grinding on each other and otherwise dancing. I shook my head and headed up to where I knew my mother and April were.

As I suspected, April's bedroom door was locked from the inside. I knocked and listened for them to answer. When they didn't I announced myself and the door opened slowly with April peering out cautiously.

"Oh okay, quick come in." She said glancing around for any sign of her son and his friends. I hurried inside and she shut and locked the door behind me. My mother was sitting in a small chair that sat near the windows, sipping a cup of coffee. April took a seat on the bed and patted the spot next to her, inviting me to the world to which she and my mom had retreated.

"So honey, did you two have a nice talk?" My mom asked me, referring to Ville and I.

"It was mostly awkward silences." I said. I was only half lying.

"Well what didyou talk about?"

"My faults."

"What are you talking about?" April asked.

"He asked me why I didn't keep contact with him is all. It was a stupid reason. I just feel like the biggest jerk right now." I told them.

April wrapped an arm around my shoulders and hugged me close to her. "Oh Aina, we all make mistakes. All we can do is not dwell on them and try and make up for what we've done."

I nodded and sighed. "I guess I'm gonna head back down before Bam starts searching for me."

"Good idea." April and Mom said together. I smirked at their responses and got up.

"We'll be down near midnight. Have fun." My mother called and I nodded before closing the door behind me.

As I turned back around I found that I was face to face with Bam. I subconsciously moved so I was blocking the door.

"Oh hey Bammie, what's up?"

"How'd things go with Vil?"

"Fine." I said, winding my way around him and heading down the hall. He wasn't going to give up that easily.

"Well what happened?"

"Nothing really."

He exhaled loudly as he grew more aggravated. "Are you going to give me any details whatsoever?!"

"No." I replied coolly. I headed down the stairs.

"WHAT ABOUT A DAMN THANK YOU?!" He shouted.

For some reason his statement had hit a nerve with me. "You think I should thank you for catapulting Ville and I into something that's only going to end badly? Well then, thank you Bam."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" He asked grasping my shirt and halting me.

"What exactly did you hope would happen from this little reunion Bam?" I asked accusingly.

"I wanted you and Ville back together." He admitted as if he were proclaiming the cure to cancer.

"We never were together in the fucking first place Bam." I said, my sudden anger getting the better of me.

"Well the way he talked about you Aina, you would have thought it." He defended. "That guy is fucking head over heels for you and I was tired of watching him dig his own grave by thinking about you so much after Jonna left him!"

I felt my heart stop briefly. "Jonna?"

I hear him mutter a curse under his breath before he answered me. "His ex-fiance."

I sighed heavily. "Bam, don't you see? He's upset because that ended. He's just preoccupying himself with the past. This was all a mistake."

I shrugged out of his grasp and completed my descent from the stairs. I walked to the ground floor of the household and made my way out the back door in the kitchen.

"Hello, darling." I heard his voice the second I stepped out. He was leaning against the house with a cigarette casually positioned between his pink lips. I forced myself to look away from his mouth.

"Hi." I said quietly.

"Can we talk now?" He asked innocently, all traces of his earlier despair were erased and all that was left was complete elation.

"Um, yeah...where do you want to go?"

He smiled and grasped my small hand within his larger one.

"Follow me."