Love Through a Lens
three.
Valerie kept her pictures of him hidden. Reasonably, she knew it was her own decision, but it felt like she had no choice. She knew exactly what people would think if they found out, and didn't want to deal with the backlash.
That didn't stop her from taking the pictures. Her collection began to grow, slowly but surely, at an increasing rate until she had at least one or two new pictures every day. It was quite the extensive collection; he was a dream in sepia, lovely in black and white, but the full color photos were her favorite by far. She could catch the specific shade of his hair from that moment, the glint in his eye, the fleshy pink lips stretched in a smile, grimace, or frown against small white teeth.
She kept the pictures she had of KC hidden, but she did have a favorite, one that, if she were less cautious or more of a romantic, would be kept in a locket by her heart or a secret pocket in her bag.
It was a picture of him, in his soccer uniform, sprawled on his back on top of the bleachers, bright eyes closed to let the light paint veins on his eyelids in pale pink and blue. There was a smile smile resting naturally on his lips.
It was a look of peace and contentedness. It was the look of someone who was truly happy.
To be perfectly honest, Valerie was jealous of him.
That didn't stop her from taking the pictures. Her collection began to grow, slowly but surely, at an increasing rate until she had at least one or two new pictures every day. It was quite the extensive collection; he was a dream in sepia, lovely in black and white, but the full color photos were her favorite by far. She could catch the specific shade of his hair from that moment, the glint in his eye, the fleshy pink lips stretched in a smile, grimace, or frown against small white teeth.
She kept the pictures she had of KC hidden, but she did have a favorite, one that, if she were less cautious or more of a romantic, would be kept in a locket by her heart or a secret pocket in her bag.
It was a picture of him, in his soccer uniform, sprawled on his back on top of the bleachers, bright eyes closed to let the light paint veins on his eyelids in pale pink and blue. There was a smile smile resting naturally on his lips.
It was a look of peace and contentedness. It was the look of someone who was truly happy.
To be perfectly honest, Valerie was jealous of him.