Chapter 7

(Callista's POV)

I lifted my head up as I heard the shutter sound go off; my eyes were reddened and swollen from the tears, but slowly they widened as panic gave way, and I whipped my head around, looking for the culprit.

Until my gaze landed on a boy.

He should be about my age or just a year older, with honey-colored eyes that held a sparkle. His hair was in wild waves that fell just above his eyes, and there was a small smile on his face.

Yet, it didn’t help to calm my rapidly beating heart, not when my eyes trailed down and he was clinging to the camera in his hands.

I continued staring at the mini photography lighting he had beside him, and my gaze went back to him, my eyebrow pulled up as if to ask, What was that?

The boy shook his head, an awkward smile on his lips, and I could see a faint dusting of red on his cheeks. “I promise you I am not a stalker or a weirdo or anything like that.”

I was still looking at him, his words not doing anything to comfort me, but his smile widened. “I think I just made it worse, right?” He asked, and I nodded my head warily. “Look, I am a member of the photography club, and I was trying to capture some shots when I saw you, and I couldn’t help it. It was just perfect. And I promise you, it wasn’t intentional.”

“Hmm.” I hummed, but the action was still terrifying, and I pulled the hoodie over my head, adjusting the drawstring until it covered my face. “Can you please delete the pictures?” I murmured the words, my head tucked between my thighs.

“Pardon?” He tilted his head, a frown line appearing on his forehead as he got confused.

“Can you please delete the picture?” I asked him again, only my voice was even lower than before.

This was not what I planned for; I just wanted to cry here peacefully, and now I was forced to deal with this.

The boy’s frown deepened, and he moved closer to me, but I inched away, maintaining enough distance. “You may have to raise your voice if you want me to hear you.”

“I said you should delete it; I am not comfortable with you having my pictures on your phone.” This time I projected my voice louder than I would usually do, and his lips widened in a smile.

His action stunned me, and I stared wide-eyed. “Alright, if you insist. And I apologize if it made you uncomfortable.”

“Hmm.” It was the only sound I made, and when he moved close to me this time, I didn’t say anything. The boy sat close to me, shoving the camera in my line of sight.

“See, I am deleting it now.” I watched him as he pressed the delete icon, and he glanced at me as if waiting for confirmation. I just nodded once, unable to even look at the pictures. With one tap of the button, the action was completed, and I released a breath of relief.

“I apologize again, although I will have to say that it hurt for me to delete that picture.”

“Why?” I didn’t even know why I asked the question, but curiosity was eating me deep. “I know it may sound insensitive, but the moment I captured was so real and beautiful. And when you looked at me, it was like time stopped.”

I looked at him pointedly, unable to believe the words he had just said. I realized I had been staring too hard and may come off as a creep, so I opened my mouth. “I…I, it was, it was…” Nothing sensible was coming out of my mouth, and I decided the best line of action was to shut my mouth.

“Sometimes, I think people look the most alive when they seem all messed up.”

His words caught me off guard, and my mouth opened slightly. I wasn’t sure why, but there was something about the way he had said it that resonated deeply with me, and his words seemed to touch deep into a part of my brain.

I slowly nodded my head, agreeing to everything he said.

He was right.

However, I had nothing to say in reply, not that I wanted to, so we fell into deep silence. The silence was a comfortable one, and he was on his phone, his hands flying as he typed, while I took my time to study him.

He finally put his phone away and turned to look at me so quickly that our eyes met. I managed to hold contact with him for a few seconds before I chickened out, and I looked ahead. He followed suit, turning his eyes to look forward.

As the minutes went by, the storm in my heart began to recede, slowly giving way to peace and calm. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath even as everything became calm.

I don’t know how long we stayed there, but he suddenly stood up, dusting off the loose sand that had clung to his pants. “What is your name?”

“Huh?” Why did he want to know my name? I shook my head, refusing to let him know, and he shrugged.

“Alright, suit yourself. But my name is Julian; I am in the photography club.” He chuckled as if he had cracked a nice joke. “I mean, obviously, but that is beside the point. We will need more muses to join the club; a face like yours is welcome, and there is no pressure.” He continued as he saw the way my expression had changed. “You can also just come around to hang out sometimes; I love your company.”

“Hmm.” I nodded, not sure I would ever honor his invitation, but it was surprising that he asked.

“Goodbye, girl that refused to give me her name.” This time, my lips widened in a full-blown smile, and I gave him a half wave.

“Goodbye.”