Chapter 4 #3
Despite being heavily intrigued by the implications of what drama might ensue from this short snippet that I caught, I certainly didn’t want to look like I was intentionally following him.
So I honored Theo’s wishes and didn’t take any shortcuts.
I walked through the chateau’s dining room, watching the servers hustling around to get a buffet ready under the watchful eye of a seasoned man in dress pants and a button-up shirt with rolled-up sleeves.
The wedding planner frantically talked to an officiant whose eyes were so wide open from all the words thrown at him that he seemed to have checked out entirely before the ceremony even began.
I made my way past an unimpressive staircase in the main hall that clashed with the otherwise luxurious interior.
I caught a glimpse of the bridesmaids lined up at the top, probably watching the bride get ready for her big moment.
They resembled hens on a perch more than they’d probably like.
For a second, I thought about taking a picture of them, but my gut told me to keep moving.
It dragged me outside toward the stairs that led to the parking lot.
Now that every space was filled, it was easier to spot the bride’s brother’s blond hair. He leaned against a black sports car and stared at the tall guy as he slowly approached. I stopped short in the middle of the steps, between the trees, so they wouldn’t see me.
The basketball player had his hands buried in his pockets and was shaking his shoulders from side to side when he said something—probably a joke that fell flat, because the reply from the bride’s brother made the basketball player drop his head to his chest. Neither of them moved for a moment until the basketball player looked up and leaned forward.
They met in a passionate kiss. They gave themselves to it for three seconds before the bride’s brother pulled away.
He turned his head left and right, searching for anyone who might have seen.
My feet moved on instinct, turning me around and leading me back up the stairs toward the chateau again.
As much as I wanted to give them their privacy, I couldn’t shake off the thought that this could be the story I was searching for, the well-kept secret that I could try to capture in pictures no one would ever get to see, besides Theo and me.
The image I wanted to shoot of them materialized in my head, the same way all the pictures I worked hard to get had once appeared before my inner eye.
What I had in mind wasn’t a secret kiss like the one I’d just watched; that would’ve been way too obvious and boring.
No, I wanted to capture a moment when those two shared a glance that revealed their hidden love while everyone else was focused on the people they’d come to honor.
Using their secret for my purposes wasn’t the most ideal situation, but in the end, it was a secret I was going to keep, especially since I would likely never see any of the people present here today ever again anyway.
My head raced. Maybe I’ve really approached this all wrong.
Maybe I didn’t have to change my artistic approach at all, but rather embrace it, just with people as my subject.
Sure, I couldn’t stand as still as I do with unmovable landscapes and buildings, waiting for the right moment.
But I could still keep my camera ready and focus on what I had in mind, as I did for every other picture.
From one moment to the next, I didn’t want to leave anymore; I wanted to stay and see whether I could adapt my skills to the situation, now that I had found something that I wanted to photograph.
If that was Theo’s goal when he sent me on one last walk through the wedding, then he succeeded spectacularly.
The parking lot was shrouded in darkness, illuminated only by a single light from the chateau, casting deep shadows on the remaining vehicles.
Theo leaned against my car and shot me a look that made it clear that he wasn’t going to let me drive away without showing him my day’s accomplishments.
Throughout the day, he had plenty of opportunities to comment on my not leaving, but he didn’t take advantage of them—as if he knew from the beginning that I would stay, not give up, not give in to the assumption that I was too old to surprise myself.
“They are still not as aesthetically pleasing as I wish they were,” I defended myself before even showing him a single picture. “But I have to acknowledge that you were right. This was a challenge I enjoyed more than I’d like to admit.”
“You can admit it, all right? I’m not going to tell anyone,” he teased, nodding impatiently toward my camera.
I stepped next to him and leaned against the cool metal.
I turned the camera back on and flipped through the folder until I found the picture that made me feel like all this trouble had been worth it.
The bride’s brother exchanged a brief glance with his lover behind the couple’s shoulders, seconds before saying “I do.” I kept the focal length short enough that only the two men were in focus.
Theo brushed his shoulder against mine, his head coming dangerously close to bumping against my temple as he leaned over my camera’s small screen to take in the image.
“The lighting is still not to my liking,” I explained. “In a perfect world, the shadows would fall differently so that the couple in the middle wouldn’t be as highlighted as much. Maybe there would be a little ray of light shining directly on the two guys.”
Theo just breathed, his eyes taking in what I showed him. “Are they a couple?” he asked, his brows twitching together. “Damn. I didn’t notice that at all. I had my camera on him the whole time because he was always around his sister, but he acted so straight. I wouldn’t have guessed.”
He reached over, put his fingers on mine, and made me flip through the pictures. His bold touch made my heart race instantly. Theo’s focus was on the screen, though.
Every image was of the two men either smiling happily with the newlyweds, or sneaking glances, or leaning in close to whisper stuff to each other.
“I actually caught them kissing in the parking lot.”
“Wild,” Theo said, scrolling back to the first picture I showed him.
“This is really the best one. Good catch. I love how it looks like they wish they were the ones saying ‘I do.’ I can see that this was the image you had planned; all the others show the same attempt to capture the same story.” He glanced up at me, his face now only inches away. “Good job, rookie.”
“Thank you,” I replied. The image of us sharing a kiss here in this parking lot, just like the one I had accidentally witnessed earlier, shot through my mind, but…
this wasn’t the moment. After everything that had happened, I didn’t want to act like I had only agreed to come here so we could make out again.
“I’m glad you talked me into joining you. ”
“Me too. Because you know what that means, right?” He pushed himself off my car. “Now it’s your turn to take me on as an apprentice.”