The parking lotwas 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.”
FRAME FIVE
THE STORM WITHIN
The biggest problem with photographing tornadoes and thunderstorms is that they’re as unpredictable as a perfectly blue sky. The only thing any photographer could count on was clouds, which are great for many types of photography—just not the kind that Theo wanted to join me for. Sure, weather reports have improved, but storms don’t care about forecasts. They do what they want. They arrive early, late, or not at all. They weaken or intensify without warning. In the worst cases, they can become dangerous. Which made inviting Theo along a questionable decision at best.
Two days after the wedding, a thunderstorm warning was issued for the following weekend, and Theo began counting down the days. He showed up at the bar every evening, firing question after question at me about preparations, safety, and equipment. I talked him out of buying protective gear by offering to lend him some spares I had from previous endeavors, which brought him back to my apartment again on Thursday,so we could test whether my special equipment would work with his camera model.
We behaved ourselves.
I had to admit that having Theo over again stirred something in me that I wasn’t ready to rekindle. He was the first person with whom I could so easily connect over this passion, and I wasn’t going to jeopardize that by misreading his flirty personality. He always had a compliment ready, and whenever we were close, there were some accidental touches here and there—but that was also normal for friends. He never leaned in for a kiss or ripped my pants off during any of our meetings. When he left, I usually felt horny, but also strangely content.
On Sunday morning, the sky delivered. Thick, brooding clouds rolled in over the town, suggesting that the forecast might be accurate this time. After a quick phone call, we decided to meet at our local park, which was directly in the projected path of the thunderstorm. It was only a five-minute drive away from the bar—close enough to home that we could retreat quickly if the weather got out of hand.
When we met there a few hours later, a deep growl already floated in the air.
The park was a broad meadow surrounded by trees. A single path led to a clock tower in the middle, which was easily one of the oldest buildings in town and hopefully a suitable subject for our photos. A small river—no more than a gentle creek on normal days—flowed past the meadow, dividing it from a street lined with single-family homes. The gray sky grew darker with each passing minute, and the wind blew through the trees, giving the freshly grown leaves a good shake. The smell of an approaching rain hung in the air, heightening my senses.
I chose a gazebo on the edge of the meadow with a nice view of the park as my spot for tonight, hoping to capture an image of the clock tower illuminated by the thunder. I had already unpacked and set up my camera on the bench facing the park when Theo appeared between the trees. He wore a black rain jacket that looked heavier than the backpack over his shoulder,which I had lent him earlier that morning. The camera in his hand had a folded tripod mounted to it and a plastic cover on top. True to form, he took a picture of me before raising his arm to greet me. I waved back, not taking my eyes off him until he stepped into the gazebo.
“You’re late,” I said. “It’s going to start raining any minute, so you'd better set up your camera quickly.”
“Sorry. I saw some trees swaying in the wind, so I had to take a few pictures. They didn’t turn out as well as I had hoped, though.”
“That’s why we plan ahead and then wait.”
“As if I could simply follow your advice,” he said with a grin. He set his camera up on the other half of the bench beside me. “I brought everything you told me, except for spare clothes. But before you say anything—I have them in my car, which is parked just on the other side of the river.”
“You should always have everything with you,” I lectured, but then offered him a smile too. “But you’re forgiven.”
A distant rumble echoed through the park.
