“If this was a class, you just earned a red checkmark.” He scooted six inches closer toward her end of the log. “He was an ancient mathematician and inventor.”
“Did he also take a girl camping and find it amusing when she fell off a log into the dirt? Maybe there was a lesson for you to learn, but you completely missed it.”
“I don’t know. But he was the one who said,Eureka.”
Mia knew the answer to this one. “I’ve found it.”
He inched closer on the log, dragging his backpack with him. “That’s right.”
“So it doesn’t have anything to do with an old prospector striking gold?”
“Maybe some discoveries can feel like the same thing.”
“If you’re attempting to seduce me, I have to tell you it’s working.”
He scooted closer, his position approaching the center of the log. Mia decided to remain fixed at her end. She didn’t want to make it too easy for him when he was already playing with all the cheat codes.
“He was also the first to understand the concept of a lever. If your seesaw is uneven, the person who weighs more can move toward the center and, before you know it, the lever will be even. It’s all about balancing each other out.”
Mia blinked, her eyes dropping to the log. She shifted her weight, and it didn’t budge. It was as steady as the ground underneath. “Okay. Well done. But this means you’re stuck in that spot forever.”
When her eyes lifted again, Ross held a small vintage camera in his hand. “Eureka,” he said.
If the log wasn’t as solid as it was, Mia would have fallen off it once again. Confusion descended on her brain. “What?”
“I…uh…finally checked out that junk shop across the street and Gary gave me a good deal on this, because I told him it was for your birthday. I’ve cleaned it up and put some film in it. I didn’t know if you prefer black-and-white or color, but I took a chance and got color film.”
“You got me a vintage camera?” Mia wasn’t sure if she wanted to cry or laugh or maybe a combination of both.
“Yeah. Are you going to take it, or am I just going to hold onto it all day?”
She scrambled toward him, uneven levers be damned. She took it in her hand, letting the expensive Samsung hang on its strap, forgotten. “It’s a Hawkeye.”
“I know. Trust me, I’ve been over every part of that camera. I think some kind of tiny spider used to live inside of it. I thought maybe you might want to take some images for your marigold collage.”
“You got me a Hawkeye.”
Ross’s face scrunched in confusion. “Do you like it or not? I’m having trouble figuring it out.”
Mia nodded as she turned the black Bakelite body over in her hands, chewing on her bottom lip. Her eyes must have decided crying would be the best reaction. “I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a more thoughtful gift before.”
“What about that expensive camera around your neck? This one only cost me five bucks. The shipping of the film cost me more.”
“The Samsung was payment for services rendered, not a gift. There’s really film in here, Ross? I can take pictures with it?”
“Yeah. Do you want me to show you how to use it?”
“You know how?”
“I watched a YouTube video on it.”
Mia considered Ross sweet, but he was growing sweeter with each passing moment. She suspected there was honey running through his veins instead of blood. This might be the real secret behind why she found his kisses to be perfect. They were laced with a genetically modified sugar, created to be more addictive. The idea she would have to go through withdrawal sounded like an absolute nightmare.
“Show me, please,” Mia replied, scooting close enough to lean against his chest as his arms encompassed her frame.
He demonstrated how to wind the film, open the shutter to take an image, and how to create a long exposure.
“With only twelve shots, it feels like a lot of pressure. What if I screw up?” Mia asked.
