CHAPTER SEVEN ; Pictures that remembers
875 Words
"Sometimes a photograph captures more than a moment. Sometimes... it captures a feeling."
Monday mornings were never anyone's favorite.
At least, that was what Aya claimed every single week.
"I'm convinced Mondays were invented by people who hate sleeping," she muttered as she and Davi walked through the school gates.
Davi smiled.
"You say that every Monday."
"And every Monday, I'm right."
"You also said you were going to sleep early yesterday."
"I did."
"You texted me at 1:14 a.m."
Aya looked offended.
"That was emotionally necessary."
"Watching cat videos?"
"They were very inspiring cats."
Davi laughed, shaking her head.
"I worry about you."
"So does my mother."
The familiar chatter of students filled the courtyard. Some were rushing to class, others stood in small circles talking about the weekend.
Henry was exactly where Davi expected him to be—surrounded by people.
He spotted her immediately.
"There she is!"
Several heads turned.
Davi sighed.
"You don't have to announce my arrival every morning."
"I absolutely do."
"Why?"
"Because you're my twin."
"That explains nothing."
"It explains everything."
Ethan stood beside Henry, trying—and failing—not to smile.
"Morning," he said.
"Morning," Davi replied.
Aya folded her arms.
"Why is he the normal one?"
Henry gasped dramatically.
"I am perfectly normal."
"You once tried to microwave ice cream."
"I was experimenting."
"It exploded."
"It became soup."
"You cried."
"I was sixteen."
"You cried."
Henry looked at Ethan.
"You're supposed to defend me."
"I wasn't there."
"You've heard the story."
"I've heard enough."
Even Ethan laughed.
Henry sighed.
"I live a difficult life."
The first bell hadn't rung yet.
Davi reached into her backpack.
"I brought something."
Aya's eyes lit up.
"The camera!"
Henry immediately leaned over.
"You actually brought it?"
"I wanted to try it."
Aya clapped once.
"Oh, we're definitely taking pictures."
Before Davi could object, Aya had already pulled her toward a sunny corner of the courtyard.
"Stand there."
"I'm not ready."
"Perfect."
"What?"
"The best pictures are never planned."
Click.
The camera whirred softly as the photo slid out.
Aya waved it dramatically.
"I love this already."
"You haven't even seen it."
"I have faith."
Henry appeared behind them just as the picture slowly developed.
"Hey!"
Click.
This time, the photo captured Henry making an exaggerated face while Aya laughed so hard she nearly dropped the camera.
"You did that on purpose," Henry complained.
"I absolutely did."
"You've ruined my reputation."
"You made that face."
"I panicked!"
"You posed."
"I panicked stylishly."
Davi couldn't stop laughing.
Ethan watched quietly from a few steps away.
It wasn't the loud laugh that caught his attention.
It was how different she looked when she forgot to be self-conscious.
Lighter.
Freer.
Like sunlight breaking through clouds.
"You should be in one too," Davi said suddenly.
Ethan looked up.
"Me?"
She nodded, holding the camera.
"You gave it to me."
"I did."
"So it's only fair."
Henry wrapped an arm around Ethan's shoulders before he could refuse.
"There."
"The responsible puppy has joined the picture."
Ethan blinked.
"...The what?"
Davi immediately covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
Henry looked very pleased with himself.
"You told him?"
"I absolutely did not," Davi replied between laughs.
Aya looked completely confused.
"I feel like I missed an important meeting."
"You did," Henry said proudly.
"It was exclusive."
Ethan sighed with the patience of someone who had known Henry for years.
"I don't even want to know."
"Oh, you do."
"I really don't."
Click.
The camera captured the exact moment Ethan shook his head while Henry grinned like he'd just won an argument.
As the picture slowly developed in Davi's hand, her smile softened.
She glanced at Ethan.
The way he stood with one hand tucked into his pocket...
The quiet smile that appeared whenever Henry said something ridiculous...
Some things about him had never changed.
A memory quietly surfaced.
Seven-year-old Ethan stood in the school playground, proudly holding a tiny disposable camera.
"Smile," he'd said.
Young Davi had frowned.
"Why?"
"Because pictures look lonely if only one person smiles."
He'd snapped the picture before she could complain.
She remembered chasing him around the playground afterward, demanding to see it, while he insisted she had to wait until it was developed.
A small smile tugged at her lips.
She hadn't forgotten.
Not that day.
Not him.
What she couldn't remember...
Was when things became different.
When had conversations turned into simple greetings?
When had they stopped talking so easily?
She couldn't blame one moment.
It was as if the distance had appeared so slowly that neither of them noticed it until it was already there.
"Davi?"
Aya's voice pulled her back.
"You okay?"
She blinked.
"...Yeah."
"You disappeared for a second."
"I was just remembering something."
"A good memory?"
Davi looked down at the Polaroid in her hand before smiling softly.
"...Yeah."
A really good one.
The bell rang.
Students hurried toward their classrooms.
As Ethan turned to follow Henry, he glanced back for just a second.
Their eyes met.
He gave her the same small, quiet smile he always did.
Davi smiled back.
Maybe...
Some friendships didn't disappear.
Maybe they were simply waiting for the right moment to find their way back to where they once belonged.
- Writer
