“You ready to go?” you asked him eagerly. You stood on your toes, placing your hands lightly on his shoulders to leave a light kiss on his cheek. He smiled, taking your hand in his.

“Do you have your camera?” he inquired. Nodding, you raised the old Polaroid for him to see. It had been a great deal, the camera inexpensive and sold together with a few packs of film that hadn’t yet expired, a rare treat in the world of film. Smiling, you walked together out the door, hand in hand. He slid a pair of dark sunglasses over his eyes, the red plastic framing his face.

On the busy street, no one took a notice to the famous face standing next to you. The streams of people hurried around the two of you, a white noise of soft conversations and traffic adding a backdrop to the simple contentment between you two.

“Oh look!” you exclaimed happily. You gestured to a colorful display in a store window. A rainbow array of plastic umbrellas was strung from the ceiling. Silver and blue shiny beads dangled like raindrops, and soft cattails lined the windowsill. You lifted the camera’s viewfinder to your eyes, lining the Polaroid to perfectly frame the umbrellas. The picture rolled slowly out of the camera, and you took it excitedly in your hands. Both of you leaned close as you watched the image fade slowly onto the white paper. He took it with a smile and held it up to look.

“Hey, this is great!” He shook it gently, letting the picture finish developing. It had a vintage quality to it, and you slipped the iconic white paper safely into your wallet.

“Smile!” You turned the camera on him, snapping a candid shot of his laughing smile. The sunshine cast a golden light on his hair, and even with his eyes hidden behind sunglasses you could see the sincerity in his genuine smile.

He laughed as you sprinted forward down the sidewalk, snapping pictures of everything that captured your interest. You stood tall, reaching forward to touch your index finger to a rain-stained leaf. The texture of rust red bricks was rough against your palms, and you snapped another picture of your surroundings. He followed you with his hands relaxed comfortably in his pockets, quietly watching you study everything with childlike excitement.

At times you turned around to tug at his hand, pulling him eagerly behind you as you played with the little camera. He smiled for all of the pictures, looking pleasantly at ease with the bubbling city as a backdrop.

The mass of buildings eventually slowed, more plants and park scenery lining the road. An aged wooden dock trailed over the water, dipping into the ocean to float with the boats and sea life.

You wandered together down the dock, and you pointed eagerly at different sailboats and landmarks across the water. When you reached the end, his hand clamped tightly around yours. It was silent for a moment, as you listened to the water slap gently against the beams supporting you. He turned sideways, lifting a hand to your cheek. His fingertips were soft against your skin, pressing gently. You hesitated for a moment, letting in a sharp intake of breath before staring sweetly into his eyes.

His lips were soft against yours, parted slightly as his teeth pulled slightly at your bottom lip. You exhaled, letting in another breath before returning your lips to his. His arms tightened around your ribcage, and you tilted your head to kiss him again.

It was a minute before you pulled away, eyes opening to lock on his. He grinned, pulling at your hand to lead you with the same enthusiasm you had before. 

“Ready to go?” You nodded, following him back down the street.