One final tug at the rope and everyone dropped to the floor, face falling apart into relieved smiles. Dipped into those droopy eyes, however, was a prideful glimmer; one that could rival the warm rays that filtered past the thick glass. Finally, we'd done it!

I was somehow the only one who had collapsed near the bed, back pressed against the creased sheets that hung off the edge. The idea of having to clean up now was troubling and I desperately tried to push it to the back of my mind. The laugh that rushed past Paul's cracked lips then was breathy and broken, melting into the dusk in specks of white like a liberating spell. Those long limbs of his were stretched wide, just like a starfish, while his chest heaved up and down in an odd rhythm. Dripping from the tips of his fringes were large beads of sweat; beads which could also be found glistening above his lips and down his neck. Almost five hours of unbearable heat and strained muscles; indeed, we'd worn ourselves out to the bone. Yet, the three of us shared this unspoken excitement; all undeniably thrilled by the end result. Finally, Paul's dream of sleeping in a hammock would come true!

"You better... not tell me... it's not working-." panted Josh from beneath the desk, hair tugged all the way back to expose his bulbous forehead. He'd rid himself of his spectacles, an arm tiredly thrown over his eyes. A tinge of pink flushed his skin, only growing bolder at his cheeks. Gone were the extra layers that often sheathed his body, replaced by a blue singlet that had turned darker beneath his arms. And gone too was the awkwardness that had greeted us upon first arriving. For that, I was grateful because I really didn't want us to fight.

"What if... I want to put it... over there?" Paul teased, forefinger pointing randomly at the library shelves. Josh wasn't looking at all though, offering instead a flick of his middle finger before turning towards the door, away from us and the light. He'd probably be out in a minute, which wasn't much of an unusual sight, to be honest. That's mostly all he ever did when we would stay over anyway. But it prompted another round of laughter from Paul, which successfully muffled his staggering steps towards the hammock.

"You better be careful with those hooks," I warned as he drew closer. But before I could even finish my sentence, he was falling into the hammock, the fabric snapping loudly beneath his chest. "We don't know if they'll- Idiot! You could have fallen!"

"But I didn't!" he grinned sheepishly, peering beneath the straps to throw me a wink. Annoyed, I didn't honor him with a response and directed my attention towards the back pocket of my trousers instead. I ignored my friend trapping himself into his new bed and pulled out my vibrating phone. The moment I saw the name, all traces of happiness was wiped off my face. If anyone noticed, they said nothing.

My hands were quivering as I swiped a thumb across the lit screen, awfully aware of the heads that had turned my way after the fifth call. I couldn't bring myself to say hello and neither did he bother to.

"I heard you've been looking for me, Lucas Jacobs."

***

It never really occurred to me that, one day, I would end up interested in photography. At least, the missing click of a camera at important events used to suggest so. The past had never been worth remembering, as far as I could remember, and thus I'd grown up with it sealed at the back of my mind. Every next step into Gary's alcove studio was hence like a revelation. Even Paul's beige coated walls were nothing in comparison to the slate grey bricks that made up the corridor. The entrance was bathed in neon blue lights and I just knew this was not going to be a simple home visit.

"Kind of my first time inviting a nerd in," admitted Gary, voice deceptively loud in the deafening silence. And I followed after him, steps hesitant and eyes wide with amazement. The mature tone of the decor made it less of a house than a gallery, photo frames of varying sizes adorning the walls. The smiling faces staring back at me were that of complete strangers, except of course for a pair of steely eyes. And beyond the amazement, I realized that it kind of made sense why Gary had always been confident about his looks. Yet another thing I could not relate to... "My dad is a fashion photographer in Berlin if you were wondering."

"Cool," I replied, unsure of what else to say when he pointed to the side. A gap in the wall gave onto the dining space, where he dropped his backpack and advised me to take a seat. The leather case of the chair felt rough beneath the tips of my fingers, a squeak echoing about the room when I tried to move one of them. Before even getting my shoulders rid of the weight of my bag, he was gone and all that appeared before me were rows and rows of photo frames. As compared to the ones at the entrance, however, these were all of one landscape or another. The one distinct thing about them though was the lack of colors in them. It was oddly enthralling.

A touch of copper to the furniture further emphasized the peculiar atmosphere. It paired well with the recessed lighting, silverish beams pouring from the ceiling without overwhelming the room. I wondered if there was some kind of controller to the switch or if Gary's family preferred such low visibility. It wouldn't be practical unless one was used to it. I wasn't. There's also this vague memory of blooming orchids scattered across the room, delicate white petals dotted with specks of blue. I would have preferred natural ones, though the addition was refreshing.

The sky changed from vibrant orange to bold red sometime between me trying to decipher one of the photographs and Gary's return. Like this, I was introduced to white balance, ISO, exposure... A bunch of words that made little sense in those first couple days. It kind of reminded me of computer studies as a junior; my nightmare subject as a child bookworm. Thankfully, I'd met the type of friends patient enough to help me adjust. All those zeros and ones, arrows pointing into every direction, it gave me months of headache. Same went for figuring the camera and all those settings that went along with using it. Adjusting the lighting, fixing the angle, making sure the subject is not out of focus... 

But along the way, I discovered how more fun it was to stare at the photos than taking them. So when Gary tripped me after school, one afternoon in March, I was not that surprised by his suggestion. It was innocent after all, borderline insane but understandable to some extent. It made me eager as well, to see the true grin on his face. By then, I had learned to differentiate it with the one he'd reserve for school. So, despite that occasional grimace from Josh, things didn't seem as bad. In fact, the growing numbers beneath each post were what made the addition Sebastian feel natural. We were doing great, after all, and could afford to be a little daring. Except, things did not turn out as simple...

***

I could literally see the two fingers sneaking above the crown of my head, wiggling tentatively just as my thumb pressed onto the shutter. The screen froze for a moment, silently flashing white while I narrowed my eyes into slits. Those honeycomb drops smiled at me over the woolen sleeves, deceptively innocent though I knew better. Tapping my way back to the gallery, I pulled away from my raised knees.

"We might as well stop here if you keep doing this," I warned, pointing at the fake bunny ears she'd given me in the shot. It was clearly amusing to her but definitely not what we had agreed upon. I had been certain I could do it; make it as subtle as possible, hinting at the unspeakable while staying above it all discreet. However, Cherry was in a brighter mood than on most days and all of these had clearly been erased from her dictionary. "I'm deleting it."

"No!" she was quick to intervene, voice piercing through the loud splatter of the rain outside. A flash in her eyes and a growl in the sky. I looked down to my elbow, surprised by the tight grip of her fists. And while the back of the classroom provided as much of a shield as we could probably get, my heart was far from prepared. The shock should have been reciprocal but, unexpectedly, she did not lean away. Instead, her fingers grew more tensed beneath my gaze. I was not quite certain what to make of it.

It had been awkward at first. No, not awkward! Just... a little uncomfortable. But not because of her! Rather, it was... the circumstances.

Trying to look presentable hadn't been enough, not when I'd dashed past the door ten seconds late and was panting too hard to apologize properly. It had not been enough when I became aware of the lump in my throat and of how my legs were wobbling like jelly. All the thinking I'd done, enough to only get four hours of sleep, proved to have been absolutely and utterly useless. Because the moment I saw her, steamy cup pressed against a dumbfounded smile, words had lost all meaning. Thankfully, the embarrassment hadn't lasted long and I had joined her on the floor.

From then on, it was only a matter of time before the stuttering and timidity ceased to be. Thanks to her bluntness and boldness, I quickly relaxed and even got to laugh along. As free-spirited as always, Cherry shone bright enough to force the tiredness away. And so, our official dating began with me crying of laughter, even to the point of having aching ribs. But it was nice, it was fun. I knew there was no other way for it to be.

There was more than one reason as to why we chose to hide the relationship. Top of the list was our inexperience, given how neither of us had been in one before. And while the mutual liking was there, Cherry expressed her wish to be more stable first before having to deal with endless commentary and judgment. Next came the obvious backlash that would come out of it, seeing how almost every guy had asked her out by then. That one was more or less related to the first, though. Speaking of which, there was also the time-ticking bomb called Will, who was both my nemesis and her current male best-friend. We weren't to worry about though, at least not until we knew we had an actual chance. Thus came the last reason; her promise to her brother. Now, I was not given much information at the time but, apparently, it had to do with her sibling not being a fan of high school teenagers. Especially boys... I didn't try to know more.

So we were dating-but-not-really-for-now and to commemorate that special first day, she asked for a couple photo. At first, it was supposed to be something sweet and discreet- so as to not arise suspicions- but, as you know, that's not how it all went down, eventually.

"It's cute," she mumbled lowly, warm puffs of air wafting against the side of my face. I was afraid to look up, certain that we weren't supposed to be as near, though not really wanting to pull away. "I want to keep it."

When did the phone move out of my grasp and when did I get it back with a bunch of typed numbers, I wouldn't be able to tell. Later that day though, head leaning into my raised palm, I couldn't deny that I had found my favorite keepsake and the one person worth sharing it with. From then on, all my efforts would be directed towards saving it.