Page 97 of Picture Us

“Hey, beautiful day.” Diana nodded and kept her mouth shut.

Holding the gift as Fin tears the paper off, Ellen’s eyebrows wrinkle as she sees another frame. Fin’s eyebrows raised as she realized what she was looking at. Ellen’s mouth fell open.

Fin shook her head as she met Drew’s gaze. “Drew… this is beautiful.”

Covering her mouth, Ellen couldn’t tear her eyes away. “It’s everything we wanted these pictures to be.”

Confused, Rose walked closer, peering over their shoulders. Her eyes began to water as she saw it. The two images merged seamlessly in the middle, a light fade connecting them together. Two people, two tastes, finding a way together. The grain of Drew’s film and the crystal clear of Rose’s digital made a perfect connection. Ellen’s ring in Black and White and Fin’s ring in vivid color.

Stepping toward them, Drew clenched their jaw. They had stayed up all night to finish it. “I wanted to thank you both for letting me share this with you and Rose. It was a one of a kind assignment. I don’t think I’ll ever get to work with more incredible people again. I owe you two an apology. I let my ego stop me from delivering the best work I could.”

Fin was about to wave it off, but Ellen raised her hand to stop her.

Turning more to Rose, just a few feet away now, Drew tried to slow their breathing. “I thought I was the best I could be, and not just at what I do. But you pushed and pushed. You encouraged me to let someone new in. I even learned Photoshop.”

Ellen and Fin moved to the side, making room for Drew to come closer to Rose.

Not meeting their eyes, Rose tucked her hair behind her ear. Drew ducked lower, intercepting her gaze. “I underestimated how hurt I was in the past and I let my paranoia get the best of me.”

From the edge of the woods, Diana cleared her throat. “Sorry about that one, that’s on me.” She took pictures from her spot in the corner.

Drew looked back at Rose, who was lifting her head ever so slightly. “And I disrespected you. Your work. Your integrity. And worst of all, your trust. But you didn’t deserve to feel untrusted. I should’ve worked harder to overcome that.”

They took another step closer. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you. I’m sorry I looked down on your work and didn’t trust your judgment.”

“It’s not that simple.” Rose’s voice cracked as she finally met Drew’s eyes. Her emerald eyes shone, glassy from the tears building in her eyes. Waiting for her to speak, Drew held their head high. They were ready for anything. But she couldn’t find the words.

With a nod, Drew tensed their temple. “I know. I know it’s not simple. I don’t want simple. I want you. For your messy dishes. For your frantic mornings. For your soft skin on a Sunday afternoon. For your attitude. Because this is the best I’ve ever felt.”

Drew held their hand out, hoping to feel Rose’s meet theirs.

“I can’t miss any more coffees with you. I’m standing here, asking you to let me do better. Let me tell you what’s hurt me and let me try to work through it. Because I swear to you, I will never hurt you like that again.” Drew was shaking, their throat tight as they looked at Rose. The rest faded away, just the two of them standing at the edge of a cliff.

Turning to look at her friends, Rose shrugged. Her eyes met Ellen’s, wanting her sage advice.

Ellen smiled back at her. “They’re great photos.”

Looking back down to the ground, Rose let her hand meet Drew’s. A slight smile crept onto her face. “Did you really learn Photoshop?”

Drew’s concern turned to a wide, beaming smile. They nodded. “Over your shoulders. I could use a real lesson though.”

Finally meeting Drew’s hazel eyes, Rose shook her head. “Yeah god, those lines are really rough.”

Drew laughed. Rose put her arm around Drew, pulling them closer. “I’ve wait a long fucking time for this.” She pressed her lips to Drew’s, an electric shock shooting from her lips to her lungs. It was like her body had restarted, like she could finally breathe again.

After a moment, they pulled apart to claps from their friends and Diana taking pictures. Giggling, Drew rested their forehead against Rose’s, letting the warmth from their heads meet.

“Should we finish shooting this wedding?” Drew pulled away and tilted their head toward the bride and groom.

Rose laughed and wiped a tear from her eyes. “Probably.” Drew grabbed their camera bag from the floor near Diana who stepped forward and took the frame from Ellen and Fin.

Setting the couple against the cliffside, Rose prepared to shoot. Finley shook their head and nudged Drew. “Way to upstage my wedding, bro.”

Shrugged, Drew quipped, “At least I waited until after the ceremony.”

The group broke into laughter, as they kept shooting. Drew couldn’t stop stealing glances at Rose as she smiled. She was something else, the most incredible woman Drew had ever met. And now they had to make sure they kept her.

After a while in the woods, the sun began to set as the golden hour light passed. They collected their things and headed back to the reception. Emerging from the woods, Ellen and Fin’s friends and family broke out into applause.

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