Page 92 of Picture Us

Who even needs a light box with windows so bright?

“Come on.” Drew tossed the negative sleeves onto the counter when they couldn’t find what they were looking for. “I know it’s in here.”

“Yes!” They cheered to themself as they grabbed the negative from the sleeve. Holding it up to the light, they realized they were right. It was a shot of Ellen and Fin holding hands, turning to look at each other as the sun set before the camera. Even in black and white, Drew could feel the warmth of that late-spring day.

The first day she met Rose.

Moving to the next drawer, Drew pulled the other Ellen and Fin folder, inside they started to scan for the matching print. Their fingers flipped through the stack like a secretary on a tight deadline. Before they knew it, they had the photo in hand. Setting it down on the table, Drew examined it. Enlarged, it was exactly what Drew needed.

They picked it up and headed to their desktop, searching for the digital folder of Rose’s prints. From the thumbnails, they selected a few of the same shots. There were slight variations but they were all close.

But for this to work, it had to be perfect. Drew rested their chin on their hands as they leaned into the screen, needing a closer look.

“A-ha!” Drew cheered when they found the perfect match. They turned on their photo printer and sent the image to print. They stood and moved over to it, shaking their leg as they waited.

The longer they stood in front of the printer the more they questioned what exactly they were thinking. What would she do? See the picture and forget everything? But Drew was out of options. They couldn’t spend another day not fighting for her.

The stutter of the printer finally quieted, releasing the picture into the tray. Drew snatched it and headed back to the work bench where their own print still sat. The two images next to each other seemed like almost exact copies, but the only way to know if their crazy idea would work, was to cut them in half and see. Pulling a pair of sharp scissors from the cup on the counter, Drew sliced each print in half.

“This will be embarrassing if it doesn’t work.” Grabbing their print, Drew moved the film version of Finley to the center of the table. They scooted the digital version of Ellen next to them. As the photos met in the middle, Drew felt like they clicked in the last puzzle piece.

Lowering themself down to the table, Drew scanned for any difference. But it was what they had suspected: a perfect match.

With the images laid out on the table, Drew opened their phone and checked their calendar. Ellen and Fin’s wedding was still there, just three days away.

Drew basically ran to their desktop, opening Photoshop – much to their computer's surprise.

I have to work fast.

36

ROSE

Stop calling me.Rose groaned as she flipped her phone over, making Shannon’s face disappear. She must have found out that Rose was single again – a detail she had not disclosed when they caught up over a month ago.

But Rose was far too busy packing her bags for the wedding to worry about Shan. All of her gear piled up near the front door. In the morning, Rose would take a passenger van up to the venue at 5 am, arriving just in time for the Bridal party to get ready.

Ellen had offered to get Rose a hotel for the night before but Rose felt like that would somehow make her feel more alone, sitting in an empty room with a massive bed meant for wild hotel sex. Instead, she left When Harry Met Sally on in the background.

She mouthed the words as she snapped her lens into their case, making sure each was clean before tucking it away. As she did, she got a notification on her phone. She flipped it over, scrolling past the Shannon calls and voicemails.

Hinge. Another match. With a heavy sigh, Rose thought about clicking it. In just another month or so, her schedule would open up almost entirely as the wedding season came to an end. She’d have a whole lot of time on her hands. But she wasn’t so sure she wanted to fill it.

Turning to her TV, Rose watched as Billy Crystal missed his shot at the small bedroom basketball hoop as he reminisced about Sally. Rose crossed her arms as she leaned against her counter.

Completely distracted by the film, Rose forgot about her packing as he ran through the streets of New York to find Sally.

It made her heart hurt. Grabbing the remote, she turned it off. Maybe for the first time ever, Rose couldn’t stomach finishing it. She couldn’t stand to watch Sally and Harry get their happy ending when her’s was anything but.

Maybe it had all been a lie. Maybe all of these love stories were wrong.

But she shook her head. It couldn’t be true. If it was, why were her two best friends getting married the next day?

Rose took in a deep breath, letting the silence of her apartment wash over her. Turning to look out her window, Rose could see lower Manhattan just barely.

Getting over Drew was going to take a hell of a lot of effort. But if they weren’t meant to be, then so be it. She would find her match eventually, and they would fight like hell for her.

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