“Okay.” She ended up forcing a smile. She smoothed down the front of her dress to relax, yet her hands fidgeted.
“Relax, Leah.” His tone sounded peaceful.
Leah rolled her shoulders. Taking in a deep breath, she caught a whiff the flowering trees. “Okay.”
“Think about… our senior trip.”
Leah giggled. She and her senior class took a road trip to Austin, Texas. They had toured the Alamo and took silly photos in front of the historical landmark. Leah remembered the day as if it had only happened yesterday. She and Cole had fun touring the city along with her other classmates. He snapped so many photos; they had enough for the yearbook.
“There you go.” Cole snapped another picture. “Now pivot towards the tree. Hands on the trunk.”
Leah followed his directions. “Like this?” She placed her hands on the tree bark.
“Perfect.” He snapped a few more photos. “How about the park bench?”
She took a seat on the wooden bench. The sun warmed her face, but the mist from the fountain because of the breeze added relief. She then draped her hair over one shoulder.
“Hands on either side of you. Tilt your head.” His jaw muscles clenched as if he were in deep concentration.
Leah followed his instructions. Her hands on either side of her, she tilted her head. Cole backed away from her as he took the photos. Then he drew closer and took her hand in his.
“One hand on your shoulder,” he said.
The brush of their hands sent a warm, fuzzy feeling through Leah. She kept her hand on her shoulder as Cole squatted down for the shot. A few more pictures and he was ready for her to change. Leah made a quick trip to the ladies’ room to change into her white t-shirt, yellow blazer, and sky-blue skinny jeans. She strutted back to Cole in her wedge sandals to find him sitting on the bench scrolling through the photos.
“How do they look?” She wrung her hands together and then brushed her side bang away from her face. She had put her hair in a high ponytail, grateful that she felt cooler. Cole’s eyes sparkled as he met her eyes. Her heart leaped.
“So far, these look good,” he said.
She pointed to his camera. “Can I see?”
He turned to shield it away from her. “Not yet. You’ll see them soon enough.” He gave her a once over, with a smile reaching his eyes. “I like this outfit too. It’s fun
but classy at the same time.”
Leah diverted her gaze to the birds splashing in the nearby birdbath. “Thank you… where do you want me to stand?”
Cole scratched his head. “How about we take it back to the tree? There’s also a gazebo further down.”
Leah agreed and moseyed back to her original spot. This time, Cole had her lean against the tree with her hands behind her back. At the gazebo, he kept her laughing as he snapped the photos, and she relaxed even more. Finally, Cole said they had enough of the park photos, and they headed back to his studio.
Leah laced her fingers back and forth. She couldn’t wrap her mind around this new feeling she had around Cole.
“Are you okay?” he asked. He pulled his truck back in front of his studio.
Leah reached for her cellphone. “I’m fine.”
“It hasn’t been too bad has it? You’re a natural in front of the camera.”
“Thank you, but I’ll stick to my day job.”
He laughed along with her and opened the truck door for her. Once inside his studio, Leah studied the room while she set her bag on the chaise lounge chair. Scattered black and white photos decorated the walls. A Kodak camera? Only Cole would keep such a memento.
“I like this place, Cole,” she complimented, pirouetting to survey the place. “Your pictures are amazing. This place has you written all over it.”
“I like it too.”
“I still can’t believe you’re home.”