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The wind danced about the fall leaves and then through her hair. She smiled gently and twirled around returning the dance with the wind. No matter where she moved her brilliant eyes were meant for me… just me.

“Too bad they were only pictures.” I said solemnly lifting the photograph out of the chemicals. It was a black and white, but I almost felt like I was staring at her beautiful green eyes. “Oh God, I’m obsessing!” I hung the picture up and shook my head. She wouldn’t have any interest in me; she was just a friend and a good one at that. One who let me work on my photography no matter how annoying and retentive I got about it, not like it was hard to take pictures of her though. A picture of her was instantly art.

I hung another picture on the wire. This one was a close up of her face, the trees behind her slightly blurred. There was a strange glare over her right shoulder, “Darn.” I hated it when I messed up an otherwise great picture. It took me a moment to realize that same glare was in the first photograph as well. “You’ve got to be kiddin me! Don’t tell me my new lens is screwed up.” I reached for the wall fumbling for the light switch. With a quick flick light filled the room and I was staring at my camera. Flash.

I accidentally touched the capture button. I stood there blinking, blinded for a moment. When my eyesight finally came back I continued my inspection of the lens. It was fine. Probably a bad role of film, this did mean that the entire shoot was a bust but what did I care. To me it was just a good excuse to call Meghan and see if she was up for a second go.

I stashed my camera back in its bag and bolted out the dark room and up the stairs to my phone. Speed dial number one. First ring and all I can think of his her smile. Second ring and I start to panic as I realize I’ve completely forgotten why I’ve called her. Third ring and I hear her. “What’s up?”

“Hey Meghan,” I said, maybe a bit too excited. “What you up to?”

She giggled briefly, apparently amused by my bumbling words. “Oh, nothing really. Just sitting here thinking about watching a movie.”

“Ah…” I feel crestfallen and I’m not really sure why, maybe I’m afraid she’ll choose a movie over me. But what was I expecting her to say, ‘I was just sitting here, thinking of you, waiting for your call..? “Well if you get bored with your movie do you think you can spare an hour or so to do a re shoot?”

“Huh? Why? What happed to all the pictures you just took? Did you make me look ugly, Derry?” Everyone called me Darrin, except her. She thought it bothered me, so she relentlessly teased me with the name Derry. Deep down I melted every time she cooed that name. “It’s impossible to make you look ugly.” I blushed when I realized I was hitting on her. She mumbled something like aww, but I was stammering on, trying to run from my stupidity.

“The film I used must have been defective; there was a glare in all of the photos.”

“Really?” She shocked me with this sudden bout of interest. Any other time I started talking about photograph she would laugh and say ‘Derry, you’re such a geek.’

“Sure, I’ll be over in like half an hour. Does that work for you?”

I ran a hand through my messed up hair. I looked like crap and had a lot to do before the day was over, but how could I say no to her? “Of course.”

“Great! Let me change and I’ll be right over.”

The thought of her changing made me smile and then start to think… so I quickly said my good bye and ran to the bathroom to tidy myself up. I turned the water faucet on and went to take a pee, hoping that would at least return me to my normal state. I flushed and watched the water circle the drain, almost mesmerized. For some reason it made me ponder life and death and of course everything relates back to her. I shook my head, washed my hands and ran downstairs, eagerly awaiting Meghan’s arrival.

Thirty minutes later and there’s a knock on my door. My heart lunged to my stomach at the sound, but I still trembled my way to her. I pulled the door open and there she stood in the same ripped jeans and white shirt she wore that morning, however; she had added a fluffy red scarf, dark glasses that covered half of her face and lips so puckered that it seemed as if she had just eaten a lemon, a lime and an entire bag of sour candy. “I’m ready for my close up, Mr. Deville!”

The words flowed from her mouth with such a thick dialect that I couldn’t help but laugh. “Well don’t you just look ever so beautiful?” I was trying to sound suave and funny; I think I ended up sounding like a nimrod. At least she laughed.

“Derry, you’re such a geek!” My self esteem drops, but I completely forgot about it as she grabs the camera strap around my neck and pulls me with her. “Aren’t you ready yet? Come on!” She speaks so quickly that I have no chance to response and barely enough time to shut the door.

A warm breeze picked up as we walked to her car. It was a total piece of crap and I took every moment I could to tell her that. “I can’t believe that rust bucket made it all the way to my house!”

“Hey! I only live like three blocks over.”

“I can’t believe that rust bucket made it all the way to my house!” She punched me in the arm and got into the car. “Look on the bright side Meghan; I don’t even have a piece of crap. I just have to envy yours.”

She turned the right as soon as we left my drive way, the exact opposite of where we needed to go. “Um, so not be picky but you do realize the park was back in that direction right?”

“Yeah, but we’re not going to the park. I got a better place in mind.”

I stared at her beautiful face for a moment, she could have taken me anywhere and I wouldn’t utter the smallest complaint. Though I hate being in the dark and can’t stand surprises.

“And where’s that?”

“That’s a surprise.” She smiled and gave me a quick wink

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