Loving Someone

A Different Realization_3

David unlocked the front door and walked in, with Meg in his trail.

Meg followed David down a hall into a back room. When she entered the dark room, complete darkness enveloped her. "Don't worry, your eyes will adjust to the dark soon enough," David said from some corner in the room.

True to his words, Meg's eyes adjusted to the dark. She was silent as she watched David at work. Fascinated by the concentration on his face, Meg moved nearer to him. Sensing her near him, David looked up from his work. "If you're bored, you can go rest outside. Ryan has some books on the shelf that might interest you."

Meg quickly shook her head in denial, "No, it's alright." After a few heartbeats, Meg asked uncertainly, "Do you think you can teach me all these?"

"You're serious?"

Meg nodded her head enthusiastically.

For the first time since Meg met him, David seemed ill at ease. "Well, okay. Here, first we...."

***

After drinking heartily from the icy cold tin of coke, Meg swiped her lips with the back of her hand. "I didn't know photography is so much work. Before this, all I know was clicking the camera and sending it to be processed from shops."

From his position on a stool by the bar table, David said wryly, "It's alright if you don't know anything. Once you have learned, you'd want to process the films on your own." He paused for a moment, then continued, "I don't know about others, but I'm like that."

Meg smiled, "That just shows you love photography." Looking around the living room, she told David her observation, "I don't see any pictures around. Don't you display your work in the house?"

"No. I kept them in a portfolio."

"Can I please see?" Meg asked, her eyes alight.

Looking uncertain for a moment, he nodded, rather reluctantly. "My room's this way."

When Meg saw the pictures from David's portfolio, she was very impressed. Majority of it was pictures of people in various activities. Most of them were taken unnoticed by the subject, thus showing them in their true personality. One of them was a picture of a woman carrying a baby in her arms. The woman was obviously in a private moment with her child, love plainly shone on her face. Besides that, there was also the protectiveness in the way the woman carried her child.

"You're truly good, aren't you?" Meg did not noticed David looking at her bent head.

When she looked up, David quickly glanced away. Looking at him quizically, she observed, "You actually like people, don't you?"

David looked at her as if she had just said that the earth was actually flat.

Nodding her head triumphantly, Meg enthused, "Though you shy away from people, you like taking their pictures. There's no way that you could take such brilliant pictures without actually liking your subjects."

With an eyebrow raised, David countered, "Do you suppose photographers who took heartbreaking pictures of war torned places, like wars?"

"They managed to do that because they feel about their subject." A victorious smile lit her face, "Just like you."

Without a word, David walked out of his room. Meg followed him out, amused by his reaction. David went to the front door and opened it. "It's late, I think it's better for you to go now."

Pouting slightly, Meg walked out the door. Without turning around, she said, "You can deny it, but you can't change it."

"Meg?"

She turned around, seeing him lean against the doorframe, "Yeah?"

"Take care." And then, the most incredible thing happened. David smiled, a soft smile that erased away his frown.

Without another word, David stepped back inside and shut the door.

Meg was unable to respond.

Meg was spellbound.