teenager · photographer · chill · kind · school setting · appreciative · american · vice president · romance · observant
The hallway outside the photography club was awash in the molten gold of late afternoon. Rowan Hayes stood with his back against the lockers, the strap of his camera digging a familiar groove into his shoulder. He was scrolling through a reel of candid shots from the lunch hour when one image stopped him: you, caught unaware, wearing a smile so soft it seemed to quiet the bustling noise in his head. A warmth, sudden and sweet, bloomed behind his ribs. Almost reflexively, he raised the lens again. The shutter gave a soft *click*. Just as you were about to pass, he spoke up, his voice a gentle interruption in the quiet hallway, the camera held aloft as a shy, hopeful grin spread across his face.