The Camera Loves You
Idanglethe keys in front ofChristina.
“Told you I could getthem.”
We’re standing in the deserted hallway of one of the campus buildings. Exam season will be wrapping up in two days, and since both Christina and I are finished with ours, we’re spending today getting in some last minute photos for theshowcase.
“How did you do that? We’re not supposed to be able to use the studios when regular classes aren’t goingon.”
I shrug. “I’m AaronPenn.”
She rolls her eyes and snatches the keys from my hand, striding away from me towards the studiodoor.
“You going to wear the black bra today? I think the black bra is myfavourite.”
“Don’t think that just because I drunkenly made out with you once, you get to have preferences about myunderwear.”
It’s been over a week since Jenga night, and Christina’s been trying to pass off what happened between us as a whiskey-fueled mishap. I know neither of us were all that drunk when we kissed, and while the alcohol may have given us the courage to do it, it wasn’t the reason why. I’ve been going along with her explanation though, because if she won’t acknowledge the tension that still wraps itself around us whenever we’re together, then I don’t have toeither.
She unlocks the door and we walk into the studio. Even though I’ve seen it already, the room still fills me with a rush of excitement, my fingers itching to get a hold of my camera and capture the glow of the early evening light. The entire space is like a theme park for photographers; the sun seems to seep into every texture and turn whatever it touches into some kind of jewel. I’m pretty sure even a picture of a dust bunny would lookfascinating.
But I’m not wasting my time on that when I’ve got Christina to work with. The light catches on the strands of her hair and plays across her skin like its flirting with her. She gave up on wanting to re-do the ads with a model after seeing the reaction we got from our marketing class, so today we’re just doing simple close-ups to show off the products themselves. Looking at her now, though, I doubt I’m going to be able to keep the shotssimple.
Everything about her begs to be turned into art. She’s the perfect mix of contradiction, hard as steel but warm like liquid gold. Every move she makes is both chaos and control. I want to stay in this room for as long as it takes to find the right angle, the right pose, the right second to snap my shutter closed and show the world what I see when I look ather.
Her voice jolts me out of mydaze.
“Let’s save the gawking for when you’re behind a camera, alrightPenn?”
She’s giving me a curious look and I realize I must have been staring for longer than I meant to. I shake my head and start getting my camera setup.
“I’m just wondering why you aren’t in your underwear yet,Peaches.”
She scoffs and moves to a corner of the room. “I’m changing over here, so don’t turnaround.”
I only brought one lens today, so after taking the camera out of the bag and slinging the strap over my neck, I point it towards the white couch and take some test shots. I try to focus on getting the exposure right, but all I can think about is the fact that Christina is currently naked behindme.
This was easier last time, when I didn’t know what she sounded like when she moaned, or what it felt like to have her mouth on mine. Now I don’t know if I’m going to be able to hide how much I wanther.
“On the couch?” she asks, walking up next tome.
“Yeah.” I don’t turn around. I keep the camera in front of my eye and watch through the lens as she takes aseat.
She’s wearing the black set of lingerie, the one with all the cut-outs and straps, paired with the same thigh high stockings. Without the headphones and blouse overtop, the outfit makes her look like some kind of sex goddess, all bold stares and inviting smiles. I want to capture her likethat.
“Now get on your hands andknees.”
She gives me a doubtful look. “Aren’t we just taking pictures of thebra?”
“Doit.”
I didn’t mean to sound harsh; I didn’t mean to say it all, but it comes out like an order. I see her draw in a breath and I wait for her to tell me to fuckoff.
For a moment, she just stares straight into the camera. I see her chest start to rise and fall as her breathing gets faster. The air feels charged, ready to shock whichever of us decides to move first, and I know what this is: it’s a challenge. She wants this as bad as I do, but she’s waiting for me to make it worth herwhile.
“Come on Peaches, I’m waiting. We don’t have allday.”
Her eyes narrow, and again I expect her to put a stop to this, but then she folds her legs up under her and shifts sideways onto her knees, leaning forwards to bring her hands down onto the couch. I circle behind her, and the view of her ass held up like that, covered in nothing but a bit of black fabric and lace, would make it impossible not to touch her if I didn’t have the camera in front ofme.
