Snapshots

Chapter Seven -"You look..."

Aiden still didn't know what was going on between the two sisters. He'd accepted it as normal whenever they had conversations with their eyes (he still didn't know how people even interpreted eyes shifting as a whole new language), so Aru and Kara not even looking at each other was something he was puzzled about.

'The studio seemed much colder with Shah acting weird too', he dimly noted in the back of his mind.

Whenever Aiden told her that she was tensing up too much, she responded with the classic 'eff off, Acharya'.

Maybe Aiden should just be glad that she didn't stop swearing.

"Ready?"

Aru was looking at him like the sun had broken into pieces and fallen on earth, and one of those pieces had landed on her dog's tail, and her dog was in the hospital for immediate tail replacement surgery and somehow, it was all his fault.

'Angry, Aiden.' His brain supplied him. 'Shah looks angry.'

He felt Kara's hand on his shoulder. "Y'know, Aiden, maybe we could take the photos in the garden instead. Aru's wearing some pretty nice clothes, and we are recreating the photos that you showed us-"

Aiden stopped listening.

Aru did look exceptionally nice today, wearing a long white dress that reached her ankles and was tightened at the waist with a pitch black cord.

He caught himself looking at her a bit too closely, and turned his gaze away.

Aru's eyes seemed to light up, and a close-to-evil smirk took over her face as she looked at her sister.

That was quite the change from the last minute.

Aiden swallowed. That look did not seem to promise good things.

"Well? Are we going to the garden?" She asked, her newly brightened face making Aiden anxious.

"Yeah, I think so. Kara, you're coming along?"

Kara rolled her eyes. "Obviously."

Aiden felt like he was stuck between a hydraulic press with the tension between the two sisters. He tried to break the silence. "So, uh-"

"Not now, Acharya." Aru said, that evil smile still on her face.

"Yes, ma'am." Aiden was scared for his life.

'She looks good in this angle.' He thought, as he walked beside her.

He took a picture, saving it in the folder of pictures he'd dedicated to non-project photos of hers.

He didn't notice when they reached the gardens, still fiddling with his camera.

The gardens were pretty big, so they could easily choose a spot that no-one would pass.

The first few shots came out great, and he took a few more candid photos of hers.

"So, Aiden..." She started, her scary smile returning to her face.

He took another picture.

"How do I look?" She asked him, tilting her head to the side.

He felt like a deer caught in headlights under Aru's and Kara's gaze.

Very pretty.

"You look...." He trailed off, Aru's gaze unflinching on his.

"Well?" She raised her eyebrow.

"...fine." He ended, and he discretely pinched his wrist.

Her smirk didn't waver. "Bet Kara looks pretty nice, though, huh?"

Aiden narrowed his eyes. "I thought we were talking about you, Shah?"

Aru looked annoyed and tired at the same time, and she looked at her sister's delicately composed face.

Eye conversations count: one.

Did Aiden just do something wrong? He thought he did.

"Aru?" A voice that Aiden knew all too well called out.

Her face brightened up again. "Rudy!"

'Oh no,' Aiden swallowed. 'Please tell me they don't know each other too well.'

"Aru! What are you doing here?"

Aiden thought it was glaringly obvious, with how he was holding a camera and how Aru was on the grass, giving a lazy pose.

She wiggled her fingers. "Black magic."

Aiden sighed. "You actually get along with him?"

Aru gave him a pointed look, as though she couldn't believe what he was saying. "He speaks to my soul."

"What, you have a soul?" He joked.

Aru beckoned him forward, lowering her voice as though she was telling him a secret.

Except her voice wasn't low enough and everyone nearby could hear what she said.

"Not everyone's emo, Acharya."

Rudy joined in on the jab. "Yeah, like you."

Aiden groaned. "Now I have to put up with two trolls."

"And I have to put up with two snobs. Pretty sure trolls are better than snobs, Acharya."

Kara coughed. "Can we go back to the shoot?"

Rudy looked at the scene properly now. "Ohhh you guys are taking pictures?" He nudged Aiden. "Finally making moves, are you, cuz?"

"The only thing I'm making is a good future in my photography career, Rudy."

"Yeah, I'm gonna believe that. Actually, since you're already here, Aru, what's Mini's favourite dessert?"

"Are you finally going to ask her out?"

Rudy's cheeks pinked. "I'll ask her out soon enough. No, Aru, don't give me that look."

"Listen, Rudy. If you don't tell her you've been worshiping the ground she walked on since we were fourteen, I will tell her myself, and I'm going to kick your ass back to Nagaland."

"I'll try to tell her soo- I will tell her soon." He amended it at the last moment.

"Good. Now, get out of the camera's range. I'm the model, not you."

"But why you?"

Aiden was the one who answered, as he instinctively took another picture of an annoyed Aru.

"She needs cinematic pictures for her theatre class, I need pictures for my photography class, and Kara needs pictures for her lighting class. Done?"

"Ohh," Rudy's eyes widened. "Mutually beneficial agreement."

Aru wrinkled her nose. "That sounds like we're signing some contract."

"Friends with benefits?" He suggested, and Aiden almost threw Shadowfax on his face.

"Ew, no." Aru mimed gagging, while Kara threw the papers on Rudy.

"Rudy, please just come back later." She said, picking up the papers again.

Aru brought out her phone. "Huh, Mini ran out of sanitiser, apparently. I'll need to buy some before I g-"

"I'll buy it!" Rudy said, a bit too loud. "I'll buy the sanitiser."

He ran in the direction of the gates, and Aru screamed behind him.

"Her favourite dessert is flan with coconut milk!"