Twenty-Nine // J.G.

five.

Day 1.

A low, monstrous growl crept from my throat when I felt a shift in my bed, signaling that someone had joined me on it, and I had a pretty good idea of who it might be.

"Good morning, my sweet girlfriend." Jack cooed into my ear. Buried beneath the covers, I blindly swatted at him, which only elicited a laugh from that big mouth of his. Jet lag was no longer apparent to me as I looked at the clock and read 8:00 A.M., but still felt like I needed at least three more hours of sleep. "Wake up, wake up," Jack urged, bouncing on his hands and knees. Yawning, I pulled myself up and leaned against the headboard, rubbing my hands over my face.

"What is it this time, Jack?" I rasped, my eyes half-open as I looked at him.

"I got you a present." He grinned.

My ears perked at that one particular word, and no amount of sleepiness could ever keep me from wanting to know what it was. As a child growing up, I'd get excited about any kind of present I received, whether it be a pencil or a bike or a pair of hand-me-down shoes. I guess when you grow up in a dirt poor family, you learn to appreciate whatever little things life gives you.

"What is it?" I rose a brow, dozens of possibilities swirling through my mind. Day one of being together, and he's already gotten me something. Not bad. For him, at least.

Jack slid off the bed and crouched down to pick something off the floor before standing back up and presenting the gift with a wide, charming smile. Because of my lingering daze from having just woken up, it took me a bit to understand that this was it - a Polaroid Pic-300 camera. My eyebrows scrunched together as I took the box and tilted my head in question.

"What's this?" I asked. Photography wasn't exactly my forte - I was much better off as a writer - so I couldn't piece together why he would choose this as a gift for me.

"Something to help you remember how amazing these thirty days are going to be." He answered with a cheesy smile. I showcased my lack of amusement through a dull look, to which he released a laugh. "I thought you might wanna document this trip," He shrugged before picking something else off the ground. "Maybe this'll help too?" Lo and behold, within his outstretched hand lay a fresh, untouched journal just waiting to be filled with a variety of quick notes, messy handwriting, and late night thoughts that wouldn't dare to be expressed elsewhere.

I suppressed my utter joy behind a coy smile and accepted his gifts with a small "Thank you."

After he helped me set up the camera, I slid off the bed and scurried towards the front of the room, pointing the lens towards the view of my unkempt bed and the terrace that displayed the bright blue sky. I snapped a picture and set it on the bed to develop, taking a picture of the room at another angle in the meantime.

"You aren't going to take a picture of yourself? Or, say, me?" He queried. I looked at him with the expectation of finding that dumb smirk on his face, but he seemed to be sincere with his question. I just shrugged, having no real answer or at least one that would make sense to him.

"I value places more than people, I guess." Although I could be considered an avid people watcher, funnily enough, I found better comfort in observing the inanimate things that surrounded me. I connected places with emotions whereas with people, I was practically void. Don't get me wrong, I was thankful for how I was brought up and everything my parents did to raise me, but I haven't even seen them, or any of my family for that matter, since I left high school. They were just people to me.

"Marley?" Jack's voice split through my wandering thoughts. I blinked and shook my head, looking down at the photos that had developed. I had never been one to be into the whole fascination with 'vintage' culture, but I must admit that these were pretty cute, and Jack's idea didn't seem too bad. "You think a lot, don't you?"