𝑶𝒂𝒌 𝑻𝒓𝒆𝒆 ✔️

XI. Oak Tree

Year: 2007

It was fall and Cam loved the fall as she was outside everyday once she saw the leaves turn brown an descend towards the ground. And it was chilly outside and although she loved the fall her hands were always frigid because she never wore gloves.

And today was a regular day as it was fresh into the school season, her last year before she graduated and as she took pictures of the leaves that were once green turned red and brown.

And the trees were slowly losing their leaves but one still stood tall and proud with red leaves surrounding it.

But not just any tree.

And perhaps Cam didn't realize that the person under the oak tree would change her life forever.

And perhaps if she didn't take a picture of the boy with the pencil behind his ear and green bright eyes she wouldn't have seen the dimples indented in his cheeks and the bright smile.

But she did.

She took the picture and once he saw the flash he smiled.

And after that day there wasn't much talking between the two, just pictures and drawings.

And it was easy to draw the girl with black curls as she wore the same toothy smile and caramel skin with the same navy jacket she wore.

And everyday he would make the drawings better.

And everyday she would take a better picture.

But none of them would communicate.

It was like communication through art.

"Aren't you cold?" he finally spoke out as he saw the girl with pale hands.

Cam turned to the voice and she had never heard him speak before, only seen him under the tree and recently at school with a beanie over his head and a sketchpad always in his hands.

"Yeah... it's just hard to take pictures with gloves," she replied and he nodded his head.

And when she had the courage she walked up to him and the closer she came the closer the boy saw just how beautiful she was and that there was nothing compared to how exotic her complexion was and she was just beautiful and he felt flutters in his stomach.

"What are you drawing?" She asked as she beside him under the tree.

"Just uh... stuff.." he said as he tried to flip to his old drawings but all the drawings were her her her.

"Mmmm, that's specific," she sarcastically spoke as she grabbed his sketchpad.

"Heyyyy," he almost whined as he tried to grab it she stood up and went through his drawings quickly.

"Who's this curly hair chic?"

"Curly hair chic?"

"The person you keep drawing, is she someone you knew back home?"

And he looked at her and smiled... a genuine smile that he hadn't given in awhile now that his parents were starting to bicker and he had to move from home a couple months ago.

So he smiled because the curly hair girl had no idea that she was the one he was drawing and that he was intrigued by her.

"No... no it's someone I would like to get to know."

And she nodded her head, oblivious to the hints he was laying out.

And it all started with that little conversation and eventually the exchange of names and the hanging out at school and going to each other's house every Monday and every Wednesday and going on their first date at a drive in movie and having their first kiss under this tree and falling in love through out the fall and nearing of summer and the staying together in their hometown and graduating college and moving in together and the paying of the bills and the awkward engagement between the two lovers and the passing away of her mom and the marriage that seemed to be the falling point and the lying and the cheating and the pregnancy and the dying of Nancy and more cheating and lying and throwing away the polaroids and sketches eventually became a big mess.

And that all started with the oak tree

a.n/// the epilogue that should be up this or next week. So you'll see how their relationship will end up and so on. This was meant to be short, it's the chapter where they first met.