My Shy Boyfriend

Chapter Five: Whacky Selfies and Geeky Smiles

"TOBIAS SALVATORE!" ADELAIDE called in a pitch higher than usual, causing her boyfriend to jump.

Oh no, did he do anything wrong? Suddenly he felt nervous about possibly committing something his girlfriend would define as bad. He tried his best to recall anything offensive he might've done but still couldn't figure it out.

They were strolling along the familiar aisle after school. The post meridiem sky provided a magnificent view for the couple. Blush pink and amber blanketed the town, forming a sweet mix.

"Y-yes!" Tobias replied obediently. His girlfriend had always reminded him to respond to her whenever she called his name, no matter how far their distance was. It wouldn't be easy since Tobias was the type to be easily embarrassed when everyone looked over to him and Adelaide, but he was trying to get used to it now.

"We haven't taken a photo together!" Adelaide flailed her hands dramatically. "Much less a selfie!"

Dun-dun-dun.

The most avoided topic of the semester. Or year. Or even lifetime.

To Tobias, being pictures was a toughie. He'd either always squeeze to the back of the group while being shot, or volunteered to take the photograph instead so that he didn't need to be in it. He'd always dreaded being on camera. Something about it just made him so afraid...

Now he couldn't find any reason to say no to his girlfriend. Not when she was giving him the classic puppy eyes— those eyes that made it impossible to reject. In fact, he realised he hadn't rejected any requests of his girlfriend so far. Who would do that to this girl? She was far too precious.

He felt caught in the middle.

"I— uh... actually," Tobias sucked in a breath to prepare himself to say the truth. He didn't even expect it to be this difficult to open up about himself. He shut his eyes. "I'm actually afraid of taking photos."

Adelaide gasped. "Why?" After a few seconds of blanking out, she asked. It was a shock to her— she was the total opposite. Everyone knew how much Adelaide loved to pose for photos, specifically selfies.

"A bad memory," he replied hesitantly, his voice suddenly soft and uncertain. Adelaide didn't want to pry as she thought there might've been more to his own story than she thought there was. She'd wait for him to share about them with her one day.

There was a flicker in her eyes. "Well then! We'll just have to replace your bad memory with a good one!"

Tobias' eyebrows raised. "How...?"

"You're in luck, boy," Adelaide winked at him while doing a peace sign. "The professional of selfies is here to save your day! Only my boyfriend gets to be taught by me for free!"

Tobias opened his mouth to speak but Adelaide didn't really let him. She raised her left arm while holding the camera, inching close to him.

She frowned, noticing their height difference. Even if she tiptoed, her hands were too short and couldn't get the two of them to fit into frame. Her boyfriend seemed to have realise that and voluntarily bent down to help her out.

"Relax your facial muscles!" Adelaide giggled as she saw Tobias clenching his jaw, his eyebrows quivering; he was looking totally unnatural. Seeing that he was fidgeting uneasily, she decided to wrap one arm around his neck to not only pull him closer to her, but also ease his nerves.