Lasting Moment

six

I woke up comfortably warm. The curtains weren't completely closed and light shown on the wall. It was the feeling of a lazy day. I tried to roll over but there was a body there. 

Annabeth.

"Ugh, Piper, you're on my hair."

I rolled back. "Sorry."

I felt Annabeth pull out some of her hair from where I trapped it against the bed. "Okay, you're good," she murmured.

I shifted over so that we were face to face, noses less than an inch apart. "Hi."

"Morning."

I pushed some of her wild hair out of her face. "Can we stay here all day?"

She laughed. "I wish."

"We should."

"You have a shoot. And a shift." I pouted. I loved Annabeth, but she was too responsible sometimes. Maybe that was good for me. "Fine, five more minutes."

I smiled, triumphant. It wasn't that I was so tired, it was just because as soon as Annabeth allowed herself to relax and sleep she was adorable as she would cuddle closer. This was to my benefit in ways that she didn't know of.

It was an unfortunate five minutes later that Annabeth got out of bed, pulling at my arms to try and get me out. I knew that if she really wanted to Annabeth would have no problem hoisting me out of bed, so I got up. Besides, the bed was empty without Annabeth. Considering it was her bed that made sense.

I hadn't slept alone in about a week. It was partially because my house had a leak and was under repairs, but after this I wasn't sure if I would be able to sleep without my girlfriend again. I didn't even care how pathetic that sounded.

Annabeth pushed me out the door and was about to shut it when I stopped her. "I need to give you a kiss." She rolled her eyes but smiled when I kissed her anyway.

"I love you. Now go!" I laughed and hurried towards my car.

"I love you too!"

Photoshoot first. Some guy photographer who wanted to take pictures of me on some bridge. It was a fun shoot, a smaller crew of about seven people. Professional makeup and wardrobe. Look this way turn that. Smile. Look off into the distance. Think of something funny.

(I thought of the first time that Annabeth met Leo. It was insanely chaotic and they talked about some nerdy thing for over an hour. It made me laugh, the thought of how my best friend and girlfriend, seemingly very different, shared a lot of interests.)

After the two hour shoot I was off to work.

It was a stark contrast: flowing green dress on a bridge surrounded by admirers to puke colored shirt in a strip mall smoothie shop being judged by mothers.

And then I went back to Annabeth's place. She wasn't home (some emergency with Percy), but I had no problem with that, falling into her couch tired but happy.

Happy. That was the perfect word that described my life. It was simple, but it was good too.

It's only been three months, and sure, I've had middle school relationships that have lasted longer, but this felt different. I hadn't even felt this way with Jason, and I had been sure for two years that he was the one. But I had forced things, and it wasn't natural.

Now I had something that just worked. Like a river it flowed, never flawless but nonetheless beautiful.

It was another late afternoon and Annabeth had gone for a hike. I couldn't quite keep up with her on those so must times I didn't go, but I did know what she did.

Annabeth would hike up some steep mountain with her camera to get exercise and take pictures. The hike was ten miles round trip, and when she came home her legs would be sore and her camera full of pictures.

I loved looking at the pictures she would take. They were rarely of big views or vistas. Mostly they were of wild flowers poking through a cracked rock. They were of some hiker's boot's footprints. She took pictures of small birds and squirrels in the trees.

Annabeth told me that a view is almost always there, and the smaller things aren't. They're moments in time that she happened to capture.

Anyway, it was a day when Annabeth was hiking with Grover (her pictures were likely to feature him), when I decided to call up Percy.

He picked up after five rings. "Hey, Piper!"

"Hey, I just wanted to say thank you."

He laughed. He knew what I was talking about. "Of course, you were clearly miserable."

"Shut up."

I could feel his crooked smile through the call. "Never. Oh, wait, I have to go now, but I'm always here to help. Call me Mr. Matchmaker."

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "Bye, Percy."

"See ya."

I wished that Percy wasn't busy because then I was bored.

"Piper!"

Annabeth! She was home. I felt a huge sense of relief, with Annabeth things were rarely boring.

"I got you something," she said coming into the living room. Her hair was in a ponytail and her socks were dirty. Her hands were behind her back. Her camera still hung around her neck. She was beautiful.

I looked up at her, my eyebrows raised. Annabeth grinned and handed me a bouquet of wild flowers. They were beautiful. "Wow, real cheesy, Chase."

Annabeth shook her head, blushing. "Shut up, it was Grover's idea and I know you like cheesy shit."

I walked over to Annabeth and looped my arms around my girlfriend's neck. "Thank you," I whispered. "I love the cheesy shit."

"Well, it's your birthday tomorrow so you get a pre-gift."

"From Grover."

Annabeth laughed shaking her head. "Yes, from Grover."

"Thank him for me."

She kissed me, soft and short. "Of course."

The present that she got me for my birthday was a Polaroid camera. "It's just to add to your collection of cheesiness," she said grinning. She didn't see it coming when I took the first picture of her. "Hey!"

The picture came out the top and three minutes later it was a fully developed picture of a bed headed Annabeth: curls sticking every which way, her face smiling and her eyes surprised.

"Why'd you take that?"

"I like it. I love you."

"Love you too," she said. Her eyes were open like I could see her soul. Her beautiful, beautiful soul.

"And besides," I said smirking mischievously, "it's a lasting moment."

_____

And CUT.

Thank you so much for reading this story, it was really... interesting to write. Let me know if you want more or this sort of content.  

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~Speedy