You Are Most Beautiful Through the Lens Chapter 7

The UCSD interview was an online group discussion with six people.

I logged into Zoom on time, waiting for others to join the room.

The first to enter was an Asian girl who looked nervous.

The second was a Latino guy adjusting his camera angle repeatedly.

The third—was Ethan.

I froze.

He saw me too. The corner of his mouth curved into a small smile, and he typed in the chat box: "Hey, what a coincidence."

My heart suddenly sped up.

How could it be this coincidental?

But before I could think too much, the interviewer entered the room.

"Hello everyone, I am Professor Martinez. Your interview starts now. We will have a group discussion. The topic is—'Technology and Humanity: Does social media bridge the distance between people or widen it?'"

"Discussion time is thirty minutes. Please speak actively and show your critical thinking and teamwork skills."

"Now, begin."

The air was silent for a few seconds.

I took a deep breath and decided to take the lead.

"I'll start," I said, my voice steadier than I imagined. "I think social media is a double-edged sword. It does allow us to maintain contact across geographic boundaries, but it also creates a false sense of intimacy."

"We think posting a story is caring, we think liking a post is companionship. But real connection requires face-to-face communication, eye contact, and the flow of real emotions."

After I finished, the others nodded.

Ethan followed up: "I completely agree with Skylar. And I want to add one point—social media also creates a 'performative' interpersonal relationship."

"We meticulously design every update, every photo, to show a 'perfect' self. But this self is often not the real us."

"Over time, we don't even know ourselves anymore, let alone truly knowing others."

He looked at the camera while speaking, but I knew he was actually looking at me.

The discussion went smoothly. Ethan and I echoed each other's points multiple times, and the others contributed great ideas too.

After the interview, Professor Martinez said, "Glad to see such active discussion. Results will be notified via email within a week. Good luck everyone."

After everyone left the room, Ethan immediately video-called me.

"You were amazing just now!" His eyes curved into crescents as he smiled. "I knew you'd nail it."

"You too." I couldn't help but smile. "And we made a good team."

"Of course," he winked. "We are—"

He paused, then deliberately lowered his voice. "A match made in heaven."

My face burned instantly.

"Ethan Rivers!"

"Okay, okay, just teasing." He laughed. "By the way, are you free tomorrow? I want to take you somewhere."

"Where?"

"It's a secret." He said mysteriously. "Anyway, you'll definitely like it."

"Well—okay."

After hanging up, my heart was still pounding.

What was this?

A date after the interview?

No, that's not right.

We were just friends.

Right, just friends.

But why was my heart beating so fast?

...

The next afternoon, Ethan picked me up.

"Where are we going?" I asked curiously.

"Almost there," he smiled. "Just five more minutes."

The car finally stopped at La Jolla Cove.

"The beach?" I looked at him in surprise.

"Not just the beach." He got out and took his camera bag from the trunk. "Sunset is at 6:18 PM. It's 5:50 PM now. We have twenty-eight minutes."

"Twenty-eight minutes for what?"

He looked at me, his eyes serious. "To take a set of photos for you. Photos that truly belong to you."

"Not for Instagram, not to please anyone, just because—" He paused. "Because you deserve to be recorded."

My nose suddenly tingled.

The wind by the sea was strong, messing up my hair.

Ethan had me stand on the reef rocks. The setting sun dyed the entire sky gold.

Click, click, click.

"Look this way."

"Smile."

"Yes, just like that."

"Don't pose, just be natural."

"Good, very good."

His voice drifted in the wind, but every sentence made me feel warm.

The sun slowly sank into the sea, the sky turning into a gradient of deep blue and orange-red.

"Last one," Ethan said. "Look at me."

I turned my head and looked at him behind the lens.

Click.

In that moment, time seemed to stand still.

After shooting, Ethan handed the camera to me. "Take a look."

On the screen, my hair was messy from the wind, but my eyes were determined.

The sunset light fell on me, making my whole being glow.

"See," Ethan whispered. "This is the real you. Free, beautiful, unique."

My tears suddenly fell.

"What's wrong?" He asked anxiously. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No." I shook my head, smiling as I wiped away the tears. "It's just—thank you, Ethan. Thank you for letting me see the real me."

He froze for a moment, then reached out and gently wiped the tear tracks from my face.

"Skylar," his voice was low. "Can I ask you a question?"

"What?"

"Do you... still think about him?"

I knew he meant Tyler.

"No," I said seriously. "That relationship is over."

"Then—" He took a deep breath. "Can you give me a chance?"

"A chance for what?"

"A chance to pursue you." He looked into my eyes. "I know we haven't known each other long, I know you might need time to heal. But—"

"I want you to know that in my eyes, you have always been the most special existence."

"From the first time I saw you under the ginkgo tree in freshman year, I knew I liked you."

I was stunned.

"Freshman year?"

"Yes." He smiled sheepishly. "Remember that award-winning silhouette photo? The girl standing in the golden sunset, that was you."

"I always wanted to talk to you, but you were always with Tyler, and I didn't want to disturb you."

"I didn't gather the courage to contact you until you posted that ticket transfer on Instagram."

"To not blow my cover, I stayed up all night studying all of Annie Leibovitz's works."

As he spoke, a blush rose on his face.

I suddenly remembered how serious he looked explaining the works at the exhibition.

Turns out—he did it all for me.

"Ethan—"

"You don't have to give me an answer now." He interrupted me. "I can wait. No matter how long, I can wait."

"I just want you to know, I'm serious."

The sea breeze blew past, bringing the salty smell of the ocean.

I looked at this boy in front of me and suddenly felt a corner of my heart slowly melting.

"I—" I took a deep breath. "I want to try too."

"Really?" His eyes lit up instantly.

"Really." I smiled. "But, I need to take it slow, is that okay?"

"Of course!" He was so excited he almost dropped his camera. "I mean—of course. We'll take it slow, no rush."

He grinned like a kid who got candy.

"So... can I hold your hand now?"

I looked at his outstretched hand, hesitated for a second, then placed my hand in his.

His hand was warm, holding mine firmly but comfortably.

We stood side by side by the sea, watching the sun completely sink below the horizon.

In that moment, I suddenly felt—

Maybe this is how a new beginning starts.