You Are Most Beautiful Through the Lens Chapter 9

Life with Ethan was full of surprises every day.

He would slip little notes into my backpack while I was in class.

"You are still the most beautiful today."

"Don't forget to drink water, my princess."

"Check your phone after class, there's a surprise."

He remembered everything I said casually.

I said I wanted boba from a specific shop, and the next day he drove an hour to buy it.

I said I liked a band's new album, he immediately bought the vinyl for me.

I said I wanted to learn photography, so every weekend he took me to different places to shoot, teaching me hand-in-hand.

"The most important thing in photography isn't the equipment, it's the eyes," he said. "Learn to discover beauty, record beauty."

"Then why do you always like photographing me?" I asked playfully.

"Because you are beauty itself." He said matter-of-factly. "Photographing you is my greatest luck as a photographer."

He always had sweet words like that ready, but they never felt cheesy.

Because his eyes, his actions, proved he was serious.

...

A month later, the acceptance letters from UCSD arrived simultaneously.

Both Ethan and I got in, and we were even assigned to the same freshman dorm building.

"This is fate!" Ethan said excitedly. "We're going to be neighbors for four years!"

"Just neighbors?" I asked intentionally.

"Of course not just that." He smirked and picked me up. "Also boyfriend and girlfriend, future husband and wife—"

"Stop, stop, stop!" I covered his mouth. "Too fast!"

He removed my hand and looked at me seriously. "Not fast at all. Skylar, I'm serious. I want to spend four years of college with you, work together after graduation, and then—"

He paused.

"Spend this whole life together."

My eyes suddenly welled up.

"Idiot."

"I'm your idiot." He lowered his head and kissed my lips.

...

Just when everything was going perfectly, Tyler suddenly appeared.

That day, Ethan and I were on a date at Starbucks when Tyler came in a wheelchair.

He had clearly lost weight, his face was pale, and his leg was in a cast.

Sophia was pushing the wheelchair. Seeing Ethan and me, her face turned sour.

"Tyler, let's go to another place," she whispered.

"No need." Tyler's voice was calm. "Skylar, Ethan, mind if we sit here?"

Ethan looked at me. I nodded.

"We don't mind."

Tyler had Sophia order, then looked at us. "Heard you guys are together. Congrats."

"Thanks." I said calmly. "How's your leg?"

"Still recovering." He gave a bitter smile. "Doctor says there might be lasting effects. Probably won't be climbing mountains to take photos anymore."

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"Don't apologize." Tyler shook his head. "It was my own choice. And—" He paused. "I should be the one apologizing."

"Skylar, I'm sorry. All these years, I took your devotion for granted. I treated your love as a guarantee that you'd never leave."

"I thought as long as I didn't say break up, you'd always be there."

"It wasn't until you really left that I realized what I had lost."

His eyes turned red. "But I know, it's too late. You found someone better. He will cherish you, protect you, give you everything I failed to give."

"So, I wanted to tell you to your face—sorry, and thank you."

"Thank you for being with me all those years, thank you for making me a better person, even if this 'better' came too late."

Tears fell from my eyes.

Not because of heartache, not because of regret, but because—

Finally, we had both let go.

"Tyler, I want to thank you too." I said. "Thank you for being there when I needed it most. Thank you for teaching me what love is, and also teaching me what isn't right."

"Between us, no one is right or wrong, it's just—"

"Just that our path ends here." He finished the sentence, revealing a relieved smile.

Sophia came back with coffee. Seeing us, she hesitated, then walked over.

"Skylar, I'm sorry." She lowered her head. "I was too much before. I was jealous of you, jealous that you had all of Tyler's attention, so I did a lot of things to hurt you."

"But now I understand, feelings can't be forced. Tyler has you in his heart. No matter what I do, I can't replace you."

"I've decided to go to New York. I won't bother you guys anymore."

She finished and bowed deeply.

I paused, then said, "The past is in the past. Good luck in New York."

Sophia looked up, tears in her eyes. "Thank you."

After they left, Ethan held my hand. "Are you okay?"

"I'm good." I smiled. "Really good. Everything that needed to be said was said, everything that needed to be let go was let go."

"From now on, I just want to look forward."

"Then let's look forward." He squeezed my hand. "I'll be with you all the way."