Planning on Forever

CHAPTER 5

Things had turned stale. Jonah wouldn't look her in the eyes. He'd finished his drink and had his second in front of him. They hadn't said anything further. It wasn't what Vanessa expected or wanted from the meeting. They weren't supposed to rehash the past. Senior year was one she'd tried to forget and yet; despite his feelings, she had never wanted to forget Jonah.

Vanessa drank her water. She'd needed one almost as bad as Jonah had needed his second cocktail. "We should probably eat some food." She kept her eyes on the menu. Her fingers twiddled with the corner of the starters page.

"Might be good," was all he said. He kept his eyes on his menu too. They looked over their options, in silence. The atmosphere no longer felt riddled with tension and animosity as it had earlier. Somehow, between their small exposed secrets things had turned awkward. She felt bare in front of him and yet, so much still remained hidden.

Their server returned and took their orders. With nothing to distract them, they were left to stare at each other. Vanessa chose the phone rather than Jonah. She scrolled left again and found a different photo. This one; only the couple again, was taken on the floor in what looked to be amongst a field of sunflowers. The lighting was a natural sunlight cast over them both. Their bodies were curled around each other with the groom resting behind his bride. She had her arms around his waist with her head curled in the groove between his head and neck. The Groom laid relaxed behind his new wife with his left leg bent to support the weight. He had his tux jacket hung over his left shoulder and the top button on the shirt unclipped. The couple smiled towards the camera looking ethereal amongst nature. Very little editing seemed done which showed Jonah's talent for finding the right position and location for great photos. "I like the style you've taken these photos in." She pointed to the photo she kept looking back at. "For most of the photos this is what Nick and Annabelle would expect. Your photos are relaxed, with the couple in natural poses yet, you still manage to make it appear elegant. It's what I envision for my brothers' wedding."

"Why only most photos?"

Vanessa looked up at him. "There is still an image to uphold with this wedding, despite Nick's apprehension. The whole reason for redoing the wedding is because it's expected. Our parents hold a prominent place in society and we as their children are expected to continue. A shot-gun wedding in court is not considered living to the expectations."

He nodded. "So, a combination between stiff portraits and relaxed family portraits."

She laughed and reached for her own phone. She searched for an example; a photo taken at their cousins' wedding the year before. She passed it to him as she spoke. "Look at this. This is my cousins wedding. It was long and done with the purpose of showing off. It's what's expected. The photos used in magazines are there to show the glamour of the event, not necessarily the happiness of the couple. We'll need the same."

Jonah's eyes were fixed on the screen, his frown deepening as he looked. "I don't know about this Vanessa." He looked up. "I understand that you want to stick to the norm but, why? Who is to say the norm is right? If I had to see this in a magazine, I wouldn't gush over the photos with envy. I'd be bored. There's nothing lifelike in the images. It's stilted and looks too fake. These photos don't show me a happy couple in love, who just happened to have an amazing wedding. It shows me boring models that I have nothing in common with. Wouldn't we want to show the public the truth about Nick and Annabelle, amongst all the glamour? It would be something worth being envious over and, it would help the public believe in Nick and Annabelle's story."

Her heart stopped. "You know."

He didn't even look ashamed. "I searched them after our meeting. I needed to know who I was dealing with." He scratched his jaw as he loosened it. "I didn't expect to find so many articles about them, most negative."