His Favorite Piece Of Art

Chapter 1 | Alexander Hart

Bella is a photography student. She was so happy when she got accepted to her major because her mother was a photographer too. The girl remembers how her mother would take her anywhere she needed to go for the job. She always admired her mom when she was working. She could always pull people's emotions through her photographs. For her, a smile wasn't just a smile. You could always tell if it was genuine or sad or even fake when you would look at her work. And Bella wants to be as good as her mother was.

She was a little girl when her mother left her. Five years old, but the pain still doesn't go away when it's this time of year. It did get easier, but it's still hard to accept the fact that the only person who cared for her, left her.

Her dad is there of course, but that's all. He was there while her mom was still alive, only present as a family member but he was far from it. She was a child so she doesn't know why exactly he didn't care much about her or even about her mother as years passed. And when her mother died, he only became worse and was there for Bella to just give her a roof over her head and nothing more. No love, no care, not even acknowledge that she lives with him. She was like a ghost to him, someone that he needed to watch over until she was eighteen, and then he was more than ready to tell her to move out and start her life somewhere else on her own.

That's the reason why she is so closed off to people. She doesn't like to attach to someone that will only leave her. She cares, for the ones that she now has in her life but even with them, she is still keeping some distance. It saves her from pain.

"Okay, I'm finally ready." Bella breathes hard while she ties the laces on her black combat boots.

"Okay, text me when you're done with your classes, I thought maybe we could go out for dinner somewhere," Caroline suggests from the couch, and her best friend smiles as she nods her head. "Sure."

"Oh! And tell that idiot Nate that the next time he decides to steal my credit card I'll make sure to not step on my car brakes when I see him crossing the street."

Bella can't help but laugh. "Will do. Bye!"

Caroline waves her back and Bella finally leaves their apartment that is on their campus premises.

She shakes her head chuckling when she sees the said guy she needs to deliver Caroline's message to. Nate. Their best friend, who is also a photography student.

That's how Bella met him. They got closer as they were sharing the same classes and they became great friends because he was similar to her. Not so much talkative, minding his own business and focused on his work.

"There's my shortcake!" Nate engulfs the girl in a tight bear hug and Bella contemplates joining Caroline into that car she was talking about earlier.

She is short but she thinks there is no need to point it out. But he always does it. It's not her fault that he's built like a giant. She's not short, he's just super tall. She thinks he would be great for a football player or even better a basketball player.

"Okay, Nate, it's time to let go. I would like to stay alive when the class starts."

Nate chuckles and pulls away, giving her that signature dimple smile that makes girls fall at his feet. And that's all it takes for her to forget about the silly name. I mean it's still her best friend and the name is given specially to her so she will let it go.

"Where is Caroline?" Nate asks as they make their way to the classroom. "She doesn't have classes in the morning so she'll be here later." Caroline chose English for her major and since it's Thursday, she doesn't have too many classes today.

Nate nods his head at her answer as they take their seats in the photography classroom. All the lights and equipment they sometimes use in class are pushed aside and the tables and chairs are back in their place. Sometimes they would have to take pictures of people, objects, or whatever their professor assigned them to right on the spot so he could see how they work and what they focus on.