You,Me and the Past

Us

Ten years ago, she vanished suddenly, and I've always wondered why. Now that she's here, I can't help but wonder why she left me.

"Hey, the silence is getting awkward," Andrew said, breaking the quiet. Ivy seemed nervous. "Long time no see, Tyler," she finally spoke. "Yeah, it's been a while, Ivy," I replied. "Do you two know each other?" Andrew asked. "We used to be... classmates," I said, struggling to describe our relationship. "Yeah, classmates," Ivy confirmed.  Nonetheless, it was better than being strangers.

"Great, so we can skip the introductions, right?" Andrew asked. "Yeah, I'm fine with that," Ivy confirmed. I just nodded, and we sat down to start the meeting.

"So, Ivy, did you check the project description?" Andrew asked. "Yes, I did," she replied with a smile. I couldn't help but stare at her, filled with a million questions. I really wanted to talk to her.

"Tyler? Tyler?!" Andrew called out, snapping me back to reality. "Oh, yes?" I replied, slightly embarrassed. "Ivy is going to discuss the concept now, so pay attention," Andrew said, speaking slowly as if I were a child. I nodded and focused on the task at hand. Work comes first.

"So, I'll explain the concept and my idea briefly. The concept is 'vacation.' My idea is to have two locations: a classic beach and staying at home," Ivy explained.

"Why stay at home?" I asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Well, vacation means different things to different people. Some prefer to stay home. Also, some costumes we have are perfect for a home setting," she clarified. I noticed Andrew nodding in agreement.

"Who prefers to stay home for vacation?" I asked, surprised. Both of them raised their hands.

"Why wouldn't you go somewhere?" I asked, incredulous.

"Why would we?" they both replied simultaneously, chuckling, leaving me speechless.

Anyway, Miss Ivy, I think it's a great idea. How many days would it take approximately?" Andrew asked Ivy.

"The beach location would take 2-3 days, while the home can be done in 1-2 days," Ivy replied.

"I think we should extend the time and schedule 2 weeks for both locations because Tyler hasn't done an outdoor shoot in..." Andrew started counting on his fingers.

"It hasn't been that long," I interjected, stopping him from counting.

"Well, if that's the case, then we could do a small pretend vacation, just to get comfortable with the area. We could stay a few days, if that's alright?" Ivy suggested.

"That sounds good!" Andrew agreed.

"But wouldn't that be a waste of time? We could do so many other things in that time," I said, poking Andrew.

"It is an important shoot for me. I would like it to be perfect, Sir," Ivy said. I looked at her blankly. Sir? Seriously?

I sighed. "In that case, I think it will be a great idea. Maybe... we could also get to know each other... in a professional way, of course," I uttered bluntly. Why the hell would I say that?! That's so dumb! I wanted to disappear, but she just shrugged and nodded.

"Okay, so with that done, I will send you both the schedule. Also, Miss Ivy, do you have any assistance, or shall we provide you with a staff member, or do you prefer to work alone?" Andrew inquired.

"I do have an assistant," she confirmed, handing Andrew a document. "His name is Adrian Cole, and this is his information." As I glanced at the document, I couldn't help but notice Andrew's lingering gaze on Adrian's picture.