LUCIFER » SIMON MINTER

Chapter 24

I got up in a hurry, folding the blankets and throwing them on one edge of the couch. The smell of Simon's cologne washed over me, radiating from the blanket. I ran down the hall and slowly opened Freya's door, to see she was still curled up in bed and fast asleep. So was Sarah in her own room.

'Lu?' Simon's tired, husky voice called out from the living room. I must've woken him up. I felt bad, and my stomach dropped. I walked back to him slowly, and he was only just opening his eyes. He rubbed them, and then blinked up at me. I bit my lip to stop myself from smiling at his gorgeous royal blue eyes.

'Simon, you need to go.' I told him, pressing my lips together.

'I thought I'd make you breakfast first?' He said, making it sound like a question. But I stood my ground and shook my head.

'You need to go,' I repeated. I repeated it, trying to convince myself he needed to go, however much I actually wanted him to stay. But I told myself things couldn't be like this. They once were, but then they weren't because he wasn't loyal and he upset me and made me feel like shite. So I wasn't going to put myself through that all over again.

However much I still believed we were still in love, we couldn't be.

'Why?' He asked, getting up and removing his blanket.

'Because I-' I stumbled, trying to come up with an excuse. Then I realised it was Monday. 'Because I'm going to be late to class and I still have a couple of things to finish up.'

'Do you not want me to drive you to uni?' He offered.

'No! Just- no, just leave. Please?' My heart was beating out of control, and it felt like it was going to jump out of my chest at any second.

'Okay, alright, don't get so stressed out about it.' Simon defended himself, putting his hands up in the air. He walked over to the front door and pulled his shoes on quickly. 'Bye, I guess.' He said awkwardly, looking back up at me. I could tell a weak smile was pulling at his lips, but he refused to show it fully.

I pressed my lips together and raised my hand as he walked out of the flat and shut the door behind him, coat in hand.

A bitter cold silence fell over the room. Was that really the best decision?

He's my ex-boyfriend. I know I keep repeating it, but that's only because at times, I feel like I don't believe it. It's like we never even broke up. He's still kind to me, he hasn't even changed. So my mind is forced into the trap of believing things are still how they were, as if he never cheated on me.

I guess that if he's not pushing himself away from us, then I have to. This isn't healthy. You can't still be good with someone who cheated on you. At least not in my case. I'll never feel the same level of comfort, the same level of happiness as I did two months ago.

Right now, I just need to focus on me. I need to focus on school, on my photography, on who I want to become. And I'm on my way already.

I even lied to Simon, which I felt a little weird about. I didn't actually still have work to do, since I had already finished my writing project that is due for this evening's class. I only have that one class later on in the day, too, so right now I can completely focus on myself.

Not feeling hungry, I padded down to my room quietly and put together a new outfit. I cleaned myself up from last night, took off all the makeup I still had on and refreshed myself with a splash of water to the face. Looking back at myself in the mirror, I smiled. I am going to make today a good day. Even if it didn't have the best start.

Back in my room, I picked up my polaroid camera and a new stack of films and stuffed it in my back. Then I took my bigger, fancier camera and hung the strap around my neck. Grabbing my sunglasses, as it was bright outside due to the snow, I walked down to the front door and left.

Stepping outside, my fingers stung from the sudden change of temperature from inside to outside. My shoes made a lovely crunching sound upon the fresh snow as I made my way to the park, where lots of children were screaming as they threw snowballs at each other. Small families hustled around their children as they helped them build snowmen and igloos.

I quickly slipped on my pair of thin gloves.

'Hi, do you mind if I take a couple of pictures of you? It's for a project I'm currently working on.' I told a small family of three. The couple and their young boy, aged around three I guessed, were working on a little pile of snow.

'Of course, go ahead!' The woman smiled up at me as she pat some more snow on the top of the little snow hill her son had created. I leaned down and looked through the camera as I shot a couple of quick shots of the small family. The little boy had a true smile on his face as his pile of snow grew to be almost taller than him. He had long eyelashes which the snowflakes used as a landing, sparkling in the cold sunlight.

'Do you want to tell the young lady what you're making, Toddy?' The man asked his son in a sweet, gentle voice.

'A castle!' Toddy squealed as he sprinkled more snow onto it. He struggled to grab more snow from the ground through his oversized mittens.

'A castle?' I gasped. 'Are you the king?' I asked the little boy. He nodded enthusiastically, and the woman laughed up at me.

I snapped a couple more pictures from different angles, seeing the snowflakes reflect the light as they were sprinkled upon the castle again and again. This is where I felt most comfortable: behind the camera, capturing the happiness of others. I stood back up, smiling down at the small family.

'Thank you so much,' I told the parents.

'No problem! Where can we see the pictures?' The man asked.

'I could send them to you by email of you like, I think these would make some great Christmas card pictures if you haven't sent them out yet.' I joked. 'I'll be using them for a project I'm working on at the moment.'

'Is it a school-related project?' The woman asked.

I shook my head. 'No, it's a project I've started on my own. Photography is my passion, and so I love doing little projects like these.'

'And what's your name?' The man squinted up at me through the bright light.

'I'm Lucifer Williams,' I said and I could feel my cheeks heat up. I can't believe I forgot to introduce myself.

'That sounds really familiar, and you look really familiar, too.' The woman said and her husband nodded along.

'Oh, you might've seen me in a teen magazine. Or maybe you know Simon Minter, the YouTuber?'

'Hold on, you're the talented photographer that was in the magazine?' The woman awed. I smiled and nodded, putting the cap back over the lens of my camera delicately. 'That's crazy, it's so nice to meet you! give her your business card, will you?' She nudged her husband with her elbow. I laughed as I watched him fidget around in the pockets of his coat, and then he handed me a small card that had his name and email on it.

'Thank you, I'll email you the pictures as soon as possible. Have a nice day!' I said as I waved goodbye.

'Say goodbye, Toddy!' The woman said, picking up one of her son's hands and helping him wave goodbye.

'Bye!' He squealed, smiling. He had dimples in both cheeks, just like Simon does.

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I really enjoyed writing this chapter, it got rid of my headache :)

Mel xx