The fields were muddy and the sky was cloudy but that wouldn't stop Philip from grabbing his camera and running out of the door.
Everything here was new to him which meant there were so many new photography opportunities. Yes, the city was beautiful, but there was something about the countryside that inspired Philip. Something about the bright blue sky and green forests made him feel free.
After an hour of wandering down country lanes and running through clusters of trees, Philip founds himself walking through one of many large farm fields.
His shoes were now brown with mud and his hair wet with sweat.
"Excuse me." A voice yelled causing Philip to stop dead in his tracks, almost dropping his camera.
He looked around for a moment until his eyes lay on a white haired boy who stood a few feet away.
"I don't mean to sound like a dick," the boy began, "but this is private property. My dad would kill you if he saw you."
Philip exhaled, turning his body to walk back the way he had came.
"Sorry."
"If you walk back that way it'll take you ages," the boy called after Philip, who turned around as he spoke, "if you'd like... I can show you a quicker way?"
"How do I know you're not some kind of serial killer trying to lead me to my death?" Philip narrowed his eyes.
The boy grinned, glancing into Philip's eyes and back down to his feet.
"I guess you'll have to risk it." He gestured Philip in the other direction.
The two walked silently for a few minutes, Philip dragging his feet against the narrow stone path along the edge of the field while the other boy waded his way through the mud beside him.
"I'm Philip by the way." The silence was finally broken as he held out his hand.
"Lukas." He took Philip's hand as he spoke, shaking it firmly before returning his hand to his pocket.
"What're you doing out here anyway? I've never seen you here before." Lukas kicked a large stone across the field as they continued to walk.
"I just moved here and thought this would be a good place to take some photos." Philip slid his camera out of his bag quickly to show Lukas before zipping it back up.
"Oh cool. Are you like... a real photographer?" He stuttered.
"Not really. It's just a hobby I guess."
The sky began to fade darker, the clouds more menacingly prominent as drops of water landed on the two boys at an alarmingly fast rate. Philip reacted quickly, covering his bag with his arms so not to get his camera wet. Lukas, on the other hand, waited a moment before pulling his hood over his head.
"How much longer will this take?" Philip whipped his damp hair away from his eyes.
"I'll leave you here. If you walk through that gate over there then you'll end up just outside of town." Lukas shouted over the sound of heavy rain hitting the floor.
"Thanks." Philip smiled as if to say goodbye, hesitating for a moment, "can I give you my number?" He took a pen from his pocket, "we should hang out sometime."
"Sure." Lukas held out his arm for Philip to write on.
Philip swung his bag over his shoulder before grabbing Lukas' wrist to write down his phone number. The two fell silent once again as Philip wrote quickly, his hand shaking in the cold.
He stuffed the pen back into his pocket once he'd finished and returned his bag back beneath his arms to shelter it.
"I'll see you around." Lukas smiled, blushing before turning away quickly.
"Bye!" Philip yelled after him as Lukas ran back down the path they had came.
~
As Lukas kicked off his boots, he pulled off his jacket to reveal what had been written on his arm. The ink had bled slightly into his pale skin but it could be easily read.
He stomped up the stairs, his wet socks leaving distinct footprints against the wood. His clothes were drilling wet and despite his hood, his hair was soaking.
Closing the door behind him, he threw off his wet clothes and walked towards his bed to collapse.
He lay still for a moment, remembering the boy with the deep brown eyes and the ruffled hair. Philip may have a camera but Lukas didn't need one to remember how handsome the boy was.
Grabbing his phone, he stared down at the writing on his arm. Entering the number into an empty contact, he knew he wouldn't call. He didn't want to seem like a creep.
He thought for a moment before tapping a message into his phone.
Lukas - 'hope your camera is okay. It's Lukas btw.'
A few minutes passed.
Philip - 'I think I'm more water damaged than the camera is. Thanks for the short-cut :)'
Lukas - 'no problem x'
