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Her thumbs stroked against the decorated cardboard box, holding it in her lap. Pensively recollecting all the items that could be anticipating her presence once she removed the top.
Devora already knew what would be on the other side, she was simply questioning whether or not she would be able to handle it.
'She passed away four years ago. I should be able to look at these without...'
She sighed through her nose, looking up at the vacant ceiling in her living room.
Devora had gone over to her mother's house after work that Wednesday, to spend some time with her parents and younger brother.
Although she felt like her hectic profession engrossed her and basically took over her social life, she still forced some time to see them.
Making time for family was essential to her.
When she got to her mother's house, Sakina handed her a small box that was stored away in Devora's old room — which was now her mother's office — above the shelf in the closet.
She couldn't remember if she left it at her mom's because she didn't want it anymore, or because the memories contained in the box were too grievous to handle.
Perhaps both.
Her fingers clasped against the top of the box, taking a deep breath in — hoping it would constrict her rushing thoughts — before removing the cover.
It was one of those little Sony cameras, including a smaller white box packed with a collection of memory cards.
Devora murmured, disheveling the items around, finding a couple of polaroids and a matching set of rings.
She grabbed the camera, finding that it was fully charged, being that it was shut off for a couple of years.
Devora was greeted by the camera with a cadenced chime, a pitch that sparked up dissipated nostalgia. Something she completely forgot about.
She popped in one of the random cards, the gallery began to fill itself with three videos, and a couple of random pictures.
Her heart plummeted down to her gut, hands shaking as she clicked on one of the videos.
It was her cousin, Adele.
She was recording herself, plopping onto her small twin bed while conversing with the camera in her hands.
Devora felt her lips pull at the edges, her heart swelled with clemency and solace to see her once more.
Even if it was just an old video of her.
Adele's hair was dyed an evanescent acorn brown, her genetic ebony hair making way for an awaited comeback. Her thin bangs sat perfectly still on her forehead, hair curled into relaxed beach waves that fit her flawlessly.
Her profile was sculpted so ideally, her nose was on the thinner side, lips plethoric and naturally stained with a rosy tint. Her cheeks remained inflated, blushed red, finished off with a beauty mark that sat on the corner of her chin.
Adele had always been so gorgeous, at times Devora would even grow envious of her.
But, this was only when Adele was offered free stuff at stores by awestruck men and women that worked in beauty stores — those were the only times she was jealous.
Devora never had it in her to be so resentful to Adele, she was like her best friend.
Devora squeezed her knees up to her chest for comfort, watching the video, becoming invested in what Adele was rambling on about.
"Oh, I scratched my rims while I was driving out of some fast-food restaurant." Adele informed the viewer.
Devora laughed, recalling how pissed her aunt was when she heard about Adele scratching her new car.
Her voice was just like she remembered it to be; honeyed with elegance, delicate, like a lullaby. It had the ability to send anyone into a harmonious environment.
Another voice interjected with her minute vlog, Devora's voice.
"Adele! Come, we have to decorate the tree, remember?"
"Oh, Devora!" Adele chirped cheerfully, "Come say hi to the camera, I'm vlogging." She moved the camera to the entrance of the pink room, revealing a teenage Devora.
"Vlogging about how you scratched your car?" She joked, grinning deviously as she approached the bed.
"Alright, no more screen time for you." Adele moved the Sony camera away from Devora.
Moments after, a creaking sound played through the room, followed by laughter and painful complaints coming from Adele.
"Dev! We're gonna break this poor twin bed!" Her voice was muffled against the comforter, giggling as she expressed her indignance.
Devora remembered that she had jumped on the bed to pester her, play fighting with each other until the video suddenly ended.
She pressed down on the buttons, scrolling right to find more pictures and videos.
The photos were sequenced of Adele snapping multiple photos of Devora in the process of dying her hair, along with Adele underneath her, posing with a tangibly enthusiastic grin, excited for the outcome of her new look.
Devora's pulling lips never faltered, grinning at the memories they had made together when they were younger.
She set the camera down, going for the small pile of polaroids and printed photos.
There were a couple that Devora remembered like the back of her hand.
Some she had forgotten were even taken.
One was of her and Devora in matching bathing suits, standing in front of a large body of reflective blue water with cheerful smiles laced on their faces — thrilled to indulge in the sand and cooling tides of water.
Another was a picture of Adele in her prom dress, posing outside her house.
It was a sophisticated long red gown, split on the start of her thigh, puddling red fabric gathered at the ends of her heels, draping onto the floor. It was long, and skin-tight, managing to enunciate her curves.
Devora flipped through the rest, smiling hard when her younger self — in Pj's — posed next to a gorgeously dressed Adele.
Her muscles tightened, setting the photos down where she had first found them. She felt her chest squeeze, biting her lower lip as she grabbed the set of matching rings.
It was a silver-gold ring, both pairs had hearts in the middle. Her's was a dark blood red, while Adele's was a pretty pastel blue.
Devora put the ring on her right ring finger, shivering when she studied her newly jeweled finger.
Tears obscured her vision, closing her hand over Adele's cold ring, the sharp end of the heart cutting against the delicate portion of her palm.
Devora shut her eyes, biting her tongue as she fought with the emotions that threatened to spill out of her eyes.
Her phone vibrated against the side of her thigh, letting her know that a call was coming in.
She dropped the ring out of her hand and into the box, placing the camera above the printed pictures. Devora fanned her eyes, expecting it would dry the interloper tears that sat at both her lower eyelids.
Devora took a deep breath in, a trembling smile appeared on her lips when she saw it was Jungkook.
She sniffled before answering, reclaiming her composure as best as she could.
"Hey, Jungkook." Realizing how abnormal it was of her to call him by his full name instead of the nickname she invariably used.
"Dev." He seemed pleased she answered. "I just wanted to call you, and ask how you're doing."
Devora looked at the box, her fingers toying with her hair strands. "Yeah, I'm okay. I was at my parent's house for a bit, then I came home and took a shower. A normal Wednesday."
She tried to raise her voice, not wanting to sound so monotone and bleak. Devora didn't want to tell him about Adele, or why she was on the verge of tears.
Though, it seemed like Jungkook knew her too well, already sensing her high-strung emotions that practically flowed through her voice.
Normally, she was always so charmed to hear from him, and never concealed that.
Was he being a bother?
"Um, is this a bad time?" He scratched his head, the chain bracelet quietly rattled from the movement. "Are you okay?"
She exhaled inaudibly, shutting her eyes. "I'm sorry, I guess you know me too well." Giving him a stiff laugh.
"I'm just a little stressed out from work. I was dealing with a lot of calls, emails, and so many clients came in today to see Hoseok for meetings."
She vented, placing her head on the couch behind her to issue that string of tension that tugged at her shoulders.
"I hear you. Work can become an overload, I know it's hard. Letting the things that stress you out follow you home is the worst." It was plausible he had a stressful day at work, too. "But, hey, we're both in our comfy houses, and talking to each other."
That made her smile.
He was right.
He was the one person that was able to scrub away her fears and pent-up anxiety.
"You always seem to have the right answer to everything." Devora admitted. "What you're saying is right."
"I'm what? Sorry, I didn't catch that." He deceived, wanting to hear her say it again.
"Well, you have your moments." She shrugged, beaming a playful smile.
There was a short pause in their call where it went silent, it wasn't an uncomfortable silence.
It was more therapeutic and rejuvenating than cumbersome. Rustling coming from Jungkook's end, getting comfy in between the sheets.
"Tell me something. Please?" Devora broke the silence.
"What do you want to know?" He asked, agreeing with her sudden interrogation.
She hummed, tracing circles on her bare knee with her finger. "Anything, something to get me distracted." Looking down at the box on the floor, turning away.
"Hmm, I plan on finishing my sleeve soon, and once I do, I want to get another tattoo."
"What kind of tattoo do you want?" Devora sprung another conversation.
"I'm not too sure yet, I guess I could figure that out once my sleeve is done." Jungkook raked his fingers through his hair, laying his hand back down behind his head.
"I've been wanting a new tattoo, also." Devora corresponded with him, patting her foot against the rug.
"Hey, maybe we should go get one together." The boy suggested, running his fingers on his lower lip. "Not like matching tattoos, we can get our own thing done. But, together."
Devora liked the sound of that.
It didn't have to match, but that doesn't mean they couldn't go together.
She reached over, placing the top back on the box to keep the memories covered.
"Yeah. I like the sound of that." Nodding fictitiously, "Together."
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