Maybe, Chapter 2
Pairing: Marco Bodt and Mina Carolina. Mentions of couples in the past.
Rating: T
Setting: Modern AU, Downtown Vancouver, Present Day.
This got very very long, longer than I thought it would be. 10000 words, man, I understand if you don't feel like subjecting yourself to all of this. But if you do feel like it, then enjoy!
Author's note is at the end.
Sunny days could be considered rare in Vancouver, especially in the fall months. The sun's existence in the fall months were notorious for only being present behind a large layer of blank white clouds, clouds that filled up the sky and possibly spread across the atmosphere for kilometers. A day where it didn't rain was a once-a-week occurrence, a day where the sky was clear was uncommon, but a day where the sky was clear, the rain was gone, and the sun was shining in the sky of the fall season was rare. Or at least, it felt rare.
Mina had lived in the city long enough to gain the drive and ambition to take advantage of the rare clear days in fall to the best of her ability, as were other people, which only meant that certain areas of the downtown area would be a prime spot for busking. No need to stay underground in the train station, or worries that the rain would ruin her equipment when she played. Mina could just go outside, leave her case open, and play.
With an excited expression on her face, Mina grabbed an acoustic, received from a store on the east side 3 birthdays ago, made of smooth cedar. The instrument showcased bronze strings that had a soft sound to them whenever they were plucked. She felt that the entire lot would be what she needed for that day.
As Mina expected, plenty of people were at her location of choice. With weather like this, it would be considered stupid to waste it staying indoors. Mina picked her spot in Olympic Village smartly. The plaza near the shops were out in the open but had a level of foot traffic that the skytrain station would beat by lightyears. Instead, Mina opted for a spot near the walking path, close to the azure waters of False Creek.
She had to play harder this time, since the sounds of the cityscape and creek behind her could easily drown out her melodies. But it only made Mina more justified in singing it out to the world with pride, the sound of her voice and the sounds from her guitar melting together in perfect harmony.
This time, Mina didn't sing anything original. Perhaps for a change, singing songs that she only wish she wrote would be comfortable to an audience that changed every second.
People passed by as usual, some opting to sit on the area's benches to enjoy the pleasant weather with a pleasant sound, some staying around long enough to clap whenever Mina finished a song, and some simply walking by and smiling at her innocently for having the guts to sing in public with confidence. And of course, there were always those who managed to find it in their hearts and place a small sum of money in the bottom of Mina's open guitar case. Mina could try to be modest, but those people happened to be her favourites.
Each face was new to her, as Mina could never recall seeing anyone in the area before in her life. But, as the 12:15 time spot struck and the area started getting just a little bit more crowded for those coming to the area on a possible lunch break, there was one person who passed by Mina's set up that struck a familiar note in her mind.
Mina finished off her last song when she noticed him, her heart beat rising in excitement and the smile on her face suddenly getting just a bit bigger. When she was done, she muted the guitar with her palm and looked at the familiar face with surprise and interest. "Hey, what are you doing here?"
Marco shrugged, "You mentioned you wanting to play here the other day, so thought I'd stop by to see you. Besides, it's pretty darn photogenic around here." His last words her followed by a slight wink, a reach into his camera bag, and a retrieval of a plastic device best made for the purpose of instant photography.
Mina rolled her eyes, blowing some air through her lips before speaking again, "Pffft, I should've know that'd be the reason you're here." She halted slightly when a new possibility came to mind, "Unless you're stalking me or something."
Marco seemed to be opening the back of the camera and loading in a new pack of fresh film as they spoke. He looked a tad nervous when he replied, "I'm not stalking, I swear!" His words were hastier than a business man running late in the morning.
A chuckle escaped Mina's throat as she rolled her eyes, looking back down to her set up, "It's just a guess. But then again, you've got the cameras for it, so maybe you are…"
"I'm not; honest," Marco swore. He stuck the new film pack promptly into the instant camera's back and closed the hinged cover to keep it away from light and prompted it for proper use. "Besides, there's nothing wrong with liking photography."
Mina laughed with a humoured expression, "Oh, after hanging out with you for long enough, I know that."
After the film was loaded into the camera, Marco clicked the shutter button once. A flash was seen coming from a bulb on the corner of the device, following by a mechanical whirring noise. What came out of the camera's side slot was a pitch black photo. With the backing paper off of the film, the camera was ready for use.
"I don't mean to flatter myself, but is there a chance that you're gonna turn be into a model again today?" Mina asked. She didn't seem modest in her words, but more suggestive and perhaps a bit arrogant.
"There's a chance," Marco admitted, looking down at her all around appearance for the day, gear, guitar, and all. "But I'm not sure if my instant's good for portraits. I'd prefer my DSLR, or maybe a rangefinder. I could also go analogue with both too."
Mina blinked, "I don't know what those words mean."
He shrugged in response, "You don't have to. But hey, listen, I'm going off to shoot a few photos in a non-stalkerish way…" He halted very slightly when he realized just how creepy his words may have sounded. It did not deter him from continuing though, "… but maybe in say, an hour or two, do you wanna grab a cup of coffee or… go for a walk or something?"
"That sounds like something a stalker would ask," Mina chuckled.
Marco sighed humorously, "Maybe. But still, do you want to?"
She took things more seriously once her joke wore off the nodded her head most definitely, "Yes, I'd like to. There's a coffee shop just up there on the street corner." Mina pointed over to the plaza area of the village, "See you in an hour?"
Marco nodded, smiling as he did so, "An hour."
The promise was sealed when the two separated and two sounds were heard in the Olympic Village area, the shutter click of Marco's camera and the warm tones of Mina's guitar.
It was a set up they were probably getting used too; Mina holding her guitar in it's case as she walked, and Marco following beside her with any sort of image capturing device in his hands as he followed. Marco often felt the urge to mock Mina about carrying so much gear with her whenever she followed her passion, but common sense kicked it when he realized just how much photography equipment he packed into his bag for every day carry.
The camera he kept with him that day was currently dangling against his chest by the leather strap, the meter of the device indicating that only 2 shots of film were left in the contraption.
The film Marco already took photos on were small in quantity, but that was what he liked about film photography; the lack of shots would only make him think more about taking the photo, thus making the actual results more photogenic. The shots that were taken had developed already, and were safely kept in Marco's coat pocket as he and Mina walked near the creek, both of them holding a paper coffee cup in one of their hands.
"Can I take a drink now?" Marco asked as he put his trust in Mina to find the perfect spot for them to enjoy their drinks on a day as pretty as today.
"Just wait," Mina insisted with a sly smile. She led him to the creek side, where the edge of water meeting land was accompanied by large boulders, the rippling waves of the aquatic body splashed against the rocks to create an ever-so-soothing rhythm. She guided him across the large rocks by the creek's edge, stepping widely in order to make it to the prime spot.
At least Marco was thankful that he was born with such majestically long legs.
"Here it is," Mina finally decided, motioning towards a pair of rocks close enough to the water, but not too close that anyone sitting on it would get splashed. She set her guitar down safely on a nearby boulder with a flatter surface for safety and selected another boulder to plant her behind down on.
Marco followed her suit, setting his backpack with all of his gear near her guitar and taking a stone beside her.
"So, what do you think?" Mina asked, taking a sip of her drink.
Marco shrugged modestly, letting out a low whistle as his eyes observed the area closely. "Well, I admit, I like the aesthetic here." Deep azure tones of the water and the lighter blue hues of the sky were balanced out perfectly by the subtle greys of the sidewalks, rocks, and the brighter whites and primary colours that always came with a cityscape area.
"Is it photogenic enough for you, Mr. Photo-Geek?" Mina asked in a mocking tone.
Marco's eyes kept looking around, shooting her a bright look as he took a sip of his drink, "There's a chance that it just might be. Oooh, hold up…" He put his drink down for a brief second and reached for the camera hanging around his neck. Peeping through the viewfinder, Marco aimed it at Mina quickly. "The lighting is perfect here, just hold still…"
Mina felt amused and prepped herself for her 'close-up,' smiling at the camera as naturally as possible as Marco got it ready.
When he pressed the shutter button, a delightfully satisfying clicking noise was heard before the familiar mechanical whirring. The camera's slot slowly let a piece of black paper slide out. Taking it in his hand once it was free, Marco handed it to Mina.
"Here you go, just wait for it to develop and you've got a new album cover," Marco grinned, proud of his work and confident that the photo would turn out great.
Mina was exceedingly flattered by his little favour, "Why, thank you." She flapped the photo paper just like she had seen in movies, having never been too familiar with polaroids and such. "Hope you got my good side though…"
"I'm pretty sure I did," Marco claimed smoothly.
"How many other shots did you take?" Mina wondered, letting the hand holding the still-developing photo hang down by her knees. "Aside from this one, of course."
"About 8," Marco answered, putting his coffee cup down to reach for his inside coat pocket. He pulled out a small stack of developed photos and held them like a hand full of cards at a poker game. "Take a look."
Mina edged closer to him to see better, her chin nearly touching his shoulder as she looked over the images.
Amongst others, an image of the cloudless sky with the Granville bridge near the bottom was there, along with a shot of a sculpture near the main village, and one of the afternoon sun shining a single beam down on the empty seat in a cafe.
Marco certainly had talent, that was for sure.
"You're good at this, you know that?" Mina remarked with a genuine smile.
Marco looked down modestly and pulled his photos back into his coat pocket, "I'm just dicking around, really." He took his coffee cup back in his hand.
Mina took her gaze off him for a moment to look back down at Marco's most current shot, as it had finally developed as they spoke. She looked at it with esteem, "You're really good at this."
Peeping over, Marco wasn't surprised to find that the lighting had in fact been perfect, and the image of Mina Carolina was perfectly captured and preserved on a piece of instant film.
He couldn't help but smile in a manner that was bordering on cocky. He was used to his photos looking great, but probably not to other people thinking so.
"Well, the lighting was pretty good back there."
Mina grinned and set the photo down, "Could I start calling you a Professional then?"
Marco made a humming noise from his throat and shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe. But I think most professionals require getting paid jobs and gigs first."
"You have a degree," Mina could recall.
"But not a job." Marco couldn't exactly call his job in a photography store something that would turn him into a professional photographer, no matter how fancy his gear was. He had yet to find a photography related job outside of retail.
"What if I gave you a dollar for this shot?" Mina offered with a playful grin.
Marco chuckled in an amused fashion, "Well, instant film is a little bit pricy…"
Mina complied to her words by setting the contents in her hands down and reaching into her pockets for the small handful of change she kept on her. From her handful of coins, she picked out dollar from the hand and passed it to Marco. "Here you go, Mr. Bodt, your dollar."
"Thank you, Miss Carolina," Marco smiled back with enthusiasm as he took the scrap of change. "It's been swell working with you."
"As with yo- Shit!" The second Mina put her change back in her pocket, the wind coming off the water had picked up for a moment, a moment where the picture that had only been developed seconds ago had been blown off it's position on the rocks and up into the air.
Mina stood up and reached for it, but there was no point in trying, as the picture rose higher and higher into the air, soon getting blown off into the waters of the creek, never to be seen again.
Marco chuckled while Mina look on glumly.
"That happened," he remarked obviously.
Mina shrugged and sat back down, "Maybe you could take another later."
Looking down at his camera's meter, Marco saw that he only had one shot left. With one shot remaining in the camera, Marco did what he usually did with analogue film and vowed to make it count. "Who says it has to happen later? Here, I'll give you a two for one deal." He aimed his camera towards her and held the viewfinder up to his eyes.
Mina was about to pose and smile again, but instead, a new bright idea came into her mind. "Hm, lets try this instead." Judging from how simple Marco made it look, Mina figured that operating the device wasn't entirely too difficult. She motioned for him to hand her the camera, which he did so in a surprisingly trusting matter.
She held the device backwards, the lens pointing at herself. She motioned for him to get closer to her with her finger, "C'mon, scooch."
Suddenly getting her drift, Marco complied and scooted his butt closer towards her on the sitting area, moving so close that he felt her cheek touch his. He froze very briefly upon the contact, some sort of nervous jolt pulsing through his system, but he shook it off in seconds.
"Smile," Mina grinned as she held the camera up and clicked the shutter button.
The two dorks remained smiling as the camera let out the final shot, both very confident that the instant selfie turned out positively.
Mina knew that she shouldn't have expected the weather to stay clear and pure, especially in an area notorious for the rain that fell from the sky. But even as the grey clouds covered the sun and obscured the sun from a city that craved it, part of her expected to go to sleep at the end of every day and wake up to a sky as clear as a crystal.
Though, in her experience, her expectations wouldn't match up with her reality.
Her reality of busking indoors was absolute, as the rain would most definitely make it tougher to play outside. No one would be out there for her to play to anyway.
But while her reality would always be different from her expectations, that did not mean that he expectations would stay the same. It only meant that her reality could surprise her every once and then, which admittedly, Mina found refreshing.
As she stood in the city's public market, kneeling down by her open case to collect her earnings for the day, Mina heard a familiar voice acknowledge her; a voice that had become so familiar to her that she knew who it was on an instant.
"Your time slot ends at 5:30, right?"
Mina nodded her head and looked up from her case, "Yep, ended 3 minutes ago, the next busker should come by soon."
"That's good, because it'd suck if your drink got cold," Marco remarked, setting down a paper coffee cup by the end of her case. "Now, I asked for the barista to put a pump of cinnamon dolce in your cappuccino. It's a little unorthodox, but I think you're gonna like it."
"I think I can take your word," Mina remarked, giving him the friendly smile she commonly showcased when she glanced at him.
Marco's presence at the Granville market during her busking time didn't surprise Mina or differ from her expectations, neither did his unorthodox way of ordering an espresso drink. But rather, what surprised her was the fact that she had gotten so used to him.
Mina never pushed people away, but in recent times, she hadn't been putting too much effort into making too many friends. She had other things to worry about, which only made it seem more remarkable to Mina that Marco Bodt had inched his way into her routine so easily.
One chance meeting in a subway station was incidental, another meet up near the city's creek was a sweet gesture. But things like convening at the public market, the little texts and calls in the history of her phone, and the expectations to see each other at the end of the day on their commutes home; that was all routine.
Having put all the busking earnings safely into her satchel, Mina put her guitar back into her case and started packing up. She had her parlour-sized model today, the one she had used on the subway all those weeks ago.
She eyed the camera in his hand, wondering what it was today. She shouldn't have been surprised that it wasn't digital. "Film again?"
"35 millimetres," Marco responded, holding up the rangefinder camera in his hands. He pulled back the advancement lever with his thumb as he set his coffee cup down by hers. Stepping back, he put the camera to his eyes, "Smile."
Mina gave the usual enthusiasm that she did to Marco's habit and lifted her thumb up with a grin towards the camera lens.
With a click of the shutter button, Marco took the camera away from his eyes and smiled back at her. "You're getting used to this, aren't you?"
"What can I say?" Mina shrugged without a bit of shame. "I've got model potential."
Marco rolled his eyes, letting his camera hang by his side with the use of the patterned strap, "If you say so. But hey, you heading back home now?"
"I am," Mina confirmed with a zip of her guitar case. "We're going together, I assume."
"That's usually the thing with you and I," Marco admitted honestly.
"Can you wait a few minutes then?" Mina requested as she pulled her guitar case upright and slung the straps around her shoulders. "Just need to stop by this music store down the street. I'm running out of picks."
Marco nodded agreeably, seeing as picks would be quite vital towards one of her sources of income. "Of course. I can wait."
With cups of coffee in both of theirs, a camera in his, and a guitar in hers, the two people walked off and out of the market with their hands full.
The music shop's destination only required a short walk down the lanes of Granville island. In the fall and winter months, it was common for the sun to be down and gone by this time. The cloudiness and darkness levels of the sky could only be matched by the coldness of the air.
Mina's coat was wrapped tightly around her form, her long scarf and slouchy blue beanie providing her extra warmth and comfort for the cold night. She was used to the cold weather, which many locals were. She could only assume that Marco was as well, but when she looked over to him, she noticed that he was shivering. Not in a way that would make anyone concerned, but more in a manner that was notoriously subtle, but still noticeable for anyone with a good eye.
"You all right?" Mina asked, genuinely concerned.
"I'm good," Marco said with a thumbs up. "The wind, it's a bitch tonight."
"A lot of things are," Mina commented with conviction.
Somehow, he managed a laugh, a little chuckle to showcase his amusement. "Ha, don't we know that."
An entertained smirk came upon her face when the two finally made it to the music store, "Definitely."
Marco's experiences of being in music stores was limited to going into record shops and realizing that photography was the only hipster hobby he could afford to get into. When he entered the store behind Mina, he found the place pleasant.
He recognized the guitars and other stringed instruments standing on racks by the window, or hanging on the walls, and a few percussion and pipe-like instruments. But there were others he couldn't pinpoint at all. They looked cool, with surfaces to run strikers over, and grooves and metal pipes here and there, but for the life of him, Marco had no clue what on earth they were.
He followed Mina when she gravitated towards the guitar section, opting to be close to what he deemed familiar.
Mina's eyes scanned the area. The second the guitar picks were pinpointed, she spent a few minutes looking at them in thought, thinking about her needs as a busker and as an artist.
Marco could only watch in silence, but he could only not make small talk for so long, especially with someone like Mina. "So, is there a difference between these picks?"
"Thickness matters," Mina started, picking up one pack to get a closer work. "But it depends on your style, where you play, your string gauge, and sometimes, even the action on the neck."
It was just a little refreshing for Mina to be the one who was so confident and informative in her own field of interests for once. She spoke with a slightly stronger amount of confidence than what she usual spoke with.
Marco was still a bit lost, but it didn't deter him from nodding his head, "Cool." His eyes moved from the picks upon another part of the store, still remaining in the string instrument section, but opting away from the usual guitars and such.
What Marco kept his eyes fastened on was a rack full of ukuleles. The instruments came in a multitude of colours, shapes, and sizes. Reaching over, Marco picked up one that was the exact same colour and hue of blue as the beanie placed on Mina's head.
He strummed the strings with the back of his nail and let the sound ring out. "Am I doing this right?"
With Mina's highly trained ears, she could tell that the strings were sounding a bit flat and twangy, despite her limited experience with ukuleles. "It's a little out of tune, hold on." She took the dark blue instrument into her arms and plucked the strings, letting her mind pinpoint what note it projected into the air. A friend of hers in her past played the ukulele, giving Mina a vague idea on how the strings were to be tuned.
She turned the pegs and listened closely. In a few seconds, when Mina strummed the strings again, they sounded more full and complete. "There, this should do it." With her minute knowledge of ukulele playing, she fingered a few chords and strummed off with her middle finger and thumb.
Marco looked at her in amusement as she strummed the strings and swayed back and forth, letting the sounds of the instrument fill the corner of the store.
She looked so happy, so free, so careless, and if it was someone like Marco looking at her, she also looked very, of course, photogenic.
Marco reached for his camera and pulled the advancement lever with his thumb as he moved it up to his face. He chose to not tell her to smile this time, seeing as the carefree nature of Mina's state would make for a much more interesting photo.
Mina let out a chuckle, "Shutter bugging, just as always."
"You know me, Mina," Marco sighed happily. "You're good at that though."
Mina stopped strumming the ukulele, "What? This?"
"Yeah," he nodded, letting his camera hang by his side with the strap once more. "Do you have one?"
"I don't actually," Mina confessed. She kept her money mainly invested towards her guitars, and never spent too much time playing around with other instruments. Unless the bass she played during her high school band days counted. "But a buddy of mine tried learning so she could serenade her girlfriend. I picked it up a few times, but I didn't learn a lot."
"I think if you got one, you could learn to play it well," Marco said genuinely. He leaned over to look at the price tag hanging from the neck, "How much does it cost?"
The price was in the mid-range of expensive and cheap. Low enough to be affordable on a working-class girl's budget, but high enough to ensure that the instrument was of good quality for someone who intended to use it seriously.
"I could get it," Mina claimed hypothetically. "I dunno, do I need it that much?" The hesitation in her voice was clear. She wanted it, but she also knew that in terms of finances, busking and her day job could only give her so much pocket money.
Marco's next words were rather random, sudden, and came way out of left field, "I'll buy it for you."
Mina looked astonished, "Wait, what?"
"I will," Marco insisted. "Consider it a gift from me to you. Besides, it matches your beanie." The look in his eyes implied that he was speaking with all seriousness, ready to pull out his wallet and sacrifice the bit of cash.
Mina knew she had to intervene before anything happened, "Marco, listen!" She put her hand on his shoulder gently to stop him from walking, "Listen, please don't spend any money that you don't have, especially on someone like me."
"It's fine though," Marco insisted. "It's just something small."
"At least wait for a special occasion or something," Mina reasoned. "C'mon, I have enough guitars to keep me occupied, and I don't really need another instrument right now."
Marco looked at her with consideration, understanding her points and reasons with thought. Nodding his head, Marco understood. "If that's really how you feel."
"I don't need it," Mina confirmed as she put the blue ukulele back on the rack. She soon moved back to the guitar section and grabbed a package of picks that she knew she needed. "These however, I know I'll use. C'mon, I gotta go pay now."
Marco sighed as he followed Mina from behind. In technical terms, Marco knew that he spent enough money on things like his camera and lens collection already. Add that onto his rent, and the fact that his lack of culinary skills meant that he had to eat out a lot. But in sentimental terms, he wanted to get this for her.
In his eyes, he thought she was genuinely talented. He believed fully that she could use the ukulele properly if she had one for herself. He also believed that it'd be a very sweet gesture towards her, and that a small bit of sweetness in her life could be nicer than an extra pump of flavour in a espresso drink.
But she valued a good sense of pragmatism, and wanting to respect her beliefs, Marco complied.
Mina paid for her guitar picks quickly, the tall brawny man ringing her up behind the counter giving Marco dirty looks. Perhaps he wasn't too fond of people taking photos in the store.
A lot of people weren't too fond of Marco taking photos of random things. He was very used to the looks by now.
The sky train rattled against the metal track rails louder than the pitter-pattering sound of rain droplets against the train car's roof. A long and high wooing noise of the engines working was audible as well.
Mina had taken a spot on one of the two-seat benches near the window, and Marco found himself fancying the aisle spot next to her. Her guitar was sitting upright on the floor in front of her, where she held onto it securely, and his rangefinder was placed on his lap.
It was expected that the train had to travel through a few lengths of underground tunnel. When it finally left the confines of the below ground pathway, the rain-soaked landscape of Vancouver was most definitely interesting enough for Mina's eyes to remain glued onto the window pane. The darker tones of the evening destroyed the whole image of the city being some sort of bright and green utopia, and Mina loved it all.
"Why'd you move here?" Marco suddenly wondered aloud.
Turning her head, Mina glanced back at him, "Why do you ask?" She knew perfectly well why Marco had moved to the city of Van, but looking back on it now, she never explained her reasons for coming to the place at all.
"It's wetter than a swimming pool most of the year," Marco brought up reasonably. "Did that make you want to come here?"
Mina shrugged her shoulders, "I liked the small town life back home just fine, but there's only so much a girl could handle." She leaned back in her seat, "Don't get me wrong, Mission's a swell place, but 18 years of being in a town with nothing to do got old fast. Very old."
He nodded his head, "That makes sense. But is this place any more fun?"
"I like it," Mina stated simply. "The rent's a bit out there, but there's plenty of places to busk, good food, plenty of artists, and I'm pretty sure someone like you would love the place, Mr. Photogenic."
She looked at him with a smirk that was just as playful as the nudge she planted on his side. "I think you're getting used to the town alright," Mina claimed with confidence.
"I'm trying to," Marco admitted honestly, glancing down at his camera with a detached look in his eyes.
"You don't like it here?" Mina inquired.
"No, no, I do," Marco insisted, just a little bit hastily. "It's just…" He hesitated, as there wasn't much of another way to put his thoughts into words. "This place isn't Victoria, that's all." He found that the province's capital was a much quieter place compared to Vancouver. It had the same costal waterfront feel to it, which Marco liked. But there was something Victoria seemed to have that Vancouver didn't.
"No city's the same," Mina commented. "You thinking of going back?"
Marco shook his head, "No. I have no reason to go back, none at all." He wouldn't dare mention the other reasons why he wouldn't set foot again on the island, mainly for his own sake. "But would you go back to your home town if you could?"
Almost instantly, Mina shook her head as well, "I don't think I would." Her face expressed though for a moment, "I should probably visit my father though. He says he hasn't had much to do lately. He's been getting laid off at work and all."
"Is he old?" Marco assumed a little too quickly.
Mina looked at him in a mix of amusement and confusion, "He's in his fifties, but that's not too old, isn't it?"
"It's not, really," Marco state, putting his hands up as he got the idea that he had offended her somehow. "I was just asking."
"Don't go thinking lowly about my father," Mina warned in a lighthearted voice, mixed in with a slight chuckle. "He's 56, but he could kick your ass."
Marco chuckled.
"He could!" Mina re-insisted.
"That's a little possessive," Marco commented honestly and amusedly.
"A little bit, but my father's a nice man, really," Mina insisted, patting Marco on the shoulder gently. "It's just, ever since the wedding and all, he's been worried about me. He asked me to move back with him after Bertholdt left, but I told him I'd be okay. I'm trying to make him believe me."
Marco nodded his head, "That makes sense. I bet my parents would feel the same way if it were me."
"So tell me," Mina started, instantly changing the subject with her tone of voice. "What camera is this?" She had reached forward to Marco's lap and took her rangefinder into her hands.
Marco grinned, as now had the chance to speak about something that was more than just his forte. "That, my friend, is a rangefinder camera. It differs from the average camera because it was made to focus on an image more sharply than the average camera. That's a 80s model there, all you gotta do is pull back the lever, point, adjust the focus on the lens, then shoot."
Mina nodded her head, following his instructions closely and pulling the lever to get the film at a new exposure. "Like this?" She lifted the camera to her eyes, like she had seen Marco done many times before, and aimed it towards him.
"Yep, just like that," Marco confirmed pleasantly.
"Okay, I got this. Smile."
When she pointed the lens at Marco's face, he flashed a friendly grin and peace sign right as she clicked the shutter button.
After the snapping noise was heard, Mina took the camera down from her eyes. "Think that worked?"
"Well, it's impossible to tell until the film's developed," Marco reminded as he took his rangefinder back from her. He checked the counter near the camera's advancement lever to see how many shots he had left. "Look at that, the roll's done."
Mina watched in fascination as Marco performed the familiar process of unloading film that he had been doing ever since he was a teenager. It was interesting to observe how quickly but precisely his hands moved to turn back the camera's rewind crank. Eventually, when the camera's back open, the film had entirely disappeared into it's little tube and was now safe for Marco to grab.
With a small smile on his face, he pulled the small tube out of the camera and closed the device's back, "People say that analogue photography's a niche genre and is dying out, but I think if I'm still shooting film, the business is still gonna be booming."
Mina chuckled, "If that's what you say, but considering how much film you shoot, doesn't it all add up in terms of costs?"
Admittedly, Marco had to nod, "It's a bit of an expensive hobby, but there are benefits to working in a camera store, my dear Mina. If I develop it myself, I can get it scanned and printed for free. And I get a discount on the developing tools and film as well, so it's not too pricy per se."
Mina was just a bit lost, "Wait, I thought you developed it at the store." She was referring back to the few exposures of 120 film Marco had taken of her all those weeks ago.
"Sometimes I do it there, sometimes at my flat," Marco explained. "I think I prefer doing it at my flat actually, I can control the results better. It's all in the handiwork, really."
"Oh," Mina started, with a smirk as playful as her voice. "So you're saying that you do a lot of work with your hands?"
Marco sucked in a breath as a slight smile started taking on his face, "… that was terrible, you know that?"
Mina was chuckling, leaning her head against the pane of the window, "I know, I know."
"You're terrible," he added on with the same joking tone.
Mina nodded on without losing her grin, as if it was a very true fact, "I'm aware."
Minutes passed in silence as the skytrain car continued moving under the rainy clouds. Phones were checked, throats were cleared, and coughs were made before either one of them spoke again.
"Hey, tell me," Mina started.
Marco looked over to her, "Yeah?"
"Is it hard developing that stuff at home?" she asked.
Marco's reaction seemed so-so, "If you know what you're doing, it's not hard."
"I'd like to see it. It could be cool," Mina stated in an open ended matter.
"Maybe I could show you one day," Marco offered, playing around with rolled up film tube, eventually placing it safely in his inner jacket pocket.
"Maybe." Mina checked her phone, "I've got time now."
For a reason he couldn't pin point, her statement made him look at her in quickened wonder. Inviting herself to his flat was something Marco didn't think she would do. At this point in his life, he wasn't exactly fond of showing people his tiny studio. Come to think of it, he barely ever showed any one of his friends in the city his flat. That would require having to make a good amount of friends, let alone close ones.
But perhaps, for someone like Mina, someone he had gotten to know to a good enough time, Marco could make an exception.
"All right."
Marco's apartment complex was a low-rise 3 story building, with his flat being on the third floor. Upon entering the lobby, Marco and Mina were reasonably wet after walking enough in the rain. As expected, Marco's rangefinder was dry at the expense of everything else he had on him.
"Bloody weather," Mina muttered as she stepped into the dryness. "Hope my guitar's okay."
"You could dry it upstairs," Marco offered as he started ascending on the stair climb that was required for him to get to his living area. "C'mon."
Mina followed closely, the tapping of her flat soled sneakers against the steps resonating around the staircase.
Once they were at the top, Marco walked down the hall until he arrived at flat 307. Taking his key out of his pocket, he jammed it into the hole in the knob and twisted it until the door opened. He pushed it open and walked in, turning on the lights as he stepped.
When the lights illuminated the place, Mina took her first few glances into the flat that Marco Bodt called his home. Stepping in behind him, she took in the sight of the small but cozy studio flat more easily.
"It's not much," Marco commented as he pulled off his coat, putting it on a nearby coat rack. "Just one room really, but it's home."
The place had basic furniture placed here and there, a small couch, a coffee table, and of course, a bed. In addition, there was a decent sized book shelf placed in the corner, but instead of books, the shelves were the home to a large collection of film cameras. From the modest plastic toy that she remembered him taking photos of her with at first, to others that she had yet to see Marco use.
Mina eyed the bed, then glanced back at him, "So technically speaking, am I standing in your bedroom?" She was looking playful, just as usual.
Marco rolled his eyes and nodded, "Technically speaking, you are."
What stood out most about Marco's apartment was how he had decorated it. On the walls, strings were placed horizontally, with printed photos hanging off them with clothes pins.
It wasn't just one wall, but all of them. At least every wall of the apartment had some sort of photo hung up there by a string.
Mina put her guitar down and took off her coat before stepping further into the place and looking at the wall decor. It was fascinating to see such an artistic creation expressed and displayed in such way. It took a closer look, but once Mina got near, she could see the images of the city streets with ease.
She recognized all of them, from the creek to the North Van quay, it was all there. For a guy who had only been to the city for less than a year, Marco sure had the whole place captured on film excellently.
"You're amazing," Mina said finally, after looking at his handiwork for long enough.
Marco was standing near the kitchen of his area, rubbing his nose a little shyly when she spoke. "I've been told."
"It's weird how you haven't gotten a professional job yet," Mina stated, walking over to his position in the flat. "I mean, you're this talented and all."
"A studio job would be nice," Marco admitted, turning to his kitchen sink. In it was various pitchers, buckets, jugs of solution, and empty jars. And on the counter laid a large black bag. "So, ready to see how it's done?"
Mina nodded her head, "Ready, Freddy."
Marco had the newly exposed roll of film in his hands and placed it on the kitchen counter, ready to start the developing process. He prepped everything carefully, opening the jugs of chemicals and pouring them into the jars.
Mina watched his hands work, admiring how efficiently and smoothly they moved. She could only look at his hands for so long, because once she noticed that they were soaking wet, her eyes trailed up his arms, to his shoulders, and up to his head, where his hair seemed more drenched and wet than she had ever seen it before. It was tousled and messy, an interesting contrast to how well combed Marco usually kept his hair. It was also very amusing, as Mina had yet to see Marco Bodt with a messy hairstyle.
He noticed her watching him, turning to her with an amused expression to match her own. "What are you staring at?"
"You're soaking wet," Mina commented, ruffling his hair playfully.
"As are you," Marco retorted lightly.
Looking up at her forehead, Mina found that the fact was very true. She pulled off her beanie, which was fairly damp, and rung it out above the sink to let the water escape. "You've got a point there."
He chuckled, "There's a few towels in the bathroom." He motioned towards one of of the two doors in the small flat.
Mina nodded her head, walking off into the direction he motioned too.
It sure was a relief to be dry again.
The process was definitely complex from start to finish, but the observant look in Marco's eyes and how easily he managed to unload the film, mix the chemicals, and expose it to the film only proved his expert skills in the art of analogue photography.
Half an hour passed from that point, and by then, Marco had the film rolled onto a large plastic wheel, currently holding it in a plastic jar as the faucet poured water into the top.
In the air, what resonated was the sound of Mina's guitar, as she figured that playing a few tunes would be a little more soothing than the constant raindrops pounding on the windows from outside. She opted to finger pluck this time, as opposed to the strumming she was very used to doing.
The tunes were pleasant to hear, and it definitely gave the various playlists on Marco's laptop a break for once.
Finishing off the job, Marco turned off the faucet and lifted the reel up, taking notice to the images now visible on the small squares of exposed film. He turned around to Mina's presence, "It's done now."
Mina was sitting criss-crossed on his bed, her guitar in her lap and her gaze locked onto his, "Oh, sweet."
He couldn't help but notice that she had taken her hair out of her pigtails, letting her locks of dark hair graze the tops of her shoulders. Marco had yet to see her with her hair down before, and part of him started wishing that he had seen her in such state sooner. She looked rather pretty.
"Just gotta hang it up to dry now," Marco informed quaintly. He stepped over to a portion of wall beside his bed, grabbing a clothes pin from a drawer before he walked. Once close enough, Marco let the film unroll, the images being expressed clearly, and attached it onto the hanging string with the pin. "There, all done."
"Good job," Mina remarked, looking at the unrolled film up and down. Most of the shots were landmarks in Granville island, ones Mina recognized easily. Mina knew what the last three were; her kneeling over her guitar case, her playing that blue ukulele in the music store, and Marco on the skytrain only taken mere hours before.
"The shots you took worked out well," Marco commented, looking down at the final exposure on the bottom. "You could be good at this if you tried."
"In all honesty, I think it's best if we left the shutter buggin' up to you," Mina admitted lightly, poking Marco with her big toe.
Shrugging his shoulders, Marco took a seat on the edge of the bed, planting himself somewhat close to her. "I guess. A real job would be nice though."
"And you'd be great at it," Mina spoke with conviction. "I really think you would."
"Maybe I could get a gig as a wedding photographer," Marco brought up, the possibility not being too farfetched. "I'd need to buy a decent suit, but the pay could be good."
Mina seemed to cringe just slightly at the mention of a certain would, "Oy, weddings. I'll admit, they're fun and fancy, but pricy."
Marco raised an eyebrow, "How pricy?"
Thinking for a brief moment, Mina put her guitar down and off the bed before counting on her fingers. "It depends on how many people are coming. Obviously, there's getting the right venue, getting the right dress, getting the right food, and all that alone racks up the prices pretty high." She shrugged her shoulders, "The wedding business makes billions of dollars every year. Does that give you a good enough idea of how much it costs?"
Marco shuddered in discomfort, "Yes, it does. It sounds like a real load of stress."
"It is," Mina vouched truthfully. "And if you ask me, you shouldn't get married unless you know the one you're marrying is 'the one.' It'd be a real goddamn waste if it all didn't work out."
"How long have you been thinking with that logic?"
Mina paused, looking into the empty space of the apartment as ideas and answers swirled in her mind. She leaned against the back of the bed and sighed, "For about a year now."
He sucked in a breath and nodded slowly, "That makes sense."
Mina clenched her fist just slightly, her nails digging into her palm. It had been a year and a half since she had found out just how much of a ruthless game love could be, and only a year ever since the unrelenting event grabbed her heart and tossed it aside as if it were nothing.
She told herself to be strong, and she was actually proud of herself at some points; in regards to how well she tried to pull her life back together after she was left at the altar, that was. But wounds left scars, and even though the sensations were gone, memories could last forever.
"Marriage isn't for everyone," Mina finally decided. "I learned that well enough."
"Don't I know that…" Marco muttered very subtly.
Mina nodded her head in complete agreement, but the second she picked up on his tone and words, a possibility popped in her mind. The possibility was so abrupt but very probable. "Wait, hold on. Your ex, did you… propose?"
Marco shook his head very quickly, "No, I didn't. It all ended before I got the chance." However, he then hung his head in shame, "But buying a ring though…"
Mina appeared saddened and worried, all before trying to say something intellectual. "Oh…" She really tried. "It wasn't too pricy, was it?"
Marco left the answer simple, "Well, pawning it allowed me to pay a few months of rent for this place in advance…"
Mina nodded her head, estimating the possible price of an engagement ring in her head. "That's pretty up there."
"Think I don't know that?" Marco grumbled in a nearly bitter tone. The sheets of the bed crinkled just slightly when he clasped his hand tightly around the material. Refusing to look at her, Marco's gaze remained pointed to the floor, but Mina managed to catch a very slight glimpse of the look in his eyes.
It was the same look he had on the first skytrain ride she ever took with him, the one that was a three-way cross between anger, frustration, and undeniable sadness. He seemed far more emotive, however. It was far more easier to emote in one's home as opposed to a public train.
Marco tried to keep himself in a state of stoicism that was explicitly forced, but he could only preserve such a ruse for so long. Minutes of silence passed, and Mina watched in silence as his face turned from sobriety to sickness.
He looked like he was going to hurl, or cry; the latter was much more probable.
Mina broke her silence and stillness when her hand touched his shoulder, "Hey."
He glanced at her with empty eyes, "What?"
Mina scoured her brain to say something intellectual, "Are you okay?"
He shook his head, "No."
"Then talk about it," she encouraged with a voice as soft as the waves in a pond. "Have you ever discussed it all with anyone?"
"I had a few buddies back on the Island who I spoke too, but it was more like ranting, to be honest," Marco admitted, thinking back to the few people he practically screamed to in regards to literally everything that had went wrong for him in the worst 24 hours of his life. "Bet they were happy when I hit the road…"
"You can talk to me, if you want," Mina offered extremely earnestly. Her free hand joined the one she had on his shoulder to hold his arm firmly, yet gently.
"You know how it went," Marco reminded a little too bluntly.
"You told me the plot" Mina admitted, recalling the sky train ride all that time ago with great detail. "But you didn't tell me the story."
The difference between a plot and a story was that a plot told what events transpired, but a story could tell so much more. A story could tell an entire plethora of perceptions; like joy, sadness, melancholy, bliss, or anguish.
Marco could let his thoughts think and process. The possibility of opening up his heart to a girl he had only known for less than a year could perhaps be a good decision, as he knew that talking to it could and would benefit him. Or it could be a bad one.
She could take his heart in her hands, gently and carefully at first, just like the love in his past had done, and smash it to the ground in a million pieces in a single motion.
But Marco knew Mina, he knew her so well.
He knew her exact coffee shop order, but knew that she didn't mind shaking things up every once in a while. He knew her favourite guitar brands, even though he knew he could never pronounce takamine or epiphone properly. He knew that she liked the sound of rain patting on the roof tops above, but had a strong distaste for wind pushing against her windows at night.
He knew so much about her. And he knew that at this point of their relationship, even as his life spiralled around in a storm he never thought he would be in, she had become part of him.
It was as if she became part of his being, or even his Achille's Heel; she became part of something that was good, and right, and real.
With his countenance expressing the anguish that always hid behind his brown eyes, Marco spoke.
"I wasn't in my right mind when I left. I was a coward, I didn't want to face what happened. But the second I stormed out, I wanted to come back. Because part of me just said that she'd want me back, I was sure of it. But she didn't. I slept on a friend's couch that night, then I came back the next morning. She didn't give a damn about be then, like she couldn't even be bothered to."
His chest got tight, like a vice clamping down on his torso that would only let go if he follow through.
"I was afraid. I wanted her to love me again, but I knew she couldn't if she tried. I didn't know what to do, so I ran away. I just packed all my shit, got on the first ferry, and left. When the ferry took me over here, I stayed in a motel for a day or two, dipped into my savings, all before snagging the job, and of course, this place. After that, I just felt like… nothing."
He couldn't describe it properly. During his life on the island, Marco had always lived with a beating heart that always remained as wholesome as a cookie-cutter lifestyle. But every step that took him farther away took out a small portion of his heart, one fragment at a time.
And up until the moment Marco came into the subway station that one day and snapped those damn photos on one of the cheapest cameras made in a century, he wasn't alive.
He merely existed; enduring everything the world would give him while trapped in a storm he never thought he would be caught up in. All with a heart as empty as it was soulless; a heart that only beat because of the laws of nature.
"You know," Marco continued on. "If I could go back in time, I'd run to that chubby college freshman who thought that the first girl to look at him different would be the one and tell him no. I'd tell the little bastard to steer clear of her. It'd sure as hell save us a lot of pain."
Mina's eyes filled with the empathetic anguish that she no doubt felt as Marco retold his tale, but the grey and blue hues of her eyes lessened into a countenance of compassion.
Marco was unsure on what to say next, therefore, he tried to say something smart. "But that's all in the past now, I can't change it now. Even if I tried."
Mina finally spoke, "How have you been feeling lately?"
All Marco felt he could do was shrug his shoulders and suck in a deep breath, "Maybe ok, I guess."
The silence that followed was especially empty, not even the droplets of rain falling down on the roof could drown out the hollowness that now filled the room.
When Mina looked at Marco. He was looking down, obviously agonized, deeply distressed, and perhaps even abandoned. One could never expect a guy as cheerful as Marco Bodt to feel emotions that could lay so heavy in one's arms.
She wanted to comfort him, she yearned to say anything to him that could make him feel better. But she couldn't.
The last thing Mina wanted to do was make things worse for him.
Out of ideas, Mina found herself soon shuffling off the bed, "Maybe I should go."
She had only gotten to a standing position when he felt a gentle hand touch her wrist, holding her benignly. A turn of her head soon greeted her to the sight of Marco Bodt's eyes, full of undeniable grief.
"Stay," he asked in a minute tone that was riddled with heartache. "Please?"
At first, Mina looked unsure, wondering what on earth she should do next.
Mina did not sit down, but instead, she knelt on the bed, right in front of Marco. She took the hand that was originally on her wrist and and held it in a much more affectionate matter. Holding onto him securely, Mina didn't know what exactly was flowing through her mind when she leaned over and placed a kiss on Marco's forehead.
But the second her lips touch him, a purpose soon became clear.
Marco's eyes gained a small degree of surprise in addition to the initial sullenness when she kissed him. It was simple, just a peck on the forehead, but he found it just a little startling.
The feeling softened and melted away when Mina placed another kiss on his cheek; then the other one, then finally, something Marco admittedly thought of, but never believed would have happened.
Mina Carolina was kissing him; full on, lip-to-lip kissing.
But at this point, Marco found it in himself to respond. His free hand touched the back of Mina's head while the one in hers held it close to his heart.
"Of course."
Her reply to him could have been one of the most comforting words Marco had heard in a very long time.
A/n: Whew, that was a lot to write. So far, I think I did okay with this chapter. Long, I know, but I wanted to get a lot in there. I did a lot of re-writes and editing, and this was the final product. If I can write it all, then there'll be about 1 more chapter of the story left for me to write that should wrap this all up. Hope it all works out. But for now, if you liked this chapter, then leave a review and feel free to tell me.
I also have a tumblr account. It's the same as my name here, but with a hyphen. Feel free to talk to me there, if you'd like. I'm very open to answering any questions about my stories, if they pop into anyone's mind.
See ya!