Smile

“Oliver, smile,” I say, holding up my phone. He glances at it, looking bored.

I am trying so hard to take a smiling photo of him, but I just can’t because Oliver freezes whenever he sees a camera.

Oliver’s lock screen is a photo of me he took during the carnival without me knowing. I was looking at the sunset and the golden glow of the sun was on my face. Although most of the time I don’t like any of my photos, I like that one.

Now, I need a photo of him for my lock screen, but I can’t take the perfect photo because Oliver Carlson doesn’t smile, at all. We already know that.

Some things never change, do they?

“Oliver, I need one photo,” I say, pouting. “Look at me, I am smiling really big. Smile with me, pretty please?”

I take the photo, but he isn’t even looking at the camera. He is looking at me and everything is in his eyes. Only I see that. I set it as my lock screen and look at him.

“How many times have you seen me smiling already?” I say. “Why do you still look at me like that?”

“Like what?” Oliver asks with a straight face.

My blood rises to my cheeks. “As if you have never seen me smile before.”

Oliver doesn’t reply. He strokes his thumb over my lips, then he says in a low voice, “I fell in love with you by seeing you smile.”

I—

I clasp him in a hug, and he hugs me back without any words.

*****

“He doesn’t smile when he sees a camera!” I complain to Jason.

“He does smile,” Jason says.

“Yes, he does smile. And when he does, it’s such a rare occasion that I feel accomplished, and getting my phone to take a picture is not the first thing that comes to my mind,” I explain.

“Aha, leave it to me. I will give you the perfect photo,” Jason says. “Because I know when he smiles.”

“Really?” I lit up, “Please, do that.”

Later that week, Jason shares his idea of best photos with me. He has successfully captured the perfect moment.

“Wow,” I stare at the photo. “Where did you get that?”

“Oh, it was just at the last party. You had a few drinks and were doing handstands, and he was looking down at you—” Jason says but I interrupt.

“But that’s right before I fell and my butt hit the floor,” I say.

“Um yes,” Jason agrees.

Oliver is smiling. He is also rolling his eyes at me.

Wow, here I was, falling butt-first on the floor, and my boyfriend thought it was entertainment for him.

Great. Just great.

“So are you gonna save that as your lock screen?” Jason asks.

“Oh, yes,” I reply in a low voice.

I need a reminder so I can teach him the perfect lesson. Smiling and rolling your eyes at me when I’m falling? Revenge coming your way, Carlson.

I do take my revenge.

Then the next week, I see Oliver’s lock screen.

I am sleeping. It was so sweet of him to take a photo of me.

No, it wasn’t.

Because at that time, I had a cold. My nose was clogged and I couldn’t breathe through it. As a result, I had to breathe through my mouth, and he captured that.

In that photo, I am sleeping with my mouth open and drooling.

*****

A/N:

Hey, it's a spiral day for me and worst of all, I have to go out and pretend I'm super duper fine. God, I hate that.

What do you guys to feel better? I tuck myself in my bed and wait until it's over but sometimes I don't get enough time to recover. Like today.