Capturing You

Chapter 7: Call Me Joe

     I came back from the bathroom to Burrow half passed out on the couch, likely from all the pizza we just destroyed. It was a heavier lunch than I was used to, but he was pigging out — and in the moment, I wanted to, too. We both forgot, however, the consequences of a heavy meal during lunchtime, and were facing them ten-fold after eating the best pizza Cincinnati had to offer. Fighting off my lethargic feeling, I pulled my camera from my bag and stole a shot of him laying on the couch like that. He turned his head and narrowed his eyes at me before breaking out in a smile.

     "I'm sorry, Burrow, you know I still have a job to do." And I was right. I couldn't forget the rigid quota that Elena had set up for me.

     "After I take a ten minute nap," Burrow protested, clutching a nearby pillow. I plopped beside him and took a picture.
"I thought you only took pictures when you think they're gonna come out perfect," he said, loosening his grip on the pillow and sitting up.

     I smiled softly at him. "Who's to say I didn't think that right there?"

     His natural wit seemed absent at that moment as we looked at each other. Something genuine was in his eyes and I was caught off guard by his gaze, fully expecting to fire back at him like we had been for the entire day. When I noticed we were lingering looking at each other, I cleared my throat and looked down at my camera. "Oh, my, uh... battery's dying. Just one sec."

     It was, in fact, not dying. I just needed a break or else my heart would start thumping against my chest again, and I thought I had gone through a decent streak without it doing so. If I knew what the feeling was, then maybe I wouldn't have to break away so much just to manage it. I busied myself with switching my camera battery out, then sending a status text to Elena. We should be well in the final stretch of getting all the photos we needed for a day in the life with Burrow. I turned back to him with a friendly expression meant for damage control.

     "So," I said, standing up. "What else do you have planned for today? I should be about 25 or so pictures away from meeting my quota and then I can get outta your hair."

      He sat up, looking worried. "Really? That went by fast. — Well, when I'm feeling that afternoon slump, I like to walk around the neighborhood." It seemed like such a mundane thing for an NFL star to do, and I almost wondered if he was stalling for something I didn't know about. Burrow was full of surprises.

     Nevertheless, I shrugged my shoulders and gestured to the front door. "Let's go take that walk, then."

     Keeping my wits about me, I snapped a photo every now and then of Burrow walking down the street. I made sure not to capture any details that might give away where he lived, though with the community being gated, I had a feeling it was impenetrable. For his own privacy's sake, though, I kept the shots tight and only zoomed out when we were passing by unidentifiable trees or plants. I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket as I stayed a few steps ahead of him at all times, knowing it was Trish and Elena freaking out — in a good way, at least — about the shots of Burrow at the library. I didn't bother to check.

     When Burrow caught up to me, I joined him in his walk, following his stride. He kept a relaxed motion in everything he did  and exuded a swagger that could rarely be pulled off. It occurred to me then that in this walk, that had no foreseeable end, would be the first time he and I could talk freely. There was no next thing to scuttle off to, no one to interrupt; only Burrow had the word to say when he was done walking. It made me... sort of nervous.
But before I could spiral, he asked me a question. "What's one thing you want to do but don't think you'll ever get the chance to?"

     It wasn't arbitrary small talk and it would be a disgrace if I gave him a poor answer. It seemed like the kind of deep question you'd ask if you really wanted to get to know someone. I scrunched my nose.