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“Why not? It’s just a camera. And, let’s be real, everything’s digital now, so why not experiment when the opportunity arises? It’s not like it’s a big deal to download the stuff to see what they got and then wipe the card. So even if it’s all trash…” Zann pulled the camera down to check the image she’d just captured on the screen, and then smirked as she turned it so Lydia could see the absolutely stunning shot she’d gotten of Eve and Aspen dappled in sunlight and shadows from the gnarled branches of the tree. “…which it’s not.” She did a deft crossover step to the right for a different angle, “It’s not like I’m out anything in the process.”

“Is that how you approach your films?”

“Mostly? I mean, I do have expenses to take into account, but even then, there’s room to try stuff out. I can do the same shot at various times of day to get it in different lighting. I can play with different angles or shutter speeds. There are a million ways to tell the same story; the trick is finding the one that speaks to your soul and tells it the best.”

The passion that crept into Zann’s voice as she spoke of her work was utterly compelling, and Lydia tucked her hair behind her ears to busy her hands so she wouldn’t reach for Zann and interrupt her flow as she asked, “And how do you decide what story you want to tell?”

“Usually I read something, or see something that grabs my attention, and I just have to know more. God, this setting is fucking idyllic…” Zann murmured. Then, louder, “Aspen, give your girl a twirl, would ya?”

The burst of the shutter firing as Aspen obliged the request was lost to the peals of Eve’s laughter, and Lydia couldn’t help but smile at the way, after four full circuits, Eve fell back into Aspen’s arms and they settled into a facsimile of a waltz as they let the momentum continue to flow through them.

“Damn,” Lydia murmured.

“Right?” Zann replied as she glided into motion, her steps as sure and smooth as a dancer’s to capture a different angle of the couple’s closed hold. “Kiss her!”

Unsurprisingly, neither Aspen nor Eve found any issue with that particular instruction, and while they were adorable in their affection, Lydia found herself hypnotized by the flex of Zann’s forearms as she manipulated the camera, the way her long fingers worked the focus on the lens, and the way her lips would quirk with a pleased smile whenever she thought she caught something special.

Zann was striking in her focus. An absolute vision in her confidence that manifested not in swagger, but in ease. She didn’t try to bully the moment into becoming what she wanted; she took it as it was, becoming one with every tickle of the breeze that rustled the branches ripe with budding leaves overhead so that every breath, every step, every press of her finger to the shutter button was a manifestation of something close to holy.

“Kiss her like you fucking mean it!” Zann yelled.

Lydia covered her mouth with her hand to stifle her laughter when Aspen, who was very much kissing Eve like she meant it, flipped Zann off.

“Love you too, buddy. Now channel your inner Rock Hudson and dip her, Old Hollywood style!” Zann yelled, and then giggled delightedly at the way Eve squeaked and tightened her hold around Aspen’s neck when Aspen did as she asked. “That’s fantastic, you two!”

Zann took a couple more pictures, and then her posture relaxed as she dropped the camera to her chest with the contented sigh of an artist pleased with their work. She ruffled a hand through her hair, and Lydia forgot how to breathe when she turned to her with a triumphant smile. “Well?”

God, you are so fucking beautiful.

Zann’s smile gentled as she reached out to take her hand. “You okay?”

Lydia’s heart fluttered at the tenderness that flooded Zann’s gaze and softened the edges of her voice. I think I love you. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep the maniacal laugh of disbelief that bubbled in her throat following that thought from escaping, and took a deep, steadying breath to push it down into her chest that felt too full to hold it. It was insane. All of this was so fucking insane. But now that the thought had wormed its way into her consciousness, she couldn’t pretend that it hadn’t.

I am so fucking fucked, she thought as she exhaled slowly. “Yeah. I’m good.”

She must not have been convincing, because Zann inclined her head and swayed closer as she checked, “Are you sure?”

Not even a little. But, god help me, I wouldn’t change a thing. “Yeah.” Lydia leaned in and kissed Zann tenderly, hoping the caress could convey even a fraction of the emotions she wasn’t ready to admit aloud.

“Now kiss her like you goddamn mean it!” Aspen hollered.

“Yeah, I deserved that,” Zann murmured wryly. She pecked Lydia’s lips as she pulled away to yell back, “Why? Do you need pointers?”

“Oh, fuck off,” Aspen laughed.

Lydia giggled and flattened her free hand on Zann’s stomach as she tucked herself against her side. “You sure?” she taunted. “She’s really good.”

Aspen snorted. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

Eve made grabby hands at her camera. “Gimme. I want to see what you got.”

“Ten minutes ago, she was questioning my every move, and now she wants to see what I got?” Zann playfully grumbled as she lifted the camera over her head and held it out to Eve by the strap.

“Yes,” Eve replied simply as she took the camera and immediately began tapping at the screen on the back. Her eyes widened. “Oh, Zann…”

“I told you I know what I’m doing,” Zann teased, her tone unmistakably pleased.

“You really do,” Eve said wondrously. “Wow.”