Beyond the Lens

by Hannah Ellis

  “You got a good spot.” Angela joined me on the bench, leaving the boys kicking the ball around with their dad.

  “It’s gorgeous,” I told her.

  “That’s our house over there.” She pointed back down to the road where we’d parked the car. “The yellow one.”

  “So you have all this on your doorstep? It’s amazing.”

  “Yeah – village life can get claustrophobic sometimes but I can’t complain about this.” We watched Adam and Ben chase the kids around the field for a while before Angela broke the silence. “I saw you on TV, by the way.”

  “Oh no! Really?”

  “I told Ben not to say anything, but I think it’s killing him.”

  “I thought maybe it hadn’t reached you out here…”

  “You think we don’t have TV?” she asked me with a laugh.

  “No!” I said. “I just thought that maybe you had better things to do or something.”

  “No! We live in a village; nothing ever happens here. TV addicts, the lot of us! It was fun seeing Adam on TV yesterday,” she told me. “Then when you stepped out of the car with him today, I thought Ben’s eyes would burst out of his head! We don’t get many celebrities round these parts.”

  “I’m really embarrassed now,” I told her. “I’ve hardly been out in public since we got back. I thought I’d be safe here.”

  “I feel awful for you,” she told me sympathetically. “It’s amazing how easily they twisted everything, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah. When I watched the edited version, it even confused me. I almost believed it was real. I thought I was going mad.”

  “So what really happened? Can I get some spoilers?”

  “I’ve lost track of what’s been shown on TV,” I told her, trying to think of something to tell her. “Margaret and Ryan had a drunken snog …”

  “No!” Her eyes went wide. “Really?”

  “Yeah. He was mortified.” I reached into Adam’s backpack for the bottle of water. “It was hilarious. He’s going to be so embarrassed when they air that.”

  “That’s brilliant! How was it really? Did you enjoy it?”

  “I had a fantastic time,” I told her, replacing the cap on the water and stretching out my legs in the sunshine.

  “What was everyone like?” she asked eagerly. “Do you mind me asking? I’m fascinated by it all.”

  “I don’t mind,” I told her. It was actually really nice chatting to her. “Everyone was lovely. I got on with everyone. We’ve been meeting up since we’ve been home as well. They’re like family to me now.”

  “What about Matt?” she asked. “I really believed you were in love with him, but that was obviously not true … Oh, but that moment when you were watching Adam sleep and he woke up – that was the cutest thing ever!”

  My shoulders shook as I started laughing and couldn’t stop.

  “Sorry!” Angela told me. “I’m being weird, aren’t I? Don’t tell Ben. Not after I told him not to say anything to you!”

  “Matt’s lovely,” I told her when I got my laughter under control. “But we’re just friends.”

  “So what about you and Adam?”

  “We ended up kissing in a cupboard during a game of hide and seek,” I confessed with a smile.

  “Brilliant!” She sighed. “And I guess things are still going well if you’re having dinner with his parents. I had to call and drop some papers off with Ruth earlier and she was panicking about whether or not you were a vegetarian. I told her I’d seen you eat chicken on TV so I thought she was safe! Sorry,” she said quickly as my eyes went wide. “I’m being really weird, aren’t I? Knowing what you eat …”

  “It’s not that,” I told her. “It’s knowing where I’m having dinner that’s surprised me. Because I didn’t know that.”

  “Oh my God!” She put a hand to her mouth. “Are you serious?”

  “Adam said he’d take me out for dinner … but he never mentioned where.”

  “I’ve put my foot in it, haven’t I?”

  I nodded but found it amusing. “It seems like it.”

  “He must like you, though, if he’s taking you for dinner at his parents’ place. And Ruth obviously took a shine to you, so you’re doing well. You know, I had the biggest crush on Adam when we were teenagers, but I was terrified of his mum and his sister.” She stopped talking suddenly and looked at me, her eyes big. “What is wrong with me today? I keep saying stupid things! I’m sorry. I should have just left you in peace.”

  “Don’t worry,” I reassured her. “It’s usually me talking too much, so this is a nice change. Anyway I thought you were friends with his sister?”

  “Becky was my best friend … but she was still terrifying! Come on, let’s go and join them.”

  We walked in silence back to the blanket, where Adam and Ben were chatting. The boys were still happily kicking the football to each other.

  “Guess what?” Angela said to Ben when she sat down beside him on the blanket. “Ryan kissed Margaret!”

  “No way!” Ben replied. “That’s not true.” He looked at Adam, who nodded. “Wow!” Ben laughed. “What else? Tell me more!”

  “You need to get a life!” Adam laughed at him as I took a seat next to him on the grass and he moved his hand to my knee.

  “These two kissed in a cupboard!” Angela told him excitedly, making me burst out laughing.

  “The cupboard didn’t have any cameras in it,” Adam informed them, a smile spreading across his face. “So it’s basically Lucy’s word against mine. And we all know she’s a bit crazy!”

  “Hey!” I shoved him until he lost his balance and ended up lying on the grass.

  “Why are you telling them the one thing that happened away from the cameras?” he said through his laughter.

  “I forgot there weren’t any cameras,” I told him. “It just slipped out!”

  “We got an exclusive,” Ben turned to high-five Angela. “We can dine out on this for weeks!”

  “Speaking of dining out … where are we going for dinner tonight?” I asked Adam with raised eyebrows.

  “Well, it was going to be a surprise,” he replied cautiously. “But I’m guessing village gossip has ruined that.”

  “Sorry,” Angela shrugged, looking fairly sheepish.

  “Didn’t you promise the kids ice creams?” Ben looked at Angela with wide eyes. “Now would be a good time for ice creams, wouldn’t it?”

  “Perfect!” she agreed, telling us they’d be right back and mouthing another apology at Adam.

  “How did Angela know?” Adam turned on his side to look at me. I shrugged and he took my hand. “I’d already arranged to have dinner with my parents before I spoke to you. I don’t know why I didn’t tell you that. I guess I thought you might not come.”

  “You were probably right there,” I told him plainly.

  “Sorry. We don’t have to go …”

  “She’s already cooked!”

  “True.” He raised an eyebrow. “Do you mind?”

  “I guess not,” I told him. “But if this is some elaborate seduction plan, then I have to say it’s a bit weird. And Matt’s going to have a field day when he finds out!”

  “How about we don’t mention it to Matt …” he suggested, pulling me down to lie on the grass beside him.

  “Okay,” I agreed. “But maybe next time you could warn me about stuff like dinner with your parents.”

  “Deal!” He moved up on one elbow and leaned over to kiss me. I stroked his hair as he lingered over me, our noses touching. He kissed my forehead before sitting up to look down the hill and wave at the boys, returning with ice creams in their hands.

  Adam reached for his camera and took some more photos of the boys, happily licking their ice creams and getting messier by the second.

  “Here, give me that.” Angela reached for Adam’s camera. Adam put an arm around my shoulders as Angela aimed the camera at us. I rested my head on Adam’s shoulder, letting Angela capture a mome
nt of pure happiness.

  Chapter 37

  “I’ve seen you on the TV,” Adam’s dad, Tom, told me bluntly when we were introduced. “But apparently I’ve got to pretend you’re not a lunatic!” He winked at me and we took a seat in the living room. It was a cosy room, neat and orderly but homely, with an array of ornaments and framed photos along the mantelpiece.

  “I said to pretend you’ve not seen her on the telly!” Ruth clucked as she moved out of the living room.

  I asked if I could help with anything, but she told me to stay put.

  “I knew there was something I wasn’t supposed to mention,” Tom chuckled. “How was the photo shoot this afternoon?”

  “Don’t talk about that yet!” Ruth shouted from the kitchen. “Or come in the kitchen if you want to talk …”

  Tom’s eyes sparkled and he flashed me a grin. “She doesn’t like to miss out! She worries she’ll miss some gossip to share at her committee meetings. She’s on about seven different committees; I think they mostly meet to swap gossip.”

  “What are you saying?” Ruth’s voice drifted through to us.

  “Come on.” Adam nudged my leg and stood up. “It’ll be killing her, thinking she’s missing out.”

  “I’d better get drinks too before I get shouted at,” Tom told me. He radiated warmth and I liked him immediately.

  “Tom!” Ruth shouted as we walked into the kitchen. “Get drinks for everyone, will you?”

  Tom rolled his eyes and pulled a bottle of wine from the rack in the corner of the kitchen. “Everyone all right with red?” he asked.

  “We’ve got white if you’d prefer, Lucy?” Ruth turned to me. “Or beer …”

  “Red’s fine. Are you sure I can’t help?”

  “Yes, everything’s ready. Let’s go and sit down.” We followed her out of the kitchen and into the back room of the house.

  “We’re eating in the dining room?” Adam commented. “It’s not Christmas, is it?”

  “We often eat in here.” Ruth tutted, moving around the table. “Take a seat, Lucy.”

  I pulled out the chair nearest to me, setting my wine down while Ruth reached for my plate and served me a square of lasagne.

  “By often, she means once every year,” Tom told me quietly.

  “Oh shush, you two!” Ruth reprimanded them, handing Adam a plate of lasagne. “It’s nice to eat in here sometimes.”

  I saw Tom eyeing the lasagne, looking slightly puzzled as he handed his plate to Ruth. “This looks great,” he told her.

  “Oh, it’s not for you,” she told him, jumping up and rushing out of the room.

  “I thought it was too good to be true,” Tom commented. “Don’t ever have a heart attack! I’ve not been allowed anything tasty to eat in a long time.”

  Ruth came back with a piece of grilled chicken for Tom. “Sorry, I forgot all about it. There’s salad too.”

  “I think you just like torturing me,” he told her, looking longingly at the lasagne.

  “Sorry, but Adam’s here and lasagne’s his favourite,” she told him, returning to her seat. “Tuck in,” she instructed, waving her fork at me.

  I did as I was told and felt sorry for Tom; the lasagne was delicious. Silence settled over us while we ate. I hadn’t realised how hungry I was until I had started eating.

  “Tell me about this afternoon, then,” Ruth prompted as she reached for her wine glass. “Did you have a nice time with Angela and Ben?”

  “I had a great time,” I told her.

  “Did you get some good photos, Adam?”

  “I hope so. I’ll start going through them tomorrow.”

  “They’re a lovely family, aren’t they?” Ruth remarked.

  “They’re really nice. Angela was good fun,” I told her. “You’ve known her a long time?”

  “Since she was a little girl. She had a bit of a wild streak as a teenager, but she turned out well.”

  I couldn’t help but smile at Ruth’s assessment.

  “I wouldn’t say she was wild,” Tom commented. “But she did have her eye on Adam, and Ruth thought she wasn’t good enough for our little prince so we had to make her feel as unwelcome as possible!”

  “What?” Adam asked with his mouth full. “Angela never had a thing for me.”

  “Oh, she did!” Ruth argued. “And she was two years older than you.”

  “He was such a geek,” Tom told me, a glint in his eyes. “He’s been obsessed with cameras since he was big enough to pick one up. When he was sixteen, Angela would come around wearing Wonderbras and skirts no bigger than my belt … Adam didn’t even notice. He was too busy taking photos of daffodils!”

  “That’s not true!” Adam laughed. “Why are you making up stories? Angela only ever came over to hang out with Becky.”

  “No, she had a crush on you,” I grinned at him while I loaded up my fork. “She told me today!”

  “See!” Tom said.

  “Why did she tell you that?” Adam smirked. “What’s wrong with the woman that she can’t even keep her own secrets?”

  “I thought she was funny.”

  “If she had a crush on me, I never knew it,” Adam said.

  “You were the only one who didn’t notice,” Tom shook his head. “I don’t think Becky was impressed that her best friend had a crush on her little brother. Poor Angela never stood a chance.”

  “Does Becky live nearby?” I asked.

  “No,” Tom said. “She lives in France.”

  “We hardly see her,” Ruth complained. “And she’s got two beautiful girls. I never get to see my grandkids.”

  “That’s not really true,” Tom said. “They visit quite often.”

  Adam looked at me. “Mum can’t understand why anyone would leave the village.”

  “Well, I would’ve understood if she wanted to move into the city,” Ruth said. “But France?”

  “Awful place,” Adam said in a mocking tone.

  “Full of baguettes and croissants!” Tom laughed. “And people talk funny, you know?”

  “Don’t tease,” Ruth told them. “Is it really so terrible to want to have your family around you?”

  She tutted and returned her attention to her plate as Adam and Tom exchanged a look.

  “That was great, thanks,” Adam said, pushing his plate away and leaning back in his chair. I nodded my agreement as I finished. “We might have to go soon,” Adam announced.

  “You can’t go,” Tom said. “We’ve not shown Lucy your baby photos yet!”

  “Well, that would be fun!” Adam rolled his eyes. “But we have to drive back to Manchester tonight so we can’t stay long. I’ll help tidy up.” He stood and started to stack plates, but Ruth moved round the table and took them out of his hands.

  “Your dad and I will clean up. Why don’t you show Lucy the garage?” she said over her shoulder as she walked out of the room.

  “Come on.” Adam took my hand, standing up and leading me through the house. He turned to me when we stepped out of the front door. “I should definitely not have brought you over for dinner.”

  “Why?” I asked. “It was lovely.”

  “I always thought I had quite cool parents,” he told me. “I never realised how embarrassing they are.”

  “They’re not that bad!” I said and reached up to kiss him.

  “I can’t believe my dad called me a geek!”

  “Your dad’s so sweet.”

  “Yeah, he’s pretty cool, actually – when he’s not calling me a geek!” He pulled me around the side of the house towards the garage.

  “I think you’re still a bit geeky,” I teased, bumping shoulders with him.

  “Well, these days I do at least notice hot women flaunting themselves around me!”

  “What’s that’s supposed to mean?”

  “You, in your tiny little bikinis,” he said, grinning. “It was like torture!”

  “They were Chrissie’s bikinis,” I corrected him, embarrassed. “What’s in
the garage, then?”

  “My photos,” he told me. He unlocked the side door and stepped inside, feeling around for the light switch.

  “Wow,” I gasped when the lights flickered on and I stepped inside. Framed photos of every size lined every wall. “This is amazing. Is this your niece?” I moved to admire a photo of a little girl blowing a dandelion clock, sending the tiny white umbrellas flying out against the bright blue sky. She had eyes the same colour as the sky – and the look of wonder in them was amazing.

  “Yes, that’s Emily. That’s from their last visit, a couple of months ago. That’s her sister, Hailey,” he added as I moved to look at another picture. Hailey was walking through a field, looking over her shoulder to smile straight into the camera. It was simple but stunning.

  “They’re beautiful girls,” I told him, unable to take my eyes from the pictures.

  “Nah, I’m just good with a camera … They’re ugly little things in real life.”

  I smiled at the humour in his voice and turned to see him perching on a wooden table in the middle of the room. My eyes were drawn back to the picture of Emily. It was incredible. I picked it up to take a closer look.

  “It looks as though she might just step out of the picture,” I said. “It’s amazing.” I felt Adam’s eyes on me while I wandered around trying to take everything in. “Is this where we were today?” I asked, looking at a picture of a stream flowing next to a forest.

  “Yeah.”

  “You were right about the photos in the pub. I thought they were great, but these are something else. They’re stunning. How do you take photos like that?” I couldn’t quite get my head around it. “I feel like I’d get my hand wet if I touched it. The water looks as though it’s flowing.”

  “It was flowing!” he told me with a cheeky grin.

  “You know what I mean.” I looked up at him, but he just shrugged. “They’re brilliant,” I told him, overwhelmed by his talent. “Where do you sell them?” I asked while I browsed some more.

  “I don’t, yet.”

  “Not at all? Why not?” I hopped up beside him on the table and my eyes wandered around the room, drawn to the beauty of the photographs.