Faking It With The Hockey Star

Chapter 51: Camera And Lens

Justin’s POV

The silence in the car was just heavy.

I kept my eyes on the road as Gouma’s afternoon traffic crawled past us. Harper sat beside me, her fingers absentmindedly tracing invisible circles on her jeans. After a few minutes, she finally spoke.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

I glanced at her before looking back at the road. "Gouma."

She laughed softly. "I figured that much."

"I need to stop somewhere first," I said.

She tilted her head. "Should I be worried?"

"No."

"Excited?"

"Maybe," I said.

She smiled, but it faded almost as quickly as it appeared. "I’m sorry," she said quietly.

I frowned. "For what?"

"For today." She stared out the window. "If I wasn’t dating you, none of that would’ve happened."

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. "Harper."

She looked over. "What happened today wasn’t your fault," I said.

"But—"

"No." My voice came out firmer than I intended. "My father made his choices. My stepmother made hers. They’re adults. They’re responsible for what they do."

She lowered her eyes. "I just hate that they keep dragging you into their mess."

I reached across the center console and squeezed her hand. "I’ve spent too many years letting people think they can do whatever they want because they’re family," I said. "I guess it’s time I start putting certain people in their place."

She studied me for a moment before giving my hand a gentle squeeze back. "I like this version of you," she said.

I smiled. "I do too."

Twenty minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot of one of the biggest camera stores in the city. Harper blinked. "Why are we here?"

I got out first and walked around to open her door. "My grandparents have been traveling a lot lately," I said. "I thought I’d look for a camera."

She stared at me. "You?"

"I know," I laughed. "That’s exactly why I brought the only film nerd I know."

She rolled her eyes. "I am not a nerd."

"You absolutely are," I said.

"I prefer passionate," she replied.

"I’ll allow it."

She laughed, and just like that, some of the tension from earlier disappeared.

Inside, the store was massive. Shelves stretched from one end to the other, filled with cameras, lenses, microphones, stabilizers, drones, lighting equipment, tripods, and every filmmaking gadget imaginable. Harper stopped walking. Her eyes widened.

"Oh," she breathed.

She looked like a kid standing in front of the world’s biggest candy store. I couldn’t help smiling. "So," I said, shoving my hands into my pockets, "I need help."

She finally tore her eyes away from the displays. "With what?"

"My grandmother," I said. "She likes documenting every trip she and my grandfather go on. I thought maybe I’d get her something."

Harper nodded thoughtfully. "Okay."

"I don’t really know what I’m looking at," I admitted.

"I noticed," she laughed.

"Teach me," I said.

That was all it took. Within seconds she was walking from display to display. "This one is really good if she just wants something simple," she said, picking up a camera and turning it over in her hands. "But if she’s taking a lot of travel videos, I’d probably go with this instead. The stabilization is much better."

I nodded like I understood. I didn’t. Not even a little.

After a few minutes, I casually asked, "What if it wasn’t for my grandmother?"

She looked at me. "What do you mean?"

"If you were buying one," I said. "For yourself. What would you choose?"

She immediately shook her head. "No."

"Why not?"

"They’re expensive," she said.

"I’m just asking."

She laughed awkwardly. "No, Justin. I’d rather not."

I leaned against one of the display tables. "Humor me."

She hesitated. "I’m not saying you should buy it."

"I’m not saying I’m buying it," I replied. "I just want to know. What would a filmmaker actually choose?"

She looked around one more time before sighing. "Fine." She walked over to another section and gently rested her hand on one camera. "If money didn’t exist, I’d start with this," she said quietly.

I watched as something changed in her. The nervousness disappeared. Her shoulders relaxed. Her eyes lit up. "This shoots beautifully," she said. "The colors are amazing. And the autofocus is incredible." She moved to another shelf. "For photography, though, I’d actually use this brand. It’s lighter. The lenses are easier to carry around." She picked up another lens. "This one would be perfect for documentaries. But if I ever started making short films," she smiled to herself, "I’d definitely upgrade to this."

She kept going. Tripods. Microphones. Filters. Memory cards. Editing monitors. Lighting. Half the words meant absolutely nothing to me. But I listened anyway. Not because I understood cameras. Because I understood her. She wasn’t talking about equipment. She was talking about her dream.

For the first time since I’d met her, she wasn’t worrying about hospital bills or her father or Ethan or my family. She was just happy.

She suddenly stopped talking. Her cheeks turned pink. "Oh my God," she said.

"What?"

"I’ve been talking for ages," she said, covering her face. "I’m sorry."

I chuckled. "I asked."

"I know, but I get carried away."

"I noticed," I said.

She groaned. "This is embarrassing."

I stepped closer. "No," I said. "You should talk about the things you love more often."

She looked up at me. Really looked. Then she smiled, a genuine one that reached her eyes. "I can’t wait until the university pays me for the documentary," she said. "The first thing I’m buying is a camera. Every single cent is going into my equipment. I’ll probably eat noodles for a month."

I laughed. "I can’t wait to see that."

"You’ll think I’m crazy," she said.

"I already do," I replied.

She nudged my shoulder. "Mean."

"Were you expecting anything else?" I asked.

She laughed again, and somehow that felt like the biggest victory of the entire day.

An hour later, after dropping Harper home, I sat alone inside my car. I unlocked my phone, opened my messages, and typed one sentence.

Justin: Grandma... I need help buying a camera.

I stared at it for a second before adding another.

Justin: It’s for Harper.

I hit send. Then I smiled to myself as I drove away.