W Y A T T

"Thank you so much for coming with Harper all the way here."

Harper's mom saw me washing the dishes at the sink, despite she and her husband had repeatedly told me I didn't need to do anything. But they had just served us an amazing breakfast, and didn't think twice about adding an extra plate for me when they knew I was coming with Harper, so I felt like that was the least that I could do.

"Don't worry about it." I offered with a shrug of my shoulders as I rinsed the plates.

Harper had gone upstairs with Oscar, her white and orange cat, trailing behind her. His fluffy, ginger colored tale graciously moved side to side as he climbed up the steps, following closely on the heels of her feet after she'd finished breakfast and had excused herself off the table to get some rest. James, Harper's father, went outside to the garage after finishing his morning coffee and Harper's mother took the opportunity to talk to me with some privacy.

"I am worried about her." Her mother, Laura, confessed out loud. I could see it in her eyes - her and her husband's -, their worry, but wasn't expecting her to make such an honest, real and candid confession. At least not to me. Her concern was so raw and palpable.

"Honestly, me too." I said as I looked at her.

"Leaving the nest is hard, but eventually we've all got to do it." Laura gently held a mug between her palms that said "BEST MOM IN THE WORLD", after refilling it with hot coffee.

"Yeah, but... everyone is different. Some people take longer than others."

She gave me an understanding look before looking out the window that stood behind the sink for what was probably the third time since coming here.

I grew up with a large family. Sure, at home it was just my parents and Chloé and I, but we had a large family that counted with an uncle and an aunt on my mom's side, two uncles on my dad's side, and their families. Which added another five cousins altogether. So, yeah, it's safe to say that my family is big.

I come from a large family, yet, we are never together, and when we are, it's because someone decides to throw a luxurious brunch (just for show). We look like mannequins, like dolls that are on their best behavior instead of being ourselves around each other. We're family and that should be our safe space.

Harper's family, however, is small. She's an only child, and her parents only have her mom's brother in town, plus his husband and Zoey. But they all seem like a big, loud and rowdy family, unlike mine. They are each other's support system. They don't need an invitation to show up at each other's house with a plate of food, a box full of brownies or just... empty handed. Their family is like the ones you see on television. Their family is about as safe as a family can be.

They even have a family group chat for God's sake.

After being in her home for just a couple of hours, and feeling so welcome, and seeing how well received she was, I think I can now see why Harper is having such a hard time adjusting to living away from them. With a support system like that, it has to be difficult to walk away from it so suddenly.

"You know what I think?" I started. "And I promise I don't mean to sound cheesy or anything but... I think that you and Mr. Moore gave her such a good nest for her to grow up in, that she's having a harder time leaving."

"You're such a charmer. You know that, right?"

I rolled my eyes before letting out what could only be described as an embarrassed laugh.

"But all modesty aside, I think you're right. We might not be the best parents in the world, but we come really darn close."

I thought about what Harper told me about wanting to quit college and come back home. I didn't say anything to her mom about it, but I did wonder if Harper was going to tell them about it, or if she was just going to show up unannounced one day, after all's said and done.

"Harper is my daughter, there is nothing I want more for her than her happiness. But as her mother, it also pains me to see her throw away such an amazing opportunity that she's worked so hard for."

"I couldn't agree more."

A silence fell, the only audible sound was the running water and sound of the plates piling up on the side.

"You know, I'm really glad that she's got you with her in New York. She's not alone."

"She doesn't seem to agree with you."

"I don't think that's true." Laura said after taking a sip of her second coffee of the day. "It was really kind of you to leave New York at the last minute and come with her to LA."

"It was no big deal. I'm glad I get to see my sister for a couple of days."

"Yeah... Chloé must be thrilled to see you too."

I could sense some sort of sarcasm in her voice, almost as if she was wanting to get some more information from me. Like, for instance, if seeing Chloé really was the reason that I joined Harper on her trip, at the last minute. But I didn't take the bait.

"As thrilled as a little sister would be to see her big brother come back." I let out a laugh and she mirrored me, both of us laughing before I got serious. "I spoke to her before our flight, she's happy about the surprise."

"What about you, Wyatt? How are you?" Here comes the question, rolling out of Laura's mouth like bullets firing from a gun. "How's college going? What are your plans for the future?"

"Well I might start my photography lessons next month, so I'm excited about that."

"Oh that's right, I almost forgot that you were following that path! Your parents must be so proud of you."

I was caught off guard with that comment. I didn't know exactly what to say when the true answer was they couldn't care less and they were actually very mad that I chose to follow a path that's not even remotely related to our family business of hotels. So instead, all I said was "I guess.", before shrugging.

"I don't know if you're interested but if you want to, my husband and I could show you our photography room." She meticulously put down her mug. "And I promise that's not a code for a murder room."

Harper's parents were huge photography fanatics. None of them work as photographers for a living but they sure have a passion for it and they know everything there is to know about cameras and lenses and shots, and what the right aspect ratio is, and they would basically be a huge help for me once I start my course. It also helps that they are the nicest.

"I would love that, thank you Mrs. Moore."

"Just call me Laura."

* * *

I knew that Harper's parents knew about photography and I knew that that was a connection point for them both but I never knew that they had this much amateur experience behind camera.

The four walls of this room were all covered in framed pictures that they had taken, the oldest one dating back to 1996, a shot of the Arizona desert.

"Wow..." My voice almost sounded like a whisper. "These are amazing."

I looked around the room until my eyes fell on an old picture of who could only be Harper blowing the candles on her pink and lilac birthday cake. She was standing on top of a chair, so she could reach the cake and properly stand out. She had her arms extend out, her right wrist full of colorful rubber bands and her left one with one of those plastic, neon pink watches that lit up in the dark. Her strawberry blonde hair looked exactly the same color as now, but in that picture, instead of keeping her hair down like Harper usually does now, she had bangs that covered her forehead, and she had a purple scrunchie holding up her hair in a ponytail. She was dressed in a slightly baggy white t-shirt, with some dark denim overalls, and judging by the number of candles on the cake, she was turning four.

All elements of that picture screamed nostalgia. The picture was definitely very well taken, Laura and James are clearly very talented. But what stood out the most for me, was the happiness and joy that was palpable on that shot.

This is what makes me so passionate about photography: a single shot, if it's the right shot, can capture a moment and it will immortalize it. You may not have been there, but you look at that picture and suddenly, you're transported, and you can feel what everyone in that shot is feeling. It's basically a documentary in a single frame.

"Oh, that one's old but a gold one." James walked towards me and stood by my side, looking up at the picture and smiling. "Harper turned four and this was the first birthday party that she organized. She made personalized invitations with her own drawings, we just had to write the date and the name of the person."

"Yeah and she chose the theme, went with us shopping for all the decorations." Laura added. "She even chose the menu, that party was all pizzas and burgers."

I couldn't help but smile at the loving way they talked about their daughter and their memories as a family. They have a very special connection, always have, and again... I can see Harper's side much more clearly.

"That definitely sounds like something Harper would do." I said before questioning, "Let me guess, the desert was just donuts?"

Harper's father and mother exchanged a look before facing me again. "You sure know our daughter well."

"We're friends." I said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. But the look in Harper's mom's eyes, the very same one that she gave me when we were in the kitchen earlier, told me that she could see right through me.

Again, I chose to ignore it and looked elsewhere around the room and it didn't take long before I could find another photo to talk about with them. "Oh, is that me?"

"That's you." James said with a wide grin spread across his face. "What a night that was."

"Yeah, Wyatt, you two looked so amazing!" Laura threw in another bait, I could tell from the way she'd said it, but I ignored it again.

I did it because that shot had just triggered a very real memory for me. Old but gold, that's exactly how I'd define that memory. And bittersweet too, because Harper and I were having a really good time that night, and I chose to confess my feelings for her, with an enormous wave of hope that washed over me, because I knew that we both felt the same, and she proved me right. But somehow, that wasn't and still isn't enough for her to want this. To want us.

"Wyatt?" Harper's dad waved a hand up and down in front of my face.

"Uh yeah... sorry. What were you saying?"

"I was asking you about photography lessons."

"Oh, right. I did a few lessons last year then I took a little break. I, uh..." I looked around the room again, finding pictures of a young Harper riding a bike, and then again with a blonde girl who could only be Zoey, and a beautiful black and white shot of a field of poppies. "I had some exams to focus on."

"You know, you can always count on us to help you, show you what we know." He offered. "And you know, I think a friend of mine from college actually took some specific photography lessons. I could ask him if he's got any experience with photojournalism."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Moore, that'd be fantastic!"

"It's James to you."  

 * * *

author's note

not gonna lie, writing scenes/chapters with Wyatt and Harper's parents is always an absolute joy because their dynamic is so so fantastic <3

question: do you like taking pictures?

if you're enjoying LEOYAM, please don't forget to vote, and leave a comment with your thoughts! also follow me on ig - missmarswrites - for sneak peeks, edits, quizzes and so so much more!

xoxo, mars