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Kayla
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I woke up to an empty bed. At first I was curious, but that quickly turned into a specific, rabid anxiety.
On the floor by my side of the bed there was a note
Follow the photos.
I did as the note asked, and I went to the doorway of our bedroom, where I found the first photo on the ground.
One of the first photos that Justin had ever taken of me, it was at a time after a shoot I had worked at Donnie T. Agency. We had been alone in the back, and it was the first time he had ever seen me in my underwear.
On the photo, there was a note written in permanent marker.
Your beauty is not just what a photograph can capture.
I walked down the hallway, noticing a trail of photos that led through the kitchen. The next photo was one that Justin had taken of me around the time that we first met. It was the first time that I had ever posed for him, and even though it started as a joke, it blossomed quicker than I could have imagined.
Your goals were never unobtainable. You can do anything, Kayla.
The next photo was one that Justin had taken of me on the rooftop in New York.
Your path is determined by you: Your heart, mind & soul.
The next photo was one he had taken of me in his Newark darkroom.
Your heart, mind and soul captivate me endlessly, Kayla Reid.
I chuckled at the next photo. It was he and I on my couch back in Newark, making goofy faces. I began to cry, wondering where this trail was taking me. I felt like I knew where it was going, but I was petrified.
I’ve been lucky that you’ve allowed me on this journey with you.
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THE NEXT PHOTO I PICKED up was one of us together by the beach.
I knew you were the one I’d want to share my own journey with.
The photos winded on out of the kitchen and led to the backyard patio door. I picked up two. One of us together in his first L.A. apartment, and the other of us moving into the new house.
I never want to stop growing with you.
I want us to build together, learn together, and share our lives with each other.
The next photo was of me, in bed wearing one of the early pieces of lingerie I had made.
You are my dream, K. You are my muse.
The last photo was by the patio door: It was us together, dressed elegantly and beaming. I couldn’t even remember what the event was, but I remembered how happy we were when this picture was taken.
I want this to be us forever.
And then, my eyes finally began to work again. I looked out at the backyard, astonished. I dropped most of the photos onto the floor, stunned and emotional.
The backyard was decorated on a grand scale. The trees had ribbons hanging in the branches, there were flower petals in the grass and floating in the air; and, there were three ‘stations’ set up, each with a tripod.
I could barely process it all, and just then I realized I was having my picture taken as I stood there unaware. Justin was there, rapidly taking photo after photo.
“What is all this?” I asked him.
“Oh, this?” he asked, motioning to the entire backyard. “I don’t know what all this is. I woke up and it had all just appeared. Maybe elves came in the middle of the night and decorated the place up.”
“Seriously, Justin, what is this?” I asked, wiping tears from my eyes before more could form.
“I wanted to do something for you,” he said. “It occurred to me a few days ago that yesterday was the six-month anniversary of the day we confessed our love to each other, and I thought that was something worth celebrating. I wanted to put more photos down for you on your trail, but the pen kind of fucked some of the pictures up. I’ve got copies though, don’t you worry.”
“But, how?” I didn’t even know what to ask. “We had company over yesterday and through the night! When did you have time?”
“Well, remember around the point in the evening when you and the other ladies started chugging whiskey and singing show-tunes?”
I didn’t remember that at all. “Vaguely?”
“You passed out early enough that Grant and I had plenty of time to put all this stuff together,” he said, as he continued taking my picture.
“Oh, baby, quit taking my picture,” I said, suddenly feeling quite self-conscious. “I look awful. I just woke up a few minutes ago, and started on this, this—treasure hunt or whatever you call it.”
“You’re beautiful during every point of every day,” he said, refusing to stop taking pictures.
I relented after it became apparent that he was not going to stop until he was ready. I looked around, noticing the different stations.
The first station was a park bench. It was recently painted and had a string of lilies wrapped around the back.
“This is the bench that you and I sat at during all of our first hikes together at Laurel Canyon,” he said. “It’s got a new coat of paint, but that’s our bench.”
“Wait—what?” I went. “How did you get a public bench over here?”
“I stole it,” he said with a wide smile.
“Oh, cool.”
“No, come on, who the hell do you think I am?” he said, slightly insulted. “I bought it. I talked to the city, they said they were probably going to scrap this bench anyway, said it needed some new wood and new paint. But, I took care of that. I figured it could go back out on the trail. We could let others enjoy our bench—”
“I’m okay with having it here,” I told him. “Is the paint really fresh?”
“You can sit on it, if that’s what you’re asking.”
I sat on the bench, getting instantly comfortable on it. He put his camera onto the adjacent tripod and joined me on the bench, and took my hand.
“Kayla, when we’re together, I feel like we can do anything,” he said, while staring at me with his mesmerizing eyes. I could hear the sound of his camera taking photos automatically. “I’m really happy, and I hope that you’re happy, too.”
I grabbed his other hand with mine. “Baby, I am happy beyond compare.”
We kissed, and it took me back to the first time we had hiked Laurel Canyon together, just shortly before I moved to L.A. for good. We were exhausted and out of water, but after sitting on this bench together, we had not only found the strength to get back to our car safe and sound, but to come back and do the hike again.
He stood up, taking me by the hand and guiding me to the next station. It was simply a long, white blanket that was draped for several meters along the grass. There were lights set up on the sides, and it was at a slightly more elevated part of the ground than all the other setups.
“This reminds me of something,” I thought aloud. “What is this?”
“I was worried you were going to be able to tell instantly,” he laughed. “Want a hint?”
Before I could ask for one, it suddenly hit me. I imagined walking down the white blanket and having him take my picture.
“Is that supposed to be a runway?” I asked.
“Exactly!” he said. “Now, get up there, supermodel.”
I rolled my eyes, wanting desperately to run inside and put on some makeup or better clothes. “I don’t look like a supermodel right now, Justin.”
“I don’t think you’ve ever looked better,” he said, likely lying. “You’re still better than all the models I’ve ever shot. That’s the truth.”
Part of me hated doing it, but I humored him. I walked along the white blanket, strutting and posing as best as I could for him.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” I asked him.
“Indeed I am,” he replied. “You look magnificent.”
“Stop lying.”
“I don’t know how to lie to you, darling,” he said, while rapidly clicking the button. “I wanted you to come out as you were. I was so worried you’d see what the backyard looked like and rush back in to like wash your hair or something.”
“Right, because why would a supermodel want to have clean hair?” I quipped.
“You’ve never been conventional, have you?” he asked.
Once I felt sufficiently embarrassed, I walked away from the blanket and then over to the last station. It was an empty spot. A vacant spot of grass below the shade of the tree. I scanned around looking for a clue.
“I don’t see anything over here,” I said.
“I should hope not,” said Justin.
“What’s this spot for, then?”
“It’s for our engagement,” he answered.
“Our—?”
He was shaking, like I was. He guided me to the empty spot, sticking his camera on the nearby tripod and aiming it for us.
He got down on one knee.
“Justin!” I cried. “Oh, wow. I...”
“Kayla, I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” said Justin. “I want to have kids with you. I want to adopt a bunch of dogs and cats with you—more dogs, since you’re a dog person, I know.”
I laughed, unable to hold back my tears any longer.
“When I think about the future, I’m not afraid, as long as I picture you in it with me,” he continued. “You aren’t just my muse, Kayla. We were destined to be together. We’re destined to stay together. And if you say yes, I want us to go on all of life’s journeys together.”
He took a jewelry box from his back pocket, and opened it to reveal a stunning engagement ring. The light from the sun bounced on the diamond, nearly blinding me. I looked away from the ring and at the man who held onto it so sincerely.
“Kayla Reid, will you—?”
“Yes,” I said, laughing and crying at the same time.
“Yes? You’ll marry me?”
“Yes, Justin, of course I’ll marry you. Of course I’ll marry you.” My smile grew even bigger. “You’re my man.”
He slid the ring onto my finger, and it fit perfectly. I fell onto my knees, collapsing into his arms. We held onto each other in such a strong, warm embrace that I almost began to wonder if I was still dreaming. Surely he wasn’t able to set all this up in one night? I had to still be asleep, didn’t I?
But, the longer I held onto him and the more my finger got used to wearing his ring, the more I realized that it wasn’t a dream. It was my surreal life, and all of my dreams were coming true. At long last, I felt completely, entirely full.
THE END
