Dove breaks away, her breath catching in her throat, a pretty pink staining her cheeks. Over the top of her head, I spot our neighbors glaring at us.

“Apartments have doors for a reason. You don’t need to put on a show. There are kids that live here.”

My eyes dip downward to see a young boy with his eyes covered by his mother’s hands.

“Sorry.” I nod my head and pull Dove inside my apartment, closing the door behind us.

A wry smile tips the corners of her lips up. “Maybe I should’ve been more specific.”

“Like where you wanted me to kiss you?” I arch my eyebrow.

She blushes and turns to cough into her hand. Clearing her throat, she says, “I meant I should have said take me inside and kiss me.”

“We’re inside now.” I glance around the apartment. It’s a small space, and while Abel’s wife did a great job of making the most of it with a sectional at one end and a nice flat screen that I have yet to turn on, the only thing I can focus on is the bedroom that is only a few steps away. If we stay here, I’m going to have a hard time keeping my hands to myself.

“Should we go somewhere?” I propose.

Her head comes up. “Sure. Where?”

“I have an idea.” I grab my keys and then her hand, pulling her out the door. Our neighbor has since disappeared inside her own place, leaving the coast clear.

“How long have you lived here?” I ask.

“All of my life. How about you?”

I realize we haven’t shared much information with each other. “I just got back to the States. After I finished photographing wolves in Russia, I went south of the equator and ended up finding some lost cities.”

“Lost cities?” she asks.

I nod but wait to answer since we’ve reached the Rover. I help her in and when I’m inside and belted, I continue, “Old cities that have been abandoned and nature has sort of overtaken them.”

“Are there a lot of those?”

“More than you’d think.” I pull out of the parking lot and head west toward the county line.

“Why are they abandoned?”

“Could be for a variety of reasons, but I think it’s mostly economic. The older cities may have been abandoned because of superstition. If a number of people died because of an illness, the survivors would move on. If there were long periods of drought, people could’ve thought the land was cursed. Most of the time I think people left because the water source dried up or a trading route was opened somewhere else. Kind of like these days when small towns become ghost towns as people flock to the big city to find jobs. These lost cities are sort of snapshots of life at one time, life before the downturn or life as it is eroding.”

“I think my mom wanted to leave, but my father tied her here. After she died, I was thinking about moving somewhere, maybe west? I heard Seattle was nice, but Avery found me and so I stayed.” Dove sighs and stares out the window. She sounds like she has regrets about that decision.

“No other siblings other than your sister?”

“No. Just Avery.”

Probably a good thing considering the man was married. “How about you?”

“They moved down to Florida about six or seven years ago. I can’t remember. I was gone.” Was I in the Amazon at the time shooting rare birds or somewhere else?

“You’ve gone many places, places that I probably couldn’t even identify on a map.”

All those excursions were bleeding together into a kaleidoscope of memories, shifting every time I tried to pull them up. I was tired of moving around. I wanted to plant my feet somewhere, with someone. “I’m happy to be here.” With you.

“Doesn’t seem like the city would have a lot of interesting photography jobs. You doing okay?”

Christ, she’s worried about me. If that’s not the sweetest thing, I don’t know what is.

“I’m sort of between jobs right now, but I’m getting by.” I don’t want to lie to her, but I like her thinking of us as equals. Her sister told me she could get skittish about men with money, scars her father left on her.

“Oh, that makes sense as to why you’re staying at the same apartment place. I mean it’s not nice, I admit it, but it’s cheap and safe. Those two don’t always go together.”

I steal a quick glance in her direction. “Someone making you feel unsafe.”

“Not right now, no.” She gives me a reassuring smile. “But I’ve stayed in some sketchy places before I found this one. It’s not fancy and the landlord is slow but the locks work and that’s all I can ask for.”

The back of my teeth are going to get ground down into nothing from all the times I clench my jaw to keep the words I want to say inside. She deserves so much more—a better place to live, a better place to work, a better family, and I’m just the man to deliver.

Fourteen

Dove

“You really took all these?” I’m in awe of his work. They aren't simple snaps from the camera. He makes you feel like you’re standing right there seeing what he is. The images are so breathtaking that a few even make my eyes sting with tears.

“You really have been all around the world.” I don’t understand how the man isn't famous. I’ve never seen someone better with a camera than him. I don’t know much about photography, but there is no mistaking his talent. Each one of his photos evoke some sort of emotion from me.

“They are all mine.” I think I see his cheeks turn a shade pinker. He cares what I think. I find it sexy that my opinion means so much to him.

“They are exquisite. I couldn't imagine doing what I love to do and making a living from it.” I flip to the next page, trying to take in every detail. It amazes me how much you don’t see in a moment. Jay’s photos make you appreciate those tiny details. Each of Jay’s shots capture something that you wouldn’t normally catch with a quick glance. His eye for detail is incredible.

“You're the exquisite one.” I shake my head.

“Soon and very soon I’ll prove that to you.” He pulls up to a beautiful building. I almost feel a little underdressed for such a place in my gold flats and sundress. I watch as two men walk out in suits and proceed to get into cars that cost more than most homes.

“Is this where we’re going?” I fiddle with the trim of my dress that rests on my legs.

“It is. They think I might be able to get some pictures from here to help me catch the essence of the city from as many angles as possible. Once I scope it out, we’ll get some dinner.”

“Mixing business with pleasure, I see,” I tease him. I get out of the car on my own, which always gets me an unhappy look from him. I don’t think Jay is aware that when he’s irritated he looks lonely. He snags my hand, and I let him. His touch calms me.

I guess this is us taking it slow. Why did I agree to this slow thing again? Oh, that’s right, because I was afraid that I might get my heart broken. If Jay decided to leave right now I think it would still be broken. Not all the way, but a crack would surely be left. I think I might have been lying to myself when I said I wanted to take it slow.