Chapter 91 - 89 - Her

Chapter 91: Chapter 89 - Her

Rafael looked through the photographs as she spoke. Most of the streets and buildings were familiar, but he’d rarely stopped to look at them the way she had.

There was another picture of a narrow street, with sunlight reaching one side of the buildings while the opposite pavement remained in shadow.

"That one’s nice too," he said.

Camille looked pleased. "I went back the next day for that. The first time I saw it, I didn’t have enough battery to take many pictures."

She showed him the earlier attempt, and Rafael could see why she’d returned. The lighting in the second photograph was considerably better.

"Do you take these every week?" he asked.

"Whenever I’ve got time. Sometimes I go out for an hour and come back with nothing good."

"Must take some patience."

"Depends. Sometimes I just like walking around."

She told him about a few places she’d been meaning to photograph before the holidays ended, including another street near the old town that she’d noticed while out with her family.

Rafael listened with interest, occasionally asking about locations he didn’t recognise. He hadn’t realised how much of Metz he’d overlooked despite living there for years.

Camille mentioned wanting to buy a camera eventually, although she was still saving and hadn’t settled on what she wanted.

"My phone’s fine for now. I just need to stop taking so many pictures."

"You could always delete the bad ones."

"I do. I’ve still got hundreds."

Rafael smiled as she scrolled through another folder.

"Maybe I should start charging people to look at them," she added.

"You’d need somewhere to put your best ones first."

Camille turned towards him, amused. "Rafa, I was joking."

"Oh."

He laughed when he realised she’d only been making a casual remark.

"Well, you never know."

"Maybe one day," she replied, still smiling.

Their conversation moved away from photography when Camille mentioned how often Rafael travelled for football.

"You probably see more places than I do, anyway."

"Not as much as you’d think."

"Really?"

"Most of the time it’s training grounds, hotels and stadiums. You don’t get to explore much."

He told her about his recent trip to Switzerland with the England squad. They’d managed to spend one afternoon near the lake, but most of their time had been taken up by training, matches and recovery.

"That’s a shame," Camille said. "Switzerland looks beautiful."

"It is, from what I saw. We didn’t get very far, though."

She mentioned a family trip she’d taken during the summer, when she’d wanted to explore the town they were visiting while everyone else had different plans.

"My cousin wanted to go shopping, so we ended up splitting up for a while. I told her I’d meet her after I’d finished taking pictures."

"Did you?"

"Eventually. She called me three times because she thought I’d got lost."

Rafael laughed as Camille explained that she’d been only a few streets away, but her cousin had grown impatient waiting for her.

By the time she finished, Rafael was telling her about how difficult it could be to arrange even a short outing when the team had a fixed schedule. Camille was surprised by how little free time players sometimes had on away trips, and the conversation continued until Maxime called from the bowling lanes.

"Are you two coming? We’re starting again."

Camille glanced towards the others, several of whom had already returned to their seats.

"Coming!"

She collected her drink, and Rafael followed her back towards the group.

The remaining game passed more quickly, with the classmates moving between the two lanes as everyone finished their turns.

Rafael improved considerably, although his earlier attempts had left him too far behind to catch Camille, while Maxime finished with the highest score among their group.

Lucas wasn’t particularly pleased with his own result and began suggesting another game almost as soon as the scores appeared.

"We should do this again before school starts."

"We can," Maxime replied, "but I’m not playing another one today."

Several others agreed, having already begun collecting their belongings, and Lucas eventually accepted that they’d have to arrange something for another afternoon.

The group returned their bowling shoes before gathering near the entrance, where the conversation moved towards everyone’s plans for the rest of the holidays.

Some had family commitments, while others were considering meeting again before classes resumed. Rafael couldn’t promise anything definite with Metz travelling to Dunkerque on Friday, although he told Lucas to let him know if they arranged something.

Camille was standing nearby with two classmates when Rafael approached.

"Those pictures you showed me earlier. Have you got more from Saint-Louis?"

"Yeah, quite a few."

"Could you send me some?"

"Sure. Have you got your phone?"

They exchanged contact details while Lucas continued discussing another possible outing with Maxime.

"I’ll send them later," Camille told him.

"Thanks."

One of the girls beside her mentioned that they needed to leave, and Camille glanced towards the entrance before putting her phone away.

"See you, Rafa."

"See you."

She left with her friends, while Rafael joined Lucas and Maxime outside.

They walked together for a while, talking about the afternoon and whether another outing would be possible before the holidays ended. Lucas was pleased with how many classmates had come, particularly since several others had already asked to be included next time.

"You should come again," he told Rafael.

"I’ll try. Depends on training."

"Yeah, I know."

Maxime was still pleased about winning, and Lucas spent part of the walk suggesting that their next outing should involve something other than bowling.

Rafael joined in as they discussed a few possibilities, although nothing was settled before their routes separated.

He said goodbye to them and headed home.

Later that evening, Rafael was checking his club schedule when Lucas sent a photograph of the bowling scores to their group chat.

Maxime immediately pointed out how far ahead he’d finished, drawing several replies from the others. Rafael added a short comment before returning to the arrangements for Tuesday.

A little later, Camille sent him the photographs they’d discussed.

He opened the picture of Temple Neuf and enlarged it, studying the riverside path before asking where she’d been standing.

Rafael: Where exactly did you take this one?

Camille: Near the bridge. There’s a path down by the water.

Rafael: I know the area. Never been down that side though.

Camille: You should go sometime. It’s nice when it’s quiet.

Rafael looked through the other pictures while they continued messaging, and Camille mentioned another place she wanted to photograph before the holidays ended.

He glanced at his schedule. Metz had training throughout the week and an away match against Dunkerque on Friday, but there were a few periods when he might be free.

Rafael: Would you mind showing me around there sometime? When we’re both free.

Camille’s reply arrived a little later.

Camille: Yeah, I’d like that. Not sure what day I can do yet though.

Rafael: That’s fine. I’ll check my schedule too.

Camille: Sounds good :)

Rafael smiled at her reply. He opened the photographs once more, saved the ones she’d sent him and returned to checking his arrangements for the following morning.