Through the Lens

This is it! I'm in college now. And I am so happy that I got to enter the University taking the course that I like the most.

I am a freshmen BA Film student. Ever since High School, I love photography and now, I feel like one step closer to my dream.

By the way, I am outside of the College of Engineering building now. I just got out of classes and it's almost lunch time so i'm just waiting for my best friend to finish her classes so that we could take lunch together.

flashback

"By the way, my best friend is a Civil Engineering student. That's also her dream and I am more than happy that she is taking the course to reach her dream plus we are on the same University taking the course that we really like.

We have been best friends since High School. We are both part of the Star Section on our school and we have been classmates on all of our High School years.

But actually, I didn't know here and noticed her on our class at first. She is so quiet that's why she really doesn't have that much friends and she is always left unnoticed on the corner of the classroom.

I actually met her at the school garden. While she's eating her lunch alone.

I'm applying to the photography club back then and one of their requirements for the applicants is to take random photos inside the school. So, while I was roaming around the school, trying to take nice photos, I accidentally caught her with my camera while she is taking a bite of her food.

I reviewed my shots and it made me laugh to see her photo while her mouth is opened. It's really funny. I don't know but her photo made me smile that's why I decided to keep it.

But I didn't approach her that day. Instead, I continued to roam around the campus to take more photos for my application. In the end, I got in to the photography club.

After our first encounter, or should I say after I saw her, I finally noticed her in our class.

I don't know but my vision suddenly became like my camera lens that keeps on focusing at her.

We had some grouping activity on our subject back then so I took that as an opportunity to talk to her by asking her to be my group mate.

Because of that, to cut the story short, that's the beginning of our friendship. I got to know her and she got to know me. And since then, we became inseparable."

present time

Enough with the flashback. Here she comes. Beautiful as always.

But unlike before, it seems like everybody notice her now. She became sociable through the years and she really is a beauty, with brains, she's a natural, true and genuine that's why she can easily caught everyone's attention.

As she saw me, I wave my hand and smile widely at her. Then we go to our usual hangout place where we always take our lunch.

Her social of friends might be big now but during lunch time, we cannot be separated.

We spend our freshmen years like that. We make friends to other people. To our classmates and to our college but our bond as friends became more stronger.

On our first year, we got to spend a lot of time together since our schedule is not that tight yet.

Same on our sophomore year. We are more busy that the first year but it still manageable so that we can still see each other from time to time.

We share rants together. We share how we like our prof, how we hate our prof, how hard is our requirements, how we are having a good time in our course, how we regret taking our course, and so many experiences that we can comfortably share with one another.

Junior year, on our third year, things became quite hard for us. We are so busy with our studies that we rarely see each other.

Also, I have a lot of girl friends and she thinks that I like one of them so that whenever we see each other, she teases me and pushes me to that girl and that really ruins my mood.

So sometimes, instead of seeing her, I just decided not to since she will only piss me off. I really want to spend time with her but it annoys me that we are together, yet she keeps on talking about other people on our conversation.

To sum it up, third year is a rough year for us. I think it challenged our friendship because we don't talk a lot anymore, unlike before that every moment we are together, we are just happy conversing about anything under the moon.

Fourth year, this is really it. We are now graduating. Just a few months more and we will then face the real world. The world where we can fulfill our dreams. The dreams that we put all our hard work just to achieve it.

Time flies so fast and I noticed that our rare conversation from last year, have been almost gone this time.

We are so busy with our overwhelming requirements. With out thesis and on the job training so that we really don't have time to meet up.

I didn't notice how it happened. From being inseparable, to almost stranger.

Fast forward and it was now our graduation day. I saw her, going up the stage, smiling so bright, and as I saw her, I am the happiest.

I caught that big smile of hers on my camera. She was so happy and I am so glad that I have my camera in me to capture the moments where she looks so happy.

Well I am also happy during that day. We greet each other, And finally, we have some time together. After graduation, we spend time with each other family. We also go out together for a few days and I am the happiest.

I can feel now that we have finally catch up to all those days, and moments that we are not together.

I noticed some changes on her. And I realized that she grew up already. Same as me. We have missed so much time together that we both didn't notice those changes that we had.

For a few days, I was so happy again. I am just filled with joy as I spend time with her.

We were so happy, once again, that I thought we're finally okay.

As soon as we face the real world, had our board exams, got a job, face the world as professionals, again, we drifted apart.

Time is so hard to make for us to meet up.

I missed her. So much. That whenever I think of her, I look up for her photos on my camera. I so missed her. Everything about her. Specially her smiles. I just hope i'll see her again to see that wonderful smiles of her personally.

But it seems like this is really for us. We drifted apart. I got to go at a different place for my job and she also seems to be busy with her job since she just got promoted.

I am so happy for her. For the both of us. Because we are now living in our dream. Our dreams that we made together. However, in this dream we cannot be together.

I lost contact with her. And I regret that because all the times we had together, I spent all those with her without even confessing my feelings for her.

Yes. I like her. No, scratch that. I'm in love with her. I was in love with her, and I still am. But I already lose my chance, the moment I decided not to tell it to her.

I hope it's not too late. I promised that when I see her again, i'll finally admit my feelings for her.

After years of working so hard, I finally had the chance to go home. I am so excited because I think, this can be the chance that I am asking for to finally confess to her.

As soon as I got hope, I planned how am I going to confess to her. I was so nervous because I don't know what to do. And this is really uncomfortable since we haven't talk to each other for years. But I guess, i'm just trying my luck than doing nothing.

The next day, I was so surprised when my mom knock on my room saying that she is looking for me.

I became more nervous. I'm still planning to meet up with her but she's the one who came to me first. But then, I think that I will just take this opportunity to finally confess to her. Once and for all. So I gathered up my courage to go out of my room to go to her at out living room.

As I was going down the stairs, there, I saw her, sitting our sofa, being just simple beautiful.

After a long time, I saw her smile again. She is smiling at me. God knows how I missed it.

As I approached her, her smile becomes wider. So as my smile. She hugged me and she told me she missed me so much, just like how I missed her and oh, I feel like i'm on cloud nine. I haven't felt this feeling for a long time now.

But my smile suddenly faded when she began to talk about why she went here.

She handed me an invitation. And as I look at it, I feel my world crumble for it is a wedding invitation. Her wedding invitation. From that moment, I knew that I got no chance already. I lost it. I had it before, but then, I wasted it.

She came here to ask me to be their wedding photographer. She says that i'm the best on this field and she trusts me that I can take that magical moment that she will have with the man she loves.

Me, being her good old friend, agreed to her request. I love her and this is the least favor that I could do for her. So even if it hurts, I did it.

Today, on her wedding day, she is the most beautiful woman I see.

Through the lens, I got to see that bright smile of hers.

Through the lens, I captured how she cried in happiness as she promised forever to the man beside him.

Through the lens, she captivated me one more time.

Through the lens, I once again see the young girl I saw back then, when I first saw her.

Through the lens, all our memories together flashes through my mind.

Through the lens, I shed a tear. A tear of happiness, of pain, and regrets.

Through the lens, I saw her one last time. The only woman I first loved, and the only woman i'll love.