Chapter 44: Childhood Memories

"Let’s keep this one," Kael said.

Sera nodded. "I want to print it."

"We can get a frame too," Kael suggested.

"Something simple. I don’t want the frame to cost more than the picture," Sera replied.

Kael smiled. "I’ll try to control my spending."

"Please do," Sera said.

They saved the photograph and took a few more pictures, but neither of them tried too hard to recreate the first one. They had their family picture, and that was enough.

===

After putting Noah down for a nap, Sera sat beside Kael and began looking through the photographs on her phone. She stopped when she reached an older picture, and Kael noticed the change in her expression.

"What is it?" Kael asked.

Sera hesitated before turning the phone toward him. It was a photograph from their school days.

Kael recognized the school uniform immediately. He was standing near the classroom entrance with two other students, holding a notebook in one hand, while Sera stood a short distance away and looked toward the camera.

He looked younger and thinner in the picture. His hairstyle was different, and he had the same serious expression he remembered wearing whenever he was trying to look busy.

"Where did you find this?" Kael asked.

"I was looking through my old pictures last night. I forgot I still had it," Sera explained.

Kael studied the photograph. "I remember that day. We had a test coming up, and I was trying to borrow someone’s notes."

Sera gave him a doubtful look. "You weren’t borrowing notes. You were trying to copy the answers."

"I was trying to understand the answers," Kael argued.

"You asked me for the answers before you even opened the notebook," Sera reminded him.

Kael laughed quietly. "I was under pressure."

Sera smiled, but her expression soon became more thoughtful as she looked at the photograph again.

"We looked so young," she said.

"We were young," Kael replied.

Sera lowered her eyes to the phone. "Sometimes it feels like a lot has happened since then."

Kael understood what she meant. They had gone from classmates who barely knew what they wanted from life to two people raising a child together. Their circumstances had changed, and there were still things between them that needed to be discussed. He didn’t want to pretend everything was simple now.

"Do you regret any of it?" Kael asked.

Sera looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"Coming here, having Noah, and starting over with me," Kael explained.

Sera didn’t answer immediately. She looked at the old photograph for a moment before speaking.

"I regret some things that happened before I came here. I regret letting other people make so many decisions for me, and I regret not having more control over my own life," Sera said.

Kael listened without interrupting.

"But I don’t regret Noah, and I don’t regret coming here," Sera continued. "I’m still figuring out what I want our future to look like, but I’m glad I have the chance to decide for myself."

Kael nodded. "I’m glad you came too."

Sera leaned against his shoulder. "I know we still have a lot to work out."

"We do," Kael agreed.

"And we don’t have to figure everything out today," Sera added.

"No. Today, we only have to decide where to put our family picture," Kael replied.

Sera laughed softly. "That’s a much easier problem."

"Good. I was worried you were about to ask me to plan our entire future before lunch," Kael joked.

She nudged him with her shoulder. "Don’t tempt me."

Kael smiled and wrapped his arm around her. They spent a few minutes looking through their old pictures together. Sera pointed out a few classmates Kael had forgotten, while he reminded her of an embarrassing incident involving a teacher and a missing assignment.

For a while, they were simply two people remembering their school days and laughing about things that had once seemed important.

Then Noah woke up, and his small cries came from the bedroom. Both of them turned toward the sound.

"I’ll get him," Kael offered as he started to stand.

Sera caught his hand before he could leave. "Wait. Let me finish saving these pictures first."

Kael sat back down. "Take your time."

Sera saved the school photograph to a separate folder, then returned to the family picture they had taken that morning. She looked at it once more before smiling.

"I think I’ll put this one on the living room shelf," Sera decided.

"That sounds good," Kael replied.

"And maybe one in the bedroom," she added.

Kael looked at her in surprise. "Two copies already?"

"Unless you want to keep looking at the blurry ones," Sera teased.

Kael shook his head. "Two copies it is."

Sera finally released his hand, and Kael went to pick up Noah. He returned with the baby resting against his chest, one hand supporting Noah’s head.

Sera looked up from her phone. "Did you check his diaper?"

"Yes," Kael answered.

"Did you feed him?"

"He ate before his nap," Kael replied.

Sera glanced at the baby. "Then what does he want?"

Kael looked down at Noah, who was quietly gripping his shirt.

"I think he wants to spend time with his father," Kael answered.

Sera smiled. "Then I suppose you should give him your full attention."

"I intend to," Kael replied.

Kael settled into the sofa with Noah in his arms while Sera returned to her sketchbook. The apartment grew quiet again, and they continued with their own activities while keeping an eye on the baby.

A few minutes later, Sera looked up and saw Kael gently talking to Noah while the baby watched his face. She picked up her phone and took another picture.

This time, Kael noticed the camera, but he didn’t complain. He simply smiled at Sera while keeping Noah safely in his arms.

"That one better not be blurry," Kael said.

Sera checked the screen before answering. "It isn’t."

"Good. We might need a third copy," Kael joked.

Sera laughed and saved the photograph, pleased that their first family picture had turned into a morning full of memories they could look back on together.