Kendall raised his eyebrows as a surprised breath left his throat without warning. âIt makes you way better than those people,â he admitted, rustling his hair with his hand. âI donât know, maybe Iâve just always given teachers the benefit because I wanted to be some kind of teacher growing up, like maybe a hockey coach or a summer camp director. Now Iâm not sure if Iâd be great at that either but, you know, we have time to decide, at least.â He thoughtlessly bit his lip a little after saying that, not liking that it made him sound so down on himself. He tried to talk that sort of negative self-talk out of his friends all the time, he should try harder to get rid of it within himself, and yet. Thankfully, âgollyâ seemed to do the trick in distracting them and he couldnât help himself from laughing at the way it sounded coming out of Addisonâs mouth. âOkay, dang it, it does sound funny coming from someone else, I canât fault them for that anymore,â he chortled out, reaching out and putting a hand on her shoulder to steady himself. âNo, no, lesson learned! Iâll keep my gollies to myself!â
The pink on Addisonâs face just made Kendall want to take a picture even more; she looked so pretty with that color on her face, the picture practically took itself in his mind, which didnât happen often. Photography was just a hobby for him, after all. âYou do?â he asked happily, a smile spreading across his face. âAwesome! I wasnât really sure because, well, I mean, Iâm not good at this like you are, but lucky for me, it turns out youâre just as inspiring in front of the camera as you are behind it! I always like the option that creates a narrative, you know? When people can fill in the blanks themselves, it usually turns out best, like a group effort. So, yeah, letâs set up! I think the way youâre facing is pretty close already. Let your body relax and do whatâs natural and your faceâŚcan you just tip your nose up a little bit more?â he suggested with a shrug as he lined up. Looking at her through the camera, he let out a small whistle and smiled. âAnyone ever told you that your nose is, like, perfect?â He meant it, but he also wanted to get a genuine smile so that he could click and capture the moment.
Addison narrowed her eyes at Kendall. Maybe it wasnât her place to be making snap judgments about him, when sheâd overlooked him for so many years and only really gotten to know him when their dating lives had thrown him together... But hearing him say he didnât think heâd be a very good teacher seemed like it couldnât be further from the truth. âWhat makes you think that?â she asked him, softening sympathetically. She knew what it was to get down on herself, she supposed, even if she wasnât as good at being vulnerable and admitting it the way Kendall seemed to be able to. âBecause from what I can tell, youâre pretty smart about camp stuff and hockey stuff... But more importantly, youâre smart about people stuff. You can learn whatever you donât know, and practice ways to teach it to people, but if you canât like... notice when people are having a hard time, and figure out the right ways to reach people...â Addison trailed off, shrugging. âIf you decide you donât want to do it, then thatâs one thing. But if you just donât want to do it because you donât think you can, then Iâve gotta say, I think youâre wrong. Real... golly... wrong,â she tried, stifling a laugh at her own attempt to cheer him up.
Addison tried not to bask too much in another compliment, but she couldnât help herself. She had a feeling later, when she couldnât hide from her feelings anymore and she had to actually deal with the fallout of what had happened with Hadie, sheâd be able to cling to what a nice time sheâd had with Kendall to help buoy her and keep her afloat through it. Addy relaxed into the shoot, following Kendallâs instruction and smiling proudly every time he navigated her through something that she herself would have suggested if their roles were reversed, too. âPerfect nose is a new one,â Addison giggled as she tipped it up higher towards the sky, letting Kendall take a few of the mysterious, serious shots theyâd discussed before sticking her tongue out at him and then striking a few silly poses for him to snap, too.
