The Camera Kept His Secret

[The camera is mine.] [I didn't sell it willingly.] [Can I have it back?] The seller on the resale site messaged me.

At the same time, X's trending page was already exploding. [#NoahDunn: AwardWinning Actor's Personal Belongings Resold at a Markup by His Assistant] And I was looking at the photos of my high school self in the camera.

My profile? The back of my head? What was this, some secretcrush POV? Chapter 1 I stared at the camera screen in my hand, surprised and confused.

I'd picked up the camera on eBay a couple of days earlier—a secondhand CCD, a pretty old model.

Vintage digital cameras like that had come roaring back because of their dreamy, flattering look, and I'd jumped on the trend and bought one too.

But when it arrived, I unexpectedly found my high school self inside it. Looking closer, I saw the background was our high school track.

Judging by the timing, it was probably the day of our junioryear field day.

Seventeenyearold me sat in the bleachers in my school athletic uniform, hair in a ponytail, face bare of makeup. Whoever took it had probably been some distance away.

The image quality was a little blurry. Looking at all those familiar faces of old classmates in the photos, I couldn't help feeling a little sentimental and nostalgic.

Then, coincidence or not, I was in every single one of the dozenplus photos after that.

Ally—my coworker and lunch buddy—happened to badge back into the office just then and leaned over, curious. "Whoa, isn't that you? Who took these?

Why are they so blurry?" "No idea." I shook my head. I figured the camera's owner was probably some alum from my high school I didn't know.

But then Ally suddenly laughed. "Ooh, if it's not the back of your head, it's your profile.

That's a total secretcrush POV!" "The person taking these must've had a crush on you!" I found that kind of funny. "Probably just a coincidence." After all, besides me there were plenty of other people in the photos.

Maybe the photographer had just happened to be sitting nearby, and I'd ended up in the shots by accident. The memory card had come with the camera.

The seller had probably forgotten to check it before shipping. Worried the photos might matter to the seller, I sent them a message on the app anyway.

But by lunch break, there was still no reply. While we waited for the elevator, Ally pulled out her phone to scroll X, as usual.

As if she'd seen something interesting, she suddenly shoved the screen in my face. "Look, the number one trending topic." I looked down.

In the number one slot on the trending list, the post count for that topic was still climbing fast. [#NoahDunn: AwardWinning Actor's Assistant Exposed Reselling His Personal Belongings at a Markup] Ally kept gossiping with me as we stepped into the elevator. "Assistants these days have some nerve.

Selling a celebrity's personal stuff like it's nothing." "Noah Dunn, poor guy, seriously. Who knows if there was anything valuable in what got sold.

That kind of stuff's probably hard to get back." I opened X and tapped into the trending topic.

Then I saw that a minute earlier, Noah Dunn's team had posted a statement saying they'd already called the police and would be filing a lawsuit.

Just last month, Noah Dunn had won a pretty prestigious major award, and right now his star couldn't be higher.

He'd never gone to drama school, but he was the real deal, a born talent. In all his years in the business, he was known for having zero scandals.

The most his rivals could do to smear him was harp on where he came from. Now that news like this had suddenly broken, it had predictably stirred up plenty of controversy.

Chapter 2 People in the industry always cared about saving face. Going straight to the police the way he had was rare.

He must have really lost something valuable… "Oh, right, that reality show our platform's about to start shooting—last time I saw the list of invited guests, Noah was on it." "He'll probably come by the office to sign the contract in the next couple of days." Just as she said it, the number on the elevator display changed to "1." Ally seemed to suddenly remember something. "Wait, didn't you and Noah graduate from the same high school?" "Did you two know each other back then?" Without meaning to, I pictured a rainy day in high school.

Inside the muggy, noisy little shop across from the school gate, on the other side of a table: the profile of a boy quietly eating rice noodle soup, head down.

I shook my head. "We're not that close." Ding— The next second, the elevator doors opened. The person I'd just said I wasn't close with was suddenly standing right in front of me.

Our eyes met. Before I could even react, the man had already casually looked away. Even with Noah wearing a face mask, I recognized him at a glance.

His manager, Sal, was right behind him. Probably because of the trending topic, neither of them looked happy.

Sal had been about to say something to him, but when he saw there were people in the elevator, he swallowed it. The two of them stepped aside to let us out first.

It wasn't until they'd gotten into the elevator that Ally snapped out of it. "Oh my God, that was Noah, right?" So today was the day he was signing the contract.

I didn't say anything, just pressed my lips together. Suddenly I felt inexplicably awkward. In that one look just now, I wasn't sure whether Noah had recognized me.

Or whether he'd heard what I'd just said… When we walked out of the building, I realized it had started drizzling at some point. And neither Ally nor I had brought an umbrella.

For working stiffs, lunch break is precious.

Ally gave up on going out for food in despair. "Forget it, I'm going back up to make instant noodles." "Lauren, what about you?" I was about to say I'd go back with her.

But just then a man's voice came from behind us— "Excuse me, ladies. A gentleman asked me to bring you these umbrellas." It was the guy from the building's front desk.

He was smiling, holding two umbrellas. They had the company logo printed on them, and from the material, they were the custom ones usually reserved for VIP guests.

Ally took one, completely bewildered, then looked kind of happy once it sank in. "No idea who sent these, but that's pretty gentlemanly." I looked at the umbrella in my hand and zoned out for a moment.

When I got back to my desk after eating, my boss suddenly came looking for me. It was still lunch break, and the office was nearly empty. "Perfect timing.

Lauren, come here a sec." Puzzled, I followed her. "That show the platform's about to start shooting—you signed up to work on it, right?" "The talent's team came in today to sign the contract.

You can go over and be their point of contact." Just as she finished, the office door was pushed open. "I did what you said.

You promised to drop the lawsuit—you can't back out now…" Sal's words cut off abruptly when he saw that the person coming in was me, again.

Noah stood with his back to me at the office's floortoceiling window, looking at the view below. All I heard from him was a flat "Mm." "Hello, Mr.

Dunn." I stepped forward and introduced myself. Chapter 3 "I'm the staff member who'll be your point of contact.

My name is Lauren." The person with his back to me seemed to go stiff for a second, then turned around to look at me.

This time he'd taken off his mask, and I finally got a clear look at his face. He didn't seem all that different from high school.

He looked at me like that for two seconds, then turned his face away again. "Mm. I know." It was "I know," not "Got it." As if he were saying: I know. Your name is Lauren.

I remember you. You're Lauren. I supposed it wasn't completely true that Noah and I had never been close.

At the start of fall semester sophomore year, while I was on gate duty, I caught him several times climbing over the wall to skip evening study hall.

Only later did I find out he'd been ditching study hall to work parttime jobs. Noah was a scholarship kid from a poor family—pretty much everyone in our class knew.

After enough times, I stopped being surprised. Sometimes, when I was in a good mood, I'd even look the other way. Noah never talked much.

Once he picked up on my goodwill, he'd sometimes bring me little things back from outside.

Our school was a strict boarding academy—mandatory evening study hall, a wall around the whole campus—and as a boarder, I rarely got the chance to leave.

Sometimes it was cotton candy, sometimes churros from the food truck on the back street… The time I remembered best was the winter of sophomore year.

I had my period and bad cramps, and I'd run out of the painkillers I kept in my dorm, so I had to ask Noah, who was heading out to work, to pick up a box for me.

After evening study hall, Noah came back from work and casually shoved a bag into my arms.

When I opened it back in my dorm, besides a box of painkillers, there were several heat patches too. Back then, as far as anyone else could tell, Noah and I really weren't close.

He was an average student in our class, and I always ranked in the top three in our grade.

No one knew that every evening study hall when I was on duty, the boy would casually ask as we passed each other: "What do you need today?" "Bring an umbrella.

And careful your hands don't slip on the wall when it rains." "…" After the classes got reshuffled junior year, Noah and I crossed paths less and less.

Gate duty passed to the new sophomores. I never knew whether Noah got caught again climbing the wall after that.

Schoolwork was heavy, and once I was in a new class and had settled into a new circle, I soon had no time to think about any of it.

Junior year, I had a brief flirtation with the class heartthrob. One weekend in early June, the school finally let us boarders go home for two whole days.

A teacher called me into the office to help grade tests, and by the time I walked out of the building, it had started raining.

By the time I ran to the snack shop across from the school gate, my hair was half soaked. In June, the weather was already turning muggy.

Water had gotten into my shoes, and my wet socks clung to the soles of my feet, sticky and miserable.

I ordered a lemon tea and sat in the shop waiting out the rain, texting the class heartthrob a few messages while I was at it.

When I looked up again, someone was sitting across from me. On a rainy day, the shop filled up fast.

The tables were rectangular and sat four, and the boy had just sat down diagonally across from me. It was Noah. Our eyes met.

A little surprised, I nodded at him. "Small world." Noah nodded back. And then neither of us had anything to say.

It felt a little awkward, so I looked down and took a couple of sips of lemon tea to cover it. Then I watched the rain outside, praying for it to stop soon.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Noah order a bowl of rice noodle soup. He didn't seem very hungry. He ate very, very slowly.

Chapter 4 He didn't even make a single sound the whole time. People at all the other tables were talking. Only our table was unusually quiet.

Outside, the rain was coming down harder. Time seemed to stretch on forever. I didn't know how long had passed when the shop door was suddenly pushed open.

It was the class heartthrob.

He'd already gotten home, but after seeing my message that I was stuck at the snack shop in the downpour, he'd come back to school with an umbrella to find me. "Lauren." He stood at the door, smiling gently as he said my name. "Let me take you home." As we left, I looked back one last time.

The shop was loud with voices. Noah had his head down, as if he hadn't noticed a thing.

As the door was pushed open again, the wind blew rain inside, thinning out a little of the mugginess in the room.

Noah finished the remaining half bowl of noodles in a few bites and paid. Then he turned. And stepped out into the rain alone.

After we finished going over the work, I offered to walk the two of them downstairs.

Partway there, Sal took a call, said he had something to take care of, and told Noah to go wait in the car. The elevator doors closed again.

In that small space, it was just me and Noah. I looked at Noah's reflection in the elevator mirror.

Maybe because I'd been reminiscing about my school days for the first time in ages, I suddenly felt those little old feelings didn't matter anymore.

So I greeted my old classmate breezily. "Small world. It's been years since we've seen each other, huh?" Noah, who'd barely said a word, finally looked straight at me.

He said evenly, "Thought we weren't that close?" "…" That one line froze the smile on my face, and I swallowed the catchingup I'd been about to do.

Only then did I realize this guy held a grudge. "Oh, right.

We're definitely not close," I said, straightfaced. "So I have no idea who had someone bring me an umbrella earlier." Noah: "…" We just looked at each other for a few seconds.

He turned his face away awkwardly, not daring to look at me anymore. But his ears had gone red. I couldn't help laughing. "Noah, are you kidding me?

You're the one who started avoiding me out of nowhere back then." At the start of senior year, for some reason, Noah had suddenly started distancing himself from me.

He quit all his parttime jobs and buried himself in SAT prep and college applications at school.

By then we'd long been in different classes, and he was the quiet type to begin with. Senior year was packed.

I was busy with academic competitions and my early decision application and had no time for anything else. So he and I just gradually drifted apart.

Later I heard he got into a pretty decent college, picked up work as an extra on film sets in college, and was unexpectedly spotted by a manager who signed him.

The second year after he graduated from college, he won his first Best Actor award. From there, his career just kept soaring. At my words, Noah was quiet for a few seconds.

Then he apologized in a low voice. "Yeah. I'm sorry." "Back then I… didn't know either…" His voice was too low for the rest of it, and I didn't quite catch it.

But I waved it off magnanimously. "Eh, it's fine." "Senior year, everyone was under a lot of pressure.

I get it." Noah smiled and gave a soft "Mm." Ding— The elevator reached the first floor again. "Anyway, it was really nice seeing you today, old classmate." I said goodbye with a smile. "I'll be your point of contact while we shoot the show, so I look forward to working with you." Chapter 5 "Sure thing." Noah nodded.

Right before the elevator doors closed, he suddenly turned his head. "Lauren, remember to bring an umbrella next time." The next second, the doors shut.

I stood there, stunned, for two seconds. Then I smiled helplessly. Back in the office, I pulled out my phone, about to look up Noah's number in my contacts.

Then I saw that on eBay, the seller had messaged me a minute ago— [The camera is mine.] [I didn't sell it willingly.] [Can I have it back?] Just then Ally came by to ask what I wanted for an afternoon snack.

Seeing my exasperated face, she leaned over again. "What's up?" "Nothing.

Just ran into some kid trying to scam me on eBay." "Yikes." Ally was instantly sympathetic. "What'd the kid say?" "He said I could name any price, as long as I gave the camera back." "…" That sounded even more like a scam.

Half an hour later, holding my boba tea and taking a sip, I typed offhandedly. [$10,000.

Not a cent less.] The reply came fast. [Okay.] [When would be a good time for you to send it back?] Wait, seriously? Kids these days get that much allowance?

Staying on my guard, I typed away furiously. [I see you're local. How about we just meet up and you pick it up in person?] The reply was instant. [Sure.] Hmph.

Okay, kid, let's see who you really are! We agreed to meet the next day, on the weekend, and I picked a busy mall as the meeting spot.

That weekend also happened to be my old high school homeroom teacher's wedding. Ms. Garner had been my English teacher for three years.

Back then she hadn't been out of college long herself, and she got along with us like she was our age.

Our class had always had a good vibe, and plenty of classmates came to the wedding.

When I arrived, everyone happened to be talking about yesterday's trending topic. "So is Noah coming today? Ms. Garner taught him sophomore year too, right?" "Dream on.

Look how big he is now. Why would he bother with a bunch of old classmates like us?" "He kept such a low profile in class back then.

Who'd have guessed he'd turn out to be the most successful one of us?" My high school roommate, Rachel, spotted me first and came over smiling to hook her arm through mine. "Look who's here—Collins, our resident genius!" I took my seat, smiling.

Then, on a whim, I texted Noah. Over the meal, the conversation inevitably turned to how everyone was doing now. And then, inevitably, back to Noah.

He was a famous alum, after all, and everyone sounded wistful talking about him. "His family was so poor back then.

I remember him climbing the wall every single evening study hall to go work." "I heard his parents split up really early and he was raised by his grandma.

Now that he's doing so well, his grandma gets to live the good life too." "What? You didn't know?

Noah's grandma died senior year." At that, my head jerked up from my plate. "What did you say?" Just then my phone buzzed twice. Noah had replied.

Me: [Noah, you're not coming to Ms. Garner's wedding?] Noah: [Something came up.

Can't make it.] The classmate who'd just spoken was a little baffled by how worked up I'd suddenly gotten.

He and Noah had happened to land in the same class junior year, so he knew more about Noah than the rest of us. Chapter 6 "I'm not wrong.

Noah's grandma died not long after senior year started. He even took a few days off school." "Lauren, what's wrong?" Rachel asked, concerned, seeing that my expression was off.

I opened my mouth but didn't know what to say. So I just shook my head. Just then Ms.

Garner came over to our table, glass in hand, to say hi. "Lauren, it's been so long." For three years straight, I'd been Ms. Garner's favorite student.

Even junior year, when I got caught breaking the school's rule against dating, she was the only one who stood up for me. After we clinked glasses with a smile, Ms.

Garner said with a sigh of regret, "That Noah. He promised me he'd come today.

I even told my girlfriends I'd get them photos and autographs with him right here." I said offhandedly, "It's okay, Ms. Garner.

I'll get them from him for you." What I meant was that once the show started shooting, Noah and I would have plenty of chances to see each other. But Ms.

Garner suddenly gave me a knowing smile and leaned in to whisper, "So you two do still keep in touch." She looked like she'd just watched her favorite ship set sail. "I knew something was going on back then.

Too bad it was such a crucial time for you two. I was afraid it would hurt your grades, so I didn't say anything.

But trust me, I saw everything." I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Ms. Garner was great in every way, except she loved playing matchmaker when she shouldn't. "Ms.

Garner, Noah and I actually haven't seen each other in years." "And back then we were just ordinary classmates. We weren't that close." Ms.

Garner looked stunned. "But back then he made a special trip to ask me which colleges you were applying to." Even after the meal was over, I was still thinking about what I'd heard.

After all these years, I suddenly realized that a lot had happened back then that I'd known nothing about.

Rachel had wanted to go shopping with me, but when she heard I had plans that afternoon, she left disappointed. When I came out of the hotel, it was raining again.

It had been an unusually rainy fall this year. A light drizzle had come and gone for half a month, and even the air smelled damp with earth and plants.

Ubers were hard to get in the rain. I stood at the hotel entrance, staring blankly at the curtain of rain. Before long, my phone buzzed.

Noah: [Look up.] Noah: [I'm across the street.] I looked up, and sure enough, a car across the street had its hazards on.

When I got in, Noah handed me a hot latte. "Warm your hands." I took the cup.

The latte inside was still a little hot. "Noah, if I remember right, this coffee shop's right downstairs from my office, isn't it?" "Mm," he said. "It was on the way." Liar. "If you came all this way, why not come in?

Ms. Garner's still waiting on you for photos and autographs for her girlfriends." A low laugh came from the driver's seat. "I was late, so I figured I wouldn't go in. It's Ms.

Garner's wedding. She's the star." "Where are you headed? I'll drive you." I pursed my lips and told him the name of the mall where I was meeting the kid.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Noah pause, then go back to focusing on the road. When we got to the mall, I was about to get out.

Then I saw Noah, with practiced ease, pull out a mask and a cap and get out of the car with me. "Why are you following me?

Aren't you afraid of being recognized?" Noah blinked. "I'm not following you. I'm meeting someone here too." "…" Now I was really speechless. "Oh.

What a coincidence." Chapter 7 Once we were inside the mall, Noah went his own way without being told.

I still had half an hour before meeting the kid, so I wandered around the mall. When it was almost time, I went to the restaurant we'd agreed on.

And then I immediately spotted Noah sitting in the corner. Our eyes met. He seemed a little surprised too. But he still raised a hand and waved me over.

Me: "…" Did this guy seriously think I didn't have a temper? I ignored him and put my head down, typing a message to the seller.

But the second I put my phone down, I saw Noah pick up his phone and look down to reply to a message. The next second, the seller messaged me. [I'm here.

Where are you?] It wasn't mealtime, and the restaurant was nearly empty. After scanning the room, I locked eyes with Noah again.

He seemed to be looking for someone too, glancing around. In that instant, something seemed to click. So I strode right up to Noah.

Then, under his puzzled gaze, I quickly sent the seller a message. The next second— Noah's phone rang. The air suddenly got a little awkward