A Picture Holds a Thousand Memories

                                    

                                          
Prompt: When they say a picture holds a thousand memories, they weren't kidding. 
                          
Words: 1400 
                          
Authors note - This is something I've had in my notes for so long so I decided to post it. 
                          
I grabbed the box at the top of the shelf in my New York apartment. I had been here for a little over eight years and still had never touched the darn thing. It was a old Nikey shoe box that had years worth of dust on it. 
                          
I looked down at the top. Words were written across, but had faded so much that I could only read C SPA N OE. Shrugging my shoulders, I blew of the dust from the cover. It went flying everywhere, all over the room. I coughed lightly, looking down at the box. This was most likely something from when I was a teen. I had put almost every memory I wanted to remember in shoe boxes back then. It seemed like forever ago, but in reality was only ten years ago. 
                          
I lifted the cover off, first seeing a piece of paper that had a picture of me and a boy on it. I remembered drawing this when I was only ten. Laughing, I made my way over to the white couch in the middle of the room. I didn't have a huge apartment, but it wasn't small either. Two bedroom, two bath, large kitchen and living room. For New York and my price range this was huge.
                          
I lifted up the next item, a DVD? I don't remember making one of those. I looked down at it for a few more seconds, before deciding to watch it. I stood up, walking around the glass coffee table and walking over to my tv. I sat on my knees, turning on the blue ray player and putting the disk in, making sure the TV was set on the right station and walked back over to the couch. 
                          
I looked through the box more while I waited for something to happen. Only finding a key chain, a movie ticket, and a few crushed up notes, that were no longer readable. 
                          
That was when I heard the voice I hadn't heard in ten years. My head shot up, staring straight at the screen. It was the video of my graduation party that my parents and Joe's parents had put together. 
                          
Back then we were each other's everything. Everybody thought we would get married and have kids by the time we were twenty-five. Of course that wouldn't happen now, but I still remember that. My sister had been the first to start that. Ever since we went to the freshman dance together, she had been 'planing' our wedding, or at least she thought she was. We really never talked about it. We were still only teenagers anyways. 
                          
It was to the part where I had thrown Joe over my shoulder and I was running through the sprinklers. He was screaming at me to stop, which I only went faster because of it. "Caspar stop! Your getting us drenched. Caspar I'm dead serious my hair is already dripping with water. Caspar!" 
                          
I smiled at the small memory, not even realizing a tear had rolled down my face. I missed him a lot to say the least. 
                          
I had dated a few guys and girls since we broke up, known of them lasted longer then six months though. It just didn't seem right. I never truly loved them like I loved Joe. I was haply, I just wasn't that kind of happy. I would always compare them to Joe. 
                          
He doesn't have the manors Joe did
                          
Her hair isn't as soft as his was. 
                          
He couldn't sing like Joe could. 
                          
She just wasn't him. 
                          
I had forgotten about all that once I turned twenty-seven though. I was so determined to get him out of my head that I started working longer hours. The into really spare time I had these days was every other week, on Saturday night. 
                          
Everyone was saying I was crazy and shouldn't be working so hard. I didn't listen of course and just kept going. Now though. now how am I auspices to forget. "I'll never let you go JoJo. Remember we are suppose to get married anyways." 
                          
"Then were is my ring, Caspar Lee. Until I see a ring on my finger I won't believe it." I laughed dryly at how ironic this was. Because the next summer we wouldn't even be together anymore, not even friends. 
                          
He went to a college I'm London, while I went to a college in California. We tried to keep the king distance going and we thought we could. We had already built up such a big friendship, that it should have been easy. 
                          
We talked every day until about November, then the texts, Skype and calls got shorter. We wouldn't talk face to face everyday, instead once a week. We wouldn't text each other pictures of what we were up to and we didn't call each other once. Slowly the texts got spaced out longer. Only getting a 'hey' or 'how are you?' Every so often. 
                          
By January it was a rare occurrence for us to speak to one another. I always thought he was seeing someone else. We were still friends on social media and I did my share fair of stocking. Every weekend there would be pictures of you and some boy who's name I think was Kade or something.
                          
The first week of March was when I finally ended it. Saying that we grew to far apart and that I missed you like crazy, but I couldn't do this. Joe reasoned by saying a simple 'okay' It's as if our relationship was all a big lie. 
                          
"Look at the married couple. I can see it now. Joseph Graham Lee or Caspar Richard Sugg. Which one are you guys going to use?" I looked up again as I heard Joe's sister Zoe yell. She looked absolutely stunning. She was wearing a simple white dress, but it looked good. Not as good as Joe looked in his black skinny jeans and tank top. 
                          
"We are taking Sugg for sure!" I rolled my eyes at the comment. He would always say that to people, but secretly I knew differently. When he would stay over he would always talk in his sleep and say something along the lines of 'I'm a Lee.' 
                          
As more tears slid down my face, I looked down at the box that was in my lap. Moving yet another piece of paper away, I saw a photograph. It wasn't just any photograph though. This one was when we first got together back in eighth grade.
                          
Joe's face was bright red as he looked down at his black shoes. His hands where behind his back. I was stood kissing his forehead as the entire class around us cheered.
                          
I blink my eyes fast. moving my arm to wipe away the tear that landed straight on Joe's face. Something that I missed seeing on a daily basis. 
                          
I wonder how he is? If he has a family now. Maybe he has a couple kids and a small family. Maybe he moved back home to live with his dad. Maybe just maybe he's thinking about me. I doubted that though. 
                          
I took out my phone, snapping a picture of it, before opening the Facebook app. I couldn't help it, I wanted to know. I wanted to know if he even cared any more. 
                          
Looking through old things and found this. Wow can't believe it's been over ten years since this was taken. 'Photo attachment'
                          
I smiled at the last piece of thing that we had together. "Caspar just cut the stupid cake already. I don't want to be eighty and still standing here."
                          
"I just want to make sure everything is equal Joe. You know how I am about my food. Now shut up and let me concentrate." I looked up at the TV when I heard a scream come from it. 
                          
I was standing, holding my hands up to my face as Joe pelted me with cake. "Then have food!" I was about to stop the disk when I heard a notification come from my phone. I looked down confused when I saw a name that I never thought I would ever see again. 
                          
I opened the app frantically, wishing I had faster wifi. The message slowly loaded before it popped into my screen. 
                          
Caspar Lee I miss this too! It's been to long. How have you been? Hey where do you live? Not trying to be creepy or anything. Last thing I heard you were a big shot in the big apple. I'm actually here shooting a movie! We should get coffee or something.
                          
"I love you Caspar Lee. Where you go, whatever you do, I will be right here waiting for you." I looked up at the disk, only to see Joe connecting out lips together.
                          
"It's been nine, ten years and yet I still love you, like I did when we were in high school."