My Smile Was Taken Long Ago Novels & Stories

At one point, he pulled his phone from his pocket and said, “You've been smiling for at least an hour now. That had not happened in a while.” “TJ, you're embarrassing me,” I said, looking around in fake shyness. “We need proof of this historic night,” He said, “To remind you of the first time you smiled after a life-changing experience. Also, for when you’re running your own business empire someday. We’ll look back and say, ‘Remember when you were just assistant manager of Sweet Treats?’” He took a picture of me mid-sip, looking utterly unprepared and confused. “TJ!” I squealed as I lunged for his phone.

Instantly that smile falls off. I smile.

She smile .................TBC.......................

We were both smiling brightly in that picture and now, I know this is the exact smile that would be on Mia’s face. It is my duty to wipe it off!

spinning. Her head tilts back, exposing the long line of her throat. Her eyes are closed, lashes dark crescents against flushed cheeks. Her mouth is curved in this smile I haven't seen in so long I'd almost forgotten it existed. It's unguarded. Pure. The kind of smile that exists before pain teaches you to protect yourself. Five years. Five years, two months, and thirteen days since I last saw that smile. But who's counting?

“You don’t get to take that back now…” There was a faint, almost broken smile on his lips. “Because I’m not letting you go anymore.”

The four members looked happy together with those genuine smiles plastered on their faces. I touch on the surface right to the kid who I think is Airo. He can smile. I remove my hand and look at the next picture. The two look grown a bit but their mother is not there anymore. I couldn’t see the same smile they had from the first photo. They are indeed smiling here, but not that bright. The next pictures are two young men who lost their smiles growing up together. “Ciana, I brought you your drink.” I move my head to his direction and suddenly feel a little pain in me. This man is hiding a lot of things in him. All by himself.

When the photo became vivid, I took it from you and stared. That smile. That smile full of bliss and genuineness. That smile which never failed to sway me with its owner's felicity. That smile I missed the most this time. That smile that I will never see again, but wished to see for the last time. Maybe once would be enough, so even just for a day, I could remember the definition of happiness. Sigh. "I was planning to capture a lot for the whole week and stick them all in my room. Do you think it's fine?" I looked at you. You're doing the same except for your stare was looking with genuine affectionate and admiration while mine screams uneasiness.

I chuckled. "I'm always nice Dad." "Goodnight Ren," I smiled at him. "Night Dad," he finally left my room. I turned to the next page of the photo album and the photograph I was most interested in stared at me. I slid my fingers under the plastic sheet that held the image just to remove it. I held the last memory I had with my Mother. "So beautiful," I caressed her reflection with my thumb. Her skin had a golden glow and her smile held a large amount of power. Her smile was the type of smile that was infectious. If she smiled the entire room would smile with her. That's probably how they got me to smile in that Halloween photo.

Back to the picture. His smile. That one. The camera smile. Technically perfect. I knew the real one, though. The real smile started in his eyes first and took its time reaching his mouth. It stuck around longer than it needed to. This one was instant, symmetrical, gone the second the flash stopped. He was miserable in that picture. Not in a way anyone at the dinner would notice. But I did. Stop it, I told myself. He’s not yours to read anymore.