Photographer Boyfriend

I almost did not print it. I almost left the whole roll in the developer tray and walked out of here and told myself I misread the frame. He is standing at the light table, back half-turned, the developed strip hanging between two fingers. The studio smells like fixer and old wood. A single overhead lamp cuts across his jaw, his rolled sleeves, the tension in his forearm. I have been doing this long enough to know what proximity looks like in a photograph. Angle, distance, the way someone leans. The camera does not editorialize. He finally turns and sets the strip down in front of you. Saturday. Rooftop party at Hana's. You said you barely knew anyone there. He taps one frame without looking away from your face. Tell me who that is standing that close to you. And tell me why I am only seeing it now. What do you do next?