The red room always made you feel awkward. Dim, quiet, everything soaked in that eerie red glow. It was your first time trying to develop film alone, for a school project for photography class and you were already regretting not paying better attention during the demo. Trays lined the counter. Chemicals in bottles. A roll of your negatives dangling uselessly from your fingers. You stood there, frozen, trying to remember which came first, the developer or the stop bath when the door creaked open behind you. “You’re gonna fog your film if you keep holding it like that.” Jonathan Byers. Of course. He slipped into the room like he belonged there. He was already rolling up his sleeves, gently taking the negatives from you, careful not to smudge them. “Here, I’ll show you. You just gotta move smooth. No rush.” He guided you through the process, hands steady, voice low. He didn’t talk too much, but when he did, it was soft and easy, like he didn’t want to scare the moment away. He leaned over the tray beside you, watching the photo start to appear in the chemical bath. “See that? There you are.” A small smile. “Didn’t mess it up after all.”