I sensed someone behind me as I was gripping the picture firmly. Sam moved in closer, his chest pressing against my back as he reached around me. The sparks from our contacting spots caused me to gulp for air before I could gather my thoughts.Sam backed away and snatched the photo from my hand without saying anything. As I turned to face Sam, I saw him strolling back towards the couch he was seated on. Sam sat down, and I leaned back against the bookshelf.Observing Sam, I had to find out. I had to find out why he had an old picture of myself. Given that he was the one who turned me down, why would he have one? He loathed me, yet he never threw away the picture of me.I experienced a loss like I had never experienced before. I felt offended and bewildered. Why was that picture on him? I wanted to ask him so many things."Why?" I muttered, desperate for an answer but unwilling to break the ice.Three letters, one word, and the start of a query. Though there wasn't much depth to it, he understood what I meant. even though I wasn't sure what I wanted it to signify. Because I had a thousand questions for him to answer in my mind.Why did he turn me down? Why would you snap my picture? Why did you save that photo of me for so long? What made him select Jessie? What made him not love me? Why didn't I measure up?But I decided to ask a single, three-letter query rather than posing all these queries. Because all of my questions were included in that one word. It contained the hurt I experienced. It contained the hope, the rage, and the disappointment.Sam said, glancing at the photo, "I needed you."
