Page 12 of Nobody's Girl

Sofia slapped the paint onto the wall, then smoothed it out, making sure there was no bubbles or imperfection in it. The white matte paint went on easily and she found it meditative and relaxing to sweep it across the expanse. Soon, priceless artworks would be hung on it and she owed it to them, and to Desiree and Ivo, to make sure the gallery looked it best.

She had been here a month now, working long hours, longing even than Desiree demanded, to help the gallery get ready for its grand opening in two months. Sofia was desperate to pay back her two mentors for all they had done for her and yet…she cautioned herself against getting too close to either of them. Desiree was also her landlady, but Sofia tried to not to infringe too much on her life. Unlike Sofia, Desiree was a social creature and often had dinner parties and gatherings. Sofia would join in to be polite but more often than not, she would use the fact Desiree was distracted to go hide out and sketch. Since talking with Ivo and Desiree non-stop about art, she had become even more obsessed, striving to better her own techniques, learning new ones, experimenting. She found she loved color and abstract more and more and played with colors that shouldn’t go together but did.

And then there was Ivo. They spent time together almost every day, playfully flirting as well as talking late into the night sometimes. Sofia’s heart soared whenever she saw him, and his smile indicated he felt the same, but she held back. She couldn’t let herself fall for him, because if she did, she could lose him and that would kill her. There were times when it was all she could do not to touch him, to stroke her hand through his hair. The days when they casually held hands seemed to be drifting away, and it made her sad. She had never wanted anybody so much in her life – she had never wanted anyone else, period.

But he was so, so out of her league. A couple of weeks after she had left the hospital, his parents, divorced but obviously still best friends, came to see him and he had introduced her to them. They were a riot, so much fun, and they made a fuss over her but still Sofia felt the divide. They lived in a world she was no longer entitled to visit.

She was thinking about this as she and Ivo sat in a café near Notre Dame. On the plate in front of her, a pastry lay untouched and Ivo nudged her. “Are you sick again? Because that’s the first time I’ve seen you leave something uneaten in I don’t know how long.”

He was teasing of course, and she smiled. “No, I’m good, just thinking.”

“About?”

She met his gaze. “I don’t know where I fit in this world anymore.”

Ivo’s eyebrows shot up and he put his coffee cup down. “Sofia…you fit into this world. You have steered your own path, you are unique.”

She shook her head. “No, I haven’t and that’s the trouble, Ivo. I went from my step-father’s house to being a homeless kid to Desiree’s house. All was decided by others not me.”

Ivo looked a little confused. “You feel…dictated to?”

She shook her head. “No, believe me I am grateful, it’s just…I can’t paint walls forever. I just don’t know what it is I’m looking for.”

Ivo nodded, understanding. “Well, what’s your passion?”

She met his gaze. You. You are my passion. She knew her desire must be written all over her face. She saw it in his too. He leaned forward. “Sofia…”

His lips were so close to hers. Sofia drew in a deep breath, anticipating the feel of his mouth on hers, finally.

“Ivo? Ivo Zacca?”

Sofia’s eyes flew open and they both looked around to see a beautiful blonde woman, nervous, almost shaking, staring at them. Ivo’s eyes clouded over but he forced a smile onto his face.

“Clemence?”

The blonde woman nodded. “Of course, it’s me.” She had her hands on the large bump in her belly. Ivo looked shocked and in a flash, Sofia knew why. This must be his ex-girlfriend, the one he had broken up with seven months ago.

And that was definitely a near-term baby bump in her belly. Sofia stood, her legs trembling. “Excuse me. I’ll leave you two to talk.”

As she walked away, she half-expected Ivo to follow her but he didn’t and that told her everything she needed to know. Ivo had guessed too.

It was his baby.

Ivo stared after Sofia, too shell-shocked to say anything. He looked at Clemence, the belly bump and shook his head. “Clemence?”

She nodded and sat down in the chair that Sofia had just vacated. “Yes, it’s yours, Ivo. I didn’t cheat on you.”

“Oh god…why the hell didn’t you tell me?”

“At first, I didn’t know. I was only a month gone and I hadn’t even missed my period yet. Then, when you made it clear that you wanted out, my pride would not let me tell you. It’s a girl, Ivo.”

Ivo felt so any emotions flood through his body. Fear, joy, anger, sadness. He looked up again to where he could still see Sofia’s retreating back in the distance. Clemence followed his line of sight. “Who is she?” Her tone was gentle, unreproachful.

Ivo struggled to say what he felt, settling for, “She’s a friend.”

Clemence studied him. “But she’s more than that, isn’t she?”