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But I don’t.
Art is all about feelings, emotions, and the human connection. As I ponder the people in the painting, I see them, and I see myself.
Focused on the figure in shades of blue and green with a basket on her hip, I say, “I think they’re as happy as they can be for people put to work at a task they never desired.”
He nods his head. “I used to think that, too. But do you know what I think now?”
“No. What’s that?”
“That happiness is waiting for everyone.” He faces me. “I love you, Evelyn, but it’s much like the way you describe the happiness of these workers in the painting. I loved you as much as I could, given something I never desired, but there’s more to be gained outside of what we were born into.”
My head tilts as I try to understand his words.
“I’m sorry,” he continues, “but I’m breaking our pact.”
“You’re confusing me.”
“I can tell.” He glows and somehow seems to become inches taller in a matter of moments. “I’m just going to say it. I’ve met someone.”
“You meet a lot of people.”
“Yes, but never anyone like her.”
“Oh,” I say. “Her?”
“Yes.” He smiles so bright that he gleams. “I think I was waiting to find her, and that’s why I never told you about my feelings for you. There was someone else waiting for me.”
Then, I comprehend the truth of what he’s telling me. It’s all over his persona, his aura, and his entire being. It’s so obvious, and I was blind until he shoved it directly at me, like a bullet to the head.
“You’re in love?”
“Yes.”
“Who is she?”
“She’s a public attorney who lives in the States—in New York City, of all places.”
“Huh?” I blink a few times. “How did you two meet?”
He grins widely. “I was in New York on business, went out one night, saw her at a bar, showed her my undeniable charm, and she called me an asshole.”
“Sounds like love at first sight,” I comment sarcastically.
“It was,” he counters, serious. “The spark in her eyes. The way that she flung her dark hair over her shoulder. The quirk of her lip, teasing me. And then, the moment she spoke, I knew.”
“You knew what?”
“That she’s the one.”
My heart races. His emotions are so palpable.
“What do you mean, the one?”
He grips my shoulders, ensuring that my focus is on him. “Evelyn, you’re my closest friend in this crazy journey, and you should be the first to know.” Gerard inhales. “I’m going to propose. I’m going to ask Caroline to be my wife.”
“Marriage?” I state, flabbergasted. “Gerard, you’re only twenty-five. You have your whole life ahead of you.”
“And I want to spend it with her.”
