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"No, I can't imagine that," I answer breathlessly. The more I look at the painting, the more in love I fall with it. A tear streaks down my face as I stare at the painting. I'm not sure if it's the beauty of the fallen woman, or the man keeping watch in the distance, or maybe it's just the fact that Carter cared enough to show me the piece that has me so emotional.
I don't hide my emotion, I just stand there laid bare before Carter and anyone else in the room that bothers to look over.
And I just let myself feel.
After another moment, I drag myself away from the painting, and Carter and I rejoin Quaid and Logan, who'd gotten bored after one minute and had moved on to other works.
Carter and I keep stealing looks at one another for the rest of our time there. Something changed there in that moment in front of that painting, and it's not a change that I'll complain about one bit.
We find all the works of art on my list, and they all blow me away, just not as much as the ones Carter shows us. Quaid has to hoist me up to see theMona Lisa. There are so many people crowded around it with selfie sticks that I would never be able to see all of them without his help.
He cops a feel of my ass as he sets me down, and I grin at him.
Nope, not finding anything to complain about in this little excursion at all.
The day passes similarly. I try to keep myself in the present, because it's easy to go down the path of hating that I've missed out on this for the last ten years. What would it have been like to have their support while I was going through medical school? I've never been good at having friends. Whether it was from when I was sick or when I was mourning my dad and losing the guys, I've always stayed on the outskirts, never really letting anyone in. It made for a lonely road, even with the boyfriends that I did have. I could see what medical school would have been like now.
Logan would have brought me snacks when I was studying late and stayed with me until I was done, Quaid would have made me laugh when I was stressed and made me realize that it wasn't the end of the world if I didn't pass my tests. Carter would have pushed me forward with his quiet intensity, letting me know that he believed in me and that what I was doing was going to make a difference in the world.
Well, there I go doing what I've been trying to avoid.
"Everything alright, princess?" Quaid asks as we leave the museum. I'd read that if you really took your time going through each piece in the Louvre, it would take seventy-five days to get through everything. I obviously didn't have that kind of time, so I hadn't planned any additional time beyond today.
But it had been perfect.
"Everything is perfect," I tell him with a smile, and he takes my hand and squeezes it.
Chapter 12
Then
________________________________________
Carter
Ifeel her presence before I even see her. A satisfied smirk tugs at the corner of my lip when Val scoots down to the floor beside me. With her back leaning against the bookshelves, she holds her knees up to her chin, and throws me one of her majestic smiles.
"You're hiding again," she says, nudging me on the shoulder.
"I don't hide," I respond aloof, my attention going back to the book in my hand.
"Is that so? Then what do you call always spending your lunch hour alone in the school's library?”
"I call it being socially selective."
"Is that your way of saying you don't want me around either?" She lets out a little giggle.
I tilt my head to her, those stunning hazel golden eyes staring into my very soul, as they always seem to do.
"You'll never hear those words coming out of my mouth, Val."
She tries to hide the blush that’s begun to taint her cheeks by looking into her book bag for something. She takes out a brown paper bag, and then continues to place each item within it in front of us. Two chicken salad sandwiches, two bags of chips and two Diet Cokes are spread out on the library’s blue carpet like a makeshift picnic.
"Good thing I came prepared then," she replies, handing me a sandwich.
Without hesitation, I take it, placing my book on my lap.
I always take whatever Val offers me. Be it a smile, a gentle laugh, a hushed whisper, or even a fucking sandwich. It doesn't matter to me what she gives me, my hungry heart is always ready to take it all from her and keep the endearment confined within my very soul.
