AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Beautiful. Brave.Strong.
That’s how Nina looked in thepicture.
Beautiful. Brave.Strong.
She set it aside and removed the packing from the rest of the box. When she lifted the old Leica out of it, she started to cryagain.
I’ve left you something else as well. What you do with that is also up toyou.
She turned it over in her hands, then held it close to her chest as tears again streamed down herface.
She sat there for a long time, the contents of the box spread out around her, Judith’s words ringing in her ears. She couldn’t believe — didn’t want to believe — she would never see Judith again. She’d been a bright spot in Nina’s life the past few months, a beacon of hope when she hadn’t even realized she’d been frozen in the darkness of her ownmind.
She drew in a deep breath and packed everything back up, lingering over the picture Judith had taken of her. She would never look at it without thinking of the older woman: her unabashed smile, her enchantment with life, her belief that it was beautiful even when everyone else was eager to argue to thecontrary.
She tucked the box under her arm, her appetite returning as she turned off the lights and headed for the door. She needed that pizza now more than ever, and definitely the wings. Judith would tell her to get the wings, even though she would never deign to eat themherself.
She locked the door and breathed in the late summer heat. Soon it would be fall, her favorite time of year. The sky would be bluer than ever and the leaves would change and the air would nip at her cheeks as they got closer to winter. She would enjoy everymoment.
She was turning away from the door when she froze, her eyes on a figure moving away from the gallery in the opposite direction of Nina’s apartment. She recognized the easy walk, the broad shoulders, the thick blond hair cut short at the back of a strong, tannedneck.
Liam.
She opened her mouth to call out to him, her feet already propelling her forward. She didn’t get two feet before she stopped, her eyes still on his back, her heart in her throat. A swell of longing rose in her chest, threatening to split her skin, to erupt from her body like a roguewave.
She sat with it, watching him get smaller as he continued down the street, waiting until he disappeared into the crowd emerging from thesubway.
It hurt, but she was okay. She was going to beokay.
She started for home, feeling Judith’s presence in the box tucked under her arm, in the smile tugging at her lips despite the ache in herchest.
My life has been marvelous. It’s been exciting and terrifying and beautiful and sometimes downright horrendous! Most of all, it’s been interesting. What more could anyone ask of alife?
What moreindeed.
