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“Are you alright?”
I nod, knowing perfectly well I can’t share how I truly feel with a stranger. How my hope that Xi would wait until I was ready to see him again has been crushed under Harper’s expensive heel.
“I’m so hungry,” I admit.
His eyes widen and he looks around. “I can get the chef to prepare something for you.”
“Please,” I nod. The truth is, there’s no way I’m going back out there, and I know there’s no exit through the kitchen.
I sit on one of the steel tables and wait for my Philly Cheesesteak. I’m not truly hungry, but I’m polite. I eat it slowly, drink a glass of orange juice, and wait.
The waiter goes in and out of the kitchen all night, until he comes to me. “Miss Delacroix, the gallery is about to close. Everyone is gone. I took the liberty to tell your mother I’d call a taxi for you. I assumed you wanted to be alone.”
“Thank you,” I murmur. “I’m sorry for hiding in here all night.”
“Anything you need, Miss.”
I jump off the steel table and nod goodbye to him and the cook. The main lights in the gallery are off when I walk out. Only the tiny LED fixings above the paintings are on.
I am such a hopeless romantic, it’s a fucking joke. All the romance books I’ve been reading lately have been getting to my head.
I feel no hate, just disappointment in myself. The man was in love with me, and I told him to leave me alone. He asked me for a timeline, and I gave him none. It could have been a day. It could have been forever.
I brought this on myself.
I look at the painting titledThe first time.I could have sworn…
Never mind.
Spinning around, I gasp at the shadow standing behind me. I retreat, but his hand wraps around my arm, stopping me before I bump into the painting.
“Hi, cupcake.”
My heart squeezes at the sound of his voice. My entire body electrifies, firing up from the exact spot he’s holding.
“H-hi,” I stutter.
“You came.” His smile is dazzling, something I hadn’t realized I missed until right this second. How could I not? It’s the rarest and most beautiful thing in the world. A diamond hidden in the most precious caves. Inaccessible to mankind.
“I did.” I scratch my throat. “Congratulations. This is all…breathtaking. I—I’m sure you and Harper must be over the moon.”
“Harper? I painted them. Give me some credit.”
“Of course,” I blurt out. “You’re an incredibly talented artist. I’ve always known that. I was just…trying to say I’m happy for you both. I’m sure she inspired some of your work. It’s beautiful.”
A love that lasts forever.
I want to die on the spot. I want the floor to open and swallow me whole. My heart can’t take any more of this.
“Harper is my manager while she interns with your mom,” he says calmly. But there’s something in his tone. Confusion?
Brushing it to the side, I keep going. “Bold to date and work together,” I chuckle. “But good for you.” I can’t help the slight cynicism. I’m not as sweet as I used to be. I mind a little less about what people think of me. I don’t care about pleasing everyone anymore. And fuck, I’m not happy. Surely that shouldn’t come as a surprise to him.
He narrows his eyes at me until clarity crosses in them. His face hardens, and frustration makes him tighten his hold on me.
“Are you insane?” he growls.
“Insane? I’m being kind enough to not burst into tears and put you in a situation. I just saw the man I’m hopelessly in love with with his new girlfriend. Give me a break, will you?” I snap back.
