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"How's this?" he asked.
The picture was of me sleeping.
"What you're trying to say is you could draw me exactly how Jack drew Rose?"
He laughed. "I could."
"That eraser thing, it's neat."
"It's actually called a blender. Helps smear the charcoal and emphasize the shading."
"How long have you been doing this, drawing and painting?"
"Since I was seven. My mother insisted we find our creative side at an early age, so she enrolled us in art and music classes. I always loved to draw. Painting came before music. Violin. I love it."
"Really? You play the violin?" I couldn't stop thinking about the night that he was going to make me his, and the violinist that played during di
"You said we. Fi
"Oh yeah. He can draw too. He's extremely talented. Better than me, I think. A natural. He can cook, and play the piano. He has many secret talents."
If Luke only knew…
The thought of Fi
After repositioning his body, Luke closed the sketchpad. "Did you tell him you were coming with me?"
"Haven't talked to anyone but you since yesterday afternoon."
"He's going to be pissed, you know."
"I know."
The thought of it made me uneasy. When I sucked in a deep breath, Luke grabbed my hand and squeezed.
"When I have a chat with him, I'm going to tell him you confessed your undying love for me and we ran away together to get married in Paris."
I laughed. "Can't wait to hear his reaction. Promise to have him on speaker when you tell him."
Luke let out a yawn. So did I. He stopped the airline attendant and asked for a blanket, and I yawned again. Why were they so contagious? She brought a thin blanket over to us, and he plopped it over our legs. The warmth relaxed me and together we drifted to sleep as we soared through the clouds.
We woke as the plane landed. I knew I had sleepy eyes, and so did he. When we were allowed, we grabbed our carry-on bags and made our way off of the plane. If Vegas had been cold, New York was freezing.
Blankets of white surrounded us, and the snow steadily fell. We grabbed our bags and checked them in for our co
A little restaurant beckoned us forward.
"Hungry?"
"Starving," I said.
We walked inside, ordered a few waffles, and more coffee. I needed a gallon of it.
"Are you going to call Fi
"No."
Once we were finished, we made our way to the waiting area where the attendants boarded the plane. In six hours, I would officially be in another country, viewing a different set of bright lights and fast paced atmosphere.
Luke stopped before entering the hangar and finished typing on his phone, then stuck it in his pocket and continued with me. I might be jetlagged, tired, and hungry for a real meal, but I didn't give a shit about any of it. The thoughts of being somewhere else would fuel the flight, and that was enough to keep me going.
FINNLEY
Fifteen
If I didn't hear from her soon, I would have the entire city swept from top to bottom to find Je
Nothing would lift the feeling of desperation, loneliness, or worry. As I sped down the streets of Vegas, looking for her car, I received a single text from Luke.
Je
I let out a long sigh of relief. Relief that she hadn't been kidnapped, relief that she didn't lose her fucking mind and pull another one of her ridiculous stunts like the last time I almost lost her. Je
I smiled at the thought and at how stupid I had been to not contact him first. God, she was so predictable. At least I knew that she was in good hands, and hoped he would keep his hands to himself.
Another piece of me was pissed the fuck off. Why would she run to Luke if he meant nothing to her? She just called him up and ran into his arms. I wouldn't play these games. I wouldn't be left wondering about us, or her and Luke. If my brother were to choose between my happiness and his, he would choose mine. Luketon Brand loved me and would do anything for his big brother. He also knew how I felt about Je
She was the common denominator, and I couldn’t change her regardless of how much I fucking wanted to. There were times when she would fold for me, but other times when she stood so strong that a nuclear explosion couldn't knock her down. Smart ass, stubborn, and hardheaded—all character traits that described her perfectly. I really had met my match.
After the big conference this weekend, I had pla
I couldn't help but wonder what Luke would tell her. He was terrible at keeping my personal life personal and had a knack for revealing things I didn't want people to know. Undoubtedly, Je
The constant nag of distress slowly disappeared and replaced itself with slight anxiety. When I wanted and expected Je
Sixteen
It was dark when we arrived in Paris, but the lights below glowed and co
Luke rested his head against the seat until it was time for us to get off the plane. I leaned my head over toward his and he smiled.
"A driver will be waiting to take us to our flat. Shouldn't be much longer."
"Alright, Luketon Brand. I just want to sleep in a bed. Seriously don't even care about food right now."
My back hurt, everything hurt, and I felt numb all over. I expected snow, but got cool air as we walked through the hangar. The lights in the distance twinkled, and I was so relieved to be standing. The ride was worse than driving from Texas to Vegas; talk about turbulence and horrible food. But the Eiffel Tower made it all worth it, and I would suffer that trip a million times more just to see it.