heard me as I walked up behind her, or at least she didn’t react to my presence. She seemed lost in her work.
“Ella,” I said softly.
She didn’t immediately turn around. “You found me.” Her voice was a faint whisper.
“You weren’t at your house. This was the next logical place to look.” It was then that I noticed a large suitcase sitting near her easel.
“Are you planning a trip?” I blurted.
She didn’t immediately respond but I noticed she had stopped painting. She turned to face me. “I have to go to Phoenix for a few days.”
I furrowed my brow. “Why?”
She got a faraway look in her eye. She looked so tired and worn down. It was like all of her enthusiasm and zest for life had drained away. It made me feel sick to think that I had somehow unknowingly contributed to the pain.
“I feel empty,” she said. The word surprised me at first but it seemed to be an apt description. Her normally glistening eyes looked deadened.
“How will going to Phoenix help?” I asked.
“There’s an art exhibit there I want to see. It’s by a hot new artist Cheyenne Robison. Everyone in the art world is talking about him. He’s supposed to capture movement in metal better than any other modern metal artist.”
The first thing I thought of when I heard metal artist was Steel and his cronies. There was no way I wanted Ella to be there by herself, half way across the country, anywhere near guys like Steel and his buddies.
“I’m going with you,” I blurted before I had a chance to even consider the consequences of my words. It definitely wasn’t the best time to request vacation at work and I wasn’t in the habit of just taking time off without plenty of advanced notice.
Actually, in the two years I had been working there on a full-time basis, I had never requested any time off. I had already accumulated a small bank of both vacation and sick days. But I didn’t think my boss would mind, especially if I explained the situation and mentioned that I would be happy to bring my laptop along and do work while on the trip.
Of course, I wasn’t sure exactly what situation I would be explaining because I didn’t quite understand it myself. I just sensed that going with Ella was the right thing to do and I felt like she needed me to be with her.
I could see a hint of sparkle return to her eyes. “You’d really go with me?” She sounded so tentative and unsure, it pulled on my heartstrings.
“Of course.” I tried to sound as convincing as possible. I wanted to go with her, maybe more than anything in the world, but I also had to think about my job and clearing it with my boss.
He eyes narrowed. “But?”
“Why do you think there’s a but ?”
“There’s always a but .”
I took the paintbrush from her hand and placed it on the edge of the easel. Then I pulled her into a tight embrace. I breathed in the scent of her. She still had the faint smell of jasmine incense in her hair. I was starting to really love that scent, maybe because I had already made the connection between the scent and Ella in my mind.
“There’s no but ,” I whispered. “I’m going with you.”
I could feel the tension release from her body as she relaxed into my arms. Time seemed to stand still as we stood there in the painting studio, our bodies pressed together, and our breathing in sync with each other.
I felt something that I didn’t realize I had been missing—peace. I also felt whole and complete. There’s an old saying that we use at work sometimes: you don’t know what you don’t know . I guess I never realized I had been lacking something in my life until I found Ella.
I knew it sounded dorky but it was like a single sock not knowing it was part of a pair until it was reunited with its matc hing sock.
“Have you already purchased a plane ticket?” I asked.
She shook her head. That lead me to believe it was a spur of the moment decision without much of a formal plan. Maybe I could use that to my
“Ella,” I said softly.
She didn’t immediately turn around. “You found me.” Her voice was a faint whisper.
“You weren’t at your house. This was the next logical place to look.” It was then that I noticed a large suitcase sitting near her easel.
“Are you planning a trip?” I blurted.
She didn’t immediately respond but I noticed she had stopped painting. She turned to face me. “I have to go to Phoenix for a few days.”
I furrowed my brow. “Why?”
She got a faraway look in her eye. She looked so tired and worn down. It was like all of her enthusiasm and zest for life had drained away. It made me feel sick to think that I had somehow unknowingly contributed to the pain.
“I feel empty,” she said. The word surprised me at first but it seemed to be an apt description. Her normally glistening eyes looked deadened.
“How will going to Phoenix help?” I asked.
“There’s an art exhibit there I want to see. It’s by a hot new artist Cheyenne Robison. Everyone in the art world is talking about him. He’s supposed to capture movement in metal better than any other modern metal artist.”
The first thing I thought of when I heard metal artist was Steel and his cronies. There was no way I wanted Ella to be there by herself, half way across the country, anywhere near guys like Steel and his buddies.
“I’m going with you,” I blurted before I had a chance to even consider the consequences of my words. It definitely wasn’t the best time to request vacation at work and I wasn’t in the habit of just taking time off without plenty of advanced notice.
Actually, in the two years I had been working there on a full-time basis, I had never requested any time off. I had already accumulated a small bank of both vacation and sick days. But I didn’t think my boss would mind, especially if I explained the situation and mentioned that I would be happy to bring my laptop along and do work while on the trip.
Of course, I wasn’t sure exactly what situation I would be explaining because I didn’t quite understand it myself. I just sensed that going with Ella was the right thing to do and I felt like she needed me to be with her.
I could see a hint of sparkle return to her eyes. “You’d really go with me?” She sounded so tentative and unsure, it pulled on my heartstrings.
“Of course.” I tried to sound as convincing as possible. I wanted to go with her, maybe more than anything in the world, but I also had to think about my job and clearing it with my boss.
He eyes narrowed. “But?”
“Why do you think there’s a but ?”
“There’s always a but .”
I took the paintbrush from her hand and placed it on the edge of the easel. Then I pulled her into a tight embrace. I breathed in the scent of her. She still had the faint smell of jasmine incense in her hair. I was starting to really love that scent, maybe because I had already made the connection between the scent and Ella in my mind.
“There’s no but ,” I whispered. “I’m going with you.”
I could feel the tension release from her body as she relaxed into my arms. Time seemed to stand still as we stood there in the painting studio, our bodies pressed together, and our breathing in sync with each other.
I felt something that I didn’t realize I had been missing—peace. I also felt whole and complete. There’s an old saying that we use at work sometimes: you don’t know what you don’t know . I guess I never realized I had been lacking something in my life until I found Ella.
I knew it sounded dorky but it was like a single sock not knowing it was part of a pair until it was reunited with its matc hing sock.
“Have you already purchased a plane ticket?” I asked.
She shook her head. That lead me to believe it was a spur of the moment decision without much of a formal plan. Maybe I could use that to my
Similar Books
