rectangular package.
“I found him downstairs looking
like a kicked puppy, so don’t blame me!” Jackie said, waltzing right past
Caroline smiling at her with a wink, tossing her hands up in surrender hoping
Caroline wouldn’t be made at her. Caroline just stood there staring at Logan,
barely hearing what Jackie had said. She could hear Jackie and Aralia murmuring
in the other room now and could only imagine the gossip that was probably going
on right now.
“I’m sorry to interrupt your
evening.” Logan said, looking down at the ground. He looked back up at her and
smiled.
“Somehow I doubt that.” She
responded, crossing her arms and clenching her jaw in an attempt to show
confidence and indifference.
“I just had to see you, Caroline.
I’m leaving for tour tomorrow.” He took a step into the doorway, coming closer
to her, “You look so beautiful.” He said slowly, taking in every inch and curve
of her face. She blushed at his comments and leaned on her door frame.
“I heard, I happened to catch your
show this morning.” Caroline said, slightly tensing her eyes and clenching her
teeth. Logan breathed out loudly, groaning. He dipped his head backwards and
blew out a deep breath, frustrated.
“I was hoping you hadn’t seen that.
Caroline, that was just television. Gina and I, we aren’t like that, we just,
well I don’t know what we are, but it’s not like that. I didn’t even know she
was going to say any of that and I never told her anything like that. My
feelings are still the same, they haven’t changed.” He said to her, taking a
step closer to her, closing the gap between them. She didn’t move.
“Here, this is for you. I don’t
know if you will even like it, so you can throw it out if you want. I just
wanted you to have it.” He handed her the wrapped up painting.
She took it silently and pulled off
the brown wrapping paper, tossing it into the kitchen behind her. As she tossed
it, she saw Aralia and Jackie poking their heads around the corner. She gave
them a sharp look and they grinned and ducked away. She lifted the unwrapped
painting up so that she could look at it and smiled at the beautiful
brushstrokes. She knew it was her, she had seen herself in his paintings
before.
She still loved it, her heart felt
like it was swelling in her chest and that he just understood her. They spoke
the same silent language and shared something neither one of them could
describe. She leaned it up against the wall and then turned back to look at
him. The two were still standing in her doorway.
“Caroline.” He said softly, leaning
toward her and putting his hands on her hips. He began to pull her towards him
but she put her arms up between them and leaned backwards, stopping him.
“What happened Tuesday morning? Why
didn’t you say goodbye?” she said firmly, holding her jaw tight again.
“I didn’t know what to say,
Caroline, I am sorry. I shouldn’t have left though, not without talking to
you.” He said, his head turned down and to the side slightly, looking at her. She
nodded her head but didn’t say anything, he leaned closer to her and kissed her
gently on the tip of her nose.
“I messed up, Caroline. Can you
forgive me?” he said, “I don’t want to go on this tour and be so far apart
thinking you are mad at me.” He paused for a moment looking at her, then
reached out and pushed a piece of hair off her face, tucking it back.
“You looked so beautiful and
peaceful when you were sleeping.” He said softly, a huskiness to his voice.
“I’m not mad, just disappointed,”
she said blushing at his compliment, letting the defensiveness slip out of her
body, as she allowed him to pull her closer to him, “and what about Gina?”
“Gina knows that we are
romantically over. We talked about it tonight, kind of. It’s just a business
relationship. There hasn’t been anything real there in a long time.” Logan
said, dipping down and kissing Caroline softly on her
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