Shuttered Affections (Cornerstone #1) by Rene Folsom Page B

than it looks in the photo. I wish I had something near it for comparison.
Isn’t it lovely?”
    He squatted down, his arm still around the back of my chair.
After a few long moments, he finally began to answer.
    “Angels,” was all but a whisper.
    I just nodded and bit my lip. We both stared at the photo
for a long moment.
    “Do you like it because of the angels, Julia?” he asked and
finally looked at me.
    I hesitated and blushed. He just stared at me with an
expectant look on his face, waiting for me to answer.
    “Actually, you’re going to think I’m such a child for this,
but…” I trailed off, not sure how to explain my weird compulsion. “I love angels.
I always have. Well, recently anyway. I actually collect cherubs and fairies. So,
when I saw the mirror, it struck me as a perfect addition to my collection.”
    He just looked at me with shock on his face before he
finally said, “And you’re my angel. How perfect.”
    He gently placed his forehead against my cheek, and then
nuzzled his nose into my neck. I felt him inhale once before pulling away and
standing.
    “It’s a beautiful piece, Julia. And you’re right, it’s ideal
for you.”
    He gently, reverently, touched my cheek and walked away. I
felt my heart leave with him. The fact that I was falling for him when I barely
knew him was nerve-wracking.
    I copied all my digital files over to my flash drive and
began to pack up. I briefly thought of inviting him to lunch with me, but then
remembered he had classes steadily until three.
    As I carried my stuff to leave, I walked over to his private
office and said goodbye.
    He stood, brought his hand behind my neck, and pulled me
close. His cheek brushed up against mine and he whispered into my ear, “I’ll
call you.”
    A gentle peck caused a wave of sparks to warm my cheek.
    I smiled, took a deep breath, and walked out.
    Art History was boring and my lack of sleep was catching up
to me. I struggled to stay awake through the fifty minutes of projector slides
in the darkened room.
    Just as I settled in the courtyard with my lunch, my phone
buzzed. I frowned when I saw it wasn’t Aiden’s number.
    I hadn’t programmed his number into my phone yet because I
wasn’t sure if it would be a good idea to have it saved. I could just memorize
it, or save it under a pseudo name.
    I brought my thoughts back to the text message from Vic.
    Hey beautiful. Touching base bout 2nite. I am really
looking fwd to seeing u. Txt me ur addy and I’ll pick u up at 7. Later.
    I had completely forgotten about my date with Vic. I
immediately messaged him back with a smile on my face.
    Sounds like fun. Can’t wait. I
have something to do before though. Can I meet you there?
    Pressing send, I felt bad about lying to him. But, I wanted
the power to leave if I needed to. I didn’t want to be stuck there if he ended
up being a total jerk.
    Then my thoughts went back to Aiden. Would he be upset that
I was going out on a date? Honestly, it wasn’t like we were together. Yes, we had
a very intense attraction, but we didn’t need to answer to each other, right?
    Sighing, I decided I should casually let him know so I could
assure him Vic meant nothing. Whether it was right or wrong for me to feel
possessive, I would have hated life if I knew he was going on a date with
another girl.
    Calc was almost unbearable. I wanted so badly to leave. Ceramics
was the only thing that kept me glued to my seat.
    The potter’s wheel was calling my name. I couldn’t help but
answer it. There was something so therapeutic about throwing. I set up all my
tools, put on my big red apron, and slapped some porcelain onto the wheel.
    Using brute force, I centered the white clump of wetness
easily. I stealthily plunged my fingers into the center and gently pulled,
making the hole wider with every swift turn of the wheel.
    The porcelain glided like butter through my fingers as I
began to pull up on the sides. I didn’t have a plan for what I was making.