Page 31 of Under Her Skin

“So, we’re set. Let's eat lunch. Then, if you’d like, why don’t you soak in the bath and get ready after.” The hope is the soak will keep her relaxed and she won’t panic at leaving the house or what I have done.

Shoving the last bite of sandwich in my mouth, I peer up to meet her gaze. “I’m going to run the bath for you. Come up when you are done.” Climbing the stairs, I get to the bath and pour in the bath salts - lavender to help with unwinding her nervousness. Gathering the variety of bath supplies for her, I get everything within arm’s reach. I want this to be a lounge space of comfort.

Hearing her muted steps, I light the candles and plug the tub. She walks in as I get up, striding towards her. I place a gentle kiss on her head. “Enjoy Ava. Soak. Relax. I’ll be in the office. Then, I’ll run through the shower while you are getting dressed, if that works for you.”

Hours later, I walk this gorgeous creature down the stairs, counting my lucky stars that I have her. Guiding her to the truck, we drive into town. It’s smoothing out. We are getting back into the swing of life. I see the pain and the flinches that she thinks she can hide, but they are infrequent and occur less and less. Our drive is quiet, both lost in our own thoughts. Reaching for her hand, I affectionately squeeze it. She turns and smiles at me. There is no darkness or panic shadowing in her eyes.

Yet another victory.

Pulling into the parking lot, I look at her. She is undeniably beautiful. It hits me every time I set eyes on her.

“Are you ready?” I don’t know if I should warn her or let the event be a surprise, something for her to see others savor. Deciding to risk it, I’ll take her ire if not telling her gets her ass in the exhibit.

She stares at me. “As I’ll ever be.” I get out of the truck, walk around and assist her out. We get to the door, and I hold it as she walks in before me. We get three steps in when I feel her breath catch and she freezes.

Her unique take on art has come to life throughout the room. People gather around different pieces, discussing what Ava has captured in her strokes. The pain. The fear. The anger. And so much more. It's all there, where the admirers can see. They can feel what she felt as she guided the paintbrush on the canvas.

Ava’s head turns to me. “This … This was you, Cal?” I can’t decipher her emotions. Her tone is flat, leaving me to think I fucked up.

“I can explain, '' I whisper, not wanting to garner the attention of the attendees.

She twirls around, narrows her eyes. “So, you thought that it would be okay to just send my work - that I may not have even been ready to show, I might add - to some random curator in the hopes they would schedule an exhibit.” She takes a deep breath and pokes me with a finger. “Not to mention, I thought this was a date, you know. Just me and you.” She gestures with her finger to the place. “It's not just us.”

Shaking her head, she continues. “I can’t, I don’t know - What am I to do with this Cal?” She’s trembling, but I don’t know if it is with fear or anger. “Do I thank you for the push or do I leave here in a snit and call my brothers to come take me home, so I don’t stab you with something for potentially causing me embarrassment that I was not ready to deal with? Cal, I barely had an interest in my last series of work, and this series is dark.” She takes a shaky breath. “I need a minute.” Graceful as ever, she stomps away, a serene smile slapped on her face.

“Fuck,” I whisper to no one. I hope she will see what I was trying to do. Maybe she can forgive me for my fumble. Knowing this is what she needs and her seeing that she needs this are two different things. Losing her in the crowd - Wait. She is in a crowd, no problem. She didn’t even hesitate to leave my side. So anger is the key to overcoming some of her hesitations. Good to know.

Grabbing a glass of wine, I slowly make my way around looking at the pieces and listen to what the others have to say.

“Magnificent”

“Morbid and addicting”

“A true artist understands that beauty can be dark.”

‘The longer I listen, the more my decision is cemented in the ‘I did the right thing’ category. Now to get her to see it too. I turn to look for her only to see her standing next to an older gentleman, who is pointing at her painting. His words flow over her, and she beams at him. The conversation grows, so I leave them to it. She is alight with pleasure and laughing with him.

Maybe I won’t have to convince her at all.

28

AVA

The ride home is quiet. I’m processing. What he did was conniving, sneaky, and downright fucking sweet. I want to be mad at him for it, yet I’m not. Stepping into that gallery, peering around only to be shocked with people staring at my work, beautifully hanging on the walls. It took my breath away. It made me feel valued, seen and appreciated.

But what Cal did, his actions, I was riding a fence of punching him in the face or kissing him senseless. It was waging war, a list of ‘how could he’ versus ‘damn I am so lucky to have him’. I gotta say the pro list was gaining momentum.

The drive didn’t leave much time to ponder everything spiraling through me. Landing on a decision, one I know will take us to the next level. I think I’m ready. I hope I’m ready. But most of all, I hopehe’sready.

Cal, well, he is everything I didn’t know I needed. He knew. He knew the moment we met and did his damnedest to make sure I knew it. But I was scared. I’m not anymore. I want to leap, knowing that I have been holding myself back from the moment I laid eyes on him.

Kiel did impart one lesson on me: to never take for granted those precious moments, the moments that will be what you one day look back on. It's not the grand gesture that flashes the brightest; it's the small things. It's the simple touches, the soft kisses, the key points where you can see that person who loved you more than you thought was plausible, showing their affection as it spills over its boundaries proving they will go to the ends of this world for you.

Tonight, I’m taking that lesson to heart and putting into motion the next chapter of my life.

The truck comes to a stop, and Cal turns to me, opening his mouth. Narrowing my eyes, I shake my head no. He gets out to come around to my side. I’m not truly angry. I’m biding my time. Needing those few seconds to fortify myself, I’m ready but I don’t want Cal to read this wrong. I want him living it with me, not wondering if this is a twisted thank you.

Swinging the door open, he assists me from the seat. He moves to let go, but I lace our fingers, leaning into him and siphoning a bit of his strength as we walk quietly to the door. Once we enter, he turns off the alarm. I trudge quietly up the stairs, hearing his muted thumps following me.

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