Page 73 of Dare to Fall

“I envy that.”

“Envy what?” I asked.

She set her plate down on the coffee table and scooted closer to me. “How you have so much conviction in what you believe in. You’re grounded in your thoughts, and I really admire that. If I were more like you, I would have saved myself a lot of grief.”

I took her hand in mine, planting a soft kiss to the back of her hand. “It takes time, Eva. First, you have to discover what your beliefs are. What you value most in life. Then, stand confident in them, and don’t let someone else tell you how you should be or think.” I tucked a strand of her auburn hair behind her ear. “You may not see it, but you’ve already started the process.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, first you decided that becoming a doctor isn’t what you want to do. You’ve re-discovered your love of photography, and that’s a huge step.”

She let out an exasperated sigh. “Yeah, but I wasted three years of my life pursuing a major that doesn’t even bring me joy. Now I feel like I’ve trapped myself in that decision. I have to keep on the path I’ve started.”

“Who says?” I challenged her.

“Everyone!” She raised her hands in the air with an exasperated look on her face. “I have tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. Everyone I know already thinks I’m going to medical school. The only people who know about my love of photography are my parents and a few of my close friends. How in the hell am I supposed to turn it all around when I hardly have any experience in the field I actually love?”

I could tell she was feeling frantic. The way her chocolate-brown eyes grew slightly wider and how her chest rose and fell with rapid breaths.

She was afraid.

“Eva, it’s never too late to change your mind. To do what you love. I think the worst regret a person could have is asking themselves ‘what if.’ It’s clear to me that photography is your passion. And you’re a brilliant woman who is capable of achieving anything you set your mind to. You were already on track to getting into an excellent medical school, and it wasn’t even something you enjoyed doing. Imagine what you would be capable of if you put your energy into something that makes you happy.”

She bit her lower lip in thought, and I had to push down the surge of desire that coursed through me, making me want to take her lip between my own teeth.

“So, what do I do? How do I make this work?” A phantom of a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

“As far as your coursework goes, I think I might be able to help with that.”

Eva cocked her head to the side and furrowed her brows.

“My mother…she’s the president of the university.”

“What?!” Eva squeaked. “Your mother is the president ofmyuniversity, and you’re just now telling me this?”

I waited for that familiar hesitancy to dig into my mind as I revealed the power that my mother held. But it never came.

“It’s really not a big deal. But I think if you were willing to talk to her, she might be able to get some of your science courses shifted so you could better focus on developing your art skills.”

Eva shook her head. “I can’t ask her to do something like that for me, Garth. It’d be too much.”

“It’s part of her job, making sure that her students are happy and get what they need from the university. If she’s able to help, I know she’d be happy to do it.”

“Really?” Her smile broadened.

I placed my beer on the table and climbed toward her, pulling her into my lap. She nestled her head onto my chest as I wrapped my arms around her.

Tilting my head down, I whispered into her ear, “Yes, really.” Then, I gripped her chin and tilted her head back. Her lips were soft and warm against mine as I kissed her. A quiet whimper escaped from her lips as I deepened the kiss, rolling my tongue across hers in long needy strokes.

When we came up for air, Eva reached up and brushed a finger down the side of my face.

“And what about you, Garth? What are your next steps to pursue your passion?”

A fluttering sensation hummed in my chest as my mind trailed back to the email that was still waiting in my draft folder.

“I’ve actually been in the process of submitting my artwork to Studio 628. It’s a prestigious gallery in Manhattan. Only a few artists have been shown there, so it’s highly competitive. But I figured it’s worth a shot.” My throat tightened as I thought about the unsent email that made me feel like a coward.

“That’s amazing, Garth!” She gave me a squeeze. “I know it will work out for you. Your art is incredible. There’s no way they could say no.”

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