Page 25 of It Started with a Kiss
Rolling my eyes, I rubbed my palms over my face. ‘I should’ve kept my mouth shut.’
I watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down and the open gawk was replaced by a wide grin. ‘Bloody hell, you’re amazing. Absolutely bloody amazing. Your pictures... honestly, nothing two dimensional haseverbeen able to make me feel such... such a range of emotions, Star. Oh, God. Now I sound like a groupie. Forgive me. I’m just... I’m blown away. Iloveyour work.’
Tingles ran the length of my spine as I listened to him enthuse aboutmypictures. I’d never particularly felt proud of something before, but the way Fin spoke made me straighten my back a little more and hold my head up. ‘Really?’
‘The image of Edinburgh castle at night with the silhouette of the lovers. Wow... just...wow. I get goosebumps whenever I stand in my living room looking at it.’
I scrunched my brow in confusion. ‘I don’t remember seeing it when I was there.’
‘No. Most of my artwork was in boxes when I left my old apartment. I finished putting things on the wall this last week. Wow. I can’t get my head around the fact that it’s you. Ilovethat it’s you.’ His voice trailed off and I met his penetrating gaze that told me there was more behind what he was saying.
Butterflies took flight in my stomach and hope flourished inside of me. ‘Well, thank you. It’s good to know my work is appreciated.’
‘Do you ever do exhibitions or anything like that?’ he asked, with obvious enthusiasm.
‘Oh, no. I have my work in a few small outlets, but no. No plans to exhibit. I do it for myself mainly. Because I love producing images. And anyway, I don’t think anyone would be interested.’
His responding wide-eyed stare of incredulity shocked me. ‘You’re wrong. So wrong, Star.Ilove your photographs, and I can guarantee others would too. You should consider it. In fact...’
Narrowing my eyes again, I wondered what was going through his mind. ‘In fact what?’
He waved a dismissive hand. ‘Oh, nothing. Forget it. But I would love to see more of your work. If you’d like to show it to me.’
I couldn’t help giggling like a teenager. ‘Hmm, maybe I should invite you up to see my etchings.’
He laughed, throwing his head back, and I could’ve melted on the spot. That voice, that laugh, that smile.
Sheesh, I wastotallydone for.
15
Fin
After taking Star for breakfast, we went for a walk through the Princes Street Gardens, and she pointed out some of her favourite places to shoot. Every so often, she snapped a shot of a view that caught her eye, and on a couple of occasions, she snapped shots of me when I was supposedly focused elsewhere. She was absolutely fascinating. And when she spoke about her art, her face glowed, and her eyes danced with the passion she clearly felt, soul-deep, for her work.
I didn’t want to make any more mistakes with her, and I decided I would ask her the question that had almost been burning my tongue off all morning. ‘So... would you like to go for dinner with me sometime?’
She stopped and I followed suit, turning to face her. She pursed her lips and snapped a shot of me as I waited with a crumpled brow for her answer. ‘I’m not sure if I’ve totally forgiven you yet.’
I stepped closer to her and stuck out my bottom lip. ‘Pwetty pweez go on a date with me.’
She giggled and shook her head, taking another candid shot. ‘Urgh! It’s against my better judgement, but okay.’
My heart somersaulted in my chest. ‘You’re saying yes?’
She rolled her eyes and nodded. ‘I’m saying yes.’
‘Fantastic!’ I fought the urge to hug her, deciding to be a gentleman instead. ‘So, can I pick you up tonight? Say around eight?’
‘Wow, you don’t waste any time, huh?’
I laughed. ‘Strike whilst the iron’s hot, I say.’
‘Okay. Eight tonight. Where are we going?’
‘How about Café Andaluz?’
Nodding, she told me, ‘Oh, I love tapas. It reminds me of my abuela. Sounds great.’
