Page 45 of The Man in the Painting

Abram holds out his hands to me with an expectant smile on his handsome face. I place my hands in his, distinctly aware of the impossible increase in my heartbeat and the fluttering feeling in my stomach.

“I want you, Melody,” Abram says, looking directly into my eyes. “All of you. These things that I feel for you are strange and scary. But I’ve thought about it and don’t want to stop. I know I’m being selfish, but I already warned you... Now, I can’t bear the thought of you with anyone else. I want everything, including the title.”

“Wh...What are you talking about?” I ask, swallowing nervously. My throat has gone dry, and my chest is so tight I can barely breathe.

“Please, be my girlfriend,” Abram says, keeping his eyes on mine. “I...I know it’s sudden, and we haven’t known each other for that long but I...”

“Yes.”

Abram leans forward eagerly, his hands tightening significantly around mine. “I promise you I’ve thought long and hard about....” He freezes, blinking at me in surprise. “What? Did you say yes?”

“Yes,” I say with a nod, chuckling through my tears.

I can’t believe this is actually happening.

I can barely hold back the urge to burst into tears and bawl from too much happiness.

“Yes, as in you said yes or yes as in you’ll be my girlfriend?”

I laugh because it’s all I can do. “Yes, to both. I’ll be your girlfriend.”

Abram’s eyes soften.

He holds my gaze for the longest time, allowing me to see into his soul. There I clearly saw his genuineness and vulnerability.

He lets go of one of my hands to pick up his wine glass.

“A toast?” he asks, raising his wine glass. “To us.”

I pick my wine glass and clink it against his. “To us.”

Us.

The word sounds strangely yet perfect.

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