by Kay Bigelow
“Honestly, it all happened so fast and all at once. Besides, you’re only the third person I have told.”
“It’s nine o’clock. We need to go see if my life is about to turn happy again.”
They strolled toward the Bonnehomme Gallery as if Lauren’s life wasn’t about to again change forever.
When they entered the gallery, Lauren scanned the crowd for Alex, but didn’t see her anywhere. What if she isn’t here? Take a deep breath. Why wouldn’t she attend her own showing?
They walked around the gallery looking at the paintings on the walls. Lauren saw two paintings she wanted—one was of the stained glass window in the library with the sun shining through the glass and casting a rainbow of colors onto the floor. She had stood just like the woman in the painting. The second painting she wanted was of an older woman and a younger woman sharing a pot of tea in a kitchen. Lauren knew the two women were herself and April. She continued to stroll through the gallery while keeping an eye out for both the gallery owner and Alex. Lauren stopped to admire a painting that was full of color and action while Lindsey moved around a corner. She was back in a moment. “Come on. You’ve got to see this painting.” Lindsey took her hand and pulled her toward the corner. When she rounded the corner, Lauren stopped so suddenly that Lindsey bumped into her.
“It’s by Alex,” Lindsey whispered, stating the obvious.
Lauren was stunned. She glanced at the card beside the painting. “The Shower by Alex Aoki.” That’s me! And Alex. In a shower!
“Isn’t that you and Alex?”
“Yes.”
“Girlfriend, that is the most sensuous, sexy thing I’ve ever seen in my life. You have got to buy it.”
“I can’t. It’s already sold.”
“Do you like it?” a stranger’s voice said behind her.
“Yes, I do. Very much,” Lauren said, turning around to the woman who spoke.
“I’m Lucia DelAlessio.”
Lauren looked the woman over. She saw an older woman, slim and dressed impeccably in a black suit with a pale celadon shirt, both obviously tailored for her. Her eyes were her best feature, a leonine hazel. She had a killer smile to go with her gorgeous eyes. She was beautiful. Lauren felt a twinge of…what? Jealousy. At a gut level, she sensed this woman was a rival for Alex’s affections.
“Lauren O’Brien.”
“Are you a friend of the artist?”
“Are you?”
“Oh, yes. I’m pleased to say I’m Alex’s patron and agent.”
Oh my God, this is the woman Alex has been sleeping with. What do I say? What do I do?
“What does that mean in this day and age?” Lauren asked with a fake smile.
Lindsey coughed behind her at her impertinence.
“It means I ensure she has the means to paint and not worry about the mundane matters of the world, like making a living.”
“That’s awfully generous of you.”
“She’s very talented, as you can see. You said you like this painting.”
“I do.”
“Why?”
Lauren looked back at the painting. “The two women seem alive. You can feel the depth of their feelings for one another.”
Lauren looked at Lucia and caught her glancing from the painting to herself and back again. “You’re the woman in the painting. You’re the woman with Alex.”
“Is that a problem?” Lauren asked.
“Not at all. I’ve wondered for a while when she would find someone she could truly love.”
To say Lucia’s words were a surprise was putting it mildly. Lucia is apparently very astute. She sees the painting for what it is—a homage to their love. Lauren sensed that Lucia wasn’t exactly telling the truth when she said meeting the other woman in the painting wasn’t a problem for her.
“Excuse me. I have to talk to a few people about Alex. It was nice meeting you, Lauren.”
“It was nice meeting you, Lucia.”
“What was that about?” Lindsey asked after Lucia walked away.
“I don’t know.”
“Do you really believe she doesn’t have a problem with you and Alex and that painting?”
“I certainly wouldn’t be okay with it if the shoe were on the other foot.”
“The shoe is on the other foot, girlfriend. That woman is why you broke up with Alex.”
“Don’t remind me. She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Lauren asked, not expecting an answer from Lindsey—especially if she knew what was good for her.
Lauren and Lindsey resumed their stroll through the gallery. Lauren stopped long enough to talk with Simone Bonhomme to tell her she wanted to buy the two paintings she’d seen earlier. Lauren continued to scan the art lovers looking for her art lover. But Alex was nowhere to be found. She decided Alex really wasn’t in the gallery. “Let’s get out of here,” she told Lindsey.
“Are you sure? Maybe she’s running late.”
“More likely April told her I’d be here tonight. And she simply doesn’t want to see me. Let’s go.”
Lauren couldn’t, however, leave without seeing The Shower again. She returned to the alcove where The Shower hung. She stared at the sketch, knowing she and Alex could have shared that love for the rest of their lives, and she had foolishly let it slip through her fingers because she wouldn’t listen to Alex’s explanation.
As she stood staring at the two women in the painting, she felt the space behind her change. She didn’t want to be interrupted by a stranger, but she knew she had to yield her position to someone else.
“She’s beautiful isn’t she?” Alex’s sultry voice whispered.
“She is all that and so much more.”
Lauren turned toward Alex and slowly ran her gaze over her, noting the slight bulge on the left side at the apex of her legs. She blushed slightly and was instantly turned on. When she looked at Alex, she was smiling.
“I’ve missed you so much,” Alex said.
“God, I missed you, too. I’ve been such a fool. I hope you can forgive me.”
“Only if you promise to marry me.”
When Lauren had turned toward Alex, she’d seen Lucia in the doorway to the alcove. She was watching them and still was. Lauren froze where she was, not knowing what to do. Alex put her hand on Lauren’s cheek.
“I need to hold you,” she said.
“Lucia…”
“Lucia knows I love you more than anything, including my painting.”
“I’ve wanted this so much,” Lauren murmured.
Alex drew Lauren into her arms and held her tight.
They stood holding each other until someone shouted, “Mazel tov.” Others began clapping. Lauren looked around and found a small crowd had gathered. Someone sniffled; another handed her a Kleenex.
Alex grinned at Lauren with such pure joy on her face, tears sprang to Lauren’s eyes.
Alex dipped her in as perfect an imitation of a movie kiss as ever there had been. When she drew her upright, she gently wiped the tears from Lauren’s cheek.
“Hi. My name is Lindsey. I’m her best friend. I’m responsible for getting you two back together.”
“Nonsense, young woman. Evita and I are responsible for that,” April said as she came up to them.
“I don’t care which of you is responsible or if you all are. She loves me and that’s all I’ve wanted from the moment I saw her,” Alex said.
Much later, Alex and Lauren lay on their sides staring into each other’s eyes. They’d only been in the hotel room for a few minutes. They couldn’t wait to get their clothes off, barely holding out until Lauren had closed and locked the door.
“You are so beautiful,” Lauren said.
“I want you so much.”
“You can have me anytime and in any way you want.”
“Promises, promises,” Alex said.
Lauren leaned in and kissed Alex. “Thank you for allowing me back into your life in spite of my being a stupid ass.”
“I l
ove you, Lauren. Now and forever.”
Lauren’s blood immediately began pounding through her body. Alex quickly had Lauren running along the edge of an orgasm. Lauren’s mind was empty except for the sensations caused by Alex’s hands as they moved over her and then into her. When she came, she felt like she’d fallen over a precipice so deep she’d never be able to climb out. Alex held her until her mind wandered back into place.
Lauren had no words for what had just happened, but she knew she could show Alex. As her mouth and hands moved down Alex’s exquisite body, she tuned her mind to Alex. She listened to her breathing and the words she said on the exhale. She watched as Alex took the sheets into her hands and held on. She felt Alex’s body begin to tense as she neared her orgasm. She could feel the beginnings of Alex’s orgasm as she tightened around her fingers inside her. Please don’t stop me, please don’t stop me. She saw Alex reach for her hand and knew she’d be halted as Alex put her hand on her wrist. Lauren reluctantly slowed down knowing Alex would undoubtedly tell her to stop.
“Don’t stop. Please don’t stop,” Alex whispered.
Lauren returned to the pace she’d set before Alex put her hand around Lauren’s wrist, Alex continued to grip Lauren’s wrist, but didn’t stop her.
In seconds, Alex came like a tsunami crashing on shore and leaving nothing behind it but devastation. Lauren stopped and moved up Alex.
“Don’t move,” Alex said as Lauren moved to slide off Alex.
When Alex’s breath returned to near normal, she said, “I’ve never felt anything like what you just made me feel.”
“Thank you for not stopping me,” Lauren said.
Later, as they were holding one another and sleep was about to take them over, Alex leaned in to kiss her and Lauren whispered “Alex” like it was a prayer.
Epilogue
Fourteen Months Later
After Alex’s successful one-woman show, they returned to their original plan of dating and taking things slowly. Until January they’d had a mild winter, but then January arrived full-blown with an arctic storm that stalled out over their region. One day it had been light jacket weather, the next the temperature had dropped into the teens and fifteen inches of snow had fallen on the ground.
One early evening, Lauren was reading a new textbook she was thinking of using in her Corporate Law class she had agreed to teach at a nearby community college in the spring. She was sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace, Serena lying next to her with her head resting in her lap and Max stretched out in his bed near the fireplace. Lauren smiled and thought it was a perfect picture of domesticity. Only Alex was missing from the scene.
A loud pounding on Lauren’s front door brought her to her feet and Serena to the door, barking her displeasure with having her early evening nap disturbed. A quick look out the small pane of glass set into the door told her Alex was stamping her feet, waiting to be let in.
“Alex, I was just thinking about you, and here you are.”
“That must mean you’re powerfully attracted to me to get me out on a night like tonight.”
“Why are you out on a night like tonight?”
“Are you going to invite me in or send this weary traveler on her way?” Alex asked with a grin.
“Come in, come in.”
Alex bent and picked up two backpacks and something wrapped in what looked like a raincoat that was tied shut with twine.
“Don’t worry, I’m not moving in,” Alex said.
“Why not?”
“Haven’t been asked.”
“What have you got there?”
“One of the backpacks has my toothbrush and jammies in it. The other has paints, brushes, and other accoutrements.”
“And the big package?”
“Canvases.”
“You didn’t answer my question about why you’re out in this storm,” Lauren said as she helped Alex out of her heavy winter jacket.
“I was missing you and the next thing I knew, I was packed and in the car.”
“You say the sweetest things.”
Alex put her hand on Lauren’s shoulder to steady herself while she struggled out of her snow boots. When she finally got the boots off, she drew Lauren close and kissed her. “Now, I’m better. Where do you want me to put this stuff?”
“Put your jammies on the stairs and put your painting stuff in the library. That way, if the sun ever comes out again, you’ll be ready to paint.”
Alex laughed. She had mentioned once that the library would make a great studio if Lauren ever wanted to begin her art career. “You remembered.”
“Of course I remembered. I remember every word you’ve said to me.”
Lauren was in the kitchen when Alex returned from her trip upstairs. After she let Serena in from the backyard, Lauren asked, “Which do you want? Hot chocolate or coffee?”
“Definitely hot chocolate.”
Lauren added a cup of milk to the milk already heating on the stove. Five minutes later, they were ensconced on the couch in the living room with their mugs warming their hands. Alex had put another log on the fire and they sat in companionable silence.
“I want you to move in with me, love,” Lauren said.
“I was just joking earlier.”
“I’m not.”
“I know you’re not, and I love you for it. From the looks of the forecast, we’ll have plenty of time to talk about all that over the next several days. We’ll make it happen. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Great. Now tell me, how is Lindsey settling into being a country bumpkin?”
Lauren laughed, remembering how Lindsey had sworn she’d never move to the country since she had everything she needed and wanted in the City. At the time, though, she hadn’t had Jane, her wife of three months, in her life.
“She’s still floating on air and she’s loving the country life. They put an offer on some acreage about a mile up the road and want to build a house there when the ground warms up enough for the builders to lay down a foundation.”
“Then it sounds like the new house won’t be the only construction in her life. April says they only have to settle on a name for the restaurant and they’ll be ready to start renovating the building they bought downtown. They’re hoping to open their doors in spring after Mud Season is over.”
“I’m glad it’s all working out for them.”
“Me, too. Speaking of relationships, what’s the latest with Evita and April?” Lauren asked.
“That’s a little more complicated. April told me that she and Evita are too old to get married again. She gleefully said they were going to ‘live in sin’ for the rest of their lives. They are, apparently, quite happy with their lives together since Evita moved in with April.”
“How wonderful for them. I’m glad they finally admitted that they’d never fallen out of love with each other.”
“I need to tell you something. I want you to know I’ve had long talks with April and Lucia.”
“April?” Lauren was confused by the juxtaposition of Lucia and April.
“April’s agreed to come out of retirement to be my money manager and CPA.”
“I had no idea that had been her occupation. I guess I let my corporate experience of CPAs get in the way. Still, I can’t picture your fun-loving grandmother dressed in a dark power suit, white shirt, and a dark tie,” Lauren said, laughing at the thought.
Alex grinned. “She left that all behind her when she retired.”
“Thank goodness. I’m sorry I interrupted your narrative.”
“Anyway, with that firmly in place, I thought I needed to reevaluate things—again—with Lucia. Now that I have sales coming regularly on the heels of the first showing and the other exhibitions over the last year, I’m not comfortable taking Lucia’s money. I’ve needed to feel like I can stand on my own two feet financially before I could move on and take the next step with you in our relationship. But you know all that.”
Lauren watched
Alex, looking for signs of regret or a change of mind, but saw nothing of that on Alex’s face.
“Recently, we had another conversation. I told her I wanted to marry you, if you’d have me. She said she’d known the day would come when I’d find someone to truly love, and that she was thrilled my art was blossoming along with my heart. I told her I still needed her to be my agent, and that I would never trust anyone else as much as I trust her with my career,” Alex said, her voice breaking.
Lauren waited patiently to find out what was making Alex so emotional.
“I made her cry, Lauren. I never expected that. I expected her to be okay with it or angry, but I never in a million years expected her to cry. The bottom line is that the monthly stipend is over, but she will still be a part of my life as my agent. I hope you’re okay with that.”
“Of course, I’m okay with that,” Lauren said, surprised that she was even more than okay with that.
“By the way, I got a note from my parents yesterday,” Alex said. “They’ve invited us to visit them in Japan again this spring. What do you think?”
“We had such a good time last time, let’s do it again. But don’t you have a couple of shows in March and April?”
“I do, but we could go later in the spring. I want to get away from the major cities. I’ve had the idea to do a series of paintings with a real Japanese feel to them. I can only get that by getting out of the cities. There are a few museums I’d like to see, too.”
“Sounds like the perfect working holiday for you. And fun for me, too.”
“Okay, I’ll let them know we’d like to visit again. I’ll give them a couple of dates after you approve them, and I’ll let them know we’ll be spending time in the countryside.”
Again an easy silence came between them.
“I’ll say it again. I want you to move in with me, love.”
“Okay, good. I’ve got the U-Haul attached to my car out in your driveway.”
“What?”
“Just joking. I’d love to move in with you. I love you.”
“I love you, too. I hope you brought more than your jammies because you may be here until Mud Season begins in the spring.”
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