"I'm just a few blocks away. I'm at a place called The Vintage, I think." I spoke breathlessly.
It was necessary for me to do a quick check in the mirror before I rushed out of the door, so I ran into the bathroom and gave myself a once over, tucking and fluffing here and there.
"I'm getting in the elevator, too." I said, even though I wasn't quite to that point yet. I flashed my teeth in the mirror to make sure nothing was stuck between them.
"I know the place," Theo said. "I'll head in that direction."
"Do you want to stay on the phone the whole time?" I asked.
"It's up to you," Theo said.
Before I could tell him my opinion, I heard murmuring voices and background noise, and then I heard Theo begin speaking again. After only a few words, I realized he wasn't talking to me.
"Lane, she's awake. Hey, bro, she's awake, man. (pause) Caroline. Yes. I'm on the phone with her right now. (pause) I knew it, man, I told you. I'm going over there right now, she's in New—hey Zoe, you were probably right about seeing Caroline today, she was here. (pause) I swear. Right now. She's here. I'm talking to her right now. I’m going there. (pause) Three months ago. I gotta go, I'll be back in a few. (pause and rustling) Thank you!" Theo called. "You there?" he asked in a quieter tone aimed at the phone. "I'm sorry. You there, Caroline?"
I had a huge smile on my face as a result of the comments he made to his friends. I could tell by the things he said and the way he said them that he loved me, and it made me ache to get to him. There was literally a tingling ache in my whole body.
"I'm here," I said.
"Where are you?"
"Here," I said.
"Exactly where is here?" he asked.
"The elevator in my hotel."
"Okay, I'm already on the street," he said. "I'm headed your way. We're on opposite sides, but I'll cross to your side."
"Okay, so you'll be on my side?" I asked.
"Yes, I'll be on your side. Don't cross over."
My palms were sweaty, and I paced the elevator. It stopped on the second floor, and a lady got in, taking her dear sweet time stepping on as if we had all the time in the world. Once she was securely inside, I reached out and hit the button for the first floor again just to encourage the doors to close. They did. I had the phone to my ear this whole time. Theo wasn't talking, and I knew from the background noise that he was walking on the street. I feared that the lady would turn around and make conversation with me, but she didn't. She just stood, facing the elevator door and not looking at me at all.
"I can see the flags on your hotel," Theo said. "I'm on the same side, now. It's getting dark out here. Be careful. You can just wait in front of your hotel if you want. I'll be there in just a minute."
We finally made it to the lobby, and I zigzagged around the lady since she was moving slower than me. I walked quickly through the lobby and then out onto the sidewalk while still holding my phone to my ear. I turned in the direction of S&S, scanning the sidewalk for any sign of Theo. There wasn't a ton of pedestrian traffic, but I still didn't see him right away. I started walking in his direction.
"I'm on the sidewalk," I said breathlessly.
"Ohhhh, I see you Caroline. I can't believe my eyes. Blue shirt. Oh, God, it's you."
It was obvious by the rustling noise and the sound of his voice that he was moving quickly, and I scanned horizon, looking for anyone that fit his description.
And then I saw him.
He'd been behind a group of people, but he caught up to them and moved to the side, and there he was—staring at me with only about the distance of city block between us.
I waved and he waved back. I watched as he turned off his phone and slipped it into his back pocket. I did the same with mine.
I headed toward him as best I could, but I felt as though we were walking in slow motion. I got to the end of my block, and he gestured with an uplifted finger for me to stay on the corner, and that he would come to me.
I could barely breathe as Theo closed the remaining distance. He had dark hair and features, and he moved with a certain bodily awareness that made me know he was athletic. I knew him as the boy in the library, and more than that, I knew him in my heart.
I stood motionless as I watched him approach, knowing in my innermost being that I loved this man. Not just because he was gorgeous either, but also because I knew by his expression that he loved me back. I smiled and waved, and Theo just shook his head, as he closed the remaining few steps. He moved as if he was about to reach in and swoop me off my feet but then he hesitated right before he grabbed me. "Is it okay if I… " He trailed off, touching my shoulders with the utmost control and restraint as if he was afraid I might shatter to pieces if he moved too quickly. I smiled at him, and it caused him to pull away from me and clinch his fists and then wipe his face with hands as he stared upward. His face wiggled and squirmed the way men do when they don't want to cry. He took a deep breath before focusing on me again. He looked into my eyes for a few seconds and then glanced away, blinking. I could see tears forming in his eyes and it made the same thing happen in mine. My eyes stung with the pain of unshed tears.
"Don't," I said.
"I can't help it," he said, staring straight into my eyes.
I was so swept away by staring at him, that I didn't even realize he had taken me into his arms and was now holding me. There was a little foot traffic on the sidewalk, but neither of us acknowledged the people walking by. He held me close to him with both hands around my back, and we completely ignored our surroundings.
"Do you know this is the first time I've ever seen you?" I whispered. "As a man, I mean—and in person. I'm checking you out."
He shifted a little to stare towards one side and then the other, letting me take a look at both sides of his face. "Feel free to take it all in, but just so you know, it's too late to change your mind. I'm planning on holding you to all that stuff you committed to already."
"I'm pretty sure I won't mind being held to whatever I told you," I said with a smile.
"Good, because we're already a thing, you and me. You already told me you love me and everything."
"I did?" I asked. "I thought we just spent one weekend together. Did I really say that?"
"No," he said, smiling. "Not in English, at least. But you should. I know you do."
I grinned. "It seems crazy for me to even say this, but I think you're right. I think I do."
"I know you do," he said. "You just have to remember."
"Or I could just feel it new."
"Yep, or you could feel it new," he said. "I stayed in a really nice house with a pool when I was in Florida with you. I pulled you into the deep end, and we swam in our clothes, and then I kissed you."
I laughed as I touched his cheeks with my fingertips. I wanted desperately to relive the moment he was describing. I closed my eyes and thought of what it would be like seeing him in a swimming pool.
"What?" he asked when he saw me close my eyes.
"I was imagining being in this same position only in a pool."
He grinned. "It was good."
I glanced at our current city-street surroundings. "This is pretty good, too."
"Yep. I really don't care where we are. I'm just shocked that you're standing here talking to me, Caroline. It's seriously a miracle. I knew it wasn't right that just when I found you I lost you. I knew you had to come back to me. I felt it." He smiled. "And I'm pretty much a professional at praying by now, so there's that."
"I'm still amazed that you're my fake Canadian boyfriend from middle school," I said. "It's crazy that I got in touch with you."
That comment caused Theo to speak in French, which made me grip his arms tightly as I listened intently. He finished what he was saying, and I made a little whimpering noise, telling him I hated that it was over. He gave me a half smile as he said another phrase in his first language.
"What'd you say?" I asked.
"You don't want to know," he said
.
"I think you're right," I said. "I think I like not knowing what you're saying when you speak French."
"I know. You already told me that."
"Did I?"
He nodded. "You told me lots of things."
"I did?"
"Uh-huh."
"Like what?"
He shrugged. "Lots of things."
I couldn't stop looking at his face, and specifically his mouth. I had memorized it when I was a little girl, and there it was, the same sweet mouth that gave me my very first kiss. I traced the soft indention of his upper lip.
"I'm having trouble remembering what you said a minute ago about the swimming pool," I said. "You said you came down to Florida, and we got in the pool, and…" I trailed off, pretending that I actually couldn’t remember.
"I didn't just kiss you once, either," he said.
"No?"
He shook his head, looking me over with an appraising grin. "No. We did it lots of times." He leaned closer to me. He stared at my mouth like he was about to do it, and I unintentionally held my breath.
"What did we do?" I asked, feeling like I'd do or say anything to get him to put his lips on mine.
"We kissed," he said.
"I remember you kissing me when we were kids," I said. "Is that what you're talking about?"
He shook his head seriously. "No, no, not that," he said. "No, I'm talking about something more recent than that." He put his mouth where it was only an inch or two from mine.
"You mean I've done this before?" I whispered breathlessly.
He nodded. "I think you can remember if you try hard enough."
I squeezed my eyes shut tight as if trying to remember and then I opened them, noticing that we were still standing torturously close. "You might have to remind me," I said.
I felt his warm breath on my lips as he whispered, "Caroline, you're really here with me."
I smiled. "You knew I would be," I said.
He nodded. "You're right, I did."
Chapter 17
I had to do it.
I couldn’t wait anymore.
I had to kiss him right there in the middle of the sidewalk in New York City. I wanted to let him kiss me first, but I just couldn't fight the urge any longer. I had to do it. I tugged on his arms, pulling him the remaining inches toward me. His hand was around my back, and we were so close that we were almost touching, but I tugged at him anyway. He gave me a sly grin and made a noise in his chest like he thought my gesture was interesting. He glanced down at his elbow where I had tugged, and then back at me with an eyebrow raised. His expression said that he enjoyed my flirting, and that made me smile.
"Did we contact each other because we said we were gonna get married when we were thirty?" I asked.
He looked me over with a somewhat surprised expression as if it was really sinking in for him that I couldn’t remember our time together. "You told me something about that, but I had no idea what you were saying at the time."
"You mean when we were kids?"
He nodded. "I barely understood you back then. I spent much of my youth thinking you lived in Carolina because of your name."
"Mom and Katie knew a little bit about that weekend we spent together in Florida, but I'm sure you and I said things to each other that they knew nothing about."
He gave me a slow nod. "Yeah, we did."
"Like what happened in the pool," I said, shamelessly hinting. I really had no shame whatsoever. I wanted to kiss him so badly, that I would have said anything.
"What do you think happened in the pool?" he asked. His mouth was so close to mine that his lips brushed mine just barely.
"You said we kissed," I said desperately.
"We did kiss," he said. "And I'm about to do it again."
I nodded, secretly knowing the movement would cause us to touch. He smiled and let his mouth fully touch mine. I felt warm and gooey, and I leaned forward, molding my body next to his. Theo held me firmly, which was somewhat necessary since my knees were weak. I entered that kiss with such reckless abandon that I gave him no other choice but to hold me and kiss me. He tasted familiar, and I felt a wave of comfort mixed with love and desire and raw passion. It poured through me like hot liquid. It was more than just a kiss; it was a remembrance. I didn't have an epiphany or anything, but my body responded to him in a way that was familiar and natural, and I knew I had felt this for him before.
So, Theo kissed me like nobody was watching right there in the middle of the sidewalk, and then he pulled back, staring at me with a smile. The people who came by walked around us, and Theo seemed in no hurry to acknowledge them or budge an inch. He reached up and touched the side of my face, wearing an awestruck expression.
"You wanna be best friends?" I asked.
The corners of his mouth lifted in a slow smile. "Yes, Caroline, I do."
"Say it in French just so I can make sure," I said.
Theo spoke a few sentences in French, giving a much longer answer than the one he had given in English.
"Did you say 'yes you want to be my best friend'?" I asked.
"Yes, I did," he said.
"What else did you say?"
"I said that if you're going to be my best friend I should take you down the street and introduce you to my other friends. I happen to have a lot of them gathered in one place right now, and I think they'd like to meet you."
"I think they're gathered in your place," I said.
"They are."
"I went in there. It's so nice."
"You're in trouble for going in there and not coming up to me."
"I wasn't sure what kind of reception I would get."
"Didn't your family tell you that I—"
"They did, but it's been a long time. I didn't want to set my heart on you responding a certain way."
"Well, I hope I'm responding in the way of a man who has been waiting desperately for a year and a half for his girlfriend to wake up."
"Am I your girlfriend?" I asked shyly.
"Yes, Caroline, you are," he said. "Are you okay with that? Or would you rather just go ahead and get married?"
I let out a little laugh at the way he was so deadpan. "I'm good with being your girlfriend," I said.
Theo turned me in his arms, positioning me where I could walk next to him.
"Are we going straight back there?" I asked since Theo had begun walking toward S&S.
He nodded. "I thought so. Is that okay?"
"I might have to check myself in a mirror before I meet your friends. I just got kissed."
Theo stopped walking and took the time to look me over with an appraising eye. "You look beautiful," he said. "It's really amazing. I can't believe you're here. This is the craziest night ever. I feel like I'm dreaming."
The light changed, and Theo pulled me across the street, using an arm around my shoulder. Theo walked slowly but steadily toward the collective asking me questions the whole time. He asked about Elroy, and I told him about the way he went crazy when I first got back. He knew about my brother naming his little girl after me, and we talked about that, too. He seemed confident to navigate the lights and steer me in the right direction, so I just went along beside him not even paying attention to where I was going. It was for this reason that it took me by surprise when I looked up to find that we were at the doors of the gallery.
"I'm too nervous," I said my before we walked inside. "What am I going to say?"
"Nothing," he said. "Or something if you want. Nothing or something."
Theo didn't even give me the chance to be shy or second-guess going in. He opened the door and gently pulled me alongside him, passing entire groups of people as we made our way to the center of the gallery. Just about everyone we passed turned to look at us, but Theo seemed to be headed toward a certain group.
"Oh my goodness, are you serious? Oh Theo, is this her?" The girl I recognized as Zoe was basically yelling across the room from her place at the center of the action.
&
nbsp; Theo and I kept walking until we reached her along with a group of about eight or ten other people. Zoe reached out and hugged me.
"Oh, my word, girl, I cannot tell you how happy this man is right now. Not even an hour ago, I was trying to pressure him into going out with a friend of mine, and he wasn't having any part of that." Zoe said that whole phrase in hushed tones and a rushed manner because she knew everyone else was coming to stand around us. She hugged me as she said it, and then she stepped back, smiling at both of us.
"She did try to get me to cheat on you earlier," Theo whispered in a tongue in cheek way that no one else heard. He stepped in front of me, pointing at the people who had just gathered around us, starting with the girl all the way on the left. "This is Sarah," he said. "She's married to Collin Ross. One of their restaurants is responsible for the catering tonight, which was very good by the way."
She smiled. "Thank you. I'll tell Collin you were pleased."
"Where is Collin?" Theo asked, looking around.
"He's at home with Harper. We had a babysitter, but she wasn't feeling great, and she wanted Daddy, so he decided to stay. I'm headed back home, too. I just wanted to stop by and see the collection." Sarah smiled at me since she had our attention. "I'm so happy to meet you," she said. "Zoe and Lane were just telling us your story. We knew Theo had some stuff happen down in Florida, but I never knew the extent of it. I never knew he was waiting for… Anyway, I'm really happy for you. That's such an amazing story."
"Did you just wake up one day?" It was another girl who asked the question, and I scanned the group, trying to figure out who said it. A dark haired girl smiled at me and reached out to shake my hand. "I'm Lu," she said.
"Hi, Lu, I'm Caroline." I scanned the whole group and waved. "Hey everyone."
Zoe stepped forward and hugged me again. I thought she was just barely going to do it, but she squeezed me tightly. "Oh my goodness, Theo, she's the sweetest thing ever." She pulled back and looked at me adoringly the way a family member would. "I saw you today when you walked by on the sidewalk. Do you remember seeing me?"
"Yes I do, and I saw you in the documentary. You're a really amazing painter."
My American Angel (Shower & Shelter Artist Collective Book 6) Page 11
