The Art of Love
Page 24
“Marina,” he gasps against my lips.
“Are you doing anything today?” I ask. He shakes his head. “I was thinking about seeing a movie and getting some take-out after. Want to join me?”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
“I’d like that. Does that mean...”
“Well, I can’t promise anything.” I pull back so I can see his entire face. “We still have a lot of things we need to talk about and deal with. But I do want to do this for real this time. No more pretenses, no pretending to be something I’m not. Just me and you.”
His grin widens as he sighs with relief. This is the Fitz I like, the charming and ever so sweet young man whose smile is infectious and who throws himself into everything with such passion. This is the man who changed my life and filled my mind with new possibilities and feelings I’d only dreamed of experiencing before. The one who left me so confused and infuriated and alive.
The one who adores me.
The one I want to adore.
“That sounds perfect to me,” he says, kissing both of my cheeks before moving back to my lips. “There are some more paintings by this guy upstairs. We should go check them out.”
“Lead the way.”
We stroll slowly through the gallery together, never letting go of each other’s hands, and everything feels so right. I have no doubt that things won’t be easy for us. After all, we’ve both got far more problems than we’re willing to admit. There’s so much we need to confront, both together and apart, but finally, after a lifetime of fear and timidity, I’m ready to live my life. I’m ready to be myself, to discover who I actually am. I’m not normal and I never will be, but then again, where’s the fun in that?
I’m ready to live and love and adore, as myself and only as myself.
I walk with Fitz hand in hand through the corridors, ready to let him into my life.
Marina and Fitz’s story continues in THE PRICE OF LOVE, coming Fall 2013.