Painted Over

by Sofi Keren

  She’d wanted to have a chance to go home, shower, and make herself look nice before seeing Ria again, but there was no time. Running a hand through her hair, this would have to do.

  She squinted at the car before she made her way over. Was Ria sitting inside? No, it was only Henry. She had another twenty-minute car ride before they reached the Worth house. She wasn’t sure her heart could take it.

  Henry saw her and jogged over to the bus, insisting on helping her with her bag. Paige marveled at the gray in his hair. In her mind, he’d always be the dad in his mid-thirties, running the length of the soccer field alongside the kids, cheering them on. But he was getting older. And that must mean she was too.

  “How was Chicago?” he asked as he drove them toward the house. “Was the city windy?”

  Paige laughed courteously. “It actually was, mostly when I was up three stories and trying to paint in the middle of the night.”

  “Mila showed me the pictures. It looks beautiful. We’re talking about taking a trip up there to see it, and Mila wants to see a show. Wicked, I think.”

  “She would love that. The show, I mean. So how have the wedding preparations been? I’m sure Mila has been a flurry of activity.”

  “You have no idea. She’s been absolutely loving it. You know she loves to plan a party, so a wedding in two weeks? Challenge accepted.”

  “Where did they decide to have the wedding?”

  “Well, I don’t want to get in trouble by telling you too much myself. All I’ll say is, the plans are very much a combination of Mila, Brandon and Elena, and some wacky ideas from Ria.”

  “Fair enough. I’ll let Mila give me the full rundown.”

  The moment they walked in the front door, Mila was calling for them. Paige barely had time to drop her bags before being ushered into the living room, which had been transformed by what looked like the full inventory of a craft store.

  “Oh wow,” Paige said, her eyes wide as she took everything in.

  “Henry thinks I may have gone a little overboard. But everything has a purpose, if there is enough time, of course.”

  “I thought this was a small wedding.”

  “Well, it is. Though I may have invited a few friends to the reception. We want this to be memorable for Elena and Brandon, don’t we?”

  Paige smiled. “I’m sure whatever you do, it will be memorable.”

  Mila stood back, looking Paige up and down. “I think the dress will fit fine. I didn’t have your size, so I had to guess, but I’m good at guessing these things.”

  Mila grabbed a garment bag lying across the back of an armchair and pressed it into Paige’s arms.

  “Take this up to Ria’s room and try it on, and then come down and show me.”

  “Is Ria here?”

  “She’s out with Elena getting her bridal gown altered. Somehow she managed to find something straight off the rack that just needed a few little tweaks. I’m not sure when they’ll be back, but Ria certainly won’t mind if you use her room.”

  “I can just use the bathroom…”

  “Don’t be silly. Ria’s closet has that full-length mirror so you can see how everything looks.”

  Mila hustled her out of the room and up the stairs. Paige hoped Elena had known about Mila’s love of planning things before she announced the wedding. It was certainly too late now to elope.

  Paige paused at Ria’s door. When was the last time she’d been in here? It must have been sometime during college, visiting home for a weekend or a holiday. She felt like she was intruding on Ria’s private space, even though Ria hadn’t lived here for years. Still, her things were here, and she’d been sleeping here for the past month. It felt strange to go in without her. But it would be worse not to follow Mila’s instructions, so she went inside.

  She pushed the door closed behind her. It bounced off the door frame slightly instead of clicking closed, but she instantly forgot anything else as she looked at the wall over Ria’s bed.

  There hung Paige’s painting, the one she’d shown in Florence during grad school and had immediately regretted selling. The one of the doll-like versions her and Ria that she’d painted while the wound was still fresh, with the Ria doll’s hand pulling Paige’s heart from her chest. How… How did it get there?

  Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at the lost piece, which had been here all along. She barely registered the sound of the door opening behind her.

  “I’ve always loved that painting,” Ria said quietly, just behind her. “Even though it’s pretty brutal.” Paige spun around, a look of confusion on her face.

  “How did you…where…” she sputtered.

  Ria looked up at the painting. “I heard about your show from a mutual friend of ours. And I thought, you were in Europe. Maybe it was a sign. Since you were so close, I had to see you.”

  “Barcelona isn’t really that close to France,” Paige interrupted. “I know, I wanted to go there during my trip but I didn’t have time between classes.”

  “Okay. It was something like ten hours on the train, but that didn’t seem like very long compared to an ocean in between us. Anyway, I didn’t care. I found out where your show was, and when I got there it was night, and I could see you through the window. I wanted to go in, but you looked so happy, and I chickened out. I waited until you left. They were just about to close up, but they let me look around first. And I saw this painting. I felt like I got stabbed in the gut, because I knew it was you and me.”

  “Ria…”

  “Even though it was a literal picture of how much I hurt you, I still had to have it. So I bought it, and I made them promise the sale would be anonymous. I didn’t want to hurt you anymore. That’s when I knew I was letting you go. For good. If I did that to you, if I made you feel the way you had to feel to paint like that, I didn’t deserve to be in your life.”

  “And so you brought it home and hung it on the wall?”

  “I asked Mom to hang it up here. I didn’t exactly want it hanging in my house where anyone who visited me would see a version of me ripping out someone’s heart. I didn’t want to be reminded every day of what happened to us. But I liked knowing it was here. It hurt but it reminded me of you.”

  “I never meant for you to see it.”

  “I know.”

  Paige realized she was still holding the dress, and she dropped it on the bed. She turned back to Ria.

  “Do you think some things are too broken to fix?” she asked.

  “Some things, maybe. But not us. We’re resilient, you and me. We’ve lived whole lives in between who we were then and who we are now. I think we’re better now, smarter, but we’re still ourselves. You’re still the one I love deep down in the middle of my heart. If you can forgive me, if we can give ourselves a real chance, I know we could make it.” Ria looked up at her, watching her expression. “But what do you want? Because whatever it is, that’s what I want too. No more deciding for you. This time, it’s your choice.”

  Paige looked at the painting. She looked at Ria. She listened to what her heart called out for. It wanted Ria. It had always wanted her.

  She took a deep breath and crossed the space between them. “You,” she said. “I want you.”

  Ria gave her a brilliant smile, her whole face lighting up. Paige couldn’t help but return it. They stood there, grinning at one another, letting the moment wash over them. Paige pulled Ria close and met her lips, closing her eyes and giving in to what she thought she’d never have again. This was the woman she wanted to spend her whole life with. She knew that for sure.

  A knock at the door surprised them. “Paige?” Mila called through the mostly-closed door. “How does the dress fit?”

  They jumped apart, startled. Ria started to giggle and Paige shot her a look. If Ria started laughing, she knew that would set her off. Apparently making out in her girlfriend’s childhood bedroom meant no matter how old they got, they were still in constant danger of being busted.

  Paige glan
ced down at the untouched dress still lying in its bag on the bed. “It’s great, Mila!” It was too late now if it wasn’t, anyhow.

  “Are you sure? I can take it in a little if you need.”

  “No, it’s perfect. Thank you so much.” Ria wrapped her arms around Paige and held her tight as their bodies shook with suppressed laughter.

  “All right then. You should probably head home to get ready. Just a few hours left before the big event!”

  “Yes, Mila!”

  “And Ria?”

  Ria coughed. “Um, yeah Mom?”

  “It’s about time you two figured it out. I thought I’d never get to turn this room into my yoga studio.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Paige left with a promise to Ria that they would pick up later where they’d left off. Henry offered to drive her, but to keep him from having to go back and forth she insisted on taking an Uber back. She’d go home, get ready, and meet them for the ceremony downtown.

  When she walked in the door to her apartment, she heard cursing coming from Brandon’s room.

  “Everything all right in there?”

  He emerged and she couldn’t help but laugh when she saw him. He was in a button-down shirt, vest, and…gym shorts. “Paige, thank god.”

  “I don’t think Elena is going to approve of your outfit. And I definitely know Mila will have some things to say about it.”

  “It’s seasonal,” he said with a straight face. “Apparently tying a bow tie is the most difficult thing in America. How did I manage to get through my whole life without having to do this?”

  “Let me look at this,” Paige said, taking the bow tie. She looped it around his neck and easily fashioned the fabric into a bow.

  “Now how the hell did you know how to do that?”

  “YouTube,” she said. “The font of all knowledge.”

  “Remind me again why we didn’t just elope?”

  “Because you told Mila about it? Sorry, but at that point it was all out of your hands. So just stand back and let Hurricane Mila do her thing.”

  “She’s actually been awesome,” Brandon admitted. “You know my folks and I aren’t close…that whole leaving the church thing… So it’s nice to have a kind of surrogate family.”

  “They’re good at that,” Paige agreed. “It’s like they just have so much love that they’re happy to share it with those of us who need more.”

  “That’s a good way to describe them.”

  “So, are you ready to get hitched? I mean, once you put on pants, of course.”

  “You know what? I really am. And you realize, in a roundabout way, you made this happen.”

  “A very roundabout way. In that I had no idea it was happening.”

  “But still. I’m grateful. And also, a little afraid of what Mila has planned for us.”

  “God help us all. It’s going to be fabulous.”

  With not much time left to waste, Paige showered quickly and blow-dried her hair, using a round brush for some curl. Mascara, a little eyeliner, and some lip gloss rounded out the look. She didn’t want to pile it on for a daytime wedding, but she wanted to look nice. This was the first time she and Ria would see each other and know that a future together was real.

  In her bedroom, she unzipped the garment bag and pulled out the dress. It was beautiful. The long, pale gray, almost silver pleated dress fell to her ankles. It fit perfectly and its halter neckline showed off her arms and much of her back. She found a pair of heels in the back of the closet and added a few silver bangles to her wrists. Looking in the mirror on her wall, she smiled in approval. Not bad.

  Stepping out into the living room, Brandon whistled. He looked handsome in his suit.

  “We clean up all right, don’t we?” he said.

  “Are you ready for this?

  “You know, I really am.”

  The ceremony had been Ria’s idea. Of course. Elena had liked the idea of getting married along the canal downtown, but apparently, that required getting a permit from the city, which would take time they didn’t have. Ria had not been willing to give up, though.

  And that’s why Brandon and Paige were hiding in her car in a parking spot around the corner from the fountain, in their formalwear, waiting for the signal.

  “This is insane,” Paige giggled.

  “I feel like we’re about to rob a bank,” Brandon agreed.

  Just then, their phones buzzed.

  Go go go! said Ria’s text.

  Paige and Brandon leapt out of the car and ran-walked down the sidewalk, around a building, and down the stairs to where Ria and Benji were waiting by the fountain. Benji had cleaned up nicely for the occasion, wearing a navy suit, his long hair tied back. When Mila had told her that he’d been ordained online to perform the ceremony, Paige had to laugh. It was perfect.

  But it was Ria who took her breath away. Suddenly, she understood that expression. Ria hadn’t been kidding about wearing a suit. She was dressed in a gray, fitted, three-piece that closely matched Paige’s dress, with a white and gray-striped bow tie at her neck. Her hair was swept loosely back from her face in a pompadour. And the finishing touch: a sweep of dark black eyeliner and perfect red lipstick. Ria could have been featured in any fashion magazine, and Paige felt like she couldn’t have spoken if she’d needed to. But there was no time to swoon.

  They stood in formation, Benji in the middle with his script in a book, Brandon to one side, his hands folded together. Paige stood behind Brandon, and Ria was opposite on the bride’s side. A moment later, Mila and Henry emerged from behind a monument.

  “Ready?” Mila called.

  “So ready!” Brandon returned.

  Mila and Henry joined the group and took places next to Ria and Paige. Amelia emerged with a camera to capture the moment. Benji pulled out his phone, and pushed play, and the wedding march began.

  Elena walked out from her hiding spot around the corner of the building and strode slowly toward the group, her long white lace dress hugging her through the bodice then flowing gracefully to the ground. Her eyes locked on Brandon’s, and they looked as happy as anyone had a right to be.

  Benji kept the ceremony short, but it was beautiful. They had just said “I do” and exchanged rings when they saw a police officer walking down the canal.

  “I declare you man and wife!” Benji shouted. “Quick, kiss her and run!”

  Brandon and Elena embraced and seemed not to care one bit that their party was about to get busted.

  Ria hooted and everyone cheered.

  “Ahem,” Ria coughed, after the kiss had gone on for a while. “You guys, maybe we should head to a secondary location? I’m sure you can find no shortage of other places to kiss.”

  The police officer was getting closer, and he did not look particularly amused.

  Elena let out a shriek and grabbed Brandon’s hand, and they ran off in the opposite direction.

  “We’ll see you at the theatre!” Mila called. “Come on, Henry.” They took off as well, followed closely by Benji and Amelia. The police officer began to pick up speed, seeming to realize that if people were running from the police, there was probably a reason.

  “Go, Paige!” Ria said. “I’ll distract him while you all get away.”

  “No way,” Paige said. “I’m sticking with you.”

  Ria gave her a look she couldn’t read and then smiled. “All right, here goes.” She turned to the policeman. “Good afternoon, officer.”

  He scowled. “You do know that you need a permit to get married here, don’t you? I assume you do since everyone just mysteriously ran away.”

  “Oh no, do we?” Paige asked, feigning innocence.

  “There’s a fine for not having a permit.” He pulled out a pad and pen, ready to write them a citation. “What are your names? We can start with you.”

  “Ria Worth. But really, it’s all my fault, so I’m happy to pay the fine. It was all my idea, you see.”

  “Wait.” He looked up at he
r curiously. “Ria Worth, the soccer player?”

  “That’s me.”

  “Hmm. My daughter loves you. She plays soccer too.”

  “Really? What’s her name?”

  “Emily. She’s ten. She’s going to be so excited to hear I met you.”

  “You know, I’d be happy to sign something for her. Regardless of whether you give me a ticket or not,” she added hastily.

  The officer hesitated. “Well, I guess you all didn’t hurt anything. Just, you know, next time you want to get someone married here, get permission first.”

  “Absolutely.”

  The officer pulled out a notepad, and Ria scribbled: To Emily, who loves the game like I do—keep on kicking A! Love, Ria Worth.

  Smiling as he read it, the officer nodded, then began walking away, as though he’d never seen anything in the first place.

  “The power of celebrity,” Paige whispered.

  “It definitely has its perks,” Ria whispered back.

  Once the officer passed out of view, they nearly collapsed in a pile on a nearby bench.

  “That was a wedding like none other I’ve ever been to,” Paige said.

  “But fun, you have to admit.”

  “Definitely fun.”

  “So… I guess we should get to the reception. Can you believe Mom managed to convince the owner of the Fountain Square Theater to let us have it up on the roof? They never let people do things up there.”

  “If anyone could convince them, Mila could. He’s probably a secret fan of her books.”

  “You’d be surprised how many people are.”

  They were tempted to stop by Paige’s to really reconnect, but they knew there would be hell to pay with Mila if they showed up too late. That didn’t stop them from steaming up the car windows as they made out like teenagers inside.

  The dance party had already started on the rooftop by the time they arrived. The place was packed. Paige wasn’t entirely sure who all the people were, but Mila had certainly thrown an unbelievable party. A DJ had set up on one side and drinks flowed liberally from the bar on the other.