A Dying Girl's List

Chapter 20

At ten am the next morning, Lissa was already awake, refreshed, and ready for the day.

She sat crossed-legs — her favorite position lately — on the window seat in the living room with the List on her right knee, as she stared out the window. Light rain droplets began to fall, turning her somewhat happy mood, somber — reflecting the weather.

She waited out the weather, and by the time the clock read noon, the rain had calmed down, and minutes later, Jace showed up. They left the house 'round about half twelve and spent the next half an hour casually cruising through the city.

Jace parked the car at the parking lot of the beach. They sat in the car, listening to the calming sounds of the waves crashing against the shoreline.

"Anything else on the agenda for today?" Jace asked, breaking the comfortable silence they were in.

"Can we not talk about the list? For now, at least? I just want to sit here and listen to the sounds of the ocean. This is the only escape from my reality I've had in a long time," she told him, laying her head back on the headrest, and closing her eyes.

He nodded his head in understanding and copied her position. Two minutes later, she opened her eyes,

"Let's talk about you, Jace. The only things you ever hear us talk about is concerning the list. I mean, you do have a life," she said with a smile.

"I don't know..." he trailed off.

"Come on. What have you been up to lately?" she pressed.

"Well, you remember I was studying photography, right?" she nodded.

"So, I did this photoshoot gig, like a couple of months ago, as my practice for the semester, and as a preview to an art gallery not too far from here. Anyway, I gave in the photos and the gallery had them enlarged and all that, and there's an exhibit tonight to showcase all the photos," he spoke and ended off with a sheepish look on his face.

His words registered in her head. Tonight. Did that mean he had an exhibit in a couple of hours, and he was still sitting here, with her?

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for your exhibit then? Why are you here?" Lissa asked him.

Her voice was an octave higher than it should've been. She felt guilty for, unintentionally, keeping him away from his first exhibit, but he barely minded.

"It's okay. I assumed you might need help with your list, so I had them set up everything for me. It's no problem," he said, casually. Brushing it off, like it meant nothing...

"Them?"

"Yeah, the people I got to help with the exhibit."

"Nope. This is not right--" she started.

"Lissa, seriously it's fine--"

"I don't want to hear it," she cut him off.

"You are going to drive this car down to that art gallery and you are going to show me your exhibit," she said sternly.

He stared at her, shocked, then shook his head to bring himself back to reality and chuckled to himself. He put the car in reverse and Vin Dieseled himself out of his parking space and drove down to the art gallery.

It was still pretty early when they arrived, so they helped the guys with the set-up of the draping, the lighting, the stage, and the bar.

At about three pm, while she was putting out champagne flutes and wine glasses on the shelves, and the drinks in ice-filled buckets behind the bar, Lissa realized, that Jace and herself weren't exactly dressed for the occasion. Then she remembered a clothing shop she spotted, a walking distance from the gallery, and practically dragged Jace along.