Running To Him - Forbidden Hearts Series Book 6

6| Just Wasn't Feeling It

When I heard about this commission opportunity, I thought it was the best thing to ever happen to me. A fucking dream come true. I could pretty much paint whatever I wanted; which was usually landscapes with my own personal take on it. Kind of a the-way-I-see-it type thing. I entered my portfolio with paintings I did after visiting different cities, and Jean-Luc picked me. Out of over two hundred applicants, I was the one chosen.

The best part of the deal was that Jean-Luc was going to be my investor and would help me get a foothold to be a real painter. Art show included and everything. 

My parents lived in a totally different state than I did. No siblings. No girlfriend. There wasn't a single thing tying me down to New York. I felt nothing except excitement and anticipation as I counted down the days until I could board that plane. 

Of course, everything changed the day I decided to get coffee from a cafe instead of making it at home. I couldn't help it, though. Waiting and waiting for the day I was going to leave for Paris had me going a little stir crazy and I needed to get some air. Then, well...the rest was pretty straight forward. 

A muse was something I never needed when it came to painting. I always felt lucky that inspiration just seemed to come to me. That all changed when I met Jamie Lovette.

Maybe it was the fact that I was worried about her. Especially after that damn phone call from Harper. Or perhaps it was because she just did something to me. Ever since we met, she just did something to me. I've had my fair share of relationships—two of them serious—and none of them compared to what I was feeling now. Which sounded ridiculous because Jamie and I weren't in a relationship. We weren't even talking. 

Or on the same damn continent. As far as I knew, anyway. God, where was she? Who was she with? Was she okay? All questions I doubted I was going to get the answers to. Which only stressed me out more. 

Frustrated, I looked away from the blank canvas I'd been staring at for the past two hours. I just...wasn't feeling it. That seemed to be the theme song of day, didn't it? 

Hoping coffee would cheer me up, I walked over to my kitchen and started brewing a fresh pot. While I waited, I grabbed all the essentials to feed my caffeine addiction. Creamer, sugar, and a splash of hazelnut. 

As I waited impatiently for the coffee to finish, I leaned back against the counter and crossed my arms over my chest. This was all a mess. The art show was going to be here before I knew it, and I didn't have enough pieces finished. What if I wasn't able to get them done? Was I going to be fired and sent back to the states? 

The loud sound of the buzzer at the front door put a stop to my thought train and my eyes snapped to the clock on the wall. 

Shit. It was just after two in the afternoon. That meant the first applicant who wanted to rent the loft was here. Great, just fucking great. I so wasn't feeling this right now. But I didn't have any other choice. I gave my word to Jean-Luc that I would have the space rented out. 

Pushing off the counter, I left my coffee to brew and headed for the large pair of double doors. Hopefully this went buy quickly so I could get back to...what, exactly? Not working? Staring at a canvas while my brain kept replaying everything that happened between Jamie and I at Harper's wedding?

Now that I thoroughly pissed myself off, I pulled the door open to greet the applicant. He was an American, early twenties, with dark hair and dressed like a surfer. He stood out like a sore thumb here in Paris. 

"You Ollie?"

Nodding, I extended my hand. "Yeah. You must be Alex."

"That's what it says on my driver's license," he said with a laugh while shaking my hand.