epiphany - lydia martin [book 1]

chapter twenty. the bite

I pulled into the parking lot of the school gymnasium, looking for a spot close to the front. The night was still young. You could see the LED lights and the balloons lit up outside of the gym doors. There were a bunch of kids still walking in because we were about 30 minutes late. It actually looked pretty nice. I was kind of excited for once. I didn't know what the theme was but it seemed to have a magical, under the moonlight kind of vibe.

I put my car in park before I turned to Lydia. She was wearing an almost shy smile as she looked at me. "You look gorgeous, in case I haven't told you yet." I admitted, allowing myself to study her facial features. I couldn't believe she was here with me right now.

She smiled, "You haven't but - thank you. You look really hot, honestly."

I chuckled as I reached over the console to grab her hand. I saw her look down, smiling before she turned to look at the entrance, watching all of the kids walking in. It was a nice moment. I could hear the faint music playing from inside the school but it was quiet out here. I honestly wouldn't mind if we just stayed out here all night and talked. "Um, I actually... made you something." I informed her, reaching into the back seat for the square canvas.

Lydia's eyes lit up, "What is that?" She wondered, trying not to get too excited as I handed it to her.

I wore a nervous smile on my face as her eyes searched over my creation hopefully. "It's you." I answered, watching for her reaction as my hands suddenly got very sweaty. I had been drawing her for a while now actually. But now I had painted over one of my drawings. It was a portrait of her with pink and red flowers coming from the ends of the painting as they surrounded her face, her emerald eyes shimmering in the sunlight, and her red hair flowing as she held onto one of the pink flowers with a small smile on her face.

I hoped she liked it. I hoped she at least thought it was good. Now I started to think it was a terrible idea to give it to her. I just wanted her to see how I saw her. I wanted her to know how much I liked her because I was too afraid to say it.

I couldn't tell what she was thinking.

The expression on her face remained calm as she looked at the painting, causing me to shift uncomfortably. "Is - is it okay? Do you like it?"

The girl then looked up at me, her eyes welling up, "This is the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me."

I exhaled in relief as I smiled, scratching the back of my neck, "It's nothing."

"No, it's not nothing." She told me, putting her hand on mine as she shook her head. "It's perfect, I love it. Thank you."

I chuckled lightly, unable to contain how happy I felt. "You're welcome." I replied as I watched her run her fingers over the canvas, continuing to study every inch of the painting.

"When did you paint this?" She wondered.

I shrugged, shaking my head, "Oh, um, I kind of just painted over one of my sketches the other day. I never planned on giving it to you, honestly."

Lydia rose her eyebrows, "One of your sketches?"My lips parted in shock as I realized what I had just said. I tried to come up with a response that would save my ass but I couldn't in time. "You draw me?" She asked, her voice soft as she looked at me in almost disbelief.

I shook my head, "No, I mean - not like all the time or anything."

A smile rose to her face as she nodded, "Uh-huh."

I sighed, feeling my face get hot as I died from embarrassment. "You ready?" I asked as I turned off the ignition to my car.

Lydia nodded before I got out, running around to the other side to open the door for her. The girl chuckled as she stepped out, the cold air hitting us. "I never knew you were so chivalrous." She teased.