“I like it. It looks very lovely, are you in love?”
A sweet voice said, breaking the silence between them as she glance at the woman beside her. Taki, a petite Japanese woman with soft features and a playful glint in her honey brown eyes, she smirked when Simone merely rolled her eyes in response, clearly uninterested in engaging in conversation. Simone’s gaze remained fixed on the crowd below. From the second floor of the museum, they could see the visitors moving from painting to painting, pausing in front of Simone’s latest piece.
Simone had made a last-minute decision to submit the painting for the exhibit. Originally, she had already finished her first choice but she decided to paint another one. The painting was a couple dancing in the rain on the streets of Paris, but unlike modern-day Paris, this scene was set in the Victorian era. The woman wore a flowing, ornate gown, the fabric clinging to her as the rain soaked through its delicate layers. Her hair, pinned up in intricate curls, had begun to loosen under the downpour, giving her a carefree, almost rebellious air.
The man, dressed in a finely tailored suit complete with a top hat and waistcoat, held her close as they swirled together in the middle of an empty cobblestone street. The dim glow of gas lamps cast a soft, golden light over them, their reflections shimmering in the puddles below. Behind them, the grand facades of Victorian buildings loomed, with wrought-iron balconies and tall windows, their outlines slightly blurred by the rain.
“And you seem very healthy and happy” Taki added and crossed her arms, leaning against the railing beside Simone, her smirk never fading.
“Ehh~ so you’re ignoring me now!?” she teased lightly, her voice tinged with amusement. She was used to Simone’s aloofness by now. Though they had known each other for some time, Simone was always reserved, especially in moments like this when her mind was elsewhere.
Simone, still unwilling to shift her focus, sighed softly. “Taki be quiet” she muttered under her breath, her eyes following the movement of the crowd below.
She chuckled, her laugh soft but knowing. “Ah, Always so serious” she said, nudging her gently with her elbow. “You know, hiding up here won’t make the nerves disappear”
“I’m not hiding” Simone replied, her tone defensive yet soft “I’m just… trying to be safe”
Taki raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued “Safe? From what, exactly? Critics? People?”
Critics and People? Is she ready to step in the spotlight with Lewis?
Before Simone could answer, Taki’s eyes drifted across the floor to the other side of the second floor, where two men stood watch, their eyes scanning the crowd below. One of them, in particular, seemed to catch Taki’s attention. “Who’s that man?” she asked, her voice lowering to a whisper. “The one staring at me right now”
Simone followed Taki’s gaze and immediately recognized the figure. “That’s Sid” she replied casually.
Taki leaned in, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial tone. “He’s kind of… well, he’s fit” she whispered, a playful grin spreading across her face.
Simone chuckled softly, glancing at Sid, who had noticed the attention and quickly looked away, clearly uncomfortable with being the subject of conversation. “I’m sure he’d love to hear that” Simone joked, shaking her head.
Blushing slightly, Taki turned her attention back to her and her gaze drifting downward toward Simone's growing belly. “I didn’t expect you to get pregnant this year, Woooo four months already!” she said, her tone softening, a genuine note of surprise in her voice.
YOU ARE READING
Death of a Bachelor
RomanceMarriage was never important to Lewis Hamilton. Despite how many women who had come and gone in his life, he couldn't imagine himself settling down or having a family. To him, marriage was a nightmare, a poison, a commitment that trapped you no matt...
