Drawn To You (GirlxGirl)

Part 40

Jessie's P.O.V

The brush strokes were light, deliberate, as I put the finishing touches on the last painting. I stepped back, just enough to take in the entire piece. My heart raced with excitement. There she was—Allie, in all her beauty.

Every stroke of colour, every line captured her essence the way I had imagined. This was the final piece of the trilogy, and I was proud of it. Proud of all three, really. The way her eyes seemed to hold something secret, the softness of her smile... it was as if she were looking straight at me through the canvas, alive in every detail.

I couldn't wait to show her.

"Jess, you've been at that all day. Come on, take a break," Liam called from across the room, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I hesitated, my gaze lingering on the painting for a moment longer. "Yeah, alright," I muttered, stepping back. "I hope she likes them."

I set down my brush and walked over to the worn leather chair where Liam sat, kicking my legs out as I sank into the one opposite him.

The excitement I'd been feeling shifted into something more uncertain. What if she didn't like them? What if she looked at the paintings and saw something different than I intended? This was personal—more than just a project. It was her.

"She's going to love them," Liam said, a smirk on his face. He leaned back, crossing his arms as if the answer was obvious. "And so are a lot of galleries. You'll make a fortune off these, I reckon."

I laughed softly, though my mind was elsewhere. The idea of success was nice, but all I really wanted was for her to see what I saw—for her to feel what I felt when I looked at her. These paintings were my way of saying what I hadn't yet been able to put into words.

But there was a nagging thought in the back of my mind that I couldn't shake. Allie had been distant lately. That one text from her earlier in the week—just a simple "thank you" and nothing more—had been eating at me. It wasn't like her to be so brief, to stay so silent.

Five days had gone by since then, and with each one, the knot in my chest had tightened.

"You're still thinking about that text, aren't you?" Liam asked, his voice cutting through my thoughts again.

I nodded, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Yeah. I know it's probably nothing, but it's weird, right? 'Thank you,' and then nothing for almost a week? Something's off, Liam."

He shrugged, not losing his usual confidence.

"She's probably just busy. It's her final year at uni, and the whole divorce thing... she's got a lot on her plate. Doesn't mean anything's wrong."

"Maybe," I said, though I wasn't convinced.

I tried to shake the feeling, but it clung to me. The thought of her pulling away—of something changing between us—made my chest tighten in a way I didn't want to admit.

I was about to say something more when my phone buzzed. My heart jumped, hope flaring as I grabbed it from the table, but when I saw who was calling, my excitement fell flat.

The garage.

"Hello?" I answered, trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice.

"Jessie, hi, it's Tracey from the garage. We're a bit short-staffed tomorrow, any chance you can come in for a few hours in the morning?"

I sighed quietly. "Yeah, sure. I'll be there at 8:30."

"Great, thanks, love." The call ended, and I tossed my phone back on the table.