My parents are Romeo and Juliet?

Chapter 22

I didn't even have the words to answer his question. I just stared at the picture and tried to gulp the forming knot that was stuck in my throat.

He had painted a picture of me..... and Juliet hugging. I have no idea when he saw this, or how he even imagined it, but it seemed too perfect for an imagination.

My head was resting on her chest as my arms wrapped around her waist. My eyes were closed and a tiny smile was on my lips as Juliet laid her head on top of mine. Well her cheek was resting on my head and her face was tilted down a bit so we couldn't see her eyes. But her long lashes showed that if she moved a bit forward, her eyes would be open and red with the single tear that showed. There was also a small smile on her face and it actually seemed like a mother-daughter moment.

I took my gaze from the picture and looked at Juliet, who was staring at the picture with tears in her eyes. Gale was slowly munching on what looked like a breadstick as he stared at us with a simple expression. He shrugged when he noticed me looking at him and then walked over to us. "I was bored. I actually did this one yesterday." And he proceeded to hand me the bread -which I admit I stole I bite out of- and grabbed a frame that had its back to us. He quickly turned it around so it faced us and he smiled as I gasped again, almost dropping his food. "This one is my favorite."

The picture itself was smaller and had not one drop of color except for some red. But that small amount of red made the picture even more powerful, and I couldn't tear my eyes off of it.

It was another picture of me. I was alone this time and it only showed the top half of me, smiling while holding a rose. A red rose. My eyes were looking down, my eyelashes casting a shadow on my cheeks and if there was color, there would be a slight blush on them. I looked up at Gale, who was looking at me with a small smile and he shrugged again. "You know I only think of you."

I should really be used to all his sweet talks since he was always saying something like that to me, but I couldn't help myself at that moment. The blush I saw on the picture happened and I swear I was making his vision happen. But instead of a rose in my hand, I had the stupid breadstick. How romantic.

Juliet stood to the side, still speechless and staring at the picture of the both of us. Her hand slowly went up and I watched as her trembling fingers hovered above the work for a couple of seconds before quickly going down. She slowly moved her tear stained face to me and she opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. We were all speechless except the artist, who stood there smiling and soaking up the silence.

"So I'm taking your silence as a good silence."

It took her a couple of seconds to respond, but when she finally did, it was merely just a nod. She surprised both of us when she took those few steps to him and hugged him as she whispered a few words to him that I couldn't catch. The only reaction I saw from him was a big ass smile and a nod before he hugged her back and then she stepped away.

"Ugh. Ok. Let's go get you some food and get this mood up. No more tears," she huffed and took my hand. She looked at me for a few seconds, looked back at the picture and then sighed happily before pulling me out of the room as Gale followed silently behind us. He snatched his stick from me and munched on it as we walked to the dining room.

Gale did know how to leave the ladies speechless....

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We only ended up staying for my late lunch and a small thirty minute chat with her. By the time we were done, Gale had both my drawing and one of his in his hands -as she wouldn't let him take the one with both of us back- and I had a white rose in mine. I heard his small chuckle and I looked up only for him to shake his head and zip his lips. Okay?

"Will you be back?"

I looked down at my shoes. "I don't know..... Maybe."

"Are you....." She seemed to have a hard time speaking, but she managed to blurt everything out in one huff. "Are you going to go see your father."

I looked up at Gale who shrugged and I sighed. "Yeah. I need to see him too." She just nodded and hugged me. I hugged her back and then took a step back before picking up the rose so Gale could hold it as well. She had told me already that all I needed to do to go back home was to imagine the place and say "home." Simple and easy. I was about to open my mouth when she stopped me.

"Wait!" I looked up at her and she was fidgeting in her spot. She lifted up her hand for a second before putting it back down and sighed. "Just.... Remember what we talked about. Don't fall for his tricks like I did, ok?" I nodded and she smiled. "See you soon...."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I thought of my house and whispered, "Home," before I felt the light surround us and we were standing in my living room two seconds later. I heard a small scream and my eyes snapped open to see my mom staring at us, wide eyed with her hand over her heart.

"Gah damn it! I'm too young to die! Yvaine, what have I told you about scaring me like that?!"

"Sorry mom," I laughed as Gale chuckled with me.

"Hello to you too Mrs. R."

She stood up from her spot in the couch and abandoned her book as she hugged us both. "Did you kids have a good time?"

"Oh yeah," Gale smirked and I rolled my eyes. He then proceeded to show my mom our projects and she gushed over them, especially the one he did. After hanging up our work somewhere in the house, I plopped down in my bed and hugged a pillow. Oh it felt nice to be surrounded by familiar stuff.

"Hate to break your reunion with the pillow, but we need to talk about the big elephant in the room." I looked up at him in confusion and he sighed. "Your father. Romeo?"

"Oh. Right."

"When are you going to go see him?"

I looked down at my hands as I played with a lose strand from my sheets. I chewed on my lip for a moment before releasing it and sighed. "Tomorrow I guess. Might as well get it over with, you know?"

"Am I coming with you?"

"Duh. You promised you would be there with me. Now you're stuck with me forever."

"Eve I'll glue myself to you if it means I'll be by your side forever. Don't you forget it."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I laughed and looked up at him. He was too busy looking through my drawers so he didn't notice my staring and I was glad. As I saw him for the millionth time in my life, one thought ran through my mind.

Do I like him more than a friend?

"Jackpot!" he shrieked as he held up one of my bras. I shrieked and chased him out of my room as he laughed and waved it up in the air like a flag. That right there answered my question.

And I think you know the answer to it.

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Ok so NEXT chapter is with Romeo Montague. Sorry about that!! 😁