Maybe I Loved You Too (Girlxgirl)

Chapter 12

On a Friday morning, Lee drove her Audi into the parking lot and then got out to retrieve the framed pictures she'd been working on that week. After taking them from the back seat of the car, she locked the doors and walked the short distance to the gallery.

She knew Joey was already there because she'd called earlier on that morning to tell her that she'd open. Now as she approached the glass door, she wondered where Joey was so that she could go and help her. "Joey?" she called after her when she walked in to find the gallery empty.

"Are you here?" she asked and looked around.

There was no sign of her. Thinking it was irresponsible to leave the gallery unattended like that, she went to check whether she was in the office behind the counter but the room was empty. She went to check the storage room but there was no one there.

She walked back to the gallery and froze when a painfully familiar scent swept past her, teasing her with memories that did nothing but hurt her now. She looked at the back of the woman who was standing near one of the photographs and walked over to her.

 The woman was shorter than the person in her memories and when she got close enough, she wondered if her senses were playing games with her because that woman's scent wasn't the same as the one she'd initially inhaled.

"This is such a beautiful picture," she said, turning to face Lee as she ran her fingers over the outline of the glass framed photograph.

"Lee Russell?" The woman asked and Lee smiled and nodded. "It's such a pleasure to meet you. I've heard so much about you," the woman said and Lee raised her eyebrow.

"You have?" she asked, wondering how and from who.

"I'm Daniela Garcia."

The surname alerted her and then that familiar scent whizzed past her again. "She's just as talented as you said she was," Daniela said and Lee froze, almost afraid yet ready to hope.

"I managed to get some coffee," Joey said from the entrance, walking in with three cups of coffee.

"Coffee is great," Daniela said. She walked over to Joey and took one of the cups.

Lee slowly turned at that moment and like a dream, she found Carmen standing behind her as the scent of her fragrance now washed over her.

"We're going leave you two alone," Joey said and led Daniela out of the gallery, to the office, right before she locked the doors from inside to avoid interruptions.

 When they were alone, Lee studied Carmen. Her hair had its natural curls again, she had a lovely tan and she was still as stunning as Lee remembered her. Unsure of how to say hello since Carmen was studying her the same way she was doing, Lee walked over to her and hesitantly wrapped her arms around her.

Carmen clasped her arms around Lee, feeling like she'd been holding her breath for far too long. At first she was tense and then Lee didn't pull away. Instead she held her closer, almost as though she was trying to make up for lost time and Carmen felt that warmth again that made her feel like she was home. Like she'd been wandering aimlessly and endlessly but now, finally, she'd found her way back.

 It had been five months, almost six, since that last shoot. So much had happened in between that short span of time. Lee moved her hands through Carmen's hair, wanting to remember its silky texture against her fingers and then she abruptly pulled away when she realized she was pulling herself back to the past.

"That was my little sister," Carmen said when she couldn't find anything else to say.

"I kinda figured that out when she introduced herself," Lee said, realizing she hadn't known Carmen had a family. In fact, apart from her career, she knew practically nothing else.