Masking Amaya Frazer

{12} Could This Be Love

A brilliant flash of light blinded my eyes as we fell through the night air. Was I dead?

The air was knocked from my lungs when Milo and I crashed to the ground. A plume of dark feathers billowed around us upon our impact on the large, fluffy mat that cushioned our fall. A second flash lit up the night as my heart raced.

"What the-"

Milo sat up displaying a smile brighter than the two flashes that had nearly costed my vision. As he stood up, he was eager to grab my hand and pull me up with him before leading us over to a tripod stationed a few feet away from the giant mat.

"I had an idea for our project," he explained as he pressed a few buttons on the camera. "I have another camera stationed on the first floor balcony that captured us falling to the ground."

He gestured for me to huddle close to him. Adrenaline continued to course through my veins and my limbs shook as I sidled up beside him.

In awe, my jaw dropped as I took in the beautiful image of Milo and I laying on the mat, wrapped in each other's embrace as black and white feathers flew motionless around us. 

I hadn't noticed it before, but a giant pair of angelic wings were meticulously painted on the blue mat, making it appear as though the wings belonged to Milo as he protected me in his strong arms.

"It's incredible," I hushed, glancing up when I felt Milo's eyes on me.

He nodded, smile refusing to budge. "If you look close, each of the feathers in the wings that I painted on the mat are my handprints so I didn't use any 'art-related tools'."

Rendered speechless, I failed to form any words that would do Milo's masterpiece justice.

Nudging my arm, he grinned and said, "I told you I'd make us a masterpiece to be reckoned with."

Overwhelmed by the onslaught of intense emotions that I only ever felt when in his presence, I threw my arms around his shoulders and hugged him.

"Thank you," I whispered into his neck. "I don't even know what to say," I admitted, pulling back with my arms still wrapped around his neck.

He pressed a kiss to my forehead, saying, "Let's go see the picture from the first floor."

Hand in hand, Milo and I made our way to the first floor balcony where the second tripod was propped on the wall. 

If I had thought the first image was stunning, this one was ten times more magnificent.

Milo must have had a handful of feathers in his hand before we took the plunge to the ground because a mixture of the black and white feathers floated above us as we fell.

"Watch what happens when I do this," he said as he rotated the picture until it was upside down. "Now it looks like we're-"

"Flying," I gasped.

He gave my hand a squeeze, tucked my light brown hair behind my ear, and placed his forehead against mine. 

I had no way of knowing at the time that this would be the last few moments that I would spend with Milo ever again...

...for we would place second in the art show because Professor Whitmore just so happened to be one of the judges and she claimed that a camera was an art "tool" and could therefore not qualify us for first place or the ten thousand dollar grand prize that came with it.

I would have to transfer to a college in my home state come the fall semester.

Unless I could convince my parents to allow me to take up Milo's offer and go to New York to be a nanny for his younger sister while he stayed on campus for summer classes and his mother worked.

But none of that mattered as I stood in the arms of the first man I ever truly fell in love with.

"Amaya," he whispered, voice husky.

"Yes?"

Searching my eyes, he said, "No matter what place we come in tomorrow for the art show, I want you to know that you'll always be first in my heart."

Immediately after saying those words, his cheeks flushed as he admitted, "That sounded so much less corny in my head."

I laughed. "I know what you meant. Milo...I think I'm in love with you."

Once the words left my mouth, I instantly wanted to take them back as I waited in apprehension for his response. It had seemed like the right moment to confess my feelings, but I had zero experience with what these feelings and emotions meant.

With an angelic smile, he said, "You think? I know I'm in love with you."

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Hi! Sorry for another short update, but I've been so busy and really wanted to get a chapter out. Please let me know your thoughts on this story by leaving a vote and a comment. Thank you so much for reading this book! :)