The Way We Feel

Chapter 15

His warm hands firmly cover my eyes as he leads me to another room, my fingers gripping his. I carefully follow his lead and hope that I won't bump into anything.

"Ready?" He asks as we stop. I hesitate but say yes and he slowly uncovers my eyesight.

I'm standing right in front of a large image of a woman that has been painted in a very alluring yet innocent way. Her eyes resemble mine quite a lot and her pout too.

I gasp as I recognize Denis' painting in Adrien's office. He places his hand on my lower back and steps beside me, locking eyes with my copy.

"Seriously?" I exclaim.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Adrien smiles and finally makes eye contact with me. He has a quite warm expression on his face, and I wonder if it's because of the painting or me.

"Why?"

"Why not? I wanted to look at you while I was working." He says in full seriousness, "Besides, your ex is really talented." The word 'Ex' almost came out painfully.

"Yeah he is, but isn't it kinda weird to be having his painting hanging in your room?" I say with a little bit of disgust.

"I know Lola, I just wanted to show you before I hang it off." He explains. Although he already had that idea in mind, I can tell that he is a little disappointed to get rid of it. I take a step closer to the portrait of me and look at the details of the paint.

"The details, the skin looks so realistic it's almost scary. I wish my skin was this clear though." I sigh.

"To be honest, I don't really know what to do with it."

"Nevertheless, Denis is an asshole and he can have his painting back."

Adrien looks at me as I say it and cocks his head, "Giving it back to him, when I already paid him and he probably already blew the entire money off."

I remember the picture he sent me of his new car which he leased.

"So what? You earn it within every minute Adrien, I just want this thing gone. Nothing that reminds me of him."

I sit down on the chair and let my head bounce back.

"I understand, maybe we can destroy it if you want."

"Destroy it?" I snap my head back up and look at him, he's serious.

"To blow off steam? Or I can just give it to someone else."

"No, I really don't want anyone else to have a picture of me naked." I assure him. "I'd rather throw it away."

"Lola," Adrien says, his voice is way lower than before and his demeanor has changed. He places his hands on my shoulder and draws circles on them, calmly looking at me with a stern face. "Tell me what happened between you."

I shrug and look down at my bare feet, but he forces me to hold the gaze by pushing my chin up.

"Tell me."

"Nothing happened, I broke up and that's it."

The crease that was on the surface of his face before has now become a very deep line. It worries me how much his mood has changed and I'm already starting to see his old self coming through. It was a matter of time.

"Nothing. How dumb do you think am I Lola?" I'm taken back by the sudden small outburst.

"What do you mean?"

"Please baby, I just want you to be honest."

"I am honest." I say back in the same tone as him. "Can we just throw the painting away and call it a day, without you making a scene?" I free myself from his grip.