A Way Out

Chapter 26

Elegant, gracious, and beautiful. I've learned in the past week that Justin was such a talent in bringing images to life. The ballerina he painted on the baby blue wall did a pirouette while she fixated her eyes on the sky. She seemed fearless, not caring about plummeting to the floor.

I watched her intently while Justin carried some boxes into the room. Justin painted her features so soft, but her eyes were sharp, determined to reach her goals. The sight intrigued me and I wanted to know more about her story. The ballerina seemed to be a strong and passionate woman. Ambition poured from her veins and lit up the room, making any onlooker wanting to follow her example. A beautiful picture to get motivated by.

"She's beautiful," I said as I turned to Justin who placed the boxes in the corner of the room.

"Thank you. She's given me a hard time, though. Her eyes were the most difficult to capture." Justin sat down on the floor and only then I noticed the basket beside him.

"What's that?" I asked, nudging towards the basket.

"We're going to have a picnic," he answered, opening it up.

"Indoors?"

With a mischievous smile, he nodded and patted the space next to him. "What can I say? I'm a rebel." Justin took out some chocolate chip cookies, making my eyes widen in delight.

"You're a weirdo." I chuckled while taking the space beside him.

That afternoon I felt grateful for Justin coming into my life. He possessed the ability to numb the worries in my mind and made them non-existent for a moment. He told me crazy stories about him and his brothers, getting themselves into crazy antics. One time they filled their parent's living room with balloons, surprising their mother. It made me laugh so hard I spilled my drink.

"Do you need a ride home?" Justin offered.

I declined. "A walk will do me good." We said our goodbyes, and I promised to help out with everything next weekend.

As I made my way home, I enjoyed the breeze that brushed my face and ruffled my hair. These fleeting moments out in the open were the ones I cherished. They were scarce but very welcoming. The only commitment that existed was making my way home. I didn't need to do anything else, and I loved it.

My life became a whirlwind, blowing everything to shreds in its path, not allowing one piece unbroken. It made life confusing, devastating, and thrilling. The thrill was my manuscript. So far, Cole approved what I handed him. And that was all that mattered.

Okay, that was a lie. I wondered if Cole had shown Donovan anything, but knowing Donovan, Cole had too. Donovan couldn't let go of whatever hung between us, that much was clear. Some part wished he would let go. I wasn't strong enough to do it, and if I were to be completely honest, I didn't want to let go. To me, it felt so damn right, but something was holding Donovan back in pursuing this and I still couldn't figure out what it was. That's why a part of me disliked him. Though the part was small, it grew bigger by the day and I feared one day I would despise him for leading me on.

When I got home, I placed my keys on the table and heard some rummaging coming from the living room. Raleigh told me when she left this morning that she wouldn't be home until tonight, so I grew suspicious. My survival instinct kicked in and I took the first thing that would serve as a weapon which was an umbrella. I grabbed it by the handle and held it like a baseball bat as I carefully tiptoed to the living room, ready to attack.

When I got closer, I heard a muffled moan, confusing the hell of me. What on earth was happening? I rounded the corner and instantly dropped the umbrella at the sight in front of me. Cole was standing with his back to me butt naked while he pounded in on Raleigh who lay on our dining table with her legs spread. Luckily, Cole hid that full sight from me. She moaned his name as he fastened his pace, causing the table to creak.