Author's Note: This story is the result of a writing challenge among several of the authors here at Lit. Every story in this chain began with a common list of ten words. It's been fun to create something and try to find ways to work unusual terms seamlessly into the tale.
I hope you enjoy the story. I always love to get feedback from the readers. It's what helps me improve and grow as a writer. If you enjoy the story, please take the time to vote and or leave a comment. If you aren't comfortable with that, then an anonymous feedback option is available Thanks so much! Script
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"Charity?"
The sound finally penetrated the fugue surrounding her brain. She looked up and grinned at him.
"How long have you been standing there?"
He couldn't help the answering grin that slid over his face.
"Long enough to admire the view."
She rolled her eyes and looked down at her paint smeared jeans.
"You really have a warped sense of vision, you know that?"
He chuckled. With her hair escaping the ribbon that held it back, and dots of lavender spattered across her nose, he thought she was breathtaking.
"There isn't a damn thing wrong with my vision, woman."
He plastered a mock serious expression across his face. Her laughter echoed through the room.
"So how is it coming?"
He indicated the easel in front of her.
She took a step back and passed a critical eye over the painting. It was still in the early stages, the canvas blotted with dark values. She was only beginning to lay the lighter colors down.
In her mind, was the image she wanted the world to see. She nodded.
"I think it's going pretty well."
Edward smiled.
"It always is. I just came to let you know it's almost time."
At her furrowed brow he prompted.
"You wanted me to remind you...about the showing."
Amusement crinkled the edges of his eyes. Charity's hand flew to her face, adding a trail of brown across her cheek.
"Oh! Right!"
She quickly gathered her brushes and sealed her palette.
"Let me just get cleaned up here and I'll go get ready."
Edward shook his head. He knew she'd forget. Whenever she was working on a new piece, she was always lost in the world her mind created. Reality held little interest for her.
He took solace in the fact that her escapism resulted in incredible art. Her paintings revealed an inner harmony, a balance of spirit that left the viewer feeling peaceful and serene.
He'd realized her enormous talent the moment he'd seen her first painting in a remote corner of a flea market booth. She'd been painting out of her loft apartment and selling her work for a few hundred dollars through an amateur dealer at the market. Edward had gone to great lengths to track her down and offered himself as her agent.
Their partnership had lasted for five years now and Charity was every bit the success that he'd predicted. What he hadn't seen coming was that he'd fall for her. Where her paintings were calm, Charity was passion and fire. He found himself drawn to her light.
The days he didn't see her, he often found himself bereft and unsettled. Those days, he found himself looking frequently at her paintings, just to have some sort of connection with her. Asking her out was not an option. He'd allowed the thought to skulk about in his head briefly, but had quickly tucked that idea away. She was an angel, and a mere mortal dared not reach so high.
His buddies would laugh if they ever heard him say anything like that, but it was the way Charity made him feel. He was really afraid to ruin the relationship they had worked for. What if he asked her and she was horrified? Their partnership couldn't survive the strain and he couldn't stand the thought of not seeing her, so he trundled along, trying to be content with friendship.
Over the years she had dated a few guys, mostly losers who hadn't been prepared for the periods of isolation that an artist required. He'd been the supportive best friend and waited around to pick up the pieces when she'd needed him.
"OK, I'll just head into the shower. How long do we have?"
Her voice startled him out of his reflection. He glanced down at his watch. "Can you be ready in an hour and a half?"
She nodded.
"Sure."
He grinned.
"Great. I'll be back to pick you up then."
She headed off towards the bathroom and he let himself out. Just the thoughts of her in the shower already had him hard and aching. He closed his eyes. He had to stop torturing himself with something he could never have. God, he was pathetic. He shook his head and made his way to his car. He had a showing to get ready for.
~~oOo~~
Charity stared into the mirror, amazed at what a little makeup and a designer dress could do to transform her from her usual shabby self to something approaching elegant. She'd never make the cover of a magazine, at least not for her looks. She considered herself passably pretty at best, but Edward seemed to think differently.
Edward always joked that her beauty had as much to do with her success as her actual work did. She always laughed the comment away, but secretly she was pleased that he thought she was beautiful.
She had always hoped that their relationship would develop further, but he'd never seemed interested in more than a mild flirtation and she'd been afraid to push things too far. She looked at the way the dress hugged her figure. Maybe it was time to get past those fears.
She dabbed a bit of perfume behind her ears, at her wrists and along the slope of her breasts. She had just applied her lipstick when she heard Edward's key in the door.
"Charity, I'm here. Are you ready?"
She slipped her feet into her Manolo sling backs and grabbed her clutch. She headed toward the foyer.
"As ready as I ever am for these things."
She stopped short when she saw him leaning against the wall in the entryway, his hands casually tucked into the pockets of his Armani tux. She decided it should be illegal for a man to look that sexy. Normally she would make some smartass comment about monkey suits, but she remembered the woman in the mirror and her newly formed resolve to push a few of Edward's buttons.
