Beautiful Mess(130)
As Cole deepened the kiss, Bri could sense the depth of his feelings for her. He couldn’t say it, but he was trying to show her how much he cared for her. How much he did love her.
Guilt tore through her, and Bri pulled back, not wanting to give him hope for something she couldn’t give him. He smiled warmly at her, but she could see the disappointment in his eyes. He wanted more from her, but he wasn’t going to push her.
“I know you’re probably exhausted, so I’ll let you get home and rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Cole brushed a quick kiss on her lips and got out of the car.
Bri watched him walk away, her heart torn in two. Part of her rebelled against the thought of letting him go, and wanted to jump out of the car and run after him. But, the other part of her knew she had to let him go. If she didn’t, it was just going to be that much more painful for Cole.
On Friday evening, Bri parked her car in the school parking lot and let out a sigh. Despite her best intentions, she had dressed up for Cole tonight. She wore a coral dress, with her brown leather, jacket and leopard print heels. While she knew she needed to keep Cole at a distance, she couldn’t help wanting to look nice for him on his big night. She walked into the school feeling nervous, not sure what to expect. Her body and mind were giving off mixed signals, and she wasn’t entirely sure which of them was in control at this point.
The senior art show was held in the art wing. The classrooms had been cleared of desks and tables, and partitions had been setup to display the artwork and move people through the rooms like a museum. As she walked in, Bri was surprised at how many people, parents and students, were there. This was a bigger deal than she had thought. She walked around a minute, looking for Cole. She hadn’t told him when she’d be coming, and when she didn’t see him anywhere, she decided to go in and find his display.
She meandered through the exhibit, taking in the various displays of the other students. Cole’s display was the very last one, and it took up the entire wall. When Bri turned the corner and saw it, she froze.
It was her.
She filled the entire wall. Bri stood there in shock as her eyes swept over her many renditions. Some were small, some were large. Some were painted in color, some done in black and white, and some were just sketches. At first it seemed like a random collection, but then she realized what Cole had done. Mortification spread through her.
Up at the top were pictures Cole had done of her when they first met. She even recognized one of the drawings from the sketchbook she’d found in his room. There was always a distinct sadness and loneliness in her eyes, on her face. The pictures progressed through when she and Cole had started hanging out, and then dating. Cole appeared in a few of these. Through these pictures, the sadness and loneliness began to fade and were replaced by a growing happiness and lightness. And in some pictures, desire.
Bri’s heart stopped, and her cheeks flushed a deep red, when she came to a picture of just her face. She knew Cole had drawn it from that night in the back seat of Layla’s car. In it, Bri’s eyes were full of desire, but it was the open, vulnerable, expressive look on her face that had the real Bri dying of embarrassment. She had let her guard down that night, and obviously Cole had capitalized on it. Moving quickly past that picture, Bri watched in horror as love bloomed in her eyes and on her face in the remaining pictures. She came to the last picture, and literally couldn’t breathe.
It was the two part painting Cole had had hanging above his bed. The two pictures of her and Cole looking lovingly into each other’s eyes, happy and content in the security of their love for each other. It took all her strength not to collapse to the floor.
She couldn’t believe what she was looking at. All of her most private emotions were painted all over that wall. And then, her mind slowly began to realize that she wasn’t the only one seeing it. She hadn’t noticed the large crowd standing in front of Cole’s display through her shock. But now she was painfully aware of them, and the way they were staring at her.
Some smiled at her in pity, while others were whispering and laughing discreetly at her. But the worst were the adults who smiled knowingly at her, like they knew everything about her now. It was all too much.
Not knowing where to go, but needing to escape, Bri pushed through the crowd and ducked behind the partition holding Cole’s display. There was a reception area with refreshments set up in the adjoining classroom, but she could not go in there and face those people. So she stood, her back to the wall, desperately trying to get some air into her lungs, and fighting to keep her tears at bay.