RedNovelChapter 258
Chapter 258
Zald's POV
| stare at myself in the mirror, frowning as | tighten the tie around my neck for the
1 groan, frustrated, loosen it up and try all over again.
third time. It still doesn't look right.
Maybe it's not the tie. Maybe it's me. | huff out a breath, dragging my hands through my hair and messing it up
again.
Noah had invitedto sfancy art function. Normally, | would told him to shove the invite up his ass. Not in
those exact words, because | like the guys.
But who the fuck wants to stand around, looking at paintings from people you've never met before?
My heart clenches inside my chest. If Alina was here, she would want to go. She would stand and look at each
painting as if it were the most beautiful thing in the world.
She would. It's the only reason I'm going. For her.
And she loves Noah, she likes him lot. So here | am. Strangling myself with a stupid tie and telling myself not to
fuck it up, because in a month, | get her back.
If she finds out | bailed on Noah, she wouldn't like that. And fuck knows I'll do anything to stay in her good
graces.
| glance over at the framed photo on my dresser. Alina. Laughing. It was one of the few pictures of her she let me
keep on my phone. A few days of her gone, and | realized that looking at it on my phone wasn't enough. | wanted
to be able to see it all the
time.
Queue the ten frames | have scattered around the house.
I smile, a deep ache curling through my chest. Fuck, | miss her. Snights it feels like I'm going through
withdrawal. I'm a man addicted to a woman he can't touch, can't hold, can't breathe without.
It's pathetic. | know that. Kyle, my therapist, says it's normal, attachment, loss, grief. All normal. Doesn't make it
easier.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt
One month. | get her back in one month. They will be the longest thirty days of my life.
| finish getting dressed, grabbing my wallet and the invitation off the counter before heading out. The drive to
the gallery is fast, headlights and asphalt melting together in front of me. | hand my keys to the valet, adjusting
my jacket as | step inside.
The moment | walk in, my body locks up. My blood turns to ice. | blink. Hard.
No way
No fucking way.
It's a painting. Of me.
My eyes stare down atfrom the canvas, painted in painful, brutal detail. | move closer without meaning to,
my feet draggingforward.
There's another painting.
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Chapter 258
Sitting on the ground, my head down, the weight of the world press down on my shoulders. | imagine that's what
| look like when | remember the accident. When | have my nightmares.
| spin on my heel, panic crashing through me.
All the paintings. They're all me. Every fucking one.
My heart slams against my ribs so hard | swear people aroundmust hear it.
Then one catches my eye. It's different, because it's not just me, it's us.
It's hot. It's raw. It's fucking real. The colors swirl together like theye alive. | step closer, my pulse a roar in my
ears. My eyes flick
down to the nscrawled at the bottom of the frame.
Alina Hanson.
| can't breathe. | can't think. Is she here?
The panic insidebubbles. | spin again, scanning the crowd like a desperate man. Standing still, in the middle
of the crowd like a dream made flesh. Wide, vulnerable eyes locked on mine..
She cuts intowith just a look. Every scar, every insecurity, ripped open with the softness of her gaze. Fuck,
she's breathtaking. Her black dress clings to every curve, and when her tongue darts out to wet her bottom lip,
my knees nearly buckle.
She's going to kill me. And I'd die with a fucking grin on my face. Gladly.
| move toward her, pressing my hands deep into my pockets because if | don't, I'll drag her toand kiss her
senseless right here,
in front of everyone.
| stop when I'm inches from her, so close | can feel the heat of her skin. Her scent wraps around me, punching
the air out of my lungs.
She breathes out a soft, "Hey."
| watch her lips move, and for a second, | forget how to speak. | dreamed about those lips every damn night. But
dreams have, nothing on the real thing. I'm fucking lost in them. | swallow and force my gaze up to hers.
Hi
She smiles, her cheeks blooming pink as she looks down, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I know this is a
lot," she says, waving her hand around. “But | wanted you to see them."
My voice comes out rougher than | want it to. "When did you get back?"
She presses her lips together, her hands fiddling with the delicate strap of her purse. "A few days ago. | wanted
to surprise you."
Her voice wobbles, and my chest tightens.
"I wanted you to see what | was doing. What | was working on and learning in Florence. 'l wanted to show you
that | never stopped thinking about you. | never stopped loving-"
| don't let her finish. | can't. | close the small distance between us, tilting her chin up and crushing my mouth to
hers.
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Chapter 258
It's not soft. It's not gentle. It's everything I've been starving for.
It's a kiss meant to make up for every lonely night. Every broken piece. Every fucked-up fear that madefeel
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmlike maybe | wasn't enough for her.
Her lips part under mine, and she clutches my jacket as she gasps for breath.
I kiss her harder.
Fuck, | missed her.
She pulls away, forcingto press my forehead to hers. "Zaid."
"Fuck," | groan, rocking my head against hers. "Don't say my nlike that, love."
She's breathing heavily, her body pressing in closer to mine. “Let's go home."
| grab her hand, pressing it to my chest so she can feel how hard she is making my heart race. "What about all
the people here?"
She shakes her head. "I don't know them. Elena and Noah put this party together.
| don't care. | just care about you."
"I missed you," | rasp. "I missed you so much."
She smiles, her hands sliding up to cup my face. "I missed you, too. Now, please,
takehome."
Chapter Comments
Tiffany Duran
POST COMMENT
I'm not crying you're crying
8
Amanda
omg I'm bouncing at how I'm so excited!!! ahh !! more more please... not to sound
desperate or anything lol
2
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