Blind Side Of Love (25 page)

“Well, on one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“You have to promise to eat it with chopsticks.”

I couldn’t hold back my amusement as I reached over the table and grabbed her hand to shake on it. “Deal,” I said.

“Okay, in that case I would love to try some of your jambalaya.”

Her eyes moved and finally locked with mine. “Well then, how about Saturday night?”

“Can’t….going to the movies.”

“Oh well then…..”

She started to giggle. “I’m kidding! Kind of pointless for me to go see a movie, don’t ya think?”

“I don’t know. I thought maybe you just listened to it or something.”

“Nah, I was never a big movie person even when I could see.”

I looked at my watch as the waiter brought the check. Just enough time to get to Battery Park and see the sunset, which used to be one of Becca’s favorite things to do. Becca cracked open her fortune cookie and handed me the paper inside. “Read it to me, please.”

I took it from her hand and read it aloud. “Don’t be afraid to smile, you never know who’s falling in love with it.”

Her grin became wider. “Hmm….wonder who that could be? The waiter maybe?” She joked. “What does yours say?”

I opened my cookie and read the fortune inside to myself. “There’s not one in there,” I lied.

“What do you mean there’s not one in there?” she asked. “Mason, do you not want to tell me your fortune?” 

My laughter gave it away.

“Can I take the check, sir?” the waiter asked as he walked over to the table.

I nodded.

“Excuse me, Mr. Waiter, can you please read to me the fortune that this man sitting across from me either has in his hand or sitting in front of him on the table?”

I let out a loud laugh, finally surrendering my fortune over to the waiter as he picked it up and read it to Becca.

“He likes to flirt, but toward you his intentions are honorable.”

Her smile deepened and so did mine.

“Now what was so bad about that? I actually think that was sweet!”

I stood up and took her hand, leading her out of the restaurant. The profanities were spewing from my mouth as I tried without success to flag down a cab. “What’s the hurry?” she joked.

“You’ll see,” I said, feeling relieved when an empty taxi finally pulled up. “Battery Park,” I said to the driver.

Becca looked at me strangely. “Why the big rush to get to Battery Park?” she asked as we got in.

“Because we’re going to watch the sunset.”

“Oh, well….I think you have forgotten one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“I can’t see it.” I knew she was trying to make a joke, but I could see the pain in her eyes.

“You will, Becca….I’ll make sure you do, and it will be the most beautiful one you’ve ever seen.”

The sadness that was all over her face was beginning to wash away. “Okay, I’m going to hold you to that.”

“You got it!”

We took a seat on an empty bench just as the sun was setting. “Did we make it in time?” Becca asked.

“With about a minute to spare. Close your eyes, Becca,” I said as I stared out into the river. “Tell me what you see?”

She sighed deeply and appeared to be deep in thought. “The sky is lit up in shades of pink and peach. Oh, and now I see some lavender. So many different colors. Colors that I never even knew existed.” The smile came back to her face and I couldn’t hold back mine from just seeing the enjoyment she was getting from this. “The sun is so bright. It looks like a giant yellow ball with a beautiful pink halo. Its rays are reflecting off the water like angel wings. It’s so big but it’s becoming smaller with each passing second as it sinks into the skyline, leaving just the remnants of the day and hope for a new one.” She took a deep breath and her eyes remained closed. “It’s so beautiful,” she whispered as a tear rolled down her face. I looked down at her hand that was now on top of mine, wanting to grasp it tighter.

“Keep that picture in your heart forever, Becca, and you’ll always be able to see the sunset whenever you want.”

I moved my head closer to her and grazed her lips. I hoped that it wasn’t too soon for her, but I just couldn’t resist. A slight smile stretched across her face, putting my mind at ease. I stood up and grabbed her hand. As we strolled along the pier for some time with our arms looped together, I could feel her moving closer to me. I didn’t want this moment to end. I wanted to be here with her forever. There was a comfortable silence between the two of us; the kind that you only experience with someone who knows you just as well as you know yourself.

“Is the moon out yet?” she asked once we finally came to a stop.

“Yes.”

“Tell me what it looks like, Mason.”

I looked up at the star filled sky that looked so much like her painting, wishing so badly that she could see just how beautiful it looked tonight. “It’s a half moon,” I whispered.

“Which half is out?”

“The right.”

She closed her eyes and bit her lip. “It’s waiting for its other half to make it complete.”

“Do you think it will find it’s other half and become a full moon?” I asked.

“It’s not proper to ask the moon of its intentions. It’s best to just wait and see how the phases play out and if it’s meant to be then that full moon will shine brightly.”

My hand swept down her face and my lips were gently pressing into hers. I waited for her reaction before I continued. She opened her mouth, allowing my tongue access and bringing me right back to the night of our very first kiss. I pushed her hair behind her ear and stared down at her once our lips disengaged. We were both silent for a moment as I tried to get over the excitement of feeling her lips on mine once again. I closed my eyes as her soft gentle fingers swept across my face while her other hand reached for mine.

“Thank you for allowing me to see the sun and the moon again,” she whispered.

“Anytime, Becca.” I looked up at the moon once again, hoping that it would find it’s other half. Hoping that Becca would see that she and I were meant to be.

“Hello? Earth to Mason,” Liz said, waving her hand in front of my face.

“What’s up?” I asked, lifting my head from my computer.

“When is the Grand Jury hearing for the Mueller case?”

“Two weeks.”

“Are you all prepared with your testimony?”

“Yup. Good to go.”

I knew where this was going. This was her way of indirectly trying to find out what was going on with me and Becca and I wasn’t biting. I didn’t feel like hearing another lecture. Liz would never completely understand how I felt about Becca and that I couldn’t control how I was feeling in my heart.

She took a seat opposite me as I tried my best to look busy, hoping she would just leave. “So, Natalie and I are meeting up with a few of her coworkers for drinks tomorrow. There’s going to be some cute single girls there. Would you like to join us?”

Okay, she was using another tactic.
I laughed to myself at how well I could read her. “Nah, already got plans.”

“Oh? Do tell?” she said with a raise of her eyebrow.

“A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell, Liz. Even you should know that.” I smirked.

“These plans wouldn’t happen to be with a certain prosecutor, would they?” I pretended to be interested in something on my computer, completely ignoring her question. “Mason!”

“What?” I raised my voice in annoyance.

“You’re smarter than this.”

“Liz, just stop, okay? I appreciate your concern, but I got this all under control.”

She was so damn stubborn. I knew she wasn’t going to just let it go. She shook her head and gave me her trademark look of disapproval that I had grown so accustomed to over the years. “Okay, so what’s going to happen when she wants to introduce you to her family and her friends….hmmm?”

“I’ll deal with that when and
if
that time comes.”

“Look, Mason, I get it. You were in love with this girl, but don’t you think she’s been through enough heartache? Don’t lead her on again just to believe another lie. If you’re going to make a go of it with her, then you need to come clean and tell her everything.”

I knew she was right, but I knew if Becca knew the truth then it would be over before it even began. “I will when the time is right.” She sighed heavily, stood up, and started to walk away. “Hey Liz.” She turned around and stared at me, waiting for me to speak. “Does your friend, Derrek still have that art studio?”

She looked at me strangely. “Yeah, why?”

“Can you do me a favor and ask him if I can use it for a couple of hours tomorrow afternoon?”

She let out a loud laugh. “Mason Boudreaux, you don’t have a creative bone in your body!”

“I know I don’t.”

The smile quickly vanished from her face. “O-h-h!” She shook her head as I gave her a pitiful pleading look. “I cannot believe that I’m going to be an accomplice to this!”

“Love you, Liz!” I grinned.

“I’ll see what I can do. Just promise me that you’ll think about what I said?” I nodded. “Preferably, before she falls back in love with you.”

Even though Liz talked a good game, she had arranged with her friend to allow us to use his studio for a few hours. She had texted me the address, the combination to get in, as well as letting me know that he had set everything up for Becca to be able to paint. Of course she had to type out:
I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M BEING A PART OF THIS! TELL HER!
at the end of her message. I arrived at Becca’s to pick her up, waiting for her to say her goodbyes to Lilly like she was never going to see her again. “Is she okay, being left alone for long periods?” I asked.

“Of course! My Lilly is an angel. Actually my neighbor, Linda, that lives across the hall is a big help with her. She takes her out for me all the time when I’m going to be gone for long periods of time.” We walked out of her apartment and into the bright sunlight. “Wow, it’s pretty warm out,” Becca said while grabbing the hair clip off her purse and twisting her hair up into a sexy messy bun with ease. “So what is your big surprise?” she asked.