Page 74 of Crying Shame
Right. I’d been a sulking teenager. I had no idea what she'd seen in me. I pressed my hand on her back. “You were gorgeous as my nondate but the only woman I wanted to be with.”
We stepped into the elevator. “Well, my mother had a different opinion. She told me showing my knees was like being naked, and I wasn’t ever going to have an easy life.”
I’d been blind. Her prom dress had been a blue, beaded dress that shone on the dance floor. I’d not been able to get her alone for long, but watching her be happy had made me happy.
We walked out of the building. “Are you serious?”
“Except for my work gowns that covered everything down to my ankles, I’ve not worn a dress on my own since then.”
I liked to imagine I could change her perception of her looks. “And your mom is wrong. Your knees are cute and touchable.”
“Stop,” she said as the limo stopped in front of the building. “Doesn’t matter. You know now… what’s this?”
The driver got out of the limo and held the door open for us, and we slipped in. “We’re taking the limo to the Met before they open," I said. "Afterward, we'll eat at Eleven Madison Park.”
She settled in her seat. “Would your brother Gerard approve of the menu?”
I laughed. “He recommended the restaurant. You remembered his love for food?”
She let out a giggle. “I read his blog all the time. It sounds just like him.”
Most of the world had no idea Gerard had been a foodie before it was even a popular thing. “You know he has a blog?”
She stared at me like I was crazy. “He’s been writing it since we were kids.”
The Metropolitan Museum of Art wasn’t open yet, so we had an easy time parking. We filed out of the limo.
“I’m still in shock at how big Adrien got,” Clarissa said as we walked to the entrance.
I missed my baby brother sometimes. “He’s tall.”
I showed my ID to security, and we were let in.
“I’m sure Adrien is a heartbreaker in college, much like you were,” she said.
The museum curators let us through to the empty halls that were still closed to other guests. I stared at her. “You were the only one then and now.”
She let out a sigh. “Keep talking like that, lover boy, and we’ll have an amazing day.”
“That’s all I want.”
Now that we were out together on a date, I hoped it was enough to show her that she could trust me with her heart. I would never let her down.
37
Clarissa
We plopped on the floor and enjoyed the immersive Monet exhibit. Lights reflected digital projections of his famous paintings from top to bottom. It seemed like we were part of the painting being shown. I’d only seen the exhibit before in a movie, and here I was in a living painting, sitting in the arms of the hottest guy on the planet. His muscular arms around me made me feel… safe.
The dream was real for the moment. I sighed. “I can’t believe how beautiful this is.”
He whispered in my ear, “Nothing compares to you.”
All the right words. If it was possible to come home forever, then home would be here—with Elon. I rested my head on his shoulder as the display changed. “I always thought the paintings were gorgeous. but now that it feels like we’re inside the whole thing, I’m overwhelmed, to be honest.”
I normally wasn't surrounded by magnificence. For a moment, as I enjoyed the immersive experience, I imagined living with Elon forever as we raised Sam together like we’d been doing since I came to live with him. It wasn’t just Sam Elon had saved, it had been me too. Life was a dream these days.
“Let’s not analyze and just enjoy the show,” Elon said.
