Page 90 of Rivals
“You are strong, Revna, but you don’t have to be strong with me.” Water pelts down my back. The steam fills the shower and water drips off her nose. She blinks slowly and I catch the water hanging from her eyelashes. Every bit of her is beautiful. It doesn’t matter when, where, or how.
“I’m just …I’m a mess, Lachlan.”
I shrug, turning us again to rinse the paint I scrubbed off. “I think neither of us minds a little messy, do we?” We are a mess all on our own, in this apartment, and when we create. Together, we are absolute havoc. There are so many emotions between us, toppled by our individual suffering. It could only result in chaos.
“We see each other in the chaos because we can withstand the storm.” She shakes her head, and a small cry bubbles over her lips. I rub her lips with my thumb as they quiver under my touch. I turn us so the water covers our sides as it continues to wash away one of the most beautifully intense moments of my life.
”Iamthe storm, Lachlan, and I don’t mean that in a good way. I’ve done nothing but ruin things for you,“ she says.
“No, Revna, you are my anchor.” I kiss her. I claim her with every ounce of love that is pulsing through me, begging me to be the man she needs so she can get through to the other side of this. I will hold her hand as we go through the tunnel together, because I was wrong. She has to decide if she wants change. When she does, I can’t just wait on the other side. She needs someone to walk with her through it. I know I can face my own demons because she’s already there, holding my hand. I just hope she notices while she’s holding mine that she can face hers, too. I will hold on, I will not let go. We will gotogether.
I pull back slightly to lean my forehead against her “We’re not alone, little bird. Not anymore.” She nods her head.
“Ok,” she rasps.
“Ok,” I parrot back and kiss her nose. That warmth in my chest tells me she just might believe me.
Part 2
Together or not at all.
Chapter 55
Revna
You can’t always get what you want but I will always be what you need.
We’releavingforItalytoday, and I still can’t believe it. I stare at our painting while Lachlan rushes around, grabbing our luggage. I see the passion, the movement, and the hurt that’s all over that canvas. I think it’s beautiful. Not just because I could finally respond to the undeniable hunger that only creating can satiate, but because I made it with him.
The day after we made it, I woke up to find him hanging it on the wall. At first, I wasn’t too keen on it, but then he gave me many reasons why it deserved to be on that wall. He didn’t use his tongue to speak. He used it to show me instead. I heard him loud and clear and finally relented.
It feels like another source of connection between us. His words in the shower echo in my head, and they have been for days.I’m not alone anymore. I’m his anchor.
I still don’t understand how someone like me could be an anchor, or really anything of support, for someone like him. He will tell me he has his problems, too, which I understand. But today, when my mind is the clearest it’s been in a long time, I feel like I am more of a burden to him than anything.
***
After our layover, we finally landed in Rome almost twelve hours later. Our month-long adventure of a lifetime has finally begun, and I kind of want to puke.
“Revna? You coming?” I blink a few times and watch Lachlan walk down the airplane aisle. I grab my bag and hurry behind him.
We get to the bag carousel with the rest of the competitors. Everyone is checking out the competition, and a pit grows in my stomach. Lachlan grabs both of our suitcases and wheels them over to me. It’s ugly and pink, but I found it at a resale shop and it works.
I stare at the conveyor with the other luggage slowly being pulled off. “Hey, baby.” Lachlan grabs my chin and forces me to look at him. “Where did you go?” I shrug and try to look down at my feet, but his grip holds tight. “Revna, we’re here. We made it. This is about to change everything for us. Stop questioning it and enjoy it.”
“Ok,” I rasp.
The moment we got on the bus, the blinders were pulled off, and my eyes were opened. This place is everything I dreamed it would be. My forehead is glued to the window as I try to take in the ancient city’s hustle and bustle and history.
The bus stops at a three-story, salmon-colored box of a building. There aren’t a lot of defining characteristics other than the shutters that are open on either side of the rectangular windows. Two large wood doors look to be almost ten feet tall. The whole building has to be at least two hundred years old.
After we unloaded from the bus, someone greeted us to go over things and assign rooms. We are told our tours start tomorrow at eight in the morning, and there is a community space in the building for larger works that are being done. Each apartment has space to work, and they encourage us to use it for the safety of our submissions. The woman with her Italian accent also throws in that if other artworks are sabotaged, we will be ejected from the competition and sent home. What she isn’t saying is that the art world would excommunicate you, too. I glance at Lachlan, and the past months play like a tape in reverse. I sabotaged his work, yet I got a second chance. We got a second chance. I’ve been scared of this whole process. I’ve been terrified of what Lachlan has come to mean to me. I know the fear won’t just evaporate into thin air, but with a clearer head and the proof Lachlan has given me, I decide I won’t let fear make my choices for me anymore.
It’s time for me to continue to turn over a new leaf and trust what Lachlan and I have built together. I just hope we can find the inspiration we need to do it. The ideas we came up with in New York are questionable. They are likely not a wow factor, which is what we need.
The woman gave us each of our keys, and everyone made their way to their new home for the month.
Lachlan unlocks the door. It’s simple, white painted walls, a small kitchenette, an open concept with a large bed, and a side table on one side with a small lamp. There is a couch against the windows and another little table next to it. The bathroom sits to the side of the kitchen, and a small TV is the only dresser in the room. There are no closets, but a tall cabinet sits across from the bed.
