The Face Of Ballet

Paint stains

James stretched his arms above his head as Steve came back in through the meeting room door after showing their clients out. Steve sat back down in his chair as James slouched down in his, yawning to himself.

"What time are we picking the girls up at?" James asked as he sat back up straight in his lush chair to look at Steve.

"I don't know I'll see if Nat said anything" Steve pulled his phone out of his pocket to see a text from Nat sitting on his lock screen.

'Hey xx
Lilly's not feeling too well and she's not going so I'm assuming James isn't going either?
We can still do something if you want x'

"Oh" Steve said halfway through reading the message. James quirked his brows at his comment.

"Everything ok?" James asked examining his friend as he replied to the message from Nat.

"Looks like Lilly's not feeling well, so she's not going. She probably text you to tell you about it" James' heart started to race as he pulled his phone out to see he had no messages from Lilly.

She didn't even tell him.

"You're going to look after her I'm assuming then" Steve asked eyes still glued to his phone screen.

"Ugh yeah of course" James replied putting his phone back in his pocket and ripping himself from his heavy leather chair.

"I'm going to make sure she's ok. You'll be fine here won't you?" James asked before leaving to walk down the hallway to his personal office.

"Yeah I'll be fine, go and look after her" James smiled at Steve and departed down the hallway to his office, closing the door behind him. James took out his phone and rang Lilly. The phone rang twice before she picked up.

"Lillian are you ok?" James could hear Lilly breathing at the other side of the line as he spoke.

"Yeah"

He wasn't convinced.

"Don't lie to me Lillian you've been acting weird all day long what's wrong?" James' voice instantly becoming stern with her dishonesty.

"J-James why didn't you say anything when you saw that Polaroid I got sent a few days ago?" Lilly whispered in a defeated tone.

James' jaw clenched stiff and his heart raced in his now tight chest. She knew the picture was of his mother.

"I don't know doll"

"Why would I end up like her James?" Lilly felt tears stream down her face, splashing onto her pallet of mixed paints.

James heard her struggling to breath and snuffling. He knew she was crying.

And he now understood why his mother's heart cracked that day they were told his father was dead. The sound that he swore he heard that he will never forget as long as he lives. A sound like the smashing of ice on a frosty winters morning. Pieces of her heart falling sounding like glass shards falling the the ground.

He felt it too just at the woman he loved crying over something he had done. His cold heart fractured at the thought of causing Lilly pain.

"Doll listen to me, you won't end up like her" James reassured Lilly to halt the sound of her tears.

"But why would someone say that James" Lilly sobbed done the phone at James.

She loved him but he pretended that he didn't know who Winnifred was- like she wasn't his mother.

"Lilly listen to me sweetheart, you're going to be ok it's fine" James grabbed his keys and thudded down the hallway toward the elevator.

"I'm on my way just—let me explain?" James ran into the elevator, slamming the last button and  becoming impatient at how slow it was going down to he and Steve's underground parking. James bolted to his black Audi, slamming the door shut behind him as he took of into the city. James sped through the city while me continued to comfort Lilly over the phone, trying to get her to stop crying.

"Lilly I'm outside now. I won't be long don't cry doll please" James said jumping out of his car and running up the steps of the building.

James scaled the stairs taking 4 steps at once- his height, strength and mix of determination making this an easy task.

When James got to Lilly's door he unlocked it with the key she had given him before she left stayed with him.

Walking in to her apartment he called Lilly as she wasn't in his direct sight. James heard the muffled sobs coming from a room he had never been in. James opens the door to find Lilly sitting on the floor in front of an easel bigger than herself with tears streaming down her cheeks.

Her tears, cracking the dried paint on her cheeks and neck. Lilly had blue paint stains on her hands and legs. James never knew Lilly had a miniature workshop in her apartment, hidden behind a set of double doors. His eyes scanned around the room seeing a range of beautiful finishes canvases, endless amounts of paints and brushes in jars.

Lilly looked up at James her eyes were tinted scarlet from how much she had been crying. When she saw him she didn't care what he had done. Lilly raised her arms and motioned him to come over to her with grabby hands, like a child wanting their favourite toy back.

James walks over to her and hooks his hands under her arms, lifting her off the cold floor. Lilly wrapped her legs around his hips and arms around his thick neck. James had a hand holding her up by the back and the other stroking her hair as she nuzzled into the crook of his neck, hot tears seeping into his skin.

James walked out of the room and into Lilly's bedroom. He lay down on her beautiful white linen bed set and deposited her on his chest. Lilly continued to cry into his chest as he continued to run his fingers through her hair to comfort her.

James felt her breath slow down and the tears stopped flowing from her beautiful emerald with a twinge of sapphire eyes. He peeking down at her to see her now curled up in his arms soundly sleeping with her head on his chest. James saw smears of paint on his expensive black Tom Ford suit— but he couldn't care less if he had to throw the suit away at least Lilly was calm.

For now.

James eyes felt heavy, he felt comforted by Lilly's presence and everything went black as his eyes closed.

                         𝓟𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓽 𝓢𝓽𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓼

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓕𝓪𝓬𝓮 𝓞𝓯 𝓑𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓽

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