Rowan

Chapter 17 | Rowan

The next day was a blur, all the way to three o'clock. That was when her last class ended, and she had to keep herself from running out to the parking lot.

"Watch it, bitch!"

She turned in surprise, ready to apologize to the person she had accidentally bumped into in her rush. Her mouth closed when she saw who it was.

"God, what's wrong with people these days?" the petite blonde asked, scowling.

Rowan recognized the girl as Britney, and she was less than pleased to see her after what Emma had told her. Apparently she was a nightmare.

She was trying to decide how to react when a car pulled up beside her; the window rolled down. It was James, and she felt relief pass through her as she reached for the door.

A gasp broke out behind her, and she looked over her shoulder in confusion. Britney had one hand over her mouth and was looking between James and her with wide blue eyes. "What the hell?"

And then it hit her. James was the unfortunate soul that had caught the blonde's attention. Apparently she was absolutely obsessed with him, if the rumors were anything to go by.

She felt a jolt of satisfaction that she was the one spending time in his company, especially after Emma had been telling her how much of a pain in the ass the other girl was.

So she couldn't help the small grin that appeared as she pulled the door open, slipping into the passenger seat. And she really couldn't help the blush that crossed her face as James looked over at her, giving her a smile in return.

•>•>•>

"So, where are we going?" she asked for the umpteenth time. She was starting to feel like a child in her excitement.

His answer was the same as it had been the last time. "You'll see."

He turned onto a rut filled road; the car jostling them around so much she almost felt sea sick.

"Are you kidnapping me?" she asked with a teasing smile, gripping tightly onto the sides of the leather seat.

He shot her a quick glance, an amused expression flashing across his face. "If I were kidnapping you I'd be headed the other way. It's a dead end down here."

The trees parted to reveal a small brick building, and her eyes widened as she realized where he had brought her. "Holy crap!" she said, turning to him. "You remembered!"

It was the Gardania Art Museum, and she'd been wanting to go see it for ages. She vaguely remembered telling him this is one of their first conversations at the cafe.

He pulled into a spot by the doors and she quickly jumped out, barely able to contain her excitement.

He met her in front of the vehicle, a faint smile on his face as he regarded her. "I hope this is alright," he said, searching her eyes.

She ran up to him in pure euphoria, placing her hands on his shoulders as she stood up on the tips of her toes to kiss him on the cheek. She was blushing furiously by the time she realized what she'd done, and quickly turned to go into the building.

He was at her side a moment later, his hand placed lightly on the small of her back, and a she felt a smile tug at her lips. This man was perfection.

Caden had never shown affection. He never told her that he loved her. If he wanted her to do something he would just say that it was in her best interest or that he was doing it all for her. She just wished that she'd known sooner how toxic he was.

An older woman met them in the lobby and announced that she would be giving them a tour, and Rowan's heart soared at the fact that James had planned all of this for her.

She was awestruck by the works of art that were displayed around the small museum. Many of the names were ones she'd never heard of before, and yet she felt a connection to them. They lived through art, just like her.

James watched her intently through the whole thing, almost like he wanted to make sure she was really enjoying herself. Once or twice she met his gaze, and his eyes warmed in response.

And she realized that among all of the paintings around them, he was the masterpiece. Mysterious and hidden behind layers, and yet clearly valuable. And beautiful. And slowly; ever so slowly, peeling away the defenses she had built up around her heart.