BOLD

R- Ruination

Apparently my parents had brought a painting that they had stored. Gabby wanted it, but couldn't get it until tonight. It probably was a painting that they had on the wall and Gabby saw it when she was over sometime.

I already figured it would be the one with sunflowers being shined on by a streetlight on a dark night. That was one of my favorites growing up. Paintings came and went in my household, but that one always stayed. I never knew why. I looked down where I was walking when Carson stopped me from walking forward.

When I looked up my mouth dropped. It was a young girl with fire red hair listening intently to her grandfather. Her pale skin with freckles all over from playing in the sun with him. Her mouth open in awe with a slight smile. Her eyes innocent, eager, and most of all.

Happy.

I look at the plaque below.

The painting was named: My Prized Possession

Painted by: Henry Howell

I felt like someone reached through my body and grabbed my heart. Whoever did was holding it right in front of me. And all I could do was watch the heart.

The girl was me. I was his prized possession.

"Quinn?" a voice says in my ear. Then someone stood in my view blocking my stare at the plaque.

Carson.

"I'm going to go get some air," I choke out somehow and find my way through the building filled with people. When I got outside I realized I didn't have my jacket so I hugged myself.

"Boo, what are you doing outside?" Mackey says walking up to me.

"The gallery is overwhelmingly beautiful, Mackey. Very overwhelming," I reply. He rolls his eyes and gives me a hug.

"You should come in, it is cold out here," he says. I shake my head.

"There's a lot of hot men in there. So I'm out here cooling off," Mackey's eyes widen.

"Do you know if any sway towards me?" he asks. I could tell he was seeing my meltdown, but Mackey had learned to just let me be during those times. 

I gesture towards the door, "Only one way to find out." He kisses my cheek, hesitating on his decision and then rushes inside. I shiver again, but I didn't want to go inside again.

How do you fill the space that someone made so much change in? Find another? Couldn't be done. Wasn't possible. It's not a job position, well if you had asked him he'd say that it was a tough job, but his favorite one. 

"It's cold out here, you are going to get sick," Carson's voice says lowly in my ear.

"It's not like it would matter," I murmur blinking tears away.

"Well, let's go say goodbye and go home," he says gently. Carson knew. He was aware about how my heart had a huge gaping hole and it just didn't want to heal. He adored the hole in my heart; and I adored him more. He didn't ask me questions about it or tell me to try to fill it. He didn't try to fill it in himself. Carson just didn't believe that it needed to be fixed.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" he asks. I feel him wrap his jacket around my shoulder. And before he could ask me, I put my arms through the sleeves.

"Hmm?" he says not making me looking at him.

It seemed like time had stopped. The taxi's and the sleek cars that drove past me all seemed to move slower.

If Carson suddenly had enough of me and left. It would be the biggest blow to my heart. Bigger than the blow that my grandfather had left. Mackey put a big band-aid on my heart. But so did Carson.