Always In My Heart

Chapter 11- Prince Charming

I stand on the balcony of my suite, paintbrush and pallet in hand. I admire what I have painted so far of the city. The afternoon sun is still reflecting off of the buildings in that gorgeous way, setting the scene for a beautiful landscape to paint. I hold my cell phone between my cheek and shoulder as I paint.

"Yeah, it's really lovely here," I say to Nikki happily.

"That's awesome, Lou! I'm so glad you're having a good time," Nikki says in a joyful tone. I grin and mix some paint on the pallet before continuing.

"Meet any sexy, frenchmen out there?" she asks. My heart immediately jumps thinking of Harry. I think back to breakfast this morning and the way he left so suddenly, so mysteriously. I question whether I should tell her about Harry or not. I fake a happy laugh.

"Eh, not really! Hoping to find some lucky contenders soon, though!" I say jokingly. She laughs on the other end of the phone.

"Oh, Lou. I miss you so much," she says, sounding a bit melancholy. I frown and carefully add fine details to my painting, furrowing my brow as I concentrate.

"I miss you a lot, too," I respond lovingly. "Paris is great but I can't wait to get home to see you!" I add.

"Aw, same here sweetheart!" she says sweetly. "So tell me all about the grand opening!" she adds, quickly making conversation. I smile.

"It was an amazing night. Truly an unforgettable experience! I met so many celebrities that I can't even remember all of them. Seeing my painting on the wall of a museum is the craziest thing. It's a bit overwhelming," I explain.

"I see, but overwhelming in a good way, right?" she asks.

"Overwhelming in the best way," I respond, making her laugh a little.

"It's just unbelievable, Louis! Not many twenty-two year olds get the opportunity of having their artwork hung in a widely-known museum," she says proudly. She is so ecstatic for me. I smile at the sound of her praise.

"Thanks Nik, but I just prefer to think of it as luck."

"Louis, it's far from luck. It's called hard work and dedication, which are two things you definitely are great at."

I am silent.

"Common, Louis. Admit that you're proud of yourself!"

I start to laugh.

"What's so funny?" she asks, sounding playfully angry at me. I laugh even harder, shaking my head and repositioning the phone before it falls.

"You," I say, still giggling quietly. I hear her sigh and can tell that she's more than likely rolling her eyes at me right now. I smile in satisfaction at her annoyance. We both love picking on each other in the funniest way. We both know exactly what makes the other one tick and it's fun to use the known information as a weapon.

"Whatever, Lou," she says, playfully sighing deeply and then laughing. I smile listening to her happy giggles.

"You know you love me," I say, focusing on painting the Eiffel Tower.

"Of course I love you. But you are annoying as hell," she says bluntly, making me laugh hard.

"I try to be, just for you."

"Well you succeed."

A knock at the door resonates from inside the hotel room. I stop painting, confused as to who could be knocking. My heart races faster by the second as I start to panic.

Oh, please don't be Harry!

I quickly set my brush and pallet down on the balcony table.