Excitedly, my hands clawed at the expensive leather of the chair as I stood behind it and looked down at it. The letter, lying on the desk in front of the chair, was handwritten in neat letters, the paper heavy and the red wax seal long since broken.
“They have accepted you,” he stated in his calm manner and I bobbed up and down on my toes as I nodded vigorously.
“Yes! Finally!” I couldn’t hold back my voice and quickly made room for him to rise from his desk. A slight smile graced his features and he pulled me close.
“I’m proud of you,” he murmured into my hair and I closed my eyes, breathing in his scent.
“And you make it all possible for me,” I whispered back. Just a few years ago, I would paint my greatest works of art on the asphalt of the street, hoping that the rain wouldn’t wash it away too soon. Too often, the colourful chalk had sunken into the canal like my dreams. That I was standing here in this beautiful property, that I had set up my studio in the sunlit attic, that I no longer had to worry about financial matters … I owed it all to Shawn.
Not only had he been the one to discover my talent, he had also captured my heart and we had fallen in love head over heels.
And for a long time I thought having a crush was the same as being in love. For a long time I thought it was enough for me.
“Then you have to pack your bags now, Provence is waiting for you,” he urged and let go of me, so that I could lift my head and sink my gaze into his dark eyes.
“And you’ll be okay?” I asked anxiously. Just as Shawn had given me a home, I was trying to give him one, too. I worried about him, as he tended to work too much all the time, forgot to eat meals and wore himself out completely at times.
“It’s only one summer, Holly. I’ll be fine.” His deep voice soothed me as it always did and I nodded.
“Yes, just one summer. But this one I’m going to make the most of,” I replied firmly. Yes, I was sure I could learn a lot during my stay in France. It hadn’t been easy, I had already gotten two rejections, but all good things came in threes, apparently.
Now I held the coveted artist’s scholarship in my hands and was allowed to spend my summer in vast lavender fields and expand my artistic skills together with other students. It was an unprecedented opportunity and I was ready to take it.