by Bryce Oakley
She searched the crowd for her friends, definitely not looking for a tall woman with dirty blonde hair and honey brown eyes. Just her friends. Pia and Zoey, mostly, since they said they’d definitely be there.
It was Domino and Sabrina who were the first to find her.
“This show is awesome,” Sabrina said. “Your paintings are so beautiful.”
“Thank you,” Freya said with a smile, stepping away from her art world circle.
“Yeah, I don’t really understand it, I think, but your work really speaks to me,” Domino said with a grin.
“Oh, I remember. You were talking to my painting on mushrooms, right?” Freya laughed, remembering how Domino had told her the story when they first met.
Domino laughed. “If I remember correctly, you were also less than in your right mind when painting that one.”
Freya nodded, shrugging. “You remember correctly.”
Pia and Zoey appeared out of the crowd to hug and congratulate her.
“Pia says I can only buy one, but I’m thinking two,” Zoey said with a wink. “They remind me so much of the island.”
“I knew you were my favorite,” Freya said, wrapping an arm around Zoey’s shoulders.
Zoey laughed as Pia shook her head. “You’re lucky you’re very cute.”
“It does make up for a number of sins.” Zoey winked.
“Is, uh, anyone else coming?” Freya asked lightly.
Zoey’s forehead wrinkled. “We invited Isla, but she just got back into town this morning, so she’s a bit jet-lagged.”
Freya nodded, but was saved by Meg’s rambunctious arrival as she declared Freya to be the best artist she’d ever seen in her whole life.
“Can we have Freya design the backdrop for the new tour?” Meg asked Domino.
Domino grinned. “That would be awesome. I’ll tell Micah.”
Freya smiled.
The group tangented on some topic and Freya began to casually look around the room. She wasn’t looking for anyone, of course, just seeing how it was going. That was all. No other reason.
She sipped from her wine glass and tried to hide the disappointment she felt about a certain person’s absence.
One of the other artists dragged her away to introduce her to some people she simply had to meet.
Her friends stayed for around another hour before making plans to hit up a diner down the street for pancakes.
“Join us after?” Pia said, squeezing her arm.
“Sure,” Freya nodded and waved.
She very casually glanced at her watch. The opening was only scheduled for another twenty minutes.
She sighed, trying not to let it ruin what had otherwise been a perfectly good evening. She’d sold four of the five paintings and two of the most well-respected — and thus feared — art critics in LA had gushed about her new style.
The gallery had cleared out considerably by the time she turned and saw her.
Isla’s hair was tousled in a way that reminded Freya of running her fingers through it, and she wore a simple t-shirt dress and sandals, like she had been in a hurry.
She could only see her from across the gallery, but Isla was standing in front of her paintings. She was gazing up at them, her eyebrows drawn together in concentration.
Freya smoothed her jumpsuit — coincidentally, it had been the same one she’d worn to the wedding, it looked damn good on her — and crossed the room slowly, her breaths coming more shallow and her pulse quickening the closer she got.
Isla turned as Freya approached her and caught her eye. She looked like she was tearing up. She blinked quickly, turning away for another second.
Freya moved to stand beside her without saying a word, looking up at the piece before them.
Isla reached forward, pointing to the painting without touching it. “Are these what I think they are?” She asked quietly.
Freya took a deep breath. “It depends on what you think they are.”
“They’re... me. And the island. And you,” Isla said.
Freya stared at the paintings before her. Raw sienna, burnt umber, jade green, turquoise, Aegean blue, titanium white, watermelon pink... They were abstract paintings, sure, but Isla was right.
Isla turned to her. “But you left,” she said, half-accusation, half-question.
Freya nodded, pressing her lips together. “I thought I had to.” It had been so easy to justify at the time, and now?
Isla crossed her arms over her chest.
“I misspoke,” Freya said, an emotion lump forming in her throat.
“When?” Isla asked softly.
“That night on the beach. When you asked me what I was looking for, I said I don’t have any interest in love. What I meant was, I didn’t. Past tense. And I got scared. I am scared,” Freya said, her knees shaking slightly as though she was speaking in front of a large crowd.
Isla turned, staring at her with wide eyes. “What are you scared of?”
“Right now, I’m most scared of losing your friendship. But more than that, I’m scared of losing what we found on the island,” Freya admitted. She could feel her pulse in her temples, pounding as she confessed. Her mouth felt dry. She took a shaky sip of wine.
Isla's expression softened. “You’re a stubborn fool,” she said, but she was smiling as she chastised her. “And I just spent two weeks crying to my mum about how I developed unrequited feelings for a friend and then had mucked it all up.”
Freya laughed, blinking back tears that welled in the corners of her eyes. “You did?”
“Worst vacation ever,” Isla said, throwing her hands in the air.
Freya laughed harder, sniffling.
Isla sighed, looking frustrated. “This was the last thing I wanted, and yet it’s the only thing I want. I want to be with you, and I’m sorry I was too proud to say that when I had the chance.”
“I’m sorry, too. But, you still have the chance,” Freya said.
Isla nodded. “Then, give me a chance, too. I’m out of practice, but I’m willing to try.”
Freya smiled, sniffling as tears rolled down her cheeks. “So, what happens now?” She felt self-conscious again, crying in front of Isla.
Isla reached out to take Freya’s hand in hers and the world dropped away. It was just them, no gallery, no island, no pride, nothing left unsaid. “What now?” She stepped closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Now, everything.”
Thank you!
Thank you so much for reading Isla and Freya’s love story!
Want the epilogue? You can sign up to receive that right here. If you’re already on my subscriber list, you’ll still need to enter your info, but don’t worry, you won’t be getting double the number of emails!
P.S. That exclusive subscriber epilogue also contains a very cute Sabrina and Domino bonus scene that I couldn’t resist.
Acknowledgments
First of all, thank you to my wife, who is always at the top of my gratitude list. Ours is my favorite happily ever after story.
Gigantic thank you to my sister who diligently talks to me about the characters in my books as though they are real.
Dad Jobs, love you all and appreciate you so much. You’re the smartest, funniest, most supportive group of people and you’ve changed the game for me.
L & S, thank you for letting me panic eternally. Your calming presence is one of the only reasons I finished this book.
Maxx, I love you, but finish your damn book.
To everyone who has stayed with me on this wild ride, thank you so much. I am infinitely indebted to everyone who has ever read one of my books.
About the Author
Bryce grew up in the mountains of Colorado with a taste for adventure and a head full of clouds. She never grew out of either.
She lives in Denver with her partner, two adorable rescue dogs, and a very opinionated cat.