“Welcome to the Materials Lab, for the Bachelor in Architecture at Harvard University.”
I looked at him perplexed. “What? We are in Harvard?”
He nodded smiling. “Yep. This is my classroom.”
I laughed incredulously. "Your classroom, as in you are the professor?”
Art hid his hands in his jean pockets, clearly uncomfortable with the attention and shrugged. "I guess. You like it?"
I shook my head taken aback by his attitude, anyone else would be boasting about this “little” accomplishment, but Chewie had literally just shrugged at me. One of the reasons why I loved him. I jumped him, wrapping my arms and legs around him and he laughed staggering back. He sat on the desk not to fall. His arms held me to him.
“This is Awesome, Chewie! I’m so proud of you.” I leaned in and closed my lips over his, letting them linger. It was one of the many stolen “almost kisses” we'd shared, and as usual my heart responded to it. I smiled leaning back, and he planted a kiss on my nose, setting me back down.
"Thank you," Art said almost ashamed, making me wonder why he had such an aversion about accepting praise for his accomplishments.
He held my hand, and we walked closer to the stations as he began to show me everything they did there. There were models of buildings, houses and some looked so unconventional I couldn't even figure out what they were, creativity at its best. A few were made out of paper, others iron, and even plastic. It was so diverse I didn't know where to look, but they were all incomplete.
"This is my favorite stage of the process," Chewie said, bringing my attention back to him. "The work in progress." His fingers followed the curves of the metal work in front of us, as he spoke. "When every piece you fuse together, every window, and every beam brings you closer to your dream, but even though it's incomplete it is as though you can see the future. It becomes so vivid in your mind that it makes you work even harder to achieve that vision. It doesn't matter if others don't understand, or if they can't see it yet because you know that once it's finished, they will appreciate it just as you have from the start. They'll love it or hate it, and be impacted by it in ways you never imagined, but no matter the outcome you would have shown them what you are capable of. There is no feeling like it in this world."
My eyes teared up with the emotion behind his words. I could see the real passion he had for architecture, or for "building things" as he called it, but I could also see the underlined need to prove to others his worth. It was baffling to me that a man as remarkable as he felt the need to do so. Art was humble, selfless, courageous, compassionate, loyal, caring and so many other things, that I couldn't understand how he didn't see it. It also made me wonder what had happened in his life that caused him to view himself this way.
It didn't matter. I was here for him, and I would make sure he knew how extraordinary he was, even if I had to remind him every minute of every day. I hugged him and felt his hands press me closer to him, returning the hug. We remained silent as he held me in his arms.
“Hey, professor!”
“What’s up, C?”
The male voices broke the silence, and we turned around to see two guys walking towards us. One looked like a surfer dude, blond kind of long hair, nice tan, and blue eyes. He wore light jeans a graphic t-shirt and a green hoodie on top. He even had the shell, leather cord necklace around his neck, and tennis shoes. He was cute. The other was preppy all the way. He also wore jeans, but they were designer jeans for sure. He had a blue button down shirt, and a blazer with the Harvard crest on the lapel. He had light brown hair and brown eyes, and worn leather loafers. Hotness alert all the way with these two. They were tall but still way shorter than Art. They stopped in front of us.
Art smiled. "Hey, guys. What are you doing here? There's no class today."
"Oh, we know, but I left my sun glasses here yesterday,” surfer dude said, and his eyes fell on me. So did preppy dude's gaze, but he wasn't admiring every inch of me like his friend was. Art instantly sneaked his arm around my waist and pulled me closer. I repressed a chuckle.
“Lia, I want to introduce you to two of my students…”
“And friends,” surfer dude interrupted. “We are friends too.”
I chuckled as Art continued. “And my friends, Peter Jackson and Maximilian Clifford.”
“Max for short,” Preppy dude said extending his hand to me. “Pleasure to meet you.”
“And, I’m Peter,” surfer dude added, shaking my hand.
I smiled. "Lia, nice to meet you both." A low, appreciative whistle left Peter's lips as his eyes traveled the length of my body again. They made a particular stop on my cleavage. Although I couldn't blame him for that, my breasts were amazing, and I was wearing my favorite push up bra.
"My girlfriend," Art added in a total caveman manner, pulling me even closer to him. Peter's mouth dropped, and I tried not to roll my eyes. Chewie was so overprotective sometimes.
"Oh, crap. Of course, she is. How could a hot babe like that not be? Well done, C."
"Dude, respect," Max admonished, then smiled at us apologetically. "He doesn't usually behave like that, but I left his leash at home."
We laughed, and Peter shrugged. "I was just admiring her beauty."
"Thanks, Peter," I said amused, I liked these two.
"We were hoping to run into you, Clark."
I frowned at Max's words, but then I remembered that Art's fake name was Clark Allen. I loved the name, it was like the perfect combination between my two favorite superheroes. Well, their alter egos, Clark Kent and Barry Allen. Another reason why I loved Art.
“Oh, yeah. We were,” Peter added. “We wanted to know if you have found funding for the housing project. My brother is stoked about working with you, and wants to start transporting the machinery to Montana.”
"Not yet, unfortunately. I purchased a few materials with my savings, but I haven't even begun to scrape the surface. This reminds me. I need the address of the land to start sending the materials there, and I wanted to schedule a visit there so I can see it for myself."
"Not a problem," Max answered excitedly. "We can go whenever you like. It just has to be on a weekend when we don't have class."
“Housing project, Chewie? What is he talking about?” I looked at Art.
He smiled. "I haven't shown you yet." He took my hand, and we began to walk back to his desk. The guys followed.
“Did she just call him Chewie? Like from Star Wars?”
I looked at Max over my shoulder and grinned. "Yes. He is my Chewie." Art chuckled but remained silent.
“Kinky,” Peter added. “Dude, she can call me Jabba for all I care.”
Art threw them a murderous look and Max cleared his throat. “Sorry.” I laughed. I was having too much fun with these guys.
When we finally got to his desk, I realized something I hadn't before. There were two desks, and they sat at different levels. The lower one was slightly tilted. Art held me by the waist and sat me on the higher one. Holding a bracket on the side of the other one he adjusted the angle. It wasn't a desk, but a drafting table. I beamed in anticipation as he opened a small cabinet to his left, taking something out of it and sat on the stool. My eyes widened as he spread the blue prints over the table, setting them in place.
“Wow,” I whispered, and soon noticed I had an echo. I looked at the guys and saw their eyes as big as saucers.
“We hadn’t seen them either,” Max, explained.
“This is just a portion of the project. The rest of the blueprints are at home.” Art clarified smiling.
My gaze returned to the prints, and I tried to understand as much as I could, but I wasn't sure what I was looking at exactly. It didn't look like anything I had seen before.
“What is it, Chewie?”
“It’s a home.”
My heart warmed noticing the distinction he made in his response. He could have said “a house,” but he didn’t.
“I’m sure it will be a very h
appy one.”
* * *
After lunch in California, and six of the most delicious tacos I had ever eaten, we walked a few blocks from the restaurant and came across a construction site.
“Wait for me here.”
I nodded, blocking the sun with my hand as I looked up at the structure. My eyes widened once I was able to take it all in. It was a modern building, so tall that I almost broke my neck trying to look at the top.
“Here you go.”
Art's voice made me drag my gaze away, and I smiled when I saw the hard hat on his head. He looked like Bob the Builder, the "Steamy Druid edition." He placed a hat on my head, gave me a peck on the lips, and held my hand.
“Let me show you around.”
We walked through the site, and he introduced me to the crew. Once again, Chewie mentioned I was his girlfriend the second he noticed some of the guys checking me out. I rolled my eyes this time, but for a brief second, I couldn't help wishing it were true. I wanted to be the one Art was with, not Seima. I always ended up wanting to kick my own ass for being so stupid, but it was so hard not to imagine the scenario being true, especially when Chewie gave me all his attention like he had today.
Sometimes it felt like he existed only for me. To care for me, to protect me, to make me smile and slay my demons.
In a perfect world, he was mine. I was his girlfriend, and his "almost kisses" were real kisses. Heart stopping, toe curling, mind numbing, "I gotta have you now” kisses.
In a perfect world, he wanted me, and I was everything to him.
ART
* * *
We stepped through the portal, and Lia’s eyes twinkled. It was the same look she had all day, as I showed her the part of my life no one else knew about. I had enjoyed spending this time with her. Today had been a beautiful day, good thing it wasn’t over yet.
"I know this place! We are not in Anaheim anymore. This is Seattle. We are two blocks away from my parent's apartment."
I could hear the excitement in her voice just as I wanted. I knew how close she was to her family and how much she missed her parents.
“Wait, is that a Starbucks??” I chuckled at the outrage in Lia’s voice. “Freaking people wait until I disappear to open a Starbucks here. Typical.” I kissed her hand and looked at my watch. It was almost 5:30 p.m. “Ok, are you going to buy me a Frappuccino, or are we going to stand here the rest of the afternoon?”
I chuckled and pointed across the street to our left. A gasp left her lips when her parents rounded the corner walking hand in hand. Lia cupped her mouth, while her gaze followed them. They stopped by the coffee shop, and her father kissed her mother's cheek opening the door for her. Lia blinked and turned to me in shock after they went it.
“How did you know they’d be here?”
I shrugged. "It's 5:30 p.m. They come here three times a week to have coffee and read."
She looked at me baffled. “Chewie, have you been checking up on them?”
I looked at her confused. It should be obvious. “Of course. They are your parents, and I wanted to make sure they were safe.”
She nodded, her eyes watered. “Thank you, Chewie.”
“No need to thank me,” I said caressing her cheek, and leaned down to kiss her nose. She smiled.
“Can I go see them?”
“Of course,” I held her hand in mine. “Leig leinn falbh”—Let us disappear. The white shimmer instantly flowed over our skins, creating a hazy film, and hiding us from the world.
Lia gasped again, taking a step back. “What just happened?”
“I made us invisible.”
"Why?" she asked confused, but I didn't have to answer as the light in her eyes changed. "Oh. I'm supposed to be in Europe, so they can't see me." I nodded. "Ok, I still want to get closer."
I took her across the street and snuck into the Starbucks behind a group of teenagers. Our eyes searched the place, but I found them first. I pulled Lia behind me as I walked towards her parents. They were sitting in two armchairs that were next to each other on the far corner. Her mother had a book in her hand, and there was a cup of tea on a small table next to her. Lia's father was holding his wife’s hand, and reading a newspaper. His table held a steaming Mochaccino. They looked comfortable with each other. In love. I noticed an open seat right across from them and sat down, pulling Lia down to my lap. I held her close while she watched them.
Lia opened her mouth as though to tell me something but snapped it closed. "You can speak. They won't hear you."
“Really?” I nodded. “Oh, it’s so nice seeing them again.”
“I can imagine.”
She smiled looking at their joined hands. "They always do that, you know. Hold hands. It's the smallest gesture, but I feel like my Dad can't help himself. Like he needs to touch her every so often, as though to confirm she is still there."
“Sounds like he loves her.”
Lia nodded. "He really does." She chuckled. "My Mom always complains that he is suffocating her, but I know she likes it. My Dad is not like the average man. He is very affectionate with her. Always has been, and he loves showing her that she is special to him. He does little things for her all the time. Mom says that she married him just so that he would stop chasing her. He was driving her crazy."
We laughed. “Sounds like a perfect marriage.”
“I know, right?” She chuckled. “I want to have what they share… someday.”
Lia's gaze settled on mine, but she instantly looked away. It had been only a fraction of a second, but I could swear I saw sadness in them. I frowned. I'd thought that bringing her to see her parents would be good for her. Make her feel better.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you sad.”
“No,” she said looking at me again. “You didn’t. I’m happy I could see them. Thank you.”
"You want to talk to them?" Her gaze filled with confusion. I reached into my back pocket and pulled out her cell phone handing it to her. "I charged it for you."
She squeezed my cheeks excitedly, and gave me a peck on the lips, then pressed a button on her phone. The next second her mother’s phone began ringing.
“Oh, Charles. It’s our daughter!”
“We have a daughter?!" He asked in mock shock, and she smacked his arm.
"Stop. You are not funny."
He chuckled while Lia and I laughed. Now I knew who Lia got her humor from. Her mother answered the phone and pulled her husband close, placing the phone between them so they could both hear.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, sweetheart! I’m so happy to hear your voice.”
“Tell her I’m here too.” Her Dad said into the phone.
“Your Dad says he’s here too.”
I silently laughed so they couldn't hear me over the phone. "I know, Mom. I can hear him."
"Oh, she says she can hear you."
“Oh, good. She can hear me. Hi, sweetheart. How are you?”
I laughed as Lia rolled her eyes. "Dad, of course, I can hear you, you are talking into the phone."
“How is your vacation going? Have you met any handsome men yet?”
"Yes, she di…" my words became muffled as Lia's hand covered my mouth. She narrowed her eyes at me, and I grinned.
"Mom, not now please."
"But mija, you need to hurry. The clock is ticking, and you won't have that body all your life. Especially with how much you eat. You got that from your father, you know?"
“Mom…”
“I’m just saying. You should take that chance and find yourself a sexy European to get married. European men love Latin women. We are very passionate, and uninhibited in bed.”
“Honey, please.” Her Dad complained, obviously uncomfortable with the conversation. I chuckled.
“Mom! Stop.”
"Fine. Don't listen to me, para que tu veas como te vas a quedar para vestir Santos. I’m just trying to help. It is my job as a mother…”
I chuckled, and Lia frowned. S
he probably did think I understood Spanish, but I had studied architecture in almost every language there was. I had wanted to learn about the different construction techniques used in each country. I was multilingual.
"Ok, Mom, enough." Lia said interrupting her, while I tried not to laugh.
“She got her stubbornness from you, you know?” Her mother huffed crossing her arms while her Dad took the phone.
"Ignore your mother, sweetheart. You are a beautiful young woman, inside and out and any man would be lucky to have you, no matter when that is."
"Well, of course, she is beautiful. She's my daughter."
Lia chuckled. “So what are you guys doing?”
"Oh, you will die when you find out! They opened a Starbucks two blocks from our apartment. We came here to read." Her mom said, reclaiming the phone.
“What? You went to the Starbucks without me?” Lia asked in mock outrage, and winked at me.
Her Mom gasped. "It was your father. He insisted we come as soon as they opened."
"No, I did not! I said we should w…" her mother's hand stopped his words as she covered his mouth just like Lia had done to me before.
"I said we should wait until you came back, but he said no, and you know how your father gets. There is no stopping him once he wants something, mija!"
Lia laughed, but I noticed a tear escaped her eyes. My heart constricted. "What happened?" I whispered, but she shook her head.
"I miss you so much, guys."
“We miss you too, sweetheart,” his Dad answered, taking his wives’ hand off his mouth.
“Yes we do,” her Mom added. “But you are coming back home soon, right?”
Another tear slid down Lia’s cheek. “Yes. I should be home soon.”
Not if I can help it. I vowed. I knew Lia missed her parents, but she didn't belong here anymore. She belonged back at the village with my people, with Bri… with me.
"Bye Mom. Bye, Dad. I love you guys."
“By mija. We love you. Have fun!”
Lia lowered the phone and smiled, as her Dad kissed his wives' lips and they continued reading. I stood with Lia in my arms and walked out of there.
Worthy of Magic (The Ancient Magic Series Book 4) Page 15