Painting Clovers 8 Chapter 7

I woke up with a huge smile on my face, I can't help it. When my dreams are as good as they are, who wouldn't smile? I got up and quickly took a shower, I went to the café right after getting dressed and picked up 2 cups of coffee. As good as my dreams are, my reality right now is better, waaaay better.

I went back to our wing and listened out for her. Lena doesn't follow an order or direction on where to paint, she just moves from room to room, depending on where she felt like painting. I found her in one of the rooms in the very end of the hallway. Wearing her earphones, she was singing along to a Jason Mraz song. She was standing on a chair perched on the desk. My heart stopped. Blood drained from my face. I swear this girl will be the death of me. I quickly placed our coffees on the table and rushed to hold on to the chair she was standing at. She never fails to get my heart raising, whether it's because of one of her smiles or when she's doing things like climbing on not so sturdy chairs on top of unsteady desks.

"Oh hey Asher." She gave me a smile that never fails to make my heart jump, this is exactly what I am talking about. "What are you doing?" She looked questioningly at my hands gripping the chair tightly, tilting her head a little to the left in the cute way she does.

"You could have fallen. Doesn't this hotel have a step ladder or something?"

She laughed lightly and held her hand out to me as she climbed off the chair and the table. I felt a familiar charge where her skin meets mine. It's amazing how I can feel so much with just a little touch and yet she doesn't even seem to be affected by it. Oh Lena, what have you done to me?

"They do actually. But it's all the way at the other end of the hallway where I last used it." She went for one of the coffees and closed her eyes as she took a sip.

"I'll go get it. Stay there." I ordered as I started to leave. I was rewarded by a light laugh and I looked back at her seriously. "I'm serious Lena. Do not climb back there again."

She gave a salute. "Yes sir." This is one of my favorite Lenas, the playful Lena.

The past couple of days has been some of the best in my life. Ever since that afternoon after the parade, Lena and I had started to become quite close. She's still moody as hell, most of the time she's angry or irritated and always being around her means I am the target of her wrath. One time she screamed at me for breathing so loud, and another time she locked herself in one of the rooms she was painting and didn't come out the whole day, not even to eat. It isn't fun, having to deal with her mood swings, but I'd take her being mad at me rather than her sulking around. But its days like this, days when she's happy, playful, that makes me forget all her mood swings. It makes all the other bad days worth it.

She and Lester are getting along pretty well too. Sometimes they even have inside jokes and I can't help but feel a little jealous. I trust Lester and I know there's not really anything going on, it's just that Lena brings out a lot of emotions from me.

Bringing her coffee in the morning has been a routine. Then I'd hang out with her and take a couple of pictures. Lester would show up sometimes around lunch time and the three of us would eat together at the restaurant. Even the staff seemed to notice us, they looked over us with meaningful smiles, and they all also seem really happy seeing Lena out and having fun. They must have known her for a long time, since she'd been painting the whole hotel. She refuses to go out of the hotel though, Lester and I tried several times but she won't budge. She talks about things in the city, she recommends places to eat and visit, but she refused to step out of the hotel. Lester always joked that she's a ghost and her spirit is stuck here in the hotel but she just laughs it off.

I still watch her at night, that sounds creepy I know, but I still do. When she goes out to her balcony. I've only seen her cry once again after that one time she had a break down. But this time it was silent crying. And that's it. She didn't cry again, she just sits there looking down, sometimes she stares at the sky, watching the moon look down on us. Some nights, she smiles. And those nights are usually the nights I take pictures of her. She's turning me into a full time stalker.

I got to the room she was painting yesterday, it was locked of course, so I dialed the House keeping number for this floor using the service phone. A few seconds later, someone came to open the door. The staff had grown to know me so there wasn't much fuss when I wanted the room opened. I grabbed the step ladder and made my way back to my Angel.

When I got back to the room, she was sitting cross legged on the floor staring at her phone, she looked a little pre-occupied but quickly looked up when she heard me. She had a weird look in her face. She seemed happy a while ago, what made her mood shift?

"What's wrong?" I sat beside her.

"Can you promise me something, Asher?" It was barely above a whisper, there was worry in her voice.

"Yes, of course. Anything."

"Promise you won't leave." She was looking at the floor as she said it. My heart was beating loudly in my chest. Leave? Right now? Today? Tomorrow? Forever? From the moment she smiled at me the first time, I knew I wouldn't. I would never.

"What?" I moved to sit beside her.

"Promise you won't leave." She still wasn't looking at me.

"I promise." I nudged her lightly in the shoulder and she looked up at me. I smiled and hugged her tightly.

"Second time around guys. You should probably start thinking about locking the doors." Lester was leaning on the door frame. His phone held up, camera facing us.

Lena just laughed and stood up, ready to start painting again.

"Is it lunch already?"

"Nope. I wasn't really in the mood to go out today. So I thought I could hang out here." Lester was holding my coffee. He took a long gulp and threw the empty cup in the trash.

"Uhmm. About lunch…" Lester and I turned to face Lena.

"What?" I asked, getting up.

"I can't have lunch with you guys today. I'm meeting someone." She kept her back turned to us.

"Who?" Lester and I asked at the same time.

"Just someone.."

"Who someone?" Lester moved towards her.

"Someone I know from a long time ago. Just someone. Okay?" She turned he away from Lester, refusing to let us see her face.

"Okay." I wanted to know who, but I had to remind myself that she didn't have to tell me everything. Who am I to her, really? Just some guy who keeps hanging around her. But then I remember earlier when she made me promise not to leave her. No, she didn't make me promise not to leave 'her' per se, she just made me promise not to leave.

The morning went on like it always did. By 11:30, Lena was already cleaning up.

"I'm gonna go ahead okay." She waved and got out, heading to her room.

When we were sure she was out of ear shot Lester turned to me. "Who do you think she's meeting?"

I shrugged. "No idea." I started to get up and clean up a little. I really have no idea who it is she's meeting. Could it be a friend? An ex-boyfriend? Current boyfriend? I shook my head to clear off the thoughts coming to me.

"We have to find out." It wasn't a question. Lester was already standing up. Determination on his face, if only I didn't really want to know too, I would have laughed.

==

As soon as Lester shut the door to our room, he looked out the peephole. "When she comes out, we're gonna follow her."

I nodded even though he can't see. "Why are you so interested anyway?" he seems to be more eager to know this mystery-lunch-person.

"Because I know you really want to know, but is too chicken to actually do anything to find out."

"That's not true. I mean, yeah, I'm curious, but I don't really want to know. And if ever I did i-"

"Shhhh.. Shhh.. She's out. Oh. She got all dressed up eh."

I pushed Lester to the side as I looked through the peephole. Lena is wearing a lavender Summer dress. Her hair is lose around her face, but not as wild as it usually is. My heart stopped at her beauty, then went into hyper-drive when I realized that she looked that way for the person she is meeting.

I looked through the peephole even though I could no longer see her.

"Come on dude." Lester pushed me then opened the door, slowly peeping out. When the coast is clear, he slowly went out, signaling me to follow with his hand.

We were just in time to see the elevator Lena rode closing, we waited for it to get to it's destination and saw it went to the lobby. We quickly hopped on the other elevator. When we got to the lobby, Lena was nowhere to be found. I turned and saw Lester talking to a staff. He smiled at me and signaled me to come closer.

Apparently Lena went to the restaurant alone. My heart is pounding in my chest. She's still alone then.

Lester and I quietly entered the restaurant, hiding behind staffs, customers, pillars, and plants. If the circumstances were different this whole scene would have been hilarious. But I am too invested to even think about laughing. Then suddenly I saw her back.

My heart dropped when I saw a handsome guy sitting across her.

Chapter end