✤ Adrian ✤
I heard her long before I saw her. The soft click of her shoes on the floorboards. The faint brush of her fingertips along the hallway wall. The quiet, contained breath she always released before opening a door, like she needed that one second to gather herself. It made my chest tighten in the best possible way. I stood in the middle of my bedroom, hands clasped behind my back, pretending I wasn’t seconds away from unraveling. The white sheet on the floor looked enormous, spread out from one end of the room to the other, thick enough to protect the hardwood beneath it. The paints were lined neatly along the dresser, brushes, and sponges beside them. I had gone over every detail twice. Then a third time. Then I started pacing like someone awaiting a verdict. By the time the hand
