The final portrait to be painted was that of Kiko's. The painter told her she could step off the chair and the very second her shoes touched the floor, relief filled the atmosphere. It was as though a heavy weight had been taken off of their shoulders. The past few days were tension-filled and awkward. Rosalie received most of the strict talking from Esme, and apart from that, everyone was cautious of each other.
As the painter gathered his equipment and Kiko stood stretching her limbs on the other side of the room, Rosalie was seated in a chair and could finally breathe easy. The painter would be gone and there would be no other person to cause all the tension and awkwardness they had all been feeling.
There was her, Esme, Kiko, Karena and Yelena in the art studio. Layla did not feel th
